Chess
I’m not sure if this is the best forum for this.
I’d like to do what I can to get BP kids excited about chess. Ann Arbor has an abundance of opportunities and resources to help kids discover this rewarding pastime.
I’m not sure how many parents are aware that Ben Finegold, who comes to BP every Tuesday, is Michigan’s strongest ever chess player, and is #19 in the country. He also happens to be a great kids’ chess teacher.
There are also a couple statewide scholastic chess events including a team tournament in early spring. Many Ann Arbor elementary schools, including King, Wines, Logan and Thurston are well represented, but BP has for the most part been absent.
There are 3 elementary sections: K-3, K-5, and K-5 reserve.
My sons (Charlie (Mrs Kim) and Alex (Mrs Stein)) would love to see BP field some teams this year.
At home we’ve tested just about all the chess education materials available, and I’m happy to serve as a resource for parents looking for more information on chess, including rules, equipment, software, books and tournaments.
This is an informative website on the benefits of chess instruction:
http://www.quadcitychess.com/benefits_of_chess.html
Looking forward to talking to other parents about chess,
-Eric Fauman
Comments
Michigan Chess Team Tournament
The Michigan Chess Elementary Team Tournament will be held February 3rd from about 8 am to 6 pm at Michigan State University. See http://www.michess.org/tools/viewevent.php3?eventID=860 for more information.
This is a phenomenal event with over 300 kids of varying abilities from across the state.
This will be Charlie’s 4th year and Alex’s 1st at this event if we can put together a team.
Teams consist of 3,4 or 5 players and many schools send 2 or 3 teams.
Let me know if your child is interested in participating. Team registrations are due next week, by January 19th.
-Eric Fauman
Chess
Hi Eric,
It’s great to hear that little Alex is attending Burns Park! Do your kids go to Kids Club after school some days during the week? My kids do, and Kids Club is a good time to play some chess.
My kids were at Ray Garrison’s chess camp with your boys though we, the parents, never met at drop-off or pick up times. I agree with you that chess is a great enrichment activity to our children, and I found it complimenting to my children’s outdoor sports activities very well.
So, you have a following with my kids, Aidan(4th grader) and Ana (1st grader) Connolly, but just know that my kids are recreational players, not academic players like Ben Finegold is, and they have many other activities already. As much as Aidan enjoyed Ray’s summer camps, he was just okay with the rec&ed chess program at BPS when he tried it one session a year ago. So, IMO, it’s sort of a chicken-egg question on how to boost enrollment in rec&ed chess program at BPS; get the right teacher, the word will get out. Word of mouth works really well at BP.
Cynthia
Chess
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for your comments.
I too have found chess to be a great tool for teaching good sportsmanship, clear thinking, and taking responsibility for your actions (since in a tournament game you are not permitted to take back a move). It also cuts across all ages and demographics. I was at a tournament this weekend that drew chess players under 10 and over 70.
I also agree there’s a lot more to chess than the BP rec&ed on Tuesdays. My kids are both in Kids Club 5 days a week, so I’ll check to ensure that they have a complete chess set in their inventory of games.
There are also additional rec&ed opportunities, many taught by Ray Garrison. Actually, Alex and Charlie attend Ray’s Tuesday evening chess class, taught at Logan.
In the spring there are numerous unrated scholastic tournaments, some drawing 100 kids or more. Two of the most popular are in Okemos (Wardcliff scholastic, chippewa middle school, April 14th, 2007) and the Utica scholastic tournament.
Also, one doesn’t have to be in any of the rec&ed programs to take part in the team tournament – the only requirement is that the children on the same team attend school at the same physical location. This event typically draws over 200 kids from across the state. The year’s team tournament will be February 3rd in East Lansing. My kids have gone the last 3 years and have had a great time, and I’d be happy to help coordinate a team or teams this year from Burns Park.
-Eric
Chess
How many kids are required to have a team for these tournaments?
My other honest worry is that the ‘losing disposition’ for my kids who are not playing chess to get better at it, and playing chess all the time. Aidan already mentioned the fact he’s lost to little Alex at the summer camp already. ;-)
I might still talk my kids into trying the Feb. 3rd tournament anyway since not much else to do that time of the year anyway. So please keep me/us posted on getting a team together.
Cynthia — mother to Aidan(4) and Ana(1)
"Win with grace, lose with dignity"
It is true that learning how to lose at chess is a major step in preparing for tournament play.
Susan Polgar, the world’s first female grandmaster and a major advocate for children’s chess in the US, has a phrase she uses:
“Win with grace, lose with dignity”
It just comes from playing many games and experiencing both winning and losing and taking it all in stride.
There’s another truism in chess which is that you learn more from a game you lose than a game you win. A game you lose is basically a free chess lesson from the winner, pointing you to what you need to work on.
In terms of learning, my children all benefitted immensely from a PC program called “ChessMaster” – it can be obtained from CompUSA and other stores for about $10
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?ref=froogle&pfp=froogle...
For the February team tournament, teams consist of 4 players. You can enter a team with only 3 players, but this team will be at a severe disadvantage since they will automatically “lose” one game each round. One can also enter a team of 5 players, with one player sitting out each round.
Many schools enter 2, 3 or even 4 teams, depending on how many kids are interested.
Charlie and Alex have a 1 year old brother, Ben, so I’m hoping to grow interest in chess at BP over the course of the next 10 years.
chess, lunch time choices
My third grader has always done Finegold’s class, feel free to contact me if you need any info on it. There are quite a few kids who go, so using that list you could easily form a team.
There is also the ‘lunch-time choices’ time during the winter. Chess is usually offered as a choice. This is run by volunteer parents. Kids select from various choices if they want to avoid outdoor lunch recess in the harsh weather. Often, there are only 1-2 of them to cover all the slots, so if there is interest, sounds like a good role for one of you. Hadar (my husband) always does it, and would be happy for more help. You can sign up through the PTO.