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Armenia and Chess
“Chess is my world,” said the former Soviet world champion Mikhail Tal. “Not a house, not a fortress where I hide myself from life’s hardship, but indeed the world. The world in which I live a full life, in which I prove myself.” It is a place of beauty, challenge, fierce competition, endless calculation, a unique blend of art and science. So bravo to Armenia for making it a compulsory part of the primary school curriculum. Educationists in that former Soviet republic argue that playing chess will breed a sense of responsibility in young children and be character-building. Well maybe, though in my experience the most likely result is that you go to bed at 2am having roundly abused someone in Minnesota who has just beaten you in an online … Read entire article »
Filed under: People
Zhao Xue, a Chess Queen
Women’s chess is unbelievable! You could hardly imagine two weeks ago that the 9th rated chess player in the tournament could have 8.5 points after 9 games and she would be a comfortable winner with 2 rounds to go. Almost all the leaders of the world of female chess gathered in Nalchik with the exception of Hou Yifan, Humpy Koneru from India and Anna Muzychuk from Slovenia. Three former world champions: Zhu Chen, Antoaneta Stefanova and Alexandra Kosteniuk were in the list of competitors. The Russian top women players: two sisters, Nadezhda and Tatiana Kosintseva and also former World candidate Alisa Galliamova. The champion of Europe Viktorija Cmilyte, and the number one of the Ukrainian national team Kateryna Lahno. This phenomenal achievement of Zhao Xue reminds us of Bobby Fischer and Garry … Read entire article »
Filed under: People
Chess.com
Chess.com is a huge website with over 3.8 million members. Chess.com offers free play and contains a range of activities for its users, including game play, tournaments, articles, videos, and social tools. Its slogan ‘Play, Learn, Share’ reflects its aim to provide users with an ‘enjoyable environment where chess players of all skill levels can learn, contribute, play, build, chat, and share.’ Development Chess.com does not prioritize playing, sharing, or studying chess, which allows it to expand into the different online chess markets. However, taking part in discussions, posting comments, and being a greeter are all considered beneficial to the site’s reputation. To recognize a player’s contributions, players have a user profile where all activities are listed, and member points are rewarded to value these activities. The website is divided into … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assessment, Basics
Benefits of Chess
There have been several studies about the benefits of chess. It is obviously intellectually stimulating, but is it worth teaching your child? In a 1973-74 Zaire study, employing 92 students, age 16-18, the chess-playing experimental group showed a significant advancement in spatial, numerical and administrative-directional abilities, along with verbal aptitudes, compared to the control group. The improvements held true regardless of the final chess skill level attained. This means that it doesn’t matter how good at chess you are – just learning it and playing it gives you an advantage over people who don’t. According to a two-year study conducted in Kishinev, grades for young students taking part in the chess experiment increased in all subjects. Teachers noted improvement in memory, better organizational skills, and for many increased fantasy and imagination. Not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assessment