Happy Birthday! The Chess Drum is 9!

Posted by Frank | Chess History, Featured, News, chess Sites | Tuesday 16 February 2010 6:32 am

Another year has elapsed. How time goes! The Chess Drum has now been in existence for nine years and has since served as the primary reservoir for content featuring players of African descent. Of course, the site also covers important event and has a worldwide audience in over 200 countries and territories with over 8,000 pages.

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Appleton Early Learning Center

Posted by Frank | chess Sites | Monday 5 October 2009 8:17 am

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Appleton Early Learning Center has participated in our pilot program with 4 and 5 year old students.  This program was conducted over a six week period.

We have been able to demonstrate that children can learn and demonstrate critical thinking skills at this age.

We are looking forward to continuing with this age group for extended sessions and possibly trying some gender-based sessions.

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October 2009 Chess Life for Kids

Posted by Frank | Chess History, chess Sites | Saturday 3 October 2009 10:02 am

The October issue of Chess Life for Kids is out and available online.  You must be a member of the United States Chess Federation to see the online version.

If you haven’t joined the USCF yet, please click here to join.

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Family Bonding Through Chess

Posted by Frank | News, chess Sites, chess coach | Monday 1 June 2009 8:54 pm

Think back to when you first learned to play chess. Did your mother or father teach you? Maybe a grandparent? Over the years I’ve heard many wonderfully warm stories about people’s first introduction to chess. Those memories are cherished through adulthood, as chess is truly a bonding experience.

My father taught me to play when I was 9 years old. I was fascinated by the boards set up all around the living room, each displaying a different position. I was so eager to learn. My father loved something called postal chess, where he would play people from far away exotic lands through the mail. Most of his opponents lived in Russia, so it took months for each move to arrive. It was always an exciting day when that postcard arrived with its intriguing stamps. It held the mysterious code known only to chess players, informing my father of the next move.

I quickly fell in love with the game and when I beat my father for the first time I quickly made the decision to try out tournaments. Although Dad was more interested in postal chess than over the board play, he joined me in my first tournament, so that I wouldn’t be alone. Now the first thing I noticed, in that small Connecticut tournament, was that I was the only girl and the only child. A little intimidating, but Dad was there, so it was okay. I soon became engrossed in my games, throwing myself into the battle, eager to conquer my opponent, forgetting that the odds were stacked against me. I’m not sure who was more surprised and excited, my father or I, when I won second place.

more

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Robson wins round 6

Posted by Frank | Chess Tournaments, International Chess, News, chess Sites | Wednesday 13 May 2009 7:43 pm

This was one of the most exciting games of round six. GM Christiansen went into a highly theoretical line against IM Robson hoping that his age may not given him experience here. Robson used a lot of time but managed to find good moves.

I find inspiration when I see decisive games like this. It let’s you know anyone can loose a game. I look forward to round 7.

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Interview with the Topalov leader in the world ranking for Maxim Magazine

Posted by Frank | International Chess, News, chess Sites | Wednesday 13 May 2009 10:22 am
Interview with the leader in the world ranking for Maxim Magazine

Which first move is better for beginners? ?4 or d4?

1.e4. is a bit better, if you play 1.d4 the game is slower, more complicated and more positioned.

Which opening is not played anymore and why?

No opening has disappeared yet, at a lower level you can play more risky, but now there are many options already, for which the end evaluation is known. In the strongest tournaments the King’s Gambit is very rarely used, it is considered that the whites are risking too much.

How many people are there in your team during matches? Describe briefly who is doing what.

My chess assistants for the game against Kamsky in Sofia were three. They analyze the games of the opponent, as well as my games and try to find weaknesses in his game.

During the match against gata Kamsky we saw you swimming at the Kempinski (we swim there, too). Tell us about the physical preparation of a chess player.

Yes, they recommended me to do light exercises in the rest days of the match. Swimming is best because it involves the entire body and there is no risk of injuries. According to my experience it is better for the chess players to practice sports that improve stamina, because our games are sometimes very long and tiring, just like a hard day at an office. (more…)

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2009 U.S. Championship Begins!

Posted by Frank | Chess Tournaments, International Chess, News, chess Sites | Thursday 7 May 2009 11:10 pm

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Are you ready for a truly spectacular 2009 U.S. Championship that’s set to get underway at the new Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis?
The 24 contenders include the “big three” of Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Onischuk and defending champ Yury Shulman, plus other former champions Alexander Shabalov, Boris Gulko (the only player to have won both the USSR and U.S. titles), U.S. Hall of Famers and ICC Chess.FM stars Joel Benjamin and Larry Christiansen . The championship also features some of the new rising stars of U.S. Chess, such as GM-elect Robert Hess plus IMs Ray Robson and Sam Shankland.

ICC Chess.FM plans extensive coverage direct from the playing venue in St. Louis! We’ll be having official U.S. Championship commentators IM Jennifer Shahade and GM Emil Sutovsky broadcasting live to the audience in St. Louis and also here on Chess.FM throughout, starting at 3.00pm ET; Macauley Peterson will be on-hand producing videos for ICC and the official site each day long with a wrap-up service; and former U.S. champion Nick De Firmian will be hosting each day a special U.S. Championship Game of the Day.
And with Chess.FM streaming audio live for free at the official site, there will be special email trivia contests that will be open to the general public with amazing daily prizes – the NIC trivia contest (1-year subscription to New In Chess magazine); the House of Staunton GOTD trivia ($70 coupon to buy online at HOS); and if you attend the commentary room in person in St. Louis, there’s the Everyman On-site trivia (Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess Pt. 2: Kasparov vs. Karpov 1975-198 5).
Look out for regular updates here at chessclub.com and uschesschamps.com including a Twitter feed, videos and a fantasy chess competition.

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Why does chess make kids smarter?

Posted by Frank | Chess Training, Featured, News, chess Sites, chess coach | Thursday 7 May 2009 9:50 pm

I recently came across this article in the Inquirer.net written by Laura Sherman.

When we say “OK! That’s the end of today’s chess class,” and hear a room full of young voices saying “No, we want to stay!” that’s when we know a definite connection has been achieved.

Parents and teachers around the globe are very proud when their children learn to play chess. They know it’s good for their kids. But why? Why is excellent chess instruction so beneficial to educational growth?

Let’s start with some basics. Kids do not get smarter when they’re forced to learn things that don’t interest them. They lose interest when they are not challenged. They also lose interest when they don’t understand what is being taught.

The best chess teachers are challenging and fun, while smoothly increasing the level of skill and understanding of each student. When teaching chess is approached that way, the kids remain interested and they improve. Studies done around the world prove that teaching chess to children has a very positive impact on their lives.

Read the entire article

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (www.YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. The couple’s full-time profession is teaching children to play chess. Along with Bill Kilpatrick, founder of several professional specialty schools, they provide consulting around the globe helping improve the ability of coaches, parents and educators to teach chess to children.

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