Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) Heres a story about a rising chess star in Queens.

Shes only 12 years old, but is already excelling at the game.

And as CBS2s Kiran Dhillon reported, the youngster says her love for the game has helped her through the coronavirus pandemic.

It helps me think better. It helps me focus on things better, Jessica P. said.

FLASHBACK: Teenage Brooklyn Chess Champion Hoping To Become First Black Female Chess Master

There are many things Queens student Jessica loves about chess. Primarily, its how the game forces her to think strategically.

You have to think like three moves ahead. You have to memorize like a bunch of different openings and variations. They can help you in real life, you know, help you in school, help you with doing basic things, Jessica said.

COVID VACCINE

The seventh grader, who moved to the U.S. a few years ago from Guyana, adopted her fathers love for the sport. She has been playing competitively for two years now and says chess has helped her through these COVID-19 times.

Teachers assign a lot of assignments and its kind of stressful, but, you know, chess gives me something to like depend on. After a long day, I know that when Im done, like school and everything, I can just go, you know, play a chess game, relax and enjoy it, Jessica said.

READ MORE:Chess Forum In Greenwich Village: A NYC Classic Perseveres In A Pandemic

And while the pandemic has forced many students to shift their game online, Jessica hasnt let that slow her down. She has competed in several virtual tournaments, including taking first place in one on Thursday.

Jessica, actually, has a higher ranking than most adults do in the chess world, said Rachael Gazdick, CEO of New York Edge.

New York Edge runs the afterschool programming at Jessicas school and many others across the city. Gazdick said going virtual has had its challenges, but also some positives.

The kids now get to play with each other weekly, as opposed to maybe doing it like having a tournament once a month, Gazdick said. Connectivity is brought to us as being able to bring more kids together, across all five boroughs to compete from their homes.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Jessica said loves that she been able to play more often.

For anyone who hasnt played chess, she has this message.

Its really fun. You should try it. It can actually improve your intelligence, your academics, Jessica said.

The young girls goal is to one day become a grandmaster the highest title one can achieve in chess.

And from the looks of it, shes well on her way.

CBS2s Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report

View original post here:
Rising Through The Ranks: Queens 12-Year-Old Has Eyes On One Day Being Chess Grandmaster - CBS New York

Wade Kellers passion for chess led him to form the Marco Island Chess Club and he had a very active pre-COVID K-12 group of students. The activities of the club paused for several months but once Wade received his second vaccine, he felt it was time to get back to the game of chess with the students.

According to Wade, chess is very popular with K-12 students for two reasons: Charter schools and private schools are very good at using games to help students learn and chess also teaches students patience and thinking. While players are sitting and waiting for their turn to make a move, they are thinking and strategizing.

Elsa Grifoni of Marco Island, along with other mothers of home-schooled students, is hoping that the club would give local students an opportunity to socialize and also challenge their thinking process at the same time. Elsa added that chess is an excellent tool for students to develop problem solving skills and improve attention span while having fun learning to improve their chess skills.

The Family Church of Marco Island located on 1450 Winterberry Drive offered to host the Chess Clubs weekly classes on Wednesdays from 10 AM to Noon for all K-12 students on Marco. Thanks to Pastor Terry Hoskins and Casey Nowlin, the Chess Club has had two very successful sessions. Pastor Hoskins and his wife Jamie have three boys Luke, Silas, and Job and all are learning to play chess.

During these sessions, the students will learn the skills to play chess and prepare for future tournaments. The Chess Club has had two sessions so far with over 11 students participating for each class.

Wade Keller has a plan, and it starts with Robust Chess Playing! So, all the kids have fun, learn the rules, and get something positive from the morning experience.

Step One: Robust chess playing. According to Wade, almost all of the kids are brand new to chess playing. For the next several sessions, they just play and get to enjoy the game. He does mix them up and get them to play with other partners.

Step Two: Writing your moves. According to Wade, this will teach the students to be able to review their notes and analyze where they could have done better another way to improve their chess playing skills.

Step Three: Using the clock. According to Wade, once they can record their moves, they can learn to use the chess clock. Adding a chess clock bring a new level of excitement and enjoyment to the game of chess. Without the clock, your opponent just takes forever to move. So, a timer is needed to keep the game moving.

Step Four: Introduce the experience of simultaneous chess exhibition: This is where one player usually of a higher caliber plays multiple games at a time with a number of players moving from table to table to play a single move. One rule is not to make your move until the master is standing in front of your board. Players will learn to sit patiently, analyze their boards, and think of their next move.

Step Five: Playing at a tournament. According to Wade, Id like to get to the point where we can have one tournament each month on Saturdays.

All students K-12 of all abilities are warmly invited to join the Wednesdays chess class at the Family Church from 10 AM to Noon. If you have any question, please email Wade Keller atwadekeller2045@gmail.com.

Read more:
Chess is Back on at the Family Church - coastalbreezenews.com

For some, chess is purely a form of entertainment. But for Ashley Priore, a junior English literature and political science double major, chess has a deeper meaning one that she is determined to help others see.

Priores recent acceptance to the Clinton Global Initiative University puts her on track to do just that. CGI U is the higher education branch of the Clinton Foundation, established by former President Bill Clinton. As CGI U scholars, students go through a year-long program, during which they are matched with mentors, attend conferences, network and launch individual projects. Priore said she first heard about CGI U last spring, but the foundation itself and the political aspects of it caught her eye.

At first, I was just doing research about the Clinton Foundation. I was looking at the Biden campaign and I was trying to compare and contrast these two major candidates, Priore said. I was really inspired by the head of the Clinton Foundation and so I reached out to him. He then told me about CGI U and that it was a program I might be interested in getting involved with.

Priore said she talked with the woman leading the University initiative, who was looking to reach more Pitt students. She said their conversation made her excited to begin the application process, which opened last November. The application itself was extensive and required a commitment to action, research and data numbers to support an initiative, Priore said.

The foundation is all about having specific plans to change or impact your community, Priore said. The application was full of questions about why I would want to take part in an initiative like this and what I want to do to inspire people. So, I wrote about chess. How young women can use the skills that chess provides to fuel their own passions.

Priore said her initiative centers around teaching chess to youth. She wants to develop a chess-based curriculum that can be used in schools and other teaching settings. Priore said chess can provide players with life skills that arent necessarily taught in the typical classroom.

The curriculum is grounded in how chess teaches life and strategy skills, like strategic planning and decision making, Priore said. People want young individuals to be able to make good decisions, but how do we expect them to if they arent educated in these skills?

Priore has been implementing her initiative on a local scale for several years. She founded The Queens Gambit Chess Institute in 2014 when she was in ninth grade at The Ellis School, an all-girls school in Pittsburghs Shadyside neighborhood. Priore said her personal experience with chess inspired her to start the nonprofit and that going to tournaments when she was younger made her realize how many people simply do not understand the game.

Its not just about competitions, its about what it teaches you, Priore said. Reshifting the narrative around chess is really important, which is why I ended up starting the nonprofit. Im trying to get as many young people engaged as possible.

Priore teaches anyone between pre-K and 12th grade through Queens Gambit, with a focus on supporting young students of color. Priore said the institute conducts outreach programs in the Pittsburgh community and forms community partnerships in an effort to build sustainable relationships and to address inequities.

We serve about one thousand students per month. The majority of those students are of medium to low income, families with diverse economic backgrounds, Priore said. Our focus is on the communities that really need this programming.

Jacob Boyce, the board chair for Queens Gambit, said he started working with Priore in 2019 because he was looking for support with running his own chess club. Boyce, a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher, said the mission of Queens Gambit pulled him in and encouraged him to incorporate Priores methods within his own club.

Whenever I teach a new tactic, they have to come up with ways in which this could be analogous to the world we live in, Boyce said, I never did that before working with Ashley.

Boyce said Priores dedication and perseverance enables Queens Gambit to expand and thrive. He added that he is not surprised to see her hard work pay off in other areas of her life, such as her acceptance to CGI U.

She is the one that treads water for the organization, Boyce said. Pathfinding, trailblazing, Ashley takes the things she has struggled through and uses them. She is very passionate about making changes in the world.

Priore said running Queens Gambit quickly led to an increase in her political interests. She added that an internship with Erika Strassburger, who represents part of Oakland and the rest of the Citys eighth council district, made her fall in love with the inner workings of government, specifically youth participation. Priores interest in politics grew, manifesting with Y22, a movement to get young people on nonprofit boards as voting members. Priore said she noticed youth were not involved in decision making, which inspired her to create the organization.

I noticed this lack of people understanding that young people have a voice and that they want to use it, Priore said. Y22 is about research, policy reform, getting young people on boards.

Madison Ricker, a senior political science and English major, started working with Y22 last summer. Ricker said the idea behind organization aligned with her own interests and that her work with Priore has been a fulfilling experience.

Y22 spoke to me because Ashley and I connect on our ideas and views on youth leadership and engagement, Ricker said, Ashley always makes me think of what else I could be doing. I have grown a lot in my leadership and my work because of Ashley.

Priores interest in youth politics expanded to a national scale with her founding of Youth Political Strategies during the 2020 presidential campaign. Priore said her work with President Joe Bidens campaign made her notice the need for more young people to be involved with policy, not just organizing. Youth Political Strategies focuses on getting young people involved with political campaigns.

Youth Political Strategies is about having youth vote directors or engagement directors on every campaign. We also have a big movement to get young people in the White House, Priore said. Youth Political Strategies is really trying to be the voice for youth policy because it is a very specific subject, young people care about so many things.

Priore said she hopes to continue political work once she graduates in 2022, but is also open to any opportunities that come along on her journey. She said she will continue working to address and solve issues that she notices in society. Priore said her time at Pitt has been influential and has positively impacted her in many ways.

Pitt was supportive from the beginning. I have mentors here, people who would help me, people who were here to support me, Priore said. I felt like when I came to Pitt I was part of the community. And when you feel like you are part of the community, you can flourish.

Priore said the best advice she could give to younger generations as they look to find their own voices and their own passions is to just keep moving ahead, pursuing their interests, and entertaining new ideas.

There are going to be people that dont like it, Priore said. There are going to be people that say no to you. But that just means not right now. You just have to keep pushing forward.

Go here to read the rest:
Pitt student founds third organization, mentors youth through chess - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

It seems strange to call that row of zeros on a digital chess clock a flag fall. The term is left over from the days when analog clocks were the standard. Those timers had actual tiny flags that dropped, or fell, when a player had used up the allotted playing time.

Flag falls in the digital universe are not much of an issue. When the allotted playing time has run out, your chess-playing websites programming automatically makes that call for you. The same cant be said for games over the board.

A US Chess Tournament Director getting involved in a game without being asked is rare indeed -- only the players can make a flag fall claim. TDs have to wait to come onboard until (if) the claim is disputed. Then there could be a lot of hoops to jump through. In fact, that was a topic for two of my earlier columns: Flag Falls Part One and Part Two.

The International Chess Federation, FIDE, gives its onsite officials (arbiters) a bit more wiggle room when it comes to flag falls. FIDE arbiters are allowed to call the flag, and can end the game. They can even take notation for the players that are banging out moves. Can we apply that kind of wiggle room to OTB US Chess? In my honest opinion: maybe.

There is something of a precedent in US Chess. About the only time a TD can jump into the fray is if both flags are down and no time forfeit claim has been made in the final time control period. At that point, the game can be declared a draw by the TD (rule 14G2). Otherwise, without some external intervention, the two opponents might play on, and on, and on ...

Since there is a rule that allows only the two players to make a time forfeit claim (rule 13C1), changing that regulation should be a simple matter to also allow the TD to call the flag. Unfortunately, it is not that simpleis it ever? Consider the following:

Situation 1: In a marathon game, you and your adversary have been pushed to the limit. For every intricate move, a complicated countermove, and both of you have made liberal use of nearly all of your allotted time. Ultimately, your flag falls first, but your opponent does not notice and no claim is made. So you keep on shuffling your chess army around move after move and, finally, your opponents flag falls too. You make the draw claim: two downed flags equal a draw! You have turned a goose egg into half-point gold!

If a TD is allowed to call the flag, then you would lose the moment your clock runs out of time. You would lose the ability to play on until your opponents time runs out, and thus any chance to make your double-flag draw claim. Zero would be your score, not the half-point for which you had aimed.

Situation 2: In a game using a classical time control, you have a lot more time left on your clock than the woodpusher sitting across from you. Though their flag eventually falls, their final moves of the game happen faster than lightning, and you have not been taking notation for many moves in the end. With the time you have left -- before your own flag falls -- you fill in the missing moves on your scoresheet, before you claim your point.

If a TD is allowed to call the flag, then you would have no chance to catch up on your missing notation. Because all notation must stop once the flag fall claim is made, your scoresheet would not be usable to verify your claim. An accurate scoresheet is imperative to making a time forfeit claim in classical time control game.

If the US Chess rule-makers allow the TD to also call flag falls, then both of the aforementioned situations need to be addressed. Given that our members are now pretty used to the online software making that same claim, the door has been opened to giving our TDs the same discretion.

Any thoughts?

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim recently revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. Tim is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee. His new column, exclusive to US Chess, Just the Rules will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.

The free, updated US Chess Rules (Chapters 1+2 + 10 +11 from the 7th edition rulebook) are now downloadable and available online. Past Just the Rules columns can be viewed here. Plus listen to Tim when he was a guest on the US Chess podcast One Move at a Time.

View post:
Just the Rules: Do We Need A New Flag Fall Rule? - uschess.org

An outdoor simul in Australia

By Alexey Root and Alex Wohl

On February 27, International Master Aleksandar "Alex" Wohl gave a simultaneous exhibition to 20 players, mostly juniors. The simul was free for the players. Wohl scored 17 wins, two draws, and one loss. According to the Gold Coast Chess Clubs Facebook post, "Prizes for best play were awarded to Joshua Cooper and Micah Young who both drew their games and last minute stand in Adrian Andre won his exciting game."

This simul was possible because Australia managed to get a grip on the Corona virus. The virus first arrived in Australia in February 2020 and in March 2020 the country went into a nationwide lockdown. Only essential businesses were allowed to remain open and people were only allowed out of the house, for exercise, one hour a day, and for food shopping. Schools were closed and classes, including chess, moved online.

The simul | Photo: Matt Smith

Queensland, where Alex lives, closed its borders for the first time in a hundred years, as did other states. New South Wales and Victoria were the only states with significant rates of infection, so the other states just shut their borders. By May schools reopened and life started getting back to a limited normal, although non-essential businesses remained closed.

"To us on the Gold Coast," said Alex, "the situation is quite surreal. We hear of the horror in the rest of the world, but aren't affected. I don't know anyone who has had Covid nor anyone who knows someone who has had Covid. The economic impact is the only noticeable impact here. Chess has returned to normal, almost. Our biggest annual international event, the Doeberl Cup is going ahead this year but without the international contingent. I now have to decide whetherto go or not. If there is an outbreak while I'm in Canberra, and the Queensland border shuts again, I won't be able to come home without two weeks hotel quarantine...at my expense."

Outdoor Simul

Giving a simultaneous chess exhibition, a "simul," is physically demanding, because the exhibitor must walk from board to board. For an indoor simul, the temperature is regulated. With a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity at 65 percent, Wohls outdoor simul presented extra challenges. The 57-year-old Wohl dressed for the weather, wearing shorts, sandals, and a short-sleeved shirt.

The simul took two hours. While one might think that noisy shoppers would be the biggest distraction, the smells got Wohls attention instead. Wohl said,

The smell of the delicious food from the nearby stalls distracted me, especially the German sausage stand. I was very susceptible to delicious food smells because as usual, I hadnt eaten breakfast. After all, I have been on a Keto-OMAD diet for a few years now. OMAD stands for "One meal a day", which is one form of intermittentfasting, Other forms are 16-8 etc. I generally have a coffee in the morning and then a meal when the sun goes down, around 6pm.

Keto is short for "ketogenic", which also has some variation, but the main concept is to limit the amount of carbohydrates ( sugar, potatoes, rice, bread and other grains) one consumes. Basically I just stick to animal products and vegetables. No processed food. A few years ago I was 115kg, had very high blood pressure and was pre-diabetic. Now I'm 85kg and all other health issues have disappeared as if by magic.

However, making dozens of trips to each chess board was still taxing. Wohl said, "I did get a bit sweaty towards the end. Not too bad, as the trees afforded some shade. Luckily, we were just a stone's throw from Burleigh beach, so I was able to cool off immediately afterwards."

The Opponents

In addition to being physically challenging, simuls can present chess challenges to the simul-giver, such as the number or quality of opponents. My previous articles on simuls for ChessBase included this quote from GM Lubomir Kavalek about simuls, "You played simply everybody who showed up."

That quote seems to be true for Wohls simul as well. Although the simul was advertised as being for juniors, Wohl played adults in it too. Wohl said, "I knew of most of the juniors and the few adults who played in place of a few juniors who hadnt turned up. They all kept score and were regular tournament and interschool players."

Outdoor Chess

While the Gold Coast Chess Club has held indoor chess events since 2016, its new initiative, as of the end of November 2020, is outdoor chess. Players gather at the Burleigh Market, known for its farm-fresh produce, each Saturday. Wohls exhibition was a special event on Saturday, February 27, at 9:45 a.m., after players had warmed up with social chess since 8:00 a.m. On other Saturdays, players gather for social, non-rated chess from 8 a.m. to noon.

Wohl said, "Outdoor chess is a magnet for casual chess players. Whenever chess sets are on display, be it a shopping centre, a park, or a market, as in this case, people are drawn to them, often families. I dont know a better way to promote local chess activity."

Gold Coast Tourism

In addition to chess, Wohl is passionate about other Gold Coast offerings. He said, "For any water sports enthusiasts, the Gold Coast is really in the Goldilocks Zone. It is not too cold, even in the depths of winter, and not too hot in summer. Any further north and swimming in summer becomes problematic because of deadly jellyfish and crocodiles."

Wohl continued, "We have all the benefits of a city, like shopping, fine dining, and nightlife, and all the beauty of rural Australia just a short drive away." Then he mentioned the beaches, again. If you are looking for Wohl, check at the Doubleroo Chess Academy first, and then search the beaches!

Original post:
Outdoor Chess at the Gold Coast in Australia - Chessbase News