Another example of how chess is being used as a tool to teach kids.
One false move is all it takes in the intricate, mind-challenging game of chess.
Niani Johnson, 12, a seventh-grader at the Cornerstone School, a private school at Plymouth Road near Telegraph, learned that lesson at the state junior high chess championship Feb. 14.
Her coach, Kevin Fite, a math teacher at Cornerstone, said a moment of lost concentration may have cost Niani a gold medal.
If you thought chess was a game for old dudes with goiters, Market Street hustlers, and nerdy four-eyes kids, think again. The South Bay-based Hip Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) has completely redefined the image chess by making it a kid-friendly, urban art form emphasizing life skills. Thanks to the HHC, chess is suddenly cool; they’ve brought a whole new dimension to the classic game of mathematic strategy. Past HHCF events have featured hip-hop luminaries such as Wu-Tang’s RZA and GZA; Dilated Peoples’ Rakaa; political emcees Paris and Immortal Technique; and a wealth of local stars, including Q-Bert, San Quinn, Balance, Casual, and filmmaker Kevin Epps. Chess champ and best-selling author Josh Waitzkin and MMA fighter Ralek Gracie have also been featured participants. The 64 squares are no longer just for squares, it seems.
Frank Swindell teaches chess, to about 300-500 kids per week.
For as long as Frank Swindell can remember, chess has been a part of his life. He still has the first wooden chess game he bought for 75 cents as a child.
And he wanted to share his love of the game with the next generation, which is why he started his company, Chess Utopia, 14 years ago.
……“It teaches them a variety of skills,” she said. “A lot of it is problem solving, patience, figuring things out and thinking ahead, and those skills have helped them improve in their schoolwork. It also teaches them how to handle winning and losing. There are no partners, so when they lose, there’s no one else to blame, and they learn how to deal with losing and how to be a gracious winner.”
Count Frank Swindell as one of those heroes who makes a positive impact on youth.
From the “Words You’d Never Expect to be in the Same Sentence” Files is this headline from the Chicago Sun Times.
Of course, when you read the article you realize that it was Rodman’s negative example that inspired him to start a chess club.
Lipshultz, 57, is the creator of “Think Like a King” chess software, used by 1,600 schools nationwide. But 15 years ago, the Evanston physician and Northwestern professor admitted to “rudimentary” chess skills and scant involvement with the game.
That is, until his son’s friend at Highland Park’s Braeside Elementary caught a Rodman jersey at a Chicago Bulls game.
“[Students] passed it around like some sort of religious artifact,” Lipshultz said about the next day’s show-and-tell. “I was appalled: Dennis Rodman is a role model for kids?”
Inspired, Lipshultz helped start a chess club at Braeside and devised “Think Like A King” to instruct the club’s 50 enthusiasts. Through the software, he aimed to make intellectualism “cool.”
An article appeared at RoyalSocietyPublishing.org analyzing whether or not men or women are better at Chess.
I haven’t read the article but I’ve come across two blogs on the internet which take a completely different view of the analysis.
Over at Confessions of a Chess Novice it’s suggested that statistical sampling (there’s more male players than female players) account for any perceived differences.
In science, where there are many more male than female participants, this statistical sampling explanation, rather than differences in intellectual ability, may also be the main reason why women are under-represented at the top end.
Meanwhile over at Culture11.com the author takes a completely different view and suggests the conclusions are wrong implying that political correctness accounts for the conclusion that women are the equals of men at chess.
So, this article really has little to say about the question of why men excel in chess or science, and it’s baffling that it got published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The natural inference is that it was not chosen based on how well it could test various hypotheses — whether pro or contra the Larry Summers ideas — but in the hope that it would convince academics that there is really nothing to see here, so just move along and get home because your parents are probably worried sick about you.
It’s all interesting and I’m not sure I really care what the analysis says. However, if you’re interested in the analysis and the ensuing debate read it for yourself.
What do hip-hop, martial arts and chess have in common? Adisa Banjoko and the Hip-Hop Chess Federation hope inner city children see a lot of connections.
“In these times of financial stress we see violence is rising as bank balances drop. It’s critical that young people get a chance to learn directly from the stars and athletes, how to make good life choices,” said HHCF CEO Adisa Banjoko.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A Bulgarian grandmaster appears to have broken the world record for the highest number of chess games played simultaneously, organizers said Monday.
Kiril Georgiev played a total of 360 games simultaneously, winning 284, drawing 70 and losing six, during a marathon that lasted 14 hours and 8 minutes in Sofia’s Inter Expo Center, the organizers said.
Mr Georgiev played 360 games simultaneously and did pretty well. I’m just wanting to play a single game at a decent level. How hard can that be?
I had written earlier that I wanted to put together a plan that, if executed, would lead me down the path of improvement. Well, I don’t have what I would consider a plan but I’ve done some research and have started to do a few things.
As I said earlier, this isn’t a plan …. it’s just doing stuff. A real plan would have some organized steps alongside some objectives. The objectives would be measurable.
Here’s some other constraints that I have to deal with.
But somehow I think I can make this work. I think I can improve my game. Since I’m probably a poor player (I say probably because I don’t have a chess rating, but I’m pretty sure it’s not great) improvement wouldn’t be that difficult. The real question is how much improvement should I expect?
In case anyone is thinking, I’m not a complete novice. I have purchased “Chess for Dummies” because I do believe that I need a decent foundation. I know the rules and I can beat most people I play but I don’t play anyone that is really serious at the game. In addition, when I go about learning something I really like to start from the basics even if there’s an argument to be made that I already have the basics. In reading through the first few chapters of “Chess for Dummies” I’ve come to know that I do lack that foundation.
I’m also reading a few chess blogs. There are a number of blogs that have chronicled their own journeys and they have been and will continue to be helpful and inspiring.
Right now, I think the first step for me is to establish my baseline. What exactly is my chess rating and what is a reasonable objective for improvement over what time frame? Is 1400-1500 a reasonable objective? I don’t know. But my objective over the next 60 days or so (or less) is to find out.
In the meantime, if anyone has any more advice for a 51 year old father of three who’s trying to improve their chess game, please let me know
Your sport is so obscure that it needs to be compared to something else so people can understand it. In this case the sport of curling is being compared to chess. I actually “curled” while growing up in Canada. It really is fun to play. And curling played at a high level can be quite interesting to watch.
Four curling sheets set up in this arena.
Teams take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards the target (called the house). Two sweepers with brooms accompany each rock and use timing equipment and their best judgment, along with direction from their teammates, to help direct the stones to their resting place. The complex nature of stone placement and shot selection has led some to refer to curling as “chess on ice.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the game you can check out Curling on Wikipedia.