Super Mario Chess Stop Motion

Chess Animation

Ajedrez y Educación Especial.

CURSO BÁSICO DE XADREZ

Xadrez - O Último Xeque-Mate de Stefan Zweig

Vida em miniatura: um vídeo-documentário sobre xadrez

Livro Psicologia e Xadrez

Análisis de partidas (Campeonato Mundial)

Pedagogía aplicada: ajedrez con humor (Mundial Ajedrez)

Kasparov vs Karpov - Linares 1993 [Partie #003]

Schach der Großmeister 2002

Chess Lesson: The most common mistake - Grandmaster Smirnov

The Game of Kings: Medieval Ivory Chessmen from the Isle of Lewis

Games of the Ancient World

Lewis Chesspieces Documentary

Me and Bobby Fischer

Battle Vs Chess (batttlegrounds) Gameplay part 2 [HD]

Battle Vs Chess (battlegrounds) Gameplay part 1 [HD]

Anand vs Carlsen - 2013 Tal Memorial Blitz Chess

Mozart of Chess: Magnus Carlsen

El oso Berni - Ajedrez

Extreme Amazing Super-Chess! (Chess.)

Ajedrez viviente Festival Benavidez 2013

Face a Face com o Inimigo [Knight Moves] - Filme Completo (legendado: PT...

Presentadas las Jornadas de "Jaque Mate al TDAH"

VIDEO El ajedrez como elemento educativo contra el fracaso escolar

Mi Gran Cerebro campeona de ajedrez 1 - Proyecto Igualdad

Who will win the match?

Recuerda: lleva siempre un juego de ajedrez en tus viajes

¡Nunca sabes donde puede surgir una partida!

Publicidad Club Social vs Hambre - Ajedrez (+lista de reproducción)

Altavista Kasparov (+lista de reproducción)

gEoMedia (+lista de reproducción)

NBA y el ajedrez

!!PATRIA!! Video Motivacional de Mango Paola Ajedrez dedicado al eterno...

Canción Pequeños Maestros

La Torre - Canción de ajedrez

Jaque Mate (EndGame)- Sneak Peek 1x01

Jaque Mate (EndGame)- Sneak Peek 1x01

Шахматы для детей.

"Check Animate" - A Stop Motion Chess Animation

Lecture with GM Ben Finegold (The Games of Paul Morphy) - 2013.08.07

FOOL a Genius with this Awesome Chess Trick!

Making Chess pieces

Ajedrez en la escuela española (noviembre 2013)

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/comienza-india-campeonato-del-

mundo-ajedrez/2133911/

El ajedrez como materia obligatoria: la experiencia del colegio LAUDE El Altillo School

http://jaquecito.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/el-ajedrez-como-materia-obligatoria.html

CHESS CAKE - NERDY NUMMIES

Chess Robot controlled by Java

http://vimeo.com/75368008

Chess Robot & Artificial Intelligence

http://www.youtube.com/v/2fQpZCamuBs?version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&showinfo=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=WNcFTluW8nGlcg68QrsrWw&autoplay=1

Chess Tactics Server

Currently we provide 36,872 tactical chess problems ranging in difficulty from trivial to ambitious. Your tactical performance will be measured by the Glicko rating system wich takes into account both the difficulty of each problem and the time you take to solve it. You can sign in as guest completely anonymous to get familiar with the chess board interface, browse some problems or just look around. You just need a valid email address to register and join our community.  Guía de utilización en Español by GM ICCF Roberto Alvarez This is a non-commercial service created and supported bychess enthusiasts from our chess club in Berlin, Germany. It is still under construction. Everyone is invited to participate in its development. Please don't use your skills to attack this server, but to detect and remove possible exploits. Enjoy! http://chess.emrald.net/

VII Festival Internacional de Ajedrez - Universidad Central Bogotá (Colombia)

Web Oficial: http://www.ucentral.edu.co/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3128&Itemid=5061

Del 10 al 14 de octubre de 2013 se llevará a cabo la séptima edición del Festival Internacional de Ajedrez en la Sede Centro de la Universidad Central (carrera 5 N.° 21-38). Este evento es la fiesta del ajedrez nacional: nuestros mejores jugadores tendrán la oportunidad de incrementar su elo y la posibilidad de adquirir una norma o un título Fide; además, los aficionados tendrán la oportunidad única de participar en un torneo de corte internacional con un buen número de excelentes maestros.

En esta ocasión, el Festival está conformado por seis torneos: élite, universitario y ascenso, primaria, bachillerato y dos torneos de exhibición de ajedrez relámpago masculino y femenino que se realizarán de forma paralela. Se ha convocado a unos 500 ajedrecistas y se espera la participación de ocho países: Cuba, Islandia, Ecuador, Perú, Panamá, Venezuela, España y Colombia.

Bienvenidos al VII Festival, la fiesta del ajedrez en Colombia. ¡Gens una sumus!

W.ANAND - M.CARLSEN, World Chess Championship 2013, coming soon...

Official:
http://chennai2013.fide.com/

+ Info:
http://www.worldchesschampionship2013.com/

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/10/18/anand-carlsen-world-chess-championship-2013-preview/

http://www.chessdom.com/anand-carlsen-2013-carlsens-rise-to-the-top-6/

http://www.theweekinchess.com/chessnews/events/fide-world-chess-championship-anand-carlsen-2013

http://epaper.indianexpress.com/c/1866909

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/chess/Viswanathan-Anand-is-scared-of-Carlsen-Kramnik/articleshow/25197508.cms

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/its-going-to-be-a-close-exciting-contest/article5305276.ece?homepage=true

Komodo, King Chess Engine 2013 - Stage 3

Source: http://www.chessdom.com/komodo-smashes-competition-at-tcec-stage-3-rybka-is-eliminated/

Komodo smashes competition at TCEC Stage 3, Rybka is eliminated

Nov 5, 2013

Stage 3 of the world’s strongest computer chess championship TCEC has come to an end. Komodo is the winner of the stage with the amazing 11,5/18, a full 1,5 points ahead of competition. Komodo achieved 6 victories, 11 draws, and lost just one game to prove that its win in the previous stage was not a coincidence.

Replay annotated Komodo – Stockfish by GM Jacob Aagard here / Replay all games of Stage 3 here

In a very close battle Bouquet, Houdini, and Stockfish shared the second position with 10,0/18. The silver medal of the stage goes to Stage 1 winner Bouquet with best tiebreak. The bronze is for the top rated engine in the field Houdini, while 4th place is for Stockfish, which is the only engine to achieve double victory in the stage.

Gull, playing with updated version 2.3, is at sole 5th position with 9,5/18.

The drama of Stage 3 was for the 6th position race, as the top six engines qualify to the next Stage 4 for a hexa round robin. Naum 4.6, Hiarcs 14, and Rybka 4.1 achieved 8,5/18. The tension was kept to the very end with the games Rybka – Gull and the 105 mover Houdini – Hiarcs in progress. In the end, Naum’s upgraded version for this stage had better tiebreak, and so it progresses on, while Hiarcs and Rybka are eliminated until the next season of TCEC.

Replay the games of Stage 1 / Replay the games of TCEC Stage 2 /  See the current live game / Full list of participants / Information / Play online at Chessdom Arena

Stage 4 starts today

Stage 4 consists of the 6 engines that qualified from Stage 3 – Komodo, Bouquet, Houdini, Stockfish, Gull, and Naum 4.6. The competition is a hexa round robin and the top 2 engines will qualify to play the Superfinal. Live games here starting at 19:00 CET

Official: http://komodochess.com/

La cantera del ajedrez

Expourense reunió a 250 jugadores de entre 6 y 16 años

El ajedrez no es un deporte popular como el fútbol, pero en Ourense suma numerosos adeptos y tiene asegurada la cantera por lo visto hoy en la sexta edición del festival internacional de Expourense, que congregó a 250 jugadores procedentes de las cuatro provincias gallegas, más una veintena llegados de Portugal y un ajedrecista de Castilla y León.

Seis ediciones que han consolidado a este festival como uno de los más importantes de su modalidad en el calendario nacional. El nivel de los jugadores era variado, desde niños que han empezado este año a jugar a ajedrecistas con ránking internacional. Medio centenar de jugadores tenían este rango, lo que además de cantidad aseguró calidad en la edición del festival.

El colofón, además de la entrega de premios, fue la aparición del mejor jugador de ajedrez que ha dado Ourense, Iván Salgado, que ofreció una exhibición de partidas simultáneas frente a los vencedores de las categorías sub 8 (Marcos Santos, de A Coruña), sub 10 (Juan Manuel Martínez, de Pontevedra) y sub 12 (Martín Pena, del Universitario de Santiago). El reciente campeón de España absoluto de ajedrez les ganó a todos, demostrando una vez más su alto nivel, que le ha llevado a estar entre los mejores del escalafón nacional y a plantar batallas interesantes a los maestros internacionales. Su figura fue un ejemplo para los nuevos jugadores, a los que este festival organizado por Expourense y dirigido técnicamente por el club Xadrez Ourense, les presenta el ajedrez como una actividad a medio camino entre la ciencia y el deporte llena de valores para la juventud.

En la categoría sub 14 ganó el ourensano Ángel Domínguez (Casa da Xuventude) y en sub 16, Adrián Gómez (Xadrez Ourense), club que consiguió también el segundo puesto en esta categoría, a manos de Miguel Ferreiro.

MindChampions’Academy - MITT (India)

NIIT MindChampions’Academy(MCA) is a joint initiative of the NIIT- Global Talent Development Organisation and Chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. The academy aims to bring students in the age group of 5 - 17 years to the world of Chess. NIIT MindChampions’Academy initiative consists of – Formation of Chess clubs at Schools Chess coaching through chess teaching software Chess tournaments Identifying talents and encouraging them to play tournaments and get FIDE rating. Reach: MindChampions’Academy has already spread its reach to more than 2000 schools and starting this year, will now be available in additional 400 schools in Bihar 500 schools in Maharashtra 45 schools in Tripura 2005 additional schools in AP 29 schools in Delhi and 70 other schools + info: http://www.niitnguru.com/Pages/MindChampions'Academy.aspx

El humor en ajedrez como herramienta de aprendizaje

http://ajedrezconhumor.blogspot.com.es/ "Un buen truco para presentar el próximo Campeonato del Mundo"

La Universidad de Gerona tendrá una cátedra en ajedrez (España)

Fuente: Diari de Girona Fecha: Jueves, 31 de octuber de 2013 Titular: La UdG tindrà una càtedra d´escacs per fer recerca i facilitar-ne la introducció a l´escola http://www.diaridegirona.cat/cultura/2013/10/31/udg-tindra-catedra-descacs-recerca/641575.html Traducción: Quizás estamos lejos de alcanzar los niveles de Rusia, o incluso de Cuba, en cuanto a la enseñanza del ajedrez en las escuelas. Pero en ocasiones las casas se deben empezar por tejado para ir llegando hasta los cimientos , y que dos universidades catalanas acuerden crear una cátedra de ajedrez no puede ser más que una buena noticia y un adelanto de lo que según bastantes estudiosos debería de llevar a cabo en toda la etapa educativa . Quizás se llegará . De momento, que la Universidad de Girona sea una de las que tendrán esta cátedra ya es un buen inicio . O una buena apertura, que es imprescindible para acabar ganando la partida . La Universidad de Lleida ( UdL ) y la Universidad de Girona ( UdG ) pondrán en marcha una cátedra en ajedrez , educación y desarrollo cognitivo , según se dio a conocer ayer durante el Consejo de gobierno de la universidad leridana . La nueva cátedra universidad-empresa , que estará dirigida por José Calles ( UdG ) y Ángel Blanco ( UdL ) , pretende poner de relieve la utilidad del juego del ajedrez no sólo en el ámbito lúdico , sino también en el de la educación y la salud . Actualmente , 23 escuelas de las comarcas de Lleida ya participan en un programa de formación para maestros en la técnica y las estrategias del juego del ajedrez y su aplicación didáctica . Introducirlo en las escuelas Además de promover la investigación en este tema , la cátedra quiere facilitar la introducción del ajedrez en las escuelas a partir fundamentalmente de dos vías . Una , el asesoramiento a los centros educativos y la administración sobre aprendizajes en didácticas activas, lúdicas y manipulativas en la educación infantil , primaria y secundaria , centradas en el uso de los juegos en la enseñanza- aprendizaje . Y la otra , la formación de maestros en didáctica y desarrollo curricular del ajedrez . La cátedra cuenta con el apoyo de la Federación Catalana de Ajedrez y del Departamento de Enseñanza . De la importancia que pueden tener el ajedrez en la educación en habla por sí solo que en julio pasado el Parlamento Europeo aprobó una declaración pidiendo " a los Estados miembros que apoyen la introducción del programa " Ajedrez en la Escuela ", ya que este deporte "puede mejorar su concentración, paciencia y persistencia y puede ayudarle a desarrollar el sentido de la creatividad, la intuición, la memoria y las competencias , tanto analíticas como de toma de decisiones" . " el ajedrez enseñan asimismo valores como la determinación , la motivación y la deportividad ", añadía.

Wikipedia: chess

Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. ... + info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess

25 Most Expensive Things In The World

Game Over : Kasparov vs Deep Blue FULL MOVE (SRPSKI PREVOD )

First Move. Proxecto de Xadrez Educativo dende Seattle (USA)

A Curriculum Guide for Scholastic Chess by David MacEnulty - USCF (1998)

Source: http://www.schoolchess.com/download/school%20chess%20curriculum%20guide.pdf About the Author Six years ago David MacEnulty became the first full-time New York City public school teacher to teach chess as an academic subject. Working in a large elementary school in the South Bronx, his team has won first place trophies at the New York City Scholastic Chess Tournament for four consecutive years, and is one of the top five elementary chess teams in the nation. From 1994 to 1997, his students won more than 500 individual and team trophies. These achievements are made all the more remarkable by the fact that his school, Community Elementary School 70, is located in the poorest Congressional District in the country, and its children come from the two highest crime precincts in the Bronx. David began his chess teaching career with Chess-in-the-Schools, a non-profit foundation that sends chess teachers to schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods. He has also taught children at the Manhattan Chess Club, the New York Athletic Club, and worked in after school programs at several public and private New York City Schools. For the past four years, he has enjoyed teaching at the Brownell-Talbot Summer Chess Camp in Omaha. David has also produced two videotapes of chess instruction featuring Bruce Pandolfini, and appears in one of his own aimed at beginning players entitled Chess For Children. In addition, he is just completing a series of instructional books for beginners to go with the Chess for Children Videotape series. His booklet, The Scholastic Tournament Book, was written as a guide for parents who are just embarking on the sometimes chaotic ride through the scholastic chess tournament experience. David’s extraordinary work with his Bronx chess team has been regularly recognized and applauded by the media both inside and outside the chess world. He has been featured on several television shows, including CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood and CNN News, in addition to numerous newspaper articles. Most recently, he was named the U.S.C.F. Coach of the Month for March, ’98. Among his favorite chess sayings to elementary school students are, “Look at three or four ideas before choosing one,” and “If you don’t know where every piece is and what each can do, you aren’t ready for your next move.” A strong believer in basic technique, he constantly reviews opening principles, tactics, pawn structure, checkmate patterns, and endgame ideas with his team. “A player’s creativity suffers if technique is lacking. Since a lot of chess thinking is reasoning by analogy, I want to build a solid foundation of essential information the students can use in their analytical reasoning. I don’t want to develop a lot of young players who just memorize variations. I want them to know the ‘why’ of every move they see. That way, if their opponent makes a weak move, they can come up with a good response. Or if their opponent surprises them with an opening we haven’t worked on, they can apply the basic principles, and usually come out all right. Does it always work? Of course not! Some of these kids are only in first or second grade. Does it work more often that not? You bet it does.” Another of his strong beliefs about scholastic chess is sportsmanship: “I teach the children to respect everyone. Being a better chess player doesn’t make you a better person. And if someone has just beaten you, shake their hand and congratulate them. They just did something pretty special: they beat you. You have to show respect for that, or what are you saying about yourself? It may hurt inside, but that doesn’t give you the right to be rude.” ...

Aplicação do jogo de xadrez na educação matemática

http://www.slideshare.net/RodrigoRomais/aplicao-do-jogo-de-xadrez-na-educao-matemtica

Xadrez na escola: um instrumento pluridisciplinar - Universidade Federal Alfenas (Brasil)

Fonte:http://www.unifal-mg.edu.br/icsa/xadrez Coordenador: Letícia Lima Milani Rodrigues Sub-coordenador: Gislene Araújo Pereira Bolsista: Mario Cesar Reis Arantes Resumo: O projeto visa colaborar com o desenvolvimento cognitivo das crianças por meio do jogo de xadrez. O xadrez proporciona uma gama de benefícios, pois é bastante abrangente. Quando apresenta a história do xadrez, sua origem, estuda-se a geografia. As possibilidades das inúmeras jogadas relacionam-se à matemática. Os benefícios morais que o xadrez proporciona são de grande relevância para as crianças, tais como: o respeito mútuo, a autonomia, a tolerância, o espírito de competição, o sentimento de vitória e de derrota, conhecer e reconhecer o ponto de vista do outro. As inúmeras jogadas e possibilidades fazem com que as crianças exercitem o imaginário, o trabalho, a inteligência, fazendo confirmar a frase: “O xadrez é a ginástica da inteligência” (GOETHE, 1876). Por meio do jogo de xadrez as crianças passam de uma reflexão primeira (imediata) à uma reflexão mais elaborada (reepensada), pois o jogo força o raciocínio por meio das supostas jogadas analisadas pelas crianças. O projeto de xadrez nas escolas tem como objetivo centrar o aluno e “convidá-lo” de uma forma sutil a trabalhar sua mente, forçando-a pensar e consequentemente amdurecê-la. Por meio do jogo, o campo imaginário da criança é ativado, fazendo-o refletir e repensar. A educação é um mecanismo de avanço gradual e formas de ensino devem ser repensadas para enfrentamento dos desafios oriundos da globalização e a adoção do jogo de xadrez nas escolas propicia o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem e é medida que personaliza o direito social à educação. O objetivo do projeto é a utilização do jogo de xadrez como instrumento pedagógico e social, visando auxiliar o desenvolvimento escolar dos alunos envolvidos no projeto.

Xadrez e Educação: Contribuições da ciência...

Speech by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov at "Chess and Education"

VA. Gov. Proclaims Chess in Education Day. Kids celebrate!

Educational Value of Chess by Wendi Fischer

It's not about Kings, Queens, and Rooks, but rather, quadrants and coordinates, thinking strategically and foreseeing consequences. It's about lines and angles, weighing options and making decisions. Chess might just be the perfect teaching and learning tool. Since 2000, America's Foundation for Chess (AF4C) has been working with 2nd and 3rd grade students and their teachers to promote the use of chess as an educational tool. The goal of the First Move™ curriculum is to use the game of chess as a tool, to increase higher level thinking skills, advance math and reading skills, and build self-confidence. Research shows, there is a strong correlation between learning to play chess and academic achievement. In 2000, a landmark study found that students who received chess instruction scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability (Smith and Cage, 2000). While studies have shown chess to have a positive impact on kids in elementary, middle and high school, AF4C targeted second and third graders as the evidence, and certainly our experience, suggests it's the ideal age. Eight and nine year-old minds and thinking skills are developing rapidly, and chess teaches higher level thinking skills such as the ability to visualize, analyze, and think critically. If you teach an adult to play chess, they quickly comprehend where they should and shouldn't move pieces to capture or avoid capture. Young Kate knew the names of the pieces and how they moved, but initially moved her pieces randomly. Soon she was saying, "If I move my piece here, you could capture it, right? Then I'm not going to move there." You can almost see the mental changes taking place. Chess has a unique and strong brand attribute, in that it is generally perceived that playing chess and being smart are connected. This can be very positive driver for young children, who, rather than being intimidated as many adults are, embrace the notion. As children get older, a stigma, or nerd factor attaches to "being smart." But in the second and third grade, kids want to be thought of as smart. It is also an important age for developing an attachment to school. If kids associate school and learning with fun, they will most likely develop a stronger attachment to school. To be referred to as "the perfect teaching tool," chess would have to do much more than be age appropriate, and it does. As our classrooms become increasingly diverse, being able to reach all children becomes increasingly challenging. Chess levels the playing field as it crosses all socio-economic boundaries. It is a universal game, with worldwide rule consistency. Age, gender, ethnic background, religious affiliation, size, shape, color, and language don't matter when playing chess. Everyone is equal on the chessboard. Students who are English language learners find success with chess, because they don't face language barriers on the chessboard. Principal Jeff Newport commented, "We have 34 different languages spoken at our school, and chess is now the one we have in common." Many schools have after-school chess clubs that create a mix of fun, competition and learning. Predominantly the members are boys. An unintended consequence of these programs is that they often leave some kids behind who are not drawn to the competitive aspect of the game. By integrating chess into the classroom, we are able to reach all children and provide them with the benefits of learning through the game of chess. These benefits include the fact that students who wouldn't have thought to join the chess club on their own, are more apt to join after having been exposed to chess in their classroom. In Philadelphia, where 20 schools have implemented First Move™ during the school day, participation in chess club after-school increased in several schools that already had a chess club, and five schools created a new club in response to student demand. The First Move™ curriculum was developed by a curriculum professional, and designed specifically to connect with National and State academic standards. For example, while learning about the chessboard, students are taught that each square has a name/location. You can find each square by using coordinates, a set of numbers, letters or a number and a letter, that tell you the exact location of something. On the chessboard, each square is located at the intersection of a file (vertical line) and rank (horizontal line). As they learn, students begin to talk in chess terms, i.e." I am moving my c3 Knight to e4." This helps their chess game, and it also meets the Washington State Standards for math (1.5.1 and 5.3.1). "Chess will never show up on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning [test]" says Kent Ferris, Lafayette Elementary School, "but the confidence, focus, and academic skills our students are gaining through becoming analytical players will pay measurable benefits in the years ahead." Principal Michelle Hartman was concerned about her 3rd grade class because they were considered a "high-risk" group. At the end of the school year she noted, "Chess has really made a difference for these kids, and their test scores help prove it." In any classroom, there are disparate levels of prior knowledge on any given topic; chess is no different. Teachers find some of their students already know how to play chess. This becomes an opportunity to place those children in leadership roles as teaching assistants for their classmates. The reason isn't clear, but in many interviews with children in the First Move™ program, they express their desire to teach others to play chess. Superintendent Reece Blincoe from Stockdale ISD reported his delight when his family gathered on the living room floor so his 3rd grade daughter could teach them all to play chess, based on the lessons she had learned during the school day in the First Move™ program. The way chess can incorporate and relate to other core subjects makes it an amazingly powerful tool. In First Move™ Teacher Training Workshops, classroom teachers learn how to develop their core curriculum using chess. Chess is one big science experiment; every time you play a game you are testing hypotheses and learning by trial and error. Chess is rooted in history and can open a door to history knowledge. Our current game of chess developed in the Middle Ages in Western Europe, though it began in India at least 1500 years ago. The King, Queen, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and Pawns are symbolic of real groups of people in the Middle Ages and studies of them can take children into an understanding of what life was like at that time. As children play chess, they begin to see the importance of thinking ahead, trying to figure out what their opponent might do next and what their alternatives are too. This ability to anticipate outcomes can transfer to their reading comprehension. Students can predict outcomes, and realize that characters in their stories are interconnected, just as just as they and their opponent, and the pieces on the chessboard are. In the First Move classroom, kids aren't thinking about the benefits of chess, and how it might help them on their standardized tests, but they are thinking while having fun. Their teachers can see the benefits, however. Julie Doan, teacher at Medina Elementary says: My students are more focused—chess certainly accounts for this. In math, for instance, students who had studied chess were able to read graphs and work with charts so much more smoothly than the students I had last year, who weren't even able to read a grid prior to the lessons in math class. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reference Smith, J. P. and Cage, B. N. (2000). The effects of chess instruction on the mathematics achievements of southern, rural, black secondary students. Research in the Schools, 7, 19-26. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the author Wendi Fischer is the Scholastic Director of America's Foundation for Chess, a non-profit organization formed in 2000, dedicated to bringing chess into the schools so that all children can have the benefits of its lessons. Wendi becomes "Lady Wendolyn" in the DVD lessons that accompany the First Move chess program produced by the Foundation. Email: wendi@af4c.org ©July 2006

Fundamentos del ajedrez en la escuela

MARCO TEORICO Nadie sabe a ciencia cierta el origen del ajedrez. Unos piensan que proviene de la India; otros dicen que de China y también aseguran que es originario de Persia. Se piensa que los antiguos griegos lo jugaban, y es probable que haya sido introducido en Europa por los árabes, que avanzaron por el Mediterráneo y llegaron a conquistar casi toda España a principios del siglo VIII. Lo que sí parece cierto es que hasta la Edad Media no se lo conoció en Europa. La leyenda más aceptada dice que el ajedrez fue inventado en la India por Sissa, y no faltó quien, con humor, atribuyó su origen a la Argentina, porque -dijo- el juego tiene peones, caballos y mate. El ajedrez conjuga tres aspectos diferentes: es arte porque permite crear; ciencia porque sus infinitas combinaciones y variantes remiten a la matemática y es deporte porque es una competición. Las bondades que la práctica del ajedrez puede brindar al hombre no se limitan sólo al campo de la educación. En la vida cotidiana, el juego estimula la perseverancia en el abordaje de tareas y en la resolución de problemas; permite analizar las cuestiones desde diferentes puntos de vista, ya que ayuda al sujeto a situarse en la perspectiva del otro, a valorar con antelación las ventajas y los inconvenientes de una decisión y a planificar anticipadamente las respuestas a posibles situaciones. Desarrolla la capacidad de autonomía mediante la toma de decisiones, así como la autoestima y la superación, permitiendo valorar el propio progreso en el aprendizaje y adquirir un nivel adecuado de autoconfianza. Contribuye al análisis sistemático de los problemas utilizando procedimientos adecuados para obtener la información, seleccionarla, organizarla y utilizarla. Lleva a la persona a responsabilizarse de sus propios actos, porque le enseña a reconocer los aciertos y los errores cometidos y a asumir las consecuencias positivas o negativas de las decisiones tomadas. Desde hace años la educación está en crisis. Con frecuencia se señala que los chicos tienen dificultades para interpretar textos y para razonar; carecen de la concentración necesaria o presentan problemas mnemotécnicos que los conducen al fracaso cuando ingresan a la universidad. curriculares en todos los niveles educativos, incluido el universitario. Esta tarea podría efectuarse a través de talleres o de materias extraprogramáticas. “El ajedrez sirve para formar a la juventud; es útil para la vida. Sirve para alejar a la juventud de los vicios. Lo deben jugar en las escuelas, de donde pueden salir muchos valores. La comprensión del ajedrez es similar al conocimiento de uno mismo. No es una carrera desenfrenada por el conocimiento, sino que es el aprendiz quien hace significativos los conocimientos que se le presentan. Si pretendemos formar niños más creativos, pacientes y éticos el ajedrez justifica sus beneficios: EL AJEDREZ. Brinda numerosas ventajas al desarrollo intelectual y personal del niño, permitiéndole aprovechar mejor su inteligencia natural. Estas son algunas de las principales capacidades que puede fomentar: ATENCIÓN Y CONCENTRACIÓN. Son las capacidades que se desarrollan más rápido. Los niños se acostumbran a pensar y poner atención en lo que están haciendo, incluso los hiperactivos. También ejercita la memoria. ANÁLISIS Y SÍNTESIS. Durante toda la partida el niño tiene que analizar cada amenaza del contrario y sintetizar cuál es la mejor respuesta. Hay niños que después de un tiempo pueden efectuar combinaciones de tres jugadas. Cada jugada puede tener más de una respuesta. RAZONAMIENTO LÓGICO-MATEMÁTICO. El tipo de razonamiento que se emplea en el ajedrez es el mismo que se utiliza en las matemáticas. Algunos señalan que "el ajedrez es a la matemática lo que la música es a la acústica". Motiva también hábitos de estudio, lectura e investigación en la rama de la filosofía a e informática. CREATIVIDAD E IMAGINACIÓN. Todo ajedrecista debe imaginar posiciones distintas de las que hay en el tablero, para aprovechar el tiempo. A partir de eso crea un plan de acción con jugadas que obliguen al rival a equivocarse para modificar la posición de las piezas y conseguir lo que busca. Tiene que ser más rápido e imaginativo que su contrario. ÉTICA. Como en cualquier deporte, hay reglas a respetar, pero tan determinantes que el jugador se acostumbra a cumplirlas sin la necesidad de un árbitro. Debe aceptar el resultado del encuentro sin excusas. El vencedor no es más alto, más fuerte o más rápido que el vencido, sino que ha jugador mejor. ORGANIZACIÓN. El jugador analiza los problemas que se le plantean, planifica la acción, y combina jugadas con distintas piezas en un orden dado. Debe organizar su juego. CONTROL EMOCIONAL. Debe controlar sus emociones al máximo, sin dejarse llevar por el enojo o el desprecio hacia el rival. Los niños desarrollan paciencia y perseverancia. RESPONSABILIDAD. Un ajedrecista no puede echarle a nadie la culpa de sus errores, pero tampoco puede achacar el resultado a la mala suerte ni a factores exógenos. AUTOESTIMA. Al ser una batalla mental, el jugador valora el esfuerzo que representa mejorar. El niño va tomando confianza en su capacidad. TOMA DE DECISIONES. Frecuentemente, mucho más que en cualquier otro deporte, hay que tomar una decisión que puede ser definitiva, pues no se puede consultar con nadie. OTROS BENEFICIOS El mal de Alzheimer puede prevenirse con una intensa actividad intelectual, además jugar ajedrez, pude prevenir dicha enfermedad. Es terapéutico en problemas sociales como la drogadicción, la falta de autoestima, ocio improductivo. Mejora las estructuras del pensamiento-ayuda a pensar asertivamente-, por medio de la explicación y razonamiento. Mejora el pensamiento convergente (este se realiza cuando se busca una respuesta determinada o convencional) Mejora el pensamiento divergente (mecanismo mental que interviene en la resolución de problemas que admiten varias soluciones, todas ellas válidas) Ayuda en la resolución de problemas: de tipo Algorítmico y heurístico. Algorítmico: es un método gradual para la solución de problemas que garantiza una solución correcta. Heurístico: ayuda a simplificar y resolver un problema. Enseñanza pro resolución de problemas (Una vez interpretado el problema, consiste en escoger una estrategia que se adapte al problema) “Participando de un deporte que no los limita para compartirlo con sus mayores, les permite una madurez de intercambios sociales de mayor envergadura. “El ajedrez, por su cultura e inserción en todo el mundo, abre una visión amplia de posibilidades, habilidades y destrezas. “Los jóvenes encuentran, en el método de estudio del juego, las enseñanzas de conductas faltantes en el desarrollo curricular de las escuelas. “Con la practica del ajedrez, según su edad, se obtiene una base de conocimientos que les permite ir descubriendo peldaño a peldaño inteligencias múltiples. “Mediante juegos ajedrecísticos se adquiere otros vocabularios como el de las matemáticas, el idioma, el lenguaje intrapersonal e interpersonal, complementándolo con la rica variedad de múltiples inteligencias. “El pensamiento lateral, la memoria visual, la deducción o el pensamiento analógico se enriquecen mediante conductas habituales frente a la resolución de problemas. “Se obtiene serenidad en la toma de decisiones y respuestas más claras frente a cada situación particular en sus vidas. “La enseñanza del ajedrez escolar desarrolla facultades fundamentales de orden intelectual como la atención, el raciocinio, el cálculo, la investigación, la toma de decisiones. “Tiene una base matemática que es el lenguaje del método y el pensamiento ordenado. La matemática es el instrumento y lenguaje de la ciencia. “Estimula el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas tales como: memoria, inteligencia, análisis, concentración; capacidades fundamentales en la evolución ulterior del individuo. “Da una pauta ética en el momento propicio para la adquisición de valores morales. “Debido a sus múltiple ventajas contribuyen a la formación de mejores ciudadanos. “Permite transferencia a situaciones de la vida diaria. “Minimiza el cansancio físico y enriquece el espíritu. “Favorece el desarrollo del lenguaje ajedrecístico y su habilidad para la argumentación. “Contribuye al mejoramiento del individuo; mediante el desarrollo y descubrimiento de inteligencias múltiples.” BIBLIOGRAFIA: COSTA, ARTUR. "Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking" STUART MARGULIES, "The Effect Of Chess on Reading Scores", 1992. TERREL BELL, "Your Child’s Intellect", NJ Prentice Hall, 1982 JOHN ARTISE, "Chess and Education", 1996 FIDEL CASTRO RUIZ "El ajedrez debe formar parte del programa escolar", La Habana, 1988. GUILFORD, J.P. , "La naturaleza de la Inteligencia Humana", New York,1976 PIAGET, J., "La equilibracion de las estructuras cognoscitivas", Madrid 1978. LAPLAZA JORGE, "Valores pedagógicos del Ajedrez", Buenos Aires, 1998. PERKINS, NICKERSON, "Enseñar a pensar", Ed. Paids. HOWARD GARDNER, "Frames of Mind", 1983.

TEACHER'S GUIDE: RESEARCH AND BENEFITS OF CHESS By Dr. Robert C. Ferguson

STUDIES FACTS ANECDOTAL MATERIALS WHAT DO EDUCATORS SAY? WHAT DO STUDENTS SAY? WHAT DO PARENTS SAY? CONCLUSION WHY SHOULD YOU PLAY CHESS? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? NOTES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION STUDIES In a 1973-74 Zaire study conducted by Dr. Albert Frank, employing 92 students, age 16-18, the chess-playing experimental group showed a significant advancement in spatial, numerical and administrative-directional abilities, along with verbal aptitudes, compared to the control group. The improvements held true regardless of the final chess skill level attained. [1], [2], [7] In a 1974-1976 Belgium study, a chess-playing experimental group of fifth graders experienced a statistically significant gain in cognitive development over a control group, using Piaget's tests for cognitive development. Perhaps more noteworthy, they also did significantly better in their regular school testing, as well as in standardized testing administered by an outside agency which did not know the identity of the two groups. Quoting Dr. Adriaan de Groot: ...``In addition, the Belgium study appears to demonstrate that the treatment of the elementary, clear-cut and playful subject matter can have a positive effect on motivation and school achievement generally...'' [1], [3] , [7] In a 1977-1979 study at the Chinese University in Hong Kong by Dr. Yee Wang Fung, chess players showed a 15% improvement in math and science test scores. 4] A four-year study (1979-1983) in Pennsylvania found that the chess-playing experimental group consistently outperformed the control groups engaged in other thinking development programs, using measurements from the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. [1], [4], [5], [6], [7], [23] The 1979-1983 Venezuela ``Learning to Think Project,'' which trained 100,000 teachers to teach thinking skills and involved a sample of 4,266 second grade students, reached a general conclusion that chess, methodologically taught, is an incentive system sufficient to accelerate the increase of IQ in elementary age children of both sexes at all socio-economic levels. [1], [7], [8], [9], [10] During his governor's teacher grant from the New Jersey State Department of Education, William Levy found that chess consistently (1980-1987) promoted self-esteem after a year of exposure. Many students' self-images improved dramatically. [7], [11] According to a two-year study conducted in Kishinev under the supervision of N.F. Talisina, grades for young students taking part in the chess experiment increased in all subjects. Teachers noted improvement in memory, better organizational skills, and for many increased fantasy and imagination (Education Ministry of the Moldavian Republic, 1985). [1], [7] In his 1986 pilot study, Dr. Ferguson found that it is possible to enhance achievement by focusing on individuals' modality strengths, creating an individualized thinking plan, analyzing and reflecting upon one's own problem solving processes, sharing his/her thinking system with peers, and modifying the system to integrate other modalities. [1], [7], [12] During the 1987-88 ``Development of Reasoning and Memory through Chess,'' all students in a rural Pennsylvania sixth grade self-contained classroom were required to participate in chess lessons and play games. None of the pupils had previously played chess. The pupils significantly improved in both memory and verbal reasoning. The effect of the magnitude of the results is strong (eta 2 is .715 for the Memory test gain compared to the Norm). These results suggest that transfer of the skills fostered through the chess curriculum did occur. [1], [7], [13] A 1989-92 New Brunswick, Canada study, using 437 fifth graders split into three groups, experimenting with the addition of chess to the math curriculum, found increased gains in math problem-solving and comprehension proportionate to the amount of chess in the curriculum. [14] A 1990-92 study using a sub-set of the New York City Schools Chess Program produced statistically significant results concluding that chess participation enhances reading performance. [15], [16], [23] “Playing Chess: A Study of Problem-Solving Skills in Students with Average and Above Average Intelligence,'' a study by Philip Rifner, was conducted during the 1991-1992 school term. The study sought to determine whether middle school students who learned general problem solving skills in one domain could apply them in a different domain. Data indicated that inter-domain transfer can be achieved if teaching for transfer is an instructional goal. [17] During the 1995-1996 school year, two classrooms were selected in each of five schools. Students (N = 112) were given instruction in chess and reasoning in one classroom in each school. Pupils in the chess program obtained significantly higher reading scores at the end of the year. It should be noted that while students in the chess group took chess lessons, the control group (N = 127) had additional classroom instruction in basic education. The control group teacher was free to use the ``chess period'' any way he/she wanted, but the period was usually used for reading, math or social studies instruction. The control groups thus had more reading instruction than the chess groups. Even so, the chess groups did better on the reading post-test; therefore, the gains in the chess groups were particularly impressive. [18] In a 1994-97 Texas study, regular (non-honors) elementary students who participated in a school chess club showed twice the improvement of non-chess players in Reading and Mathematics between third and fifth grades on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. [19], [20] Researchers and educators have questioned what causes this growth. The Venezuelan study claimed: ``Chess develops a new form of thinking, and this exercise is what contributes to increase the intelligence quotient.'' [10] More recent researchers speculate that it is the growth of new synaptic connections. Chess promotes the growth of dendrites! Why does chess have this impact? Briefly, there appear to be at least seven significant factors: 1) Chess accommodates all modality strengths. 2) Chess provides a far greater quantity of problems for practice. 3) Chess offers immediate punishments and rewards for problem solving. 4) Chess creates a pattern or thinking system that, when used faithfully, breeds success. The chess playing students had become accustomed to looking for more and different alternatives, which resulted in higher scores in fluency and originality. 5) Competition. Competition fosters interest, promotes mental alertness, challenges all students, and elicits the highest levels of achievement (Stephan, 1988). 6) A learning environment organized around games has a positive affect on students' attitudes toward learning. This affective dimension acts as a facilitator of cognitive achievement (Allen & Main, 1976). [21] Instructional gaming is one of the most motivational tools in the good teacher's repertoire. Children love games. Chess motivates them to become willing problem solvers and spend hours quietly immersed in logical thinking. These same young people often cannot sit still for fifteen minutes in the traditional classroom. 7) Chess supplies a variety and quality of problems. As Langen (1992) states: ``The problems that arise in the 70-90 positions of the average chess game are, moreover, new. Contexts are familiar, themes repeat, but game positions never do. This makes chess good grist for the problem-solving mill.'' Return to top FACTS Chess is part of the curricula in nearly 30 countries. In Venezuela, Iceland, Russia and other countries, chess is a subject in all public schools. [8] In Vancouver, BC, the Math and Chess Learning Center, recognizing the correlation between chess playing and math skills development, has developed a series of workbooks to assist Canadian students in math. [42] In Harriet Geithmann's article ``Strobeck, Home of Chess,';' The National Geographic Magazine, May 1931, pp. 637-652, we find that this medieval village in the Harz Mountains of Germany has taught the royal game in its public schools for years. Chess began in Strobeck in 1011. [37] In ``Chessmen Come to Life in Marostica,'' The National Geographic Magazine, November 1956, by Alexander Taylor, pp. 658-668, we see an Italian town reviving a romantic legend of the Middle Ages, in which suitors played chess for the hand of a lady fair. [43] The mathematics curriculum in New Brunswick, Canada is a text series called Challenging Mathematics, which uses chess to teach logic and problem solving from grades 2 to 7. Using this curriculum, the average problem-solving score of pupils in the province increased from 62% to 81%. The Province of Quebec, where the program was first introduced, has the highest math grades in Canada, and Canada scores better than the USA on international mathematics exams. [19], [20], [40] Former U.S. Secretary of Education Terrell Bell encouraged knowledge of chess as a way to develop a preschooler's intellect and academic readiness. [39] The State of New Jersey passed a bill legitimizing chess as a unit of instruction within the elementary school curriculum. On December 17, 1992, New Jersey Governor Jim Florio signed into law a bill to establish chess instruction in public schools. A quote from the bill states ``In countries where chess is offered widely in schools, students exhibit excellence in the ability to recognize complex patterns and consequently excel in math and science...'' [41] Funding for chess activity is available under the ``Educate America Act'' (Goals 2000), Public Law 103-227, Section 308.b.2.E.: ``Supporting innovative and proven methods of enhancing a teacher's ability to identify student learning needs and motivating students to develop higher order thinking skills, discipline, and creative resolution methods.'' The original wording of this section included ``such as chess'' and passed Senate that way, but the phrase was deleted later in Conference Committee. [19] ANECDOTAL MATERIALS Several articles discuss chess as a tool to assist children of all levels. Dr. Stefurak, a cognitive neuropsychologist, stated that ``chess instruction informs the mind and the emotions in such a way as to structure an emergent mental circuit where motivation and ability multiply to produce achievement in chess and school and life.'' [23] In December 1996, Arman Tajarobi wrote: ``For the past three years, I've been a witness to an experiment held in 24 elementary schools in my town: The school board allowed these schools to replace an hour of math classes by a chess course each week for half of their students. For three consecutive years, the groups who received the chess formation have had better results in math than those who did not. This year (the fourth year), the school board has allowed any school that wants to provide its students with a chess formation to do so.'' [35] John Artise (B.S., M.A.) draws upon his years of psychological research in chess to identify the contribution chess makes in education and learning. He identifies four areas of growth: memory improvement, logic, observation and analysis, and operant conditioning. ``Chess and Education,'' John Artise. [31] The chess program funded by Oakland (California) Youth at Risk program proves to be an effective vehicle for saving troubled youth. [32] Chess program in the troubled East Harlem district, New York, also rescues kids from drugs and gangs. [33] Saratoga Springs editorial: ``Chess is the last best hope for this country to rescue its skidding educational system and teach the young generation the forgotten art of nurturing an attention span.'' [34] In his book ``Your Child's Intellect,'' former U.S. Secretary of Education Terrell Bell encourages some knowledge of chess as a way to develop a preschooler's intellect and academic readiness (Bell, 1982, pp. 178-179). [44] Return to top WHAT DO EDUCATORS SAY? ``Not only have the reading and math skills of these children soared, their ability to socialize has increased substantially, too. Our studies have shown the incidents of suspension and outside altercations have decreased by at least 60 percent since these children became interested in chess.'' --Assistant Principal Joyce Brown at the Roberto Clemente School in New York, 1988 [25] Dr. Fred Loveland, superintendent of the Panama City schools, voiced his opinion: ``Chess has taught my students more than any other subject.'' [26] The article ``Chess Improves Academic Performance'' from the NY School Chess Program features a number of testimonies from school principals, including: ``Not only have the reading and math skills of these children soared, their ability to socialize has increased substantially, too. Our studies have shown that incidents of suspension and outside altercations have decreased by at least 60% since these children became interested in chess.'' [27] ``It's the finest thing that ever happened to this school. ...chess makes a difference...what it has done for these children is simply beyond anything that I can describe.'' [27] ``I see them (students) able to attend to something for more than an hour and a half. I am stunned. Some of them could not attend to things for more than 20 minutes.'' -- Jo Bruno, Principal, P.S. 189 [27] Dr. Calvin F. Deyermond, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the North Tonawanda City School District, wrote: ``Chess develops intellectual, esthetic, sporting, decision making, concentration, and perseverance skills. We have seen the effects of this wonderful game in our classroom and as an extracurricular activity. Not only is it mentally challenging but it attracts not only gifted pupils but also students at all levels of learning. Many students who have been experiencing problems, particularly in mathematics and reading, sometimes demonstrate remarkable progress after learning chess.'' [28] Rob Roy of Connecticut: ``Children with special problems can also learn chess. I taught a successful course for emotionally and educationally disadvantaged children in the Waterbury schools and used chess as a way for them to learn and practice self-control.It was like turning on switches in their heads. You see the child looking at a problem, breaking it down, and then putting the whole thing back together. The process involves recall, analysis, judgment and abstract reasoning.'' [38] Public School 68 in the Bronx noted standardized scores increased 11.2% in reading and 18.6% in math during the 1994-95 school year. Principal Cheryl Coles wrote: ``As encouraging as our scores are, the benefits of our Chess Education Program far exceeded anything that these scores could ever hope to indicate. There were significant outgrowths in varying degrees in all curriculum areas. Such as: increased enthusiasm for learning, increase in general fund of knowledge, increase in pupil attendance, increase in self-confidence, increase in parent involvement, etc.'' [29] Beulah McMeans, a guidance counselor at Morningside Elementary School in Prince George's County, MD, uses chess ``to help raise the self-esteem and higher order thinking skills for young students, particularly those at risk.'' [30] ``Intuitively, I feel what the kids learn from chess carries over to their everyday lives. The change shows up in their improved critical thinking and problem solving. It gets kids to think for themselves.'' -- Fred Nagler, Principal, P.S. 123 [27] WHAT DO STUDENTS SAY? “Chess has significantly increased my logical and mathematical skills. In fact, because of the effect of chess, I am going to major in mathematics and computer science in college, both of which utilize the aforementioned skills.'' Matthew Puckett [45] The skills chess offers to those who play it are gold mines. It teaches the faithful players how to approach life. It teaches people that are having dilemmas that here is more than one answer to a problem. While your adversary is looking at the issue through a single point, you as the great chess player that you are, can take a step back and look at the picture through many points.'' Sultan Yusufzai [45] Because of chess, I feel that my life has been enriched both mentally and socially. I have improved my critical thinking skills in everyday life through chess.'' Brandon Ashe [45] WHAT DO PARENTS SAY? Andrew Rozsa, psychologist, speaking of his gifted son: ``He has had real social and behavioral difficulties since he was 18 months old... He was thrown out of several schools... Things became pretty bad at about age 9 ... Nothing seemed to work, nothing. ... Today he is a straight A student and his behavior problems are minimal (but not trivial). ... Sorry, no control subjects, no double blind, no defined independent variables (actually there are two: chess and age). Nonetheless, I think that the great improvements we have seen are, to a large extent, due to chess.'' [36], [38] ``Chess is one of the most meaningful things I've ever seen enter this school system.'' Dee Estelle Alpert ``I want to see chess introduced into the curriculum, right alongside math, music, and art.'' Oscar Shapiro [27] Return to top CONCLUSION At the 40th World Chess Congress in 1969, Dr. Hans Klaus, Dean of the School of Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin, commented upon the chess studies completed in Germany: ``Chess helps any human being to elaborate exact methods of thinking. It would be particularly useful to start playing chess from the early school days ... Everybody prefers to learn something while playing rather than to learn it formally…it produces in our children an improvement in their school achievements. Those children who received systematic instructions in chess improved their school efficiency in different subjects, in contrast with those who did not receive that kind of instruction.'' [22] Because of the overwhelming research demonstrating the benefits of chess and because of the brain research theorizing the growth of dendrites, chess should be integrated into the school curriculum at the primary level. Chess is a new way of solving the old problem of poor education. From the streets of Harlem to Venezuela's public schools the sport of kings has been implemented as an effective tool for teaching students to utilize their higher order thinking skills and to strive to overcome personal problems to reach their full potential. In light of these facts it is not unreasonable to imagine chess as a broader part of schools in America. Chess could very well be one of the missing components for America to regain its place at the top for educating its young people. Return to top WHY SHOULD YOU PLAY CHESS? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Source: library.advanced.org/10746/reasons.html Chess is a game for people of all ages. You can learn to play at any age and in chess, unlike in many other sports, you don't ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when you're looking for an opponent --young can play old and old can play young. Chess develops memory. The chess theory is complicated and many players memorize different opening variations. You will also learn to recognize various patterns and remember lengthy variations. Chess improves concentration. During the game you are focused on only one main goal -- to checkmate and become the victor. Chess develops logical thinking. Chess requires some understanding of logical strategy. For example, you will know that it is important to bring your pieces out into the game at the beginning, to keep your king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in your position and not to blunder your pieces away for free. (Although you will find yourself doing that occasionally through your chess career. Mistakes are inevitable and chess, like life, is a never-ending learning process.) Chess promotes imagination and creativity. It encourages you to be inventive. There are an indefinite amount of beautiful combinations yet to be constructed. Chess teaches independence. You are forced to make important decisions influenced only by your own judgment. Chess develops the capability to predict and foresee consequences of actions. It teaches you to look both ways before crossing the street. Chess inspires self-motivation. It encourages the search of the best move, the best plan, and the most beautiful continuation out of the endless possibilities. It encourages the everlasting aim towards progress, always steering to ignite the flame of victory. Chess shows that success rewards hard work. The more you practice, the better you'll become. You should be ready to lose and learn from your mistakes. One of the greatest players ever, Capablanca said, "You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player." Chess and Science. Chess develops the scientific way of thinking. While playing, you generate numerous variations in your mind. You explore new ideas, try to predict their outcomes and interpret surprising revelations. You decide on a hypothesis, and then you make your move and test it. Chess and Technology. What do chess players do during the game? Just like computers they engage in a search for the better move in a limited amount of time. What are you doing right now? You are using a computer as a tool for learning. Chess and Mathematics. You don't have to be a genius to figure this one out. Chess involves an infinite number of calculations, anything from counting the number of attackers and defenders in the event of a simple exchange to calculating lengthy continuations. And you use your head to calculate, not some little machine. Chess and Research. There are millions of chess resources out there for every aspect of the game. You can even collect your own chess library. In life, is it important to know how to find, organize and use boundless amounts of information. Chess gives you a perfect example and opportunity to do just that. Chess and Art. In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia chess is defined as "an art appearing in the form of a game." If you thought you could never be an artist, chess proves you wrong. Chess enables the artist hiding within you to come out. Your imagination will run wild with endless possibilities on the 64 squares. You will paint pictures in your mind of ideal positions and perfect outposts for your soldiers. As a chess artist you will have an original style and personality. Chess and Psychology. Chess is a test of patience, nerves, will power and concentration. It enhances your ability to interact with other people. It tests your sportsmanship in a competitive environment. Chess improves schoolwork and grades. Numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess. For all those reasons mentioned above and more, chess playing kids do better at school and therefore have a better chance to succeed in life. Chess opens up the world for you. You don't need to be a high ranked player to enter big important competitions. Even tournaments such as the US Open and the World Open welcome players of all strengths. Chess provides you with plenty of opportunities to travel not only all around the country but also around the world. Chess is a universal language and you can communicate with anyone over the checkered plain. Chess enables you to meet many interesting people. You will make life-long friendships with people you meet through chess. Chess is cheap. You don't need big fancy equipment to play chess. In fact, all you may need is your computer! (And we really hope you have one of those, or else something fishy is going on here.) It is also good to have a chess set at home to practice with family members, to take to a friend's house or even to your local neighborhood park to get everyone interested in the game. CHESS IS FUN! Dude, this isn't just another one of those board games. No chess game ever repeats itself, which means you create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring. You always have so much to look forward to. Every game you are the general of an army and you alone decide the destiny of your soldiers. You can sacrifice them, trade them, pin them, fork them, lose them, defend them, or order them to break through any barriers and surround the enemy king. You've got the power! To summarize everything in three little words: Chess is Everything! Return to top NOTES [1] Robert Ferguson, ``Chess in Education Research Summary,'' paper presented at the Chess in Education A Wise Move Conference at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, January 12-13,1995. [2] Albert Frank, ``Chess and Aptitudes,'' doctoral dissertation, 1974, Trans. Stanley Epstein. [3] Johan Christiaen, ``Chess and Cognitive Development,'' doctoral dissertation, 1976, Trans. Stanley Epstein. [4] Donna Nurse, ``Chess & Math Add Up,'' Teach, May/June 1995, p. 15, cites Yee Wang Fung's research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. [5] Robert Ferguson, ``Teaching the Fourth R (Reasoning) through Chess,'' School Mates, 1(1), 1983, p. 3. [6] Robert Ferguson, ``Developing Critical and Creative Thinking through Chess,'' report on ESEA Title IV-C project presented at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 11-12, 1986. [7] Robert Ferguson, ``Teaching the Fourth R (Reflective Reasoning) through Chess,'' doctoral dissertation, 1994. [8] Isaac Linder, ``Chess, a Subject Taught at School,'' Sputnik: Digest of the Soviet Press, June 1990, pp. 164-166. [9] Rafael Tudela, ``Learning to Think Project,'' Commission for Chess in Schools, 1984, Annex pp. 1-2. [10] Rafael Tudela, ``Intelligence and Chess,'' 1984. [11] William Levy, ``Utilizing Chess to Promote Self-Esteem in Perceptually Impaired Students,'' a governor's teacher grant program through the New Jersey State Department of Education, 1987. [12] Robert Ferguson, ``Tri-State Area School Pilot Project Findings,'' 1986. [13] Robert Ferguson, ``Development of Reasoning and Memory through Chess,'' 1988. [14] Louise Gaudreau, ``tude Comparative sur les Apprentissages en Mathématiques 5e Année,'' a study comparing the Challenging Mathematics curriculum to traditional math, 1992. (The authors are Michel and Robert Lyons. The ISBN is 2-89114-472-4. This collection has been sold to La Chenelière & McGraw Hill in Montreal. You can reach them at (514) 273-7422. Ask for Michael Soltis.) [15] Stuart Margulies, ``The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores: District Nine Chess Program Second Year Report,'' 1992. [16] Chess-in-the-Schools, Web page at www.symbolic.com/chess/chsgym.htm. [17] Philip Rifner, ``Playing Chess: A Study of Problem-Solving Skills in Students with Average and Above Average Intelligence,'' doctoral dissertation, 1992. [18] Stuart Margulies, ``The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores,'' 1996. [19] James Liptrap, ``Chess and Standard Test Scores,'' Chess Life, March 1998, pp. 41- 43. [20] James Liptrap, ``Chess and Standardized Test Scores,'' Chess Coach Newsletter, Spring 1999, Volume 11 (1), pp. 5 & 7. [21] L.E. Allen & D.B. Main, ``Effect of Instructional Gaming on Absenteeism: the First Step,'' The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 1976, 7 (2), p. 114. [22] Naciso Rabell Mendez, ``Report by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) to the United Nations Organization (UNO),'' June 1988, quotes Dr. Klaus' comments. [23] Kathleen Vail, ``Check This, Mate: Chess Moves Kids,'' The American School Board Journal, September 1995, pp. 38-40. [24] Yasser Seirawan, ``Scholastic Chess -- Feel the Buzz,'' Inside Chess, February 21, 1994, p. 3. [25] Roger Langen, ``Putting a Check to Poor Math Results,'' The Reporter, December 1992. [26] Dr. Fred Loveland personal communication. [27] Chess Improves Academic Performance, Christine Palm, 1990. [28] Personal letter from Dr. Calvin F. Deyermond, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the North Tonawanda City School District. [29] Personal letter to Allen Kaufman from Principal Cheryl Coles, June 9, 1995. [30] Carol Chmelynski, ``Chess said to promote school performance and self-esteem,'' School Board News, July 6, 1993, Vol. 13 (12), pp. 7-8. [31] John Artise, ``Chess and Education.'' [32] San Jose Mercury News, 4-3-96. [33] Jo Coudert, ``From Street Kids to Royal Knights,'' Readers Digest, June 1989. [34] ``Editorial: Chess gives hope for our youth,'' The Saratogian, March 12, 1991. [35] Arman Tajarobi, e-mail from December, 1996. [36] Andrew J. Rozsa, Birmingham, Alabama, Newsgroup e-mail. [37] Harriet Geithmann, ``Strobeck, Home of Chess,'' The National Geographic Magazine, May 1931, pp. 637-652. [38] ``Check Mates,'' Fairfield County Advocate, Mar. 20, 1989. [39] Terrell Bell, Your Child's Intellect, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1982, pp.178-179. [40] Chess'n Math Association, Canada's National Scholastic Chess Organization, 1681 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ont. M4G 3C1 (web page at www.chess-math.org/) [41] Dan Edelman, ``New Jersey Legislature Passes Chess Bill into Law,'' Chess Coach Newsletter, Spring 1993, Vol. 6 (1), pp. 1 & 3. [42] Math and Chess Puzzle Centre, 3550 West 32 nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6S 1Z2 (Web page at www3.bc.sympatico.ca/mathchess/) [43] Alexander Taylor, ``Chessmen Come to Life in Marostica,'' The National Geographic Magazine, November 1956, pp. 658-668. [44] Terrell Bell, Your Child's Intellect, 1982, pp. 178-179. [45] Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement Award Applications. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For additional information about the studies reviewed in this summary, please contact the United States Chess Federation by calling 914-562-8350 or by writing to: U.S. Chess 3054 NYS Route 9W New Windsor, NY 12553 The USCF web page address is www.uschess.org For a list of research available from the USCF: www.uschess.org/scholastic/sc-research.html For a manual and/or a CD ROM on Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills Through Chess, a Pennsylvania State Department of Education approved course, contact the American Chess School at 140 School Street, Bradford, PA 16701 or e-mail amchess@penn.com

A letter to President Bush about Chess and Education - EEUU (2006)

Thursday, February 23, 2006 A letter to President Bush about Chess and Education Subject: Creative and Effective Curriculum for Improving Math and Science Education To: President George Bush February 22, 2006 Math and Chess for America's Schools Education is one of the single largest state budgetary expenditures. Educating our children and providing them with the necessary tools to become productive citizens is a moral and legal duty of parents and governmental entities. Our nations future depends upon our next generation's ability to remain globally competetive in the fields of math and science. Yet even with the increased focus we place on education our students still fall below national norms in math scores. There is an efficient and innovative way to teach our students mathematics. That is by integrating math with the game of chess.Chess has long been considered a way for children to increase their mental prowess, concentration, memory, and analytical skills. To anyone who has known the game, it comes as no surprise that these assumptions were actually proven in several studies on how chess can improve the grades of students. Although chess has been shown to increase the mental abilities of persons of all ages, the main studies have been done with children. This is first for the obvious reason that students are constantly tested anyway, and therefore the data need only be analyzed, and secondly because children's mental development is more rapid and can be more easily measured than persons at a later life stage. Early Conclusions After several informal studies were done in the early 20th century on the effect that chess has on logical thinking and other such functions, a primary conclusion was drawn that chess does in fact not only demand such characteristics, but develops and promotes them as well. John Artise in Chess and Education wrote "Visual stimuli tend to improve memory more than any other stimuli; chess is definitely an excellent memory exerciser the effects of which are transferable to other subjects where memory is necessary. "With this in mind, legislation in the U.S. in 1992 promoting and encouraging the incorporation of chess into the curriculum of schools was passed. Funding is available under the “ Educate America Act” (Goals 2000) public law 103-277, section 308.b.2.E. The U.S. joined the more than 30 countries which already had chess included in some form in their school curricula. In part due to the educational community, which has noted the increased academic performance of students participating in chess, there has been an explosion in the number of children playing chess in the U.S. An estimated 250,000 children in the U.S. are introduced every year through the school system to the basics of the game. Studies have already been done to confirm the hypothesis that chess is linked to increased grades in school. Case Studies As reported in Developing Critical Thinking Through Chess, Dr. Robert Ferguson tested students from seventh to ninth grades from the years 1979-1983 as part of the ESEA Title IV-C Explore Program. He found that non-chess students increased their critical thinking skills an average of 4.6% annually, while students who were members of a chess club improved their analytical skills an average of 17.3% annually. Three separate tests to determine how chess affects creative thinking were also done as part of the same study. It concluded that on average, different aspects of creative thinking had improved at a rate two to three times faster for chess playing students, as opposed to their non-chess playing counterparts. Subsequent studies by Dr. Ferguson further supported these original conclusions. In the Tri-State Area School Pilot Study conducted in 1986 and Development of Reasoning and Memory Through Chess (1987-88) chess playing students showed more rapid increased gains in memory, organizational skills, and logic. In Zaire the study Chess and Aptitudes, was conducted by Dr. Albert Frank at the Uni Protestant School, during the 1973-74 school year. Using sufficiently large experimental and control groups, Dr. Frank confirmed there was a significant correlation between the ability to play chess well, and spatial, numerical, administrative-directional, and paperwork abilities. The conclusion was that students participating in the chess course show a marked development of their verbal and numerical aptitudes. Furthermore, this was noticed in the majority of chess students and not only those who were better players. A study conducted in four large elementary schools in Texas in 1997 further demonstrated the positivism of chess. Through the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the study was done to test the difference that chess playing had on standardized tests. These schools selected all had a chess program in existence for a minimum of two years. Since a few thousand total students took the test and all types of students were tested from special education students to gifted and talented students, the sample was large and diverse enough to make a concrete conclusion. There were significant improvements in both reading and math for all grade levels and all classes of students (regular, gifted and talented, special education, academically able, etc.). Through the Texas Learning Index, or TLI, it was determined that on average the students who played chess improved in reading and mathematics at a rate between 1.5 and two times faster than non-chess playing students. In terms of verbal improvement specifically, a study by Dr. Stuart Margulies from 1991 addressed this. Students with higher verbal skills tend to score higher on word problems than their lower performing counterparts. The "Margulies Study” is one of the strongest arguments to finally prove what hundreds of teachers knew all along-chess is a learning tool. (Inside Chess, February 1994). "Can chess promote earlier intellectual maturation" was the question posed in the Chess and Cognitive Development study directed by Johan Christiaen from the 1974-76 school years in Belgium. The results again clearly confirmed that the group of chess playing students showed significantly more improvement then the non chess playing students. In 1982, Dr. Gerard Dullea mentioned this study and proclaimed "…we have scientific support for what we have known all along-chess makes kids smarter! (Chess Life, November 1982) In a similar study done in a test series in New Brunswick, Canada called Challenging Mathematics, the mathematics curriculum used chess to teach logic from grades 2 to 7. The average problem solving score in the province increased from 62% to 81%. Conclusions We can now say with full confidence that chess has been PROVEN to enhance creativity, problem solving, memory, concentration, intellectual maturity, self esteem, and many other abilities that a parent or teacher would desire. We should act now to provide our children with an innovative and exciting approach to learning mathematics: Math and Chess for America's Schools. I am currently in discussions with Senator Lamar Alexander's office of Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Education regarding just such a program. I look forward to sharing this information with you as well. Sincerely, Rob Mitchell Murfreesboro, TN

Chess in the mainstream world today - Chessbase (19.4.2005)

Last Sunday ESPN aired a story about Bobby Fischer. Jeremy Schaap traveled to Iceland and reported on what he found. But he mainly went there to confront and provoke Bobby. Susan Polgar, who knows and admires Schaap, is distressed to see chess reduced to this theme on a national sports channel. Here are her thoughts on the subject. Chess – a world phenomenon By Susan Polgar This (Sunday) morning, I had a chance to see part of the Outside the Lines Show on ESPN, hosted by Bob Ley. It was called Finding Bobby Fischer and billed as follows: As a teenager Bobby Fischer was a chess prodigy with a 180 IQ. As an adult he won the world chess championship in 1972 in Iceland, defeating Russian Boris Spassky at the height of the Cold War. The win catapulted Fischer to international fame and during his ascent he forged a close relationship with journalist Dick Schaap, who chronicled his historic moves. But shortly after the world championship, Fischer became a recluse. He renounced his Judaism, spouted anti-Semitism and ranted against the United States. Fischer emerged in 1992 to play a rematch against Spassky in Yugoslavia, defying an international ban. He became a fugitive, and was detained in Japan last year. Last month, Fischer left Japan for Iceland where he had been granted citizenship. Outside the Lines' Jeremy Schaap, son of the late Dick Schaap traveled to Iceland in search of Bobby Fischer and reports on what he found. Bob Ley hosts. More than 20 minutes of the show were dedicated to the main story about Jeremy Schaap searching for Bobby Fischer. Tonight, the same show was aired again on Sports Center, and had some serious misgivings. This time, I carefully watched the entire clip again. Unfortunately, my opinion did not change after this second, careful review. I first met Jeremy a few years ago during the Man versus Machine World Championship Match (Kasparov versus Deep Junior) at the NY Athletic Club. I have heard many good things about him from other people and I agree with their opinions when I saw him at work, covering the last game of the Man versus Machine match live. It was not an easy task for a non-serious chess player to do but he pulled it off beautifully. My respect for Jeremy as a sports anchorman and journalist went up even further. Susan Polgar with Jeremy Schaap (left), Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley live on ESPN during the Man vs Machine computer match in New York in February 2003 However, I must sadly take exception to the story about Bobby Fischer. In my opinion, Jeremy went to Iceland to provoke and confront Bobby. That was also the opinion of many people I spoke to. The entire show was about Fischer's attitude toward Jews, the big bad USA, Israel and about the fallout between his dad Dick Schaap and Bobby. It is very easy to provoke Bobby, and Jeremy knew how to do it. I understand that for the media, everything is about ratings. My problem with the show is there are so many wonderful stories about chess, stories that can bring a sports channel big ratings. Why not use them? Why not talk about them? Why focus on something that the whole world already knew and knows. I think it is the duty of sports journalists and sports networks to bring to the audience sports news that is captivating, interesting, and news worthy. Chess is all of these and more! There are many chess stories that could bring tremendous ratings for Sports Shows. Susan Polgar playing friendly games against Fischer, June 1993 in Budapest Let’s look back to last week. The Super Nationals, largest ever tournament in the world with 5,230 young players was held in Nashville, TN. That was definitely newsworthy, especially with a chess playing population of more than 40 million people in the United States alone. What kind of rating would that achieve if promoted competently and professionally? The numbers are astounding! 5,230 participants in one place and the same time for a national championship, that is bigger than any other sport in America including Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Tennis, etc. No other sport can match this. Where was ESPN or any other on air sports show? Thousands of young chess players at the Super Nationals last week Remember the Miracle on Ice? The US hockey team defeated the unbeatable Soviets in the 1980 Olympic Games! We still talk about it today! The recent Disney movie “Miracle” depicted the team and their road to the Gold medal. Remember how the Gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup changed women’s soccer in America? Last November, our US Women’s Olympic Chess Team came home with first ever Olympic Silver and Gold Medals for the United States. We overcame all odds, even defying death threats! We did the unthinkable! Our amateur team defeated the world powerhouse China in our individual match in the Olympic and we brought home the team Silver ahead of the powerful Russians. History was made for the United States! Where was ESPN? In March 2005, Liz Johnson made headline news by becoming the first woman to advance to the championship round of a Professional Bowling Association event, beating Richard Wolfe 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the PBA Banquet Open. A few years ago, Annika Sorenstam and Suzy Whaley made big news by playing in PGA events. Of course the biggest story was when Billy Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3 on September 20, 1973 at the Houston Astrodome. But guess what? In chess, women like former Women’s World Champions Chiburdanidze, Gaprindashvili, my sister Judit and I have done this a long time ago. We competed against men and not only beat many of them in individual games, we even won professional events ahead of our male counterpart. In fact, I played two exhibition matches against two top US male grandmasters on September 20-21, 2003 to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Billy Jean King versus Bobby Riggs match. I won by the score of 4-0! Susan Polgar vs Anatoly Karpov in Lindsborg, September 2004 Last year, I played a celebrated match against one of the greatest World Champions Anatoly Karpov (a man who has won more chess tournaments than any other player in history) in a six-game match. It was the first time ever that World Champions of different genders went head to head against each other in a match. The score was 3-3. Millions of people followed the match via the Internet and print media. Where was ESPN? Imagine what kind of ratings ESPN would receive if it could attract more female viewers. That was more than news worthy. Bobby Fischer was Mr. Chess in 1972. The impact he made in chess was felt worldwide for decades. It can be argued that he has impacted chess more than any player in history. His genius was on the chess board. I was immensely impressed with Bobby’s understanding of chess when I got to know him during the time he lived in Budapest. It was a Cinderella story; a young American boy growing up in Brooklyn single handedly defeated the big, bad, Soviet empire. But that was over three decades ago. Why do we need to provoke him now? Why focus on one negative story? Chess has grown leaps and bounds and chess has changed ten folds since 1972. There are countless positive chess stories that can be told and at the same time bring high ratings. Today, with the power of the media, someone like Mr. Schaap can make just as much impact for chess as Bobby did. Chess has been proven time and time again to help children do better in school and in life. Chess can do wonders in enhancing young girls self esteem and confidence. Chess is now cool! Chess is now popular! Chess is now hip! Chess is good for you! And chess is a drug-free competitive environment! Even celebrities love chess! Chess celebrities These celebrities include: Claude Akins (Sheriff Lobo), Alan Alda (M*A*S*H), Woody Allen, Lauren Bacall, the Barrymores, Polly Bergen, Sarah Bernhardt, Humphry Bogart (Casablanca), Richard Boone (Have Gun, Will Travel), Shirley Booth (Hazel), Charles Boyer, Marlon Brando, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Nicholas Cage, Charlie Chaplin, Cher, Lee J Cobb, Charles Coburn, Bill Cosby, Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone), Timothy Dalton (James Bond), James Darren, Dustin Diamond, Marlene Dietrich, Hugh Downs, Erik Estrada (CHIPs) Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Peter Falk (Columbo), Mike Farrell, Mia Farrow, Jose Ferrer, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda, Michael J Fox, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene (Bonanza), Sydney Greenstreet, Woody Harrelson, Rex Harrison, Katherine Hepburn, Charlton Heston, Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope, Anthony Hopkins, Dennis Hopper, John Huston, Kate Jackson (Charlie's Angels), Sam Jaffe (Dr. Zorba on Ben Casey), Don Johnson, Al Jolson, Boris Karloff, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Kubrick, Jude Law, David Letterman, Peter Lorre, Myna Loy, Bela Lugosi, Marcel Marceau, Dean Martin, Steve Martin, the Marx brothers, James Mason, Jerry Mathers (Leave it to Beaver), Walter Matthau, Patrick McGoohan, Ray Milland, Carmen Miranda, Yves Montand, Rick Moranis, Frank Morgan (Oz in Wizard of Oz), Paul Newman, David Niven, Chuck Norris, Maureen O'Sullivan, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Walter Pidgeon, Jason Priestley (90210), Dennis Quaid, Anthony Quinn, Tony Randall, Basil Rathbone, Keanu Reeves (Matrix), Chris Rock, Cesar Romaro, Jill Saint John, Susan Sarandon, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, George C. Scott, Tom Selleck, Peter Sellers, Omar Sharif, Will Smith, Jimmy Stewart, Oliver Stone, Barbra Streisand, Rod Taylor, Shirley Temple Black, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Rudy Vallee, Rudolph Valentino, Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian), John Wayne, Orson Welles, James Whitmore, Guy Williams (Zorro and Lost in Space), and William Windom. In the sports world there are a few sports figures that also play chess. These include: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Boris Becker, Larry Bird, Jim Bouton, Jim Brown, Kobe Bryant, the Byron twins (tennis doubles), Jennifer Capriati, Reggie Carter, Bill Cartwright, Michael Chang, Sean Elliot, Roger Federer, Ron Guidry, Evander Holyfield, Bobby Jones, Chuck Knox (football coach), Ivan Lendl, Lennox Lewis, John McEnroe, Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Barry Sanders, Latrell Sprewell, Gene Tunney, Bill Walsh (football coach), Bill Walton, Dick Schaap and Emil Zatopek. In the music business, chess players include: Ludwig van Beethoven, Bono (U-2), Sonny Bono, David Bowie, Enrico Caruso, Pablo Casals, Ray Charles, Frederic Chopin, Bobby Darrin, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Sticky Fingaz (Onyx), Dizzy Gillespie, the entire group in Jefferson Airplane including Grace Slick, Gene Kupra, John Lennon, Sean Lennon, LL COOL J, Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie, Johnny Marks (wrote several famous Christmas songs) Yehudi Menuin, Moby, Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash), Willie Nelson, Yoko Ono, Louis Persinger, Gregor Piatigorsky, Helen Reddy, Tim Rice, David Lee Roth, Arthur Rubinstein, Schumann, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Isaac Stern, and Sting. Writers who had time for chess include: Cleveland Amory, Isaac Asimov (I, Robot), Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz), Art Buchwald, Lewis Carroll, Cervantes, Charles Dickens, Dostoevsky, Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), George Elliot, Goethe, O. Henry, Ibsen, Ben Jonson, Kipling, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Norman Mailer, Hermann Melville, Vladimir Nabokov (Lolita), George Orwell, Edgar Allen Poe, Pushkin, Peter Roget (thesaurus), Salman Rushdie, William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Isaac Singer, John Steinbeck, Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe), Tennyson, Walter Tevis (The Hustler), Tolstoy, Kurt Vonnegut, H.G. Wells, William Yeats, and Stefan Zweig (The Royal Game). In government and politics, chess players include: John Quincy Adams, Spiro Agnew, Yasser Arafat, Menachem Begin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Willy Brandt, Zbigniew Brzesinski, Aaron Burr, Jimmy Carter and family, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Grover Cleveland, Francisco Franco, Benjamin Franklin, Muammar Gadaffi, James Garfield, Joseph Goebbels, Ulysses S Grant, H.R. Halderman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ivan the Terrible, Thomas Jefferson, John F Kennedy Jr., Henry Kissinger, Lenin, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, Ferdinand Marcos, Karl Marx, Juan Peron, Richard Riordan (former mayor of Los Angeles), Theodore Roosevelt, Anwar Sadat, Pierre Salanger, Josip Tito, Leon Trotsky, and Woodrow Wilson. Artists include: Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Rembrandt. There have been at least 20 Nobel Prize winners that also have played chess, including Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, John Nash, and Bertrand Russell. Other personalities include: Bill Gates, Bob Guccione, George Custer, Robert E. Lee, John Pershing, P.T. Barnum, Al Capone, Casanova, John Hinkley (tried to assassinate President Reagan), Harry Houdini, Timothy Leary, Lee Harvey Oswald, Sigmund Freud, Voltaire, Billy Graham, Stephen Hawking, Robert Oppenheimer, and Auguste Piccard. These are but a few of the well-known personalities that have played chess in the past. Yes, chess does get coverage from major print media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, The NY Daily News, Lifestyles Magazine, etc. Chess is also on countless scenes in modern Hollywood movies and TV commercials. But for something as powerful as chess, we need more positive coverage. The media has the power to turn chess into an overnight sensation. And in exchange, the media has a direct path to more than 40 million people in America and that is a match made in heaven. ESPN televise spelling bees, fishing, billiards, etc. Chess can certainly bring higher ratings. When ESPN decided to televise chess, it received higher ratings than other programs normally aired during the same time slots. Why not chess then? After all, chess is the most popular game in the world with nearly 700 million players of this world-game! Thanks to Bill Wall of Chessville for the research on the above lists. Below are excerpts and comments about chess from various sources. Let’s keep chess alive in the media so that all young people have an opportunity to enjoy a sport for life. Chess quotes Lennox Lewis: “Yet for all Lewis' persona as a surprisingly intelligent and deep thinking champion, he is caught up in the game but this game is not chess, his other sport of choice. It is boxing, a place where men meet to break each other's spirit.” [HBO] Vitali Klitschko: "Vitali's hobbies include politics, kite surfing, listening to music and playing chess.” [HBO] Will Smith: "It is cool to play chess. My father taught me how to play chess at seven and introduced beautiful concepts that I try to pass on to my kids. The elements and concepts of life are so perfectly illustrated on a chess board. The ability to accurately assess your position is the key to chess, which I also think is the key to life." He pauses, searching for an example. "Everything you do in your life is a move. You wake up in the morning, you strap on a gun, and you walk out on the street – that's a move. You've made a move and the universe is going to respond with its move. Whatever move you're going to make in your life to be successful, you have to accurately access the next couple of moves – like what's going to happen if you do this? Because once you've made your move, you can't take it back. The universe is going to respond." [Independent] Nicholas Cage said he feels that chess is a good activity for kids. “The game of kings owes its improved image in part to movies such as 1993's Searching for Bobby Fischer and to chess-loving celebs, such as rock star Sting, basketball star Larry Johnson, and actor Will Smith.” Researchers have found that children who play chess – even at a mediocre level – score higher on standardized reading and math tests. In a 1996 study, third and fourth graders in Los Angeles and New York City who played chess scored about 10 percentage points higher on reading tests than a control group of peers who did not play chess. Other studies done in the 1990s show that young chess players build analytical skills and self-esteem. [Board Games Express] Priest Holmes may not talk much about his success in NFL, but his chess game speaks volumes. “….And I won the tournament." The point of the story is not that he won. That just shows he was a pretty good chess player. The point is that he stayed. That's Priest Holmes. He won't let anybody label him. He won't let anybody brand him. Every Wednesday evening, Holmes goes to the Police Athletic League (PAL) Center and plays chess with a few children from the inner city. He sponsors this chess club because he knows what the game did for him. He knows what chess can do for them. "All your life, you will have people tell you what you can and can't do," Holmes says. "These kids will have to hear that over and over again. But with chess, there are no limitations. It's whatever your mind imagines. Nobody can tell you who you are when you're playing chess." [Dallas Morning News] Chess! The most popular game in history… Advertising for Sony PlayStation (PSX) Supermarket chain Tesco today reported an unexpected surge in sales of chess sets. The company said demand for its own-brand set, launched earlier this year, was almost double what it forecast. It has seen sales of chess sets far exceed other board games in its stores such as Connect 4 and Cluedo. Tesco said it was expecting to sell more than 35,000 chess sets in the run-up to Christmas. Karen Harris, senior buying manager at Tesco, put the sales boom down the chess-playing celebrities such as Madonna and Lennox Lewis. She said: “Chess, of all the really traditional board games, has undergone an image transformation. “Being able to play chess is fast becoming a very cool skill for young people.” [The Scotsman] The Benefits of Chess for Kids Numerous studies have decisively proven the benefits of chess for kids: "Chess in Education Research Summary" by Robert Ferguson (1995). A 14-page summary of key chess research. "Chess Improves Academic Performance" summary of NY School Chess Program. "The Importance of Chess in the Classroom", Atlantic Chess News, 1990 (Michael D. Wojcio). Wojcio teaches chess to slow learners in five NJ schools and this describes his program and the benefits. "Chess and Education" (John Artise). After two years of psychological research in chess, Artise found cognitive improvements in memory, logic, observation and analysis, and operant conditioning. "The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores" by Stuart Margulies, Ph. D. "Teaching the Fourth R (Reasoning) Through Chess" (Robert Ferguson). A 1979 project teaching the gifted (grade 7-9) in Bradford Pa. Statistical "proof" that chess increases thinking scores. Also, includes description of teaching program. "Chess Makes Kids Smart" (Anne Graham-PARENTS-Dec 1985). Urges parents to introduce their kids to chess and quotes work of Pete Shaw, Jeff Chesin, Bob Cotter, etc. "Chess Makes Kids Smarter" (Dr. Gerard J. Dullea). "Chess as a Way to Teach Thinking" (Diane Horgan). These are only scratching the surface. In the Netherlands, the Dutch found that kids who play chess overall do 8% better in mathematics and science compared to kids who didn’t play. The statistic for girls alone is a difference of 12%.