Manchester October 1/2 term Chess Camp

by David Hardy

CSC's first half term chess camps in Manchester proved to be a great success. Over the 2 days just over 40 children attended the sessions which involved formal coaching plus lots of competitive play. The level of play improved dramatically over the sessions. 

   

 

The children had the chance to use chess clocks for the first time and some were able to write their games down. They really enjoyed playing on Fritz & Chesster and by the end of the each day everyone wanted to know when the next one would be held.

Next chess camp: Date & details to follow soon. 

We are now coaching in 17 schools throughout Tameside and Manchester.

CISC Teesside October 2010 update

by Sean Marsh

Half of a school term has now flown by. To say it's been a busy one for Chess in Schools and Communities is a massive understatement.

It's been very interesting to see the different rates at which children absorb the new information. Some of my students have needed extra time to master the basics of the first few pieces (especially the Knight), while others have managed to to sail all the way through to delve into the mysterious nature of the King.

Practice games involving armies of pawns against Rooks, Bishops, Knights and Queens have proved to be very successful teaching methods. Some students were disappointed to find out that the King, such a powerful piece in many respects, would lose a battle against just two pawns in most cases.

 

To assess the children's ability to work as a team, I introduced a few sessions of matches based on the 'capture the flag' exercises. This worked very well, with some  children responding admirably to their chosen roles as captains and all of the responsibilities this entailed.

The captains had to select their players, in turn, from the rest of the group and maintain a very high level of concentration and motivation to be a good example to the rest of their team.

Another idea I used to create a more competitive atmosphere was to have the winning players move up a board and the losers move down accordingly. The challenge was to end up on board one by the end of the session.

A little bit of a competitive edge will be useful when we start to introduce our new players to tournament and matches in 2011. I also think it is important to teach the players not only how to be good losers, but how to be polite winners too.  'When it comes to choosing a school team, I probably won't consider those who wave their arms about and tell their opponent they were rubbish', I tell them. Some will need extra work in this area!

The concepts of 'Check' and 'Checkmate' will feature heavily in our sessions between now and Christmas. Stripped down to the basics, they are fascinating and unique ideas. 

Some children have already been shouting 'checkmate!' whenever they capture a lowly pawn. Their chess journey is going to be longer than they originally thought…

Thursday 7 October 2010
 

 Click to read this report in full and to see other Teesside updates

Pilot School wins Borough Competition!

Chess in Schools and Communities officially starts teaching in September 2010. However, one school, Ravenscroft Primary School in Newham, were lucky enough to be the pilot school in the scheme and started receiving chess lessons in June 2010 by WFM Sabrina Chevannes.

Please read about it in the report below:

The winning team with coach Sabrina Chevannes

The Newham Primary Schools Tournament was established only very recently by Alan Bright – a chess enthusiast who has been encouraging junior chess in the Newham area. He currently teaches in several schools in Newham and brings them together regularly for an interschool competition
.
Even though Chess in Schools and Communities was scheduled to start in September, we commenced lessons in one school – Ravenscroft Primary School, as a trial run. I began by teaching there once a week although the club had only been running for three weeks I thought it would be nice to get Ravenscroft involved just for fun. I took a team of six players – three children from year 6, two from year 5 and one from year 3. It was their first ever tournament and they were extremely excited.

The format of Newham Primary Schools Tournament was a five round swiss system and where possible, children from the same school avoided playing each other. The top 5 competitors’ scores in each team would count towards their school’s total, so using this system, it did not matter how many children came from each school. The schools competing were:

• St. Luke’s Primary School
• Ravenscroft Primary School
• The Hartley Centre

There were also a couple of individual players – Daniel and Demello who were just representing themselves as they really enjoy chess and wanted to join in.
The tournament took place on the afternoon of Thursday 8th July and was held at St. Luke’s Primary School in Canning Town. It was a hot day and after the walk over from their individual schools, the children were extremely thirsty and were provided with drinks and fruit. It was a nice social event and the children all interacted well.

Due to the late arrivals of Ravenscroft, The Hartley Centre and Demello, St. Luke’s and Daniel were paired off against each other in the first round and the others all received half point byes. In round 2, all players were included in the draw.
The round-by-round results were as follows:

So after 5 rounds, Ravenscroft were the clear winners by 2 points, with a final score of 14.5 points. This was a great achievement for Ravenscroft as it was their first chess tournament both as a school and individuals, and as a result – their first trophy!!

Showing off their trophy and chess wristbands

Demello was the overall individual champion finishing on 4.5/5 points, winning all of his games after his 0.5 point bye in the first round.

Final Standings:

1st place = Ravenscroft Primary School
2nd place = St. Luke’s Primary School
3rd place = The Hartley Centre

Top individual scorer = Demello 4.5/5
2nd top scorer = Daniel 4/5

Top scorer from each school:
St. Luke’s = Kheireddine, Moses & Samuel 3/5
The Hartley Centre = Leon 2.5/5
Ravenscroft = Elijah 3.5/5

Ravenscroft's Top Scorer, Elijah, hoists their trophy

I would like to thank Alan Bright for organising this tournament and St. Luke’s for being such great hosts.

Chess in Schools is now a fully operational charity

CISC is now a fully operational charity with three main objectives:

1) To encourage teaching and playing chess in state schools and inner city communities.
2) To organise and promote world class chess events as a catalyst for mass participation.
3) To raise the profile of chess and highlight its educational and social benefits.

We are setting up chess clubs in about 60 different schools around the UK and are currently looking for chess coaches in the following areas:

 * LONDON – the boroughs of Newham, Barnet, Hackney and Hammersmith
 * BIRMINGHAM
 * MANCHESTER – Tameside
 * LIVERPOOL

Chess lessons will not just be conducted during lunchtime and after school. We are also seeking curriculum time from participating schools to allow coaches to work around existing commitments.

If you are interested in becoming a coach for Chess in Schools and Communities, please email Sabrina Chevannes