Miami-Dade Scholastic Chess

Bobby Fischer Memorial June 25th, 26th & 27th

2010-06-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Battle of the Brains

July 31, 1972

Time Magazine

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877942,00.html

This excerpt is from an article written in 1972 on Bobby Fischer and the details of his life prior to and then becoming world champion. It is a fascinating account of his rise to world champion chess and his eccentricities.

The negotiations were going so poorly, Presidential Advisor Henry Kissinger revealed last week, that he felt compelled to intervene for the good of the country." Kissinger was not referring to his latest peace talks in Viet Nam. He was talking about the peace talks in Reykjavik. Iceland and the confrontation between Bobby Fischer of the United States and Boris Spassky of Soviet Union for the world championship. After weeks of petty infighting, the stormy encounter between East v. West, of Boris, the witty urbane champion v. Bobby, the temperamental, demanding challenger, had grown into an international incident. To avoid a stalemate, Kissinger, a chess player himself, put through a call to Fisher and implored him to play. Fischer, agreed but only with the reluctance of a pouty patriot who says: "If there is one thing I ask for and that I don't get, I don't play.

What: Bobby Fischer Memorial

When: June 25th, 26th, & 27th

Where: Weston Community Center

Time/Game controls: 7 rounds; G30

Sections: Open & Scholastic

Contact: gilgarchess@gmail.com

http://www.alphachessa.com/ 954 867-8498

Booker T. Washington HS Chess Club

2010-05-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Miami-Dade College

Dr. Armando J. Bucelo HS Chess Tournament

Booker T. Washington Chess Club

Principal: Mr. Villalobos

Chess Facilitator: Anthony Jennings

ALPHA CHESS ACADEMY TOURNAMENT IN WESTON

2010-05-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Brian and GM Gildardo Garcia

Alejandro Gutierrez and Daniel Ramirez of Miami Lakes K-8 Center (Coach Oscar Badillo)

Sino Joseph and daughter Sneha

GM Gildardo Garcia ready to face GM Varuzhan Akobian in the Chicago Open last year.

WHAT: OPEN & SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT

HOST: GM GILDARDO GARCIA

WHEN: SATURDAY MAY 22, 2010

WHERE: WESTON COMMUNITY CENTER

20200 SADDLE CLUB ROAD

SECTIONS: OPEN- K-1, K-3, K-6, K-9, K-12

GAME CONTROLS: G30 5 Rounds

CONTACT INFORMATION:

954 867-8498
813 375-2179

Gilgarchess@GMAIL.COM

The Art of Thinking Chess Tournaments

2010-05-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Eric Rodriguez (2354) recently beat his mentor GM Julio Becerra in the 17th Annual Space Coast Open and walked away with the $1,000 prize on April 23-25. http://centralflchess.org/

MIAMI BEACH CHESS CLUB

Scholastic Summer Chess Series

June 6th -June 27th- July 25th - August 8th

North Shore Park Youth Center

501 72nd Street

Miami Beach, FL 33141

Registration: 11:00 am-11:30am

Scholastic sections: K1-K3-K5-K8-K12

(sections may be combined)

4 rounds Swiss System G/30

Top five individual trophies

Top three team trophies

Awards ceremony 4:30 pm

Entry fee $12 USCF membership required

Tournament Directors:

National Master Eric Rodriguez (see above)

USCF Chess Coach Oscar Rodriguez

USCF Chess Coach Eunice Rodriguez

email:Oscarr876@Bellsouth.net phone: 786 493-5745

Miami-Dade Loses Scholastic Chess Icon

2009-06-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Arden Dilley, Adolpho Perez, Frank Cobo and Jeff Nelson

Arden Dilley, the grandfather of scholastic chess in Miami-Dade, passed away Tuesday of heart failure. Mr. Dilley is credited with organizing scholastic chess tournaments in Miami-Dade County. He started teaching kids chess at Olympia Heights back in 1968. He will be missed. Below is an article he wrote for the Chess Education newsletter "Developing Pieces" in August 0f 2006.
---------------------------

Arden Dilley: Miami-Dade Scholastic Chess Pioneer Speaks

August 2006

I started allowing my students to play chess before, at lunch and after school at Olympia Heights in 1968 and later at Dunbar. As a PE teacher, I found it to be a good rainy day activity as well. Later, I organized the first scholastic Grand Prix events under the not for profit Miami-Dade Scholastic Chess Association. What I found was that children who learn to play chess improve
their focus, block out distractions, and pay attention to what they are doing.

---------------------
Chess is prevalent in Miami because it is an international metropolis . Chess is popular in almost every country except the U.S. and our students represent all parts of the globe. Research is also needed to demonstrate the effects of chess that are already well documented anecdotally. Test scores will improve and kids will want to be in school.

--------------------

Chess in M-DCPS lacks uniformity. All canoes must be paddling in the same direction. There are several entities who have their own agendas and won’t give up control for the good of the cause. Title I does not train coaches or sponsors. AEP trains once a year and only reaches the elementary level . Professional development with TEC points must be offered. A course for teachers could be developed. The chess coordinator position is a step in the right direction but must be given widespread support from all the faces of scholastic chess. A budget to administer new programs is absolutely necessary. Parks and recreation programs can develop chess programs after school and in the summer.

-------------------
The biggest obstacle has always been principals who have never witnessed the changes in the attitudes of children towards school after learning the game. Not only will attendance improve but test scores and self esteem will increase. The key is training teachers who are truly interested in making a difference and the rest takes care of itself.

MICA SUMMMER CAMP

2009-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Kings & Queens Youth Exhibition

2009-04-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

Kings & Queens Youth Exhibition

AN INVITATIONAL

Tournament will be held at JPM Enrichment Centre
4055 NW 183rd Street
Miami Gardens, Florida 33165
Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Tournament Info
· 5 rounds Swiss System G/30
· USCF Membership Required
· Half-point bye available only in Round 1
· K3 Open and K5 open competitive categories
· Top Ten Individual trophies awarded in each category
· Top Three Team trophies awarded in each category
· Teams consist of a maximum of five players in each category
· Top four players determine team score
· Bring your own boards and clocks

Teams will be selected based on talent, active participation, and sportsmanship.

If you have any questions regarding this tournament please contact Webber J. Charles via mobile at (786) 269-4337 or email at charli2foto@yahoo.com.

Women's World Champion to Host Camp

2009-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

World Chess Hall of Fame & Sidney Samole Museum is proud to announce the WORLD CHAMPION ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK’s SUMMER CHESS CAMP!
---------------------------------------

This will be followed by the Alexandra Kosteniuk Chess Hall of Fame Cup.

--------------------------------------
Come meet, work and learn from the best with the current Women's Chess World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. With FIDE 2516 and USCF 2590 ratings, she has become the dominant force in International Women's Chess and chess overall. Learn directly from Alexandra herself and she teaches you everything about the game from openings to your end game. Camp will be held in the air-conditioned rooms of the World Chess Hall of Fame, 13755 SW 119th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 (few blocks from Miami Metro Zoo). Chess camp is open for kids up to 18-years of age. Each participant will have a unique chance to study chess and have fun right in the historic Chess Hall of Fame, in beautiful Miami, Florida and work with the reigning Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk and other experienced masters.

----------------------------------

(9AM-5PM daily):

--------------------------------

June 22nd-26th — 1st session

June 29th-July 3rd — 2nd session

July 6th-10th — 3rd session

July 13th-17th — 4th session

--------------------------------

Campers may register for as many sessions as they want as long as there are slots available.

Fees: Early Registration: $400/week if postmarked by April 30, 2009, $450 if postmarked by May 31, 2009.

Registration: $500/week (full day), $250/week (half days). Please click here to download a PDF of the registration form.

--------------------------------

You can email Alexandra directly at: alexandra@kosteniuk.com. All questions go directly to her and she answers every email. You can learn more about Alexandra Kosteniuk and exciting chess career at http://www.kosteniuk.com/. Catch Alexandra on video at the Chess Movies website.

Everglades K-8 at Nationals

2009-04-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/4019704

2009 SUPERNATIONALS Warm-Up

2009-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Contact FM Charles Galofre at charles.galofre@gmail.com or Ph: 786.385.7628

http://www.charlesgalofre.com/lessons.htm

2009 SuperState VI Numbers Way Down

2009-02-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

USCF Scholastic & FIDE Director Jerry Nash http://www.supernationalsiv.com/

GM Kosteniuk with top K-5 girl unrated

http://www.floridachess.org/2009ScholasticChampionship/

Wholesalechess.com Supports M-Dade Chess

2009-02-11T06:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.wholesalechess.com/

M-DC High School Chess Tournament

2009-02-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

www.mdc.edu/highschoolchess

2009 South Regional Results and Pictures

2009-01-22T21:48:00.001-08:00

Women's World Champion to attend South Regional

2009-01-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

GM Kosteniuk to attend South Regional

Women's World Chess Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk will make an appearance at the 2009 South Regional Chess Championship on Saturday January 17, 2009 at John A. Ferguson Senior High 15900 SW 56th Street. Alexandra will distribute postcards and sign autographs for the students. Although the itinerary has not been set, she may play a simul, organize a puzzle competition, or hand out trophies.

Photos courtesy of http://www.kosteniuk.com/index.php?lg=eng&year=2008

Women's World Chess Champion GM Kosteniuk

2009-01-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

Check out MiamiHerald.com/living and watch a video see a photo gallery.We have also invited Alexandra to the 2009 South Regional at Ferguson Senior on January 17th.

Champions of Discipline

2009-01-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

I have been to many of the scholastic nationals both as a coach and a tournament director. As a coach I have a little more time to observe what goes on around the tournament venue. There's always something that makes an impression on me. What grabbed my attention this time was the group of children from Norwood Elementary of Miami. First of all, they were the sharpest looking chess team out there with their matching bright yellow windbreakers, shirts, and blue back packs. They were not hard to miss!
__________________________________________________
Every round you would see them lined up, and go into the playing hall as a team. What impressed me was how orderly the line was. No kids jumping out of line. Nobody yelling or giving the parents, chaperons or teachers a hard time. They went in and quietly found their seat and got down to the business of playing chess.
_________________________________________________
When the kids finished they would go to back of the room where parents and coaches were sitting. They would sit quietly with the adults who accompanied them and wait for all their teammates to finish.
_________________________________________________
When everyone was done, they'd line up and leave the playing hall as a team.
_________________________________________________
After the last round was done, as each child filed by, this one chaperon gave each child a big hug, and words of praise and encouragement. It was really a very sweet moment for these children. This was their first nationals, and I'm sure for many of them their first time away from Miami. I spoke to a couple of the parents and the assistant principal. I could tell they were really proud of their kids and their school. They had every right to be. They really impressed me with their behavior and discipline. They did their school proud. They may not have won many trophies, but they won the respect of those who observed their fine behavior. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed.

The Norwood Tigers were grrrrrrrrreat!!!

Go Tigers! I hope to see you in Nashville next April for the Super Nationals.

http://castlingqueenside.blogspot.com/2008/12/champions-of-discipline.html

The post above was one I took from the link you see on top. Barbara Reed of Norwood sent it to me. Barbara has been doing this for a while. She does an awesome job as you can seen. Even impartial observers can see. Congratulations!

PCS Grand Prix 3

2008-12-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

K-1 Team Results

1. Everglades-11.5

2. John Smith-6.5
3. Amelia Earhart-4.5

4. South Miami Heights-3.5

5. Rainbow Park 3.5

6. Bayharbor-1.0

K-1 Individual Results

1. Juliana Piloto- Everglades

2. Victor Wang-John Smith

3. Antonio Inastrilla- Everglades

4. Jalen Peterson- Rainbow Park

5. Jonathan Karpenkoph- Amelia Earhart

6. Kevin Alemna South Miami Heights

K-3 Team Results

1. Olympia Heights-14

2. Everglades-13.5

3. South Miami Heights-11

4. Bay Harbor-10

5. Amelia Earhart-9

6. Rainbow Park- 5

7. Pinecrest-4

K-3 Individual Results

1.Phillip Silva- Olympia Heights-5

2.Gabriel Lee-4

3. Amanda Morales- Amelia-4

4. Emmanuel Largusan- Bay Harbor-4

5. Eugenie Li- Pinecrest-4

6. Ajay Sukhwani- Everglades-4

7. Julian Perez-Doval- Everglades-3.5

8. Ethan Sanjuro- Everglades-3.5

9. Kevin Levia- Olympia Heights-3.0

10. Alexander Estrella- Olympia Heights-3.0

K-5 Team Results

1.Amelia Earhart-18.5

2. South Miami Heights-15.5

3. Olympia Heights- 14

4. Bay Harbor 13

5. FC Martin- 9

6. Everglades- 8

7. DSA- 5.5

8. Flagler- 3.5

9. Flagami- 1

K-5 Indidvidual Results

1. Joshua Mollineda- Amelia-5
2. Elizabet Alfonso- Amelia-5
3.Jesus Gonzalez-Amelia-4.5
4. Dimitri Klepak- Bay Harbor-4
5. William Santos-Olympia Heights-4
6. Christyan Garcia- Everglades-4
7. Lazaro Gonzalez- Amelia- 4
8. Christian Disla-South Miami Heights-4
9. Jorge Salmeron- South Miami Heights-4
10. Erik Hernandez-South Miami Heights-4

2009 South Regional

2008-12-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

2009 South Regional
Saturday January 17, 2009
1st Round 9:30 AM

Location: John A. Ferguson Senior High 15900 SW 56 Street Miami 33185

Sections: K-1, K-3, K-5, K-8, K-12
USCF membership required

Time Controls: G/30- 5 Round SS (bring chess sets)

Entry Fee: $15 if received by January 15th $20 thereafter
Any and all registrations received after January 15th will receive an automatic 1st round, ½ point bye NO EXCEPTIONS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Prizes: Top 10 Individual Trophies & Top 5 Team Trophies

Registration Form

Print Name:______________________________USCF#_______________

School ____________________________Section & Grade _____________

Register by e-mailing or mailing to the contact information below:
e-mail: aramos@dadeschools.net
Make checks payable to: DSCA
Mailing Address: 18495 South Dixie Highway #323 Miami, Fl 33157-6817

South Region Center Tournament

2008-10-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

K-8 Individual Champions

(Centennial Middle Team Winners)

K-5 Team Champions (South Miami Heights)

K-3 Team Champions (South Miami Heights)

K-1 Team Champions (South Miami Heights)

K-5 Individual Champions

K-3 Individual Champions

K-1 Individual Champions

2009 South Regional Date Set for January 17th

2008-10-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

2009 South Regional
Saturday January 17, 2009
1st Round 9:00 AM

Location: John A. Ferguson Senior High 15900 SW 56 Street Miami 33185

Chess Teacher Recognized by Adopt-a-Classroom

2008-10-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

EDUCATION
Teachers get a surprise -- free school supplies
Dedicated teachers in South Florida and across the country got some unexpected help: $1,000 in school supplies.

BY HANNAH SAMPSON
hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

Just this weekend, fifth-grade science teacher Nakitta Bryant went shopping for school supplies. Her wish list was long, but money was short.

So the timing could not have been better on Wednesday when Bryant was one of 1,300 teachers nationwide -- and more than two dozen locally -- to be surprised with a giant box filled with school supplies as part of an event called A Day Made Better.

''We have goodies,'' Bryant told her students at Larkdale Elementary near Fort Lauderdale as she took in the jumble of scissors, sticky notes, pencils, markers and other supplies.

''I needed this,'' she said more than once as she pulled out items and delighted over them with the kids.

''A sharpener that works!'' exclaimed Bralen Brown, 11.

Bryant, who has been teaching for three years, said she has spent about $100 of her own money so far this school year -- an amount, she said, that is ``not too bad.''

Lakedria Moultry, 12, teared up as she watched Bryant's delight.

''She's like a special teacher,'' she said. ``She works with the kids a lot. She's nice. And she's thankful.''

It was the same scene at Toussaint Louverture Elementary in Little Haiti, where fourth-grade reading and writing teacher Marie Michelle Duplan was similarly surprised.

''It looks like I'm not going to buy supplies for the rest of the year,'' said Duplan, who said she usually doles out $400 to $500 a year for classroom needs. ``Plus I can share with my colleagues.''

Like the class at Larkdale Elementary in Broward, Duplan was happy to see the electric pencil sharpener. The one she bought on the first day of school had already broken.

UNEXPECTED REWARD

Duplan, who also oversees the school's chess team, said she was excited to receive a digital camera because now she can take pictures of the students when they compete in tournaments.

A teacher since 1983, Duplan said she never expected to show up to work Wednesday and find herself in the spotlight.

''I give myself to the kids,'' she said. ``My reward is when they do well.''

The school's principal, Liliane Delbor, said Duplan's students have been doing exceptionally well since the educator came to the school three years ago.

''We have seen continuous progress,'' Delbor said. ``She's a leader because she has taken other teachers under her wing and trained them.''

At schools throughout the country, teachers who were nominated by their principals found themselves with $1,000 worth of supplies -- from $80 scissor packs to $250 digital cameras, courtesy of OfficeMax.

Wednesday's event was organized by the Miami-based nonprofit Adopt-a-Classroom, which reached out to tens of thousands of schools throughout the country and matched the schools and teachers with the retailer, said founder and executive director James Rosenberg.

Congratulations to our good friend Marie Duplan. We are proud of you. She is a fantastic writing teacher and does so much for her community.Check out the video clip below and see how Toussaint touts chess.

http://www.miamiherald.com/video/index.html?media_id=2239659

Kosteniuk Women's World Champion

2008-09-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our friend GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, her husband Diego and daughter Francesca on her victory over 14 year old Hou Yifan of China in the 14th World Women's Championship in Nalchik, Russia. Alexandra has been very generous with her works and deeds . When in Miami she is always willing to support Miami-Dade Public School chess programs. She has donated her time, books, and her namesake computer program to our students. We appreciate all she has done for our students and celebrate her victory. See an interview by Jerry Hanken below and links to websites relative her victory.

http://nalchik2008.fide.com/news/?lang=eng&id=84

http://www.kosteniuk.com/

USCF Home Chess Life Online 2008 September Interview With Alexandra Kosteniuk Interview With Alexandra Kosteniuk
By Jerry Hanken
September 24, 2008

In a CLO exclusive, Chess Journalists of American president Jerry Hanken interviews the champion, mediaqueen, runner and mother about her road to the title, her plans as the champ and how to attract more women to chess.

Jerry Hanken (JH) : How did it feel in the moment you made the draw and clinched your first Women World Championship title?
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (AK): I was so tired, the world championship seemed eternal, and we were in Nalchik almost one full month. In the knockout system you always have another match to play after you win. I am not even sure I understood totally that it was over and there would not be another game the next day. Well in fact of course I was also so happy, I had finally reached my goal. What a relief, I was waiting for this moment for such a long time, probably since I missed my chance in 2001...

JH: Can you comment on your young opponent's play in the final match?
AK: I must say that Hou Yifan is absolutely amazing. She is incredibly gifted. In the past I was often the youngest or among the youngest in tournaments, in fact in my last try at the World Championship Finals in 2001, I was only 17 and it was a sensation, well now I was shocked to see that while I am still pretty young at 24, Hou Yifan is a full ten years younger than me! When I prepared for my match against her, the earliest game I could find in the database for her was in 2003... About her play, I can say she has a keen sense when trying to get the initiative, when to open the center, how to complicate matters. She calculates variations very well. The areas where I may have some edge would be the strategic moments where experience is beneficial, for example in openings like the Ruy Lopez where it takes years to get a good feeling of how to play the middle game correctly. Taking into consideration Hou Yifan's age, it seems clear to me that she is in a very strong position to become women's world champion one day.

JH: Please share with our readers your journey to the Championship, the format and the steps you took to get you where you are now.
AK: I always say that chess is a "fair game" in the sense that it gives back to you what you give to it. The more you study chess, the better you will become, and that's a fact proven over and over again. When I looked at my games 2-3-4 years ago, I had many problems in the openings, so I went about the study of openings very seriously, expanded my repertoire (for example I started playing the Ruy Lopez, before I only played the Sicilian), and against 1.d4 I started playing new lines. With White also, I have alternate lines that I play now. That makes it much more difficult for opponents to prepare against me. While openings are important, it's equally important to study the middle game, endgame, and chess studies. While I was pregnant with my baby Francesca, I did a lot of work and read many chess books I never had a chance to finish before. Then this year, I started training since February at home in Miami, running each morning 5 kilometers, participating in races, and studying chess like never before. I wanted to see if I could come back as strong as before, I made it a point I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. The world championship was announced in Argentina in June, but was later moved to Russia in August. This actually turned out quite good for me, because it gave me two additional months to train, and the home crowd certainly also helped, especially at the end when I became the last player from my country. In short, it's hard work and good physical form that pushes you to the top.

JH: When Bobby won the World Championship in 1972, he promised he would be a playing Champ but was the opposite. Do you intend to be a "playing" Champion?
AK: I certainly feel a great responsibility as world champion, and will play and promote chess as much as I can during my tenure. I have already agreed to play in the Chess Olympiad in November, and in just one week I will be flying to China to participate in the First Mind Sports Games, which may be the key to bringing chess to the Olympic Games. I will continue as hard or even harder in my web activities , for example adding many episodes to my ChessQueen YouTube channel, as well as my free podcasts Chess is Cool and Chess Killer Tips.

JH: Did you have any one moment of doubt after your nice first game victory when you felt the pressure?
AK: It was important for me to win the first game against Hou, especially in a nice style with Black in the Ruy Lopez. That made it quite difficult for Hou to select a good line for the third game with White. But in chess one can never be sure of anything... in the second and third games I was close to winning but let my advantage slip away.

JH: Tell us your thoughts as you played the last game.. Some say you could have won that game easily but took the draw to clinch the title. Is that so?
AK: My last game was very difficult. Normally with White it should be possible to draw without problems, there are many opening variations that give forced draws, unavoidably. However, if one player wants to complicate matters, it usually is possible to do so. I wanted to play quietly, but Hou played very well, she countered with a good ...b5 and that led to great complications, in which we both had only moves to play or face possible defeat. At the end I had survived all her tries, and even had a winning continuation, but I was not looking to humiliate my opponent, all I needed was to win the match, and a draw was all I wanted. As soon as I saw the perpetual check I took it, I did not even think twice.

JH: On a more general level, who taught you most about chess-anyone living or long dead? If you had to choose one player of the past or present to spend an afternoon with on a social as well as a chess basis, who would it be?
AK: That is always a very difficult question to answer. I try to learn from all great players, not from only one. I admire all world champions, who, having reached their goal, continue to search for better play. I have studied in great detail most classics, like Bobby Fischer's 60 memorable games, the matches of Botvinnik and Tal, among others, Kasparov's books, and they all have contributed to my learning. I'm not sure with whom I'd like to spend an afternoon...well, actually, I have often met with Kramnik while in Paris, he is a very nice person, and I hope he will win his next match against Anand next month. Kramnik was one of the first people to call me on the phone after I won the world championship title.

JH: Tell us a little about your husband Diego, and what part he plays in your current chess career. I know Diego is a fine photographer. In what other areas does he put in his time and energy, if any?
AK: I met Diego at a chess simul in Switzerland, he was on a trip in between the USA and Russia. Two years after that we got married in St. Petersburg. Diego helps me so that I can train on chess without thinking of anything else. He works also on the web sites, and he puts together my podcasts and other videos.

JH: Can you articulate for our readers your chess philosophy? Is it an art, as the late Eduard Gufeld held, or science, a view strongly espoused by the great chess writer and IM John Watson and the current US Senior Champion IM Larry Kaufman?
AK: For the moment I feel chess is mostly a sport. It's very competitive and you need to be in good physical form to play well. Furthermore, it is an unending source of joy for the beautiful wins it provides. It is also an unending source of self-improvement, since any loss is purely due to your own mistakes, and one can learn from one own's mistakes. Chess also lets you search for perfection, and you can take a try at it in each and every game, which is something very difficult to do in other areas of life. Chess is the coolest of games, that's for sure!

JH: Please tell our readers, if you kindly will, which activities outside of chess things interest you?
AK: I try to do as many things as possible outside of chess. Now that I have my wonderful little baby Francesca, of course I take time with her, play with her and see her grow. I also meet with my friends, several of whom also are young mothers, such as French champion Almira Skripchenko. I also like to do many kinds of sports, like playing tennis, skiing, bicycling. I like to go to the movies, I read a lot. Life is so short and there are so many things to do, I usually accept new challenges, I like to do things I've never done before. Of course that's when I have time over after the 6+ hours of chess I train each day...

JH: Here in the US, female players are relatively scarce. The USCF has only about five percent of membership and this has held steadily for many years. I don't know the stats of other countries but in America, I see this as a vast untapped market. What suggestions or ideas do you have to reach out to this market?
AK: I think that chess is a very good game for young girls. At the learning stage there is no difference between boys and girls, and so chess shows girls they can be the leaders. Girls have no reason to be afraid of boys, intellectually certainly. And chess is a tool where they can prove objectively that they are smart. Young girls should see examples of other young girls who are successful at chess, and for whom chess has been a blessing. Chess lets you make friends, chess helps you travel, chess proves to everybody you're smart. And if you're smart for chess, chances are that you are smart for other things too.

JH: You are an award-winning member of the Chess Journalists of America(CJA). Tell us your thoughts on this organization and how it has been part of your chess writing, a separate area in which you excel?
AK: I am proud of being a member of the CJA, I think it is very important to write about chess and to get the word out that it's a wonderful game. Every member of the CJA is doing a great job of promoting chess, and they do it in a variety of ways. Nowadays it's no longer only writing in newspapers and magazines, all kinds of journalism activities are needed, from radio to video podcasts to blogs to chess photography. All these varieties of chess journalism make our game grow more popular, and I am glad the CJA is evolving with our times. I wish more people who have chess blogs and promote chess in schools and on the web would join the CJA, as the more we are, the more effect we can make in the world to show how wonderful chess really is.

Stormont Kings Kickoff Season at Ammons Middle

2008-09-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

THE STORMONT KINGS PRESENTS

THE AMMONS MIDDLE
CHESS TOURNAMENT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008
ESTIMATED TIME IS
9am – 2:30pm

Everyone that participates will receive a trophy or a prize! Food and snacks will be sold at the chess tournament to raise money for the Ammons Middle Chess Club.

There will be all levels of play including children that just learned as well as advanced players. USCF Membership is required and can be purchased at the time of registration.

Location: Ammons Middle
17990 SW 142 Ave
Miami, FL

Entry Fee: $15 by 10/25/08, At the door $20
USCF Dues: $17 for 12 & under, $19 for 14 & under, $25 for Youth

Note: Children registering at the door may not play the first game.

Mail and make checks to: Chris Stormont
10741 SW 43 Lane
Miami, FL 33165

Contact Info: Chris Stormont
305-552-1493
chesslover@myrapidsys.com

2008-09 Professional Chess Services Schedule

2008-09-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

The PCS schedule is as follows:

October 18
November 8
December 6
January 11
February 14
March 14
April 18

All tournaments are at

Doral Middle NW 112TH AVENUE

MIAMI, FL 33178

Title I Posts Schedule on Master Calendar

2008-09-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Title I Meeting Wednesday September 10, 2008 @ SBAB Auditorium 2:00-3:30

South Regional Center October 11, 2008 @ Centennial Middle
South Central Regional Center November 15, 2008 @ Booker T. Washington
North Central Regional Center December 13, 2008 @ Booker T. Washington
North Regional Center January 24, 2009 @ Booker T. Washington
Regional Winners Championship May 2, 2009 @ TBA

Every year either Region 1 or Regions 5 & 6 alternate kicking off the Title I season. Here is an idea to make it fair for all. How about next year instead of the North Regional Center going first, the SC Regional Center goes next and the following year the NC Regional Center and so forth. This way every Region has to start out the year playing their Regional in October.

Another suggestion is to either make these tournaments rated or stop entering USCF ratings to create pairings. This practice rewards children who play in USCF rated tournaments. Either it is a rated tournament or not. It is wrong to pair students using USCF ratings in a non-rated tournament. The swiss-system is designed to find the best player anyway. Let the kids play it out.

These Rooks Rule

2008-06-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

These Rooks rule when it comes to chess
BY NICHOLAS SPANGLER

School was almost over and with it the Edison Park Rooks' season, which had, all things considered, been pretty great.
The trophy corner in the elementary school's upstairs library is stuffed: one national title, a couple district and regional championships that paved the way for fifth place at the Florida Invitational Super Stars tournament and sixth place in the Open Division at states.
But this, as Mr. Charles pointed out, was no reason not to practice.
So here were the Rooks, sitting at the little desks in Mr. Charles' art room at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon with chess sets out and pieces clicking.
Some of them are going on to sixth grade next year, cause for concern for any sane fifth-grader. And if that fifth-grader uses a lot of SAT-style words, doesn't care for sports of any sort and plays an ancient board game three hours a day?
Ooof.
''Torture,'' said 12-year-old Milton Canton, the Rooks' No. 1.
''Don't remind me of the dreadful day,'' said his best friend, Woody Jean-Louis, 11.
''I don't know the place as well as this school,'' said Luis Delacruz, 11. ``And my friends -- I don't want to lose them.''
There was quiet for a while, as Sicilian Defenses developed and pawns sacrificed for the greater good. Milton leaned low over his board, slammed the queenside rook to the back rank; newspaper reporter beaten, he lost interest and looked around for fresh meat.
IN SHADOW OF I-95
Edison Park sits on the edge of Liberty City, in the shadow of Interstate 95. In FCAT parlance, it's a ''C'' school. Its students scored below the county mean in every subject test in every grade.
Rooks parents work as hotel maids, tow truck drivers and security guards, with a couple teachers and nurses thrown in the mix. Nine of every 10 Edison Park students receive free or reduced lunches.
Most who don't move away or get into one of the magnet schools will one day matriculate to Miami Edison Senior High, site of what was practically a pitched battle between students and school police this year.
You probably heard about that.
You probably didn't know the Rooks won all those titles, or that Milton placed seventh out of all the 250 players there.
All of which, of course, keeps Webber Charles on a slow burn. Mr. Charles is 28, teaches art, has tattoos down both arms and drives a silver Porsche. He loves diagrams, fork-pin-deflect lectures and winning, and has a sense of social justice fine-tuned by five years in the Miami-Dade public school system. ''There's only acknowledgement when negative things happen in the community,'' he said. ``There's a perception that these kids can't learn no matter who you put in a classroom. I disagree totally. If we get the same structure, the same resources, you're going to get results.''
So Mr. Charles and the chess team have gone high-octane, like a big-time athletic program. The school system doesn't have the resources to fund a top-level chess program -- not after this year's budget cuts -- so he's raised money from private and public charities and plain old rich people.
UNIFORMS AND TRAVEL
''My kids have three sets of uniforms,'' he said. ``They have chess clocks . . . When we travel, they eat well, there's laundry, everything's provided.''
The 16 boys and girls he coaches are ''the cream of the crop,'' signed on to the team only after aptitude tests and interviews. He reviews grades and FCAT scores and looks hard at kids in the gifted classes. But good grades don't correlate with chess ability. And the recommendations from teachers who don't play chess, in Mr. Charles' experience, tend to be ``delusional.''
''A [chess player] has to be creative, have great spatial sense, and almost a rich sense of social experience,'' he said. ``The kid who roams the streets may be a better chess player than the standard student because that kid has to make decisions on his own all the time.''
Some of the best -- like Milton -- aren't selected at all. He forced his way onto the team by practicing on his own until he could beat the coach.
There was one practice left to go, so there were no hugs or goodbyes this day. But the future was looming. It's always there. For Mr. Charles, it's roster woes: He's losing eight fifth-graders, the team core, to graduation.
''I don't think I'll be able to duplicate what we had this year -- not those kids,'' he said.
Milton was just getting used to the perks of semi-stardom. ''People are treating me differently, like a champion,'' he said. ``Some are being friends with me now.''
He'll have to start all over next year.
At least Woody'll be around. ''It's not that sad,'' Woody said. ``I really want to have more adventures.''

AEP Schools Dominate Title I Final

2008-05-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

K-1
Riverside Elementary (AEP) Jarvis McClain
Scott Lake Elementary (AEP) Cheryl Polite
Norwood Elementary (AEP) Barbara Reed
=============

2-3
Amelia Earhardt Elementary (AEP) Sandy Palacios-Garcia
Riverside Elementary (AEP) Jarvis McCLain
Flagami Elementary (AEP) Annette Perpignano

=============
4-5
Edison Park Elementary (AEP) Webber Charles
Riverside Elementary (AEP) Jarvis McClain
Olympia Heights Elementary (AEP) Ruth Sommerfeld

=============
6-8
Shenandoah Middle School (Elective) Israel Ordonez
Jose Marti Middle School Silvio Lores
Jose de Diego Middle School (Elective) Sergio Nieves

==================
9-12
Miami Senior High School (Elective) Julio Aguilar
Homestead High School (Elective) Mario Deif
Mater Academy High School Jorge Leon

Miami-Dade Chess Teachers Association Refutes Claim

2008-05-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Ms. Dean,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me on Saturday during the Title I CHESS tournament. I was with the group of parents and students that showed up to support all Chess programs because of our concern that Chess funds will be cut. You said that Title I CHESS would not be effected by the budget cuts. I want to make you aware that things will drastically change for all chess programs including and especially Title I CHESS next year. There will be much less participation and many programs will drop out altogether because without the continued support from all the chess funding we will lose valuable chess coaches that in turn will affect the entire chess program.
---------------------
As you know, site administrators are authorized to use Title I money to support chess including to pay teachers, pay for entry fees to tournaments, and transportation etc. Principals also have the discretion to use Title I money to hire teachers, improve technology, or pay FCAT tutors among many other needs. Title I money is to support and not supplant. Many Title I schools don't even use Title I money for chess. They use AEP Chess allocations.
---------------------
When AEP allocations get cut, the school will be left without funds to pay chess coaches. Without coaches to provide classes after school, organize field trips to tournaments, and recruit parent support, the chess program will lose the steady success we have seen in the past few years.
--------------------
According to a Dade Chess Teacher's Association survey and the Division of Advanced Academics records, there are 100 schools using AEP (Academic Excellence Program) chess allocations. Of those 100 schools, 90 are Title I schools. The fact is that each of those Title I schools receives at least $3400 AEP money to pay a chess teacher for the year and a $250 dollar allocation for materials. Many schools, including co-national champion Edison Park Elementary (Title I school) do not use any funds from the Title I school wide allocation.
---------------------
In fact, the most active and successful elementary chess programs are AEP funded including Edison Park, Amelia Earhart, Olympia Heights, Flagami, Riverside, Scott Lake, and Norwood. These schools dominated the Title I tournament this past Saturday. These schools have been paying their teachers through Advanced Academics/AEP. That is a fact. Any cuts will seriously affect these Title I schools and others less inclined to participate in authentic assessments.
---------------------
The reality is that chess programs in the district are a combination of AEP, Title I, and the Division of Life Skills. There has been unprecedented growth and participation over the past three years. It has been through a combination of all these programs. Any cuts will greatly affect all of chess. Title I schools who use AEP chess allocations will be forced to dip into already budgeted resources to continue programs. With all the cuts, this seems highly unlikely. Please support NOT cutting any chess positions or programs.
---------------------

Miami-Dade Chess Teachers Association

District Invitational @ Devon Aire K-8

2008-05-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Teacher/Coach Mr. Armesto of Key Biscayne K-8 with winners

Santa Clara Teacher/Coach Judy Flores with winners

Colonial Drive Teacher/Coach Katja Abousaleh with winners

Miami Springs Teacher/Coach Erik Peterson with winners

Hialeah Gardens Teacher/Coach Angela Granese with winners

Cutler Ridge Elementary winners with trophies

Alexandra Ochoa (scorekeeper) with winner Felipe Ochoa

District Invitational Results

K-3

1. Key Biscayne K-8 Center

2. Miami Springs

3. Colonial Drive

4. Hialeah Gardens

5. Henry S. Reeves

6. Vineland

7. Devon Aire

8. David Fairchild

9. Whispering Pines

10. Leisure City

K-5

1.Cutler Ridge

2. Hialeah Gardens

3. Santa Clara

4. Leisure City

5. Colonial Drive

6. Henry S. Reeves

7. Coral Reef

8. Devon Aire

9. Calusa

10. Oliver Hoover

Killian Senior Visits Chess Hall Fame

2008-05-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

Teacher David Freer and student who designed t-shirt

Sidney Samole was inspired to invent chess computer after watching Spock play three dimensional chess. Live long and prosper!

Killian students participating in a chess lesson

Killian students fighting for position.

Killian Senior took 24 students to the WCHF yesterday. Teacher David Freer has participated in several chess PDs and has involved his students in several scholastic tournaments this year. He said, " I am very impressed with this place. My students are enjoying the field trip very much." They had pizza delivered and ate in the courtyard. For more information contact Mrs. Samole at 786 242-4255. See a short clip of the museum below.

GM Maurice Ashley Coming to Town

2008-05-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

GM Maurice Ashley was born March 6, 1966 in St. Andrew, Jamaica, Maurice's family moved to Brooklyn when he was 12. He is the first and only African-American to attain chess’ highest title of International Grandmaster. The New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Ebony, and a host of other publications around the world reported his achievement. In addition, Ashley has appeared on the Charlie Rose Show, CBS News This Morning, NPR, CNN, Bloomberg Radio, and many other broadcasts.

---------------------------
Ashley’s major chess accomplishments include:
In 1991, he coached a team of kids from Harlem to victory at the National Junior High School Championships, in Dearborn, Michigan.
In 1993, he became the first African-American International Master in US history.
Finished 1st place in the prestigious Enhance International in 1993.
Won the title of Champion at the historic Marshall Chess Club Championship in 1993.
Tied for 1st in the Bermuda Open in 1997.

In 1999, became the first African-American International Grandmaster in history.

Tied for 1st in the 2000 Foxwoods Open.
In 2001, became the only back-to-back winner in Foxwoods Open history.
In 2002, became the 1st African-American in 157 years to qualify for the US Championship.
In 2003, the US Chess Federation awarded him the title of Grandmaster of the Year.

------------------------------
You have written that three of your greatest inspirations were Tiger Woods, Arthur Ashe, and Jackie Robinson. Aside from Tiger, what other contemporary figure inspires you the most, and why? What do you draw from each of them to add to your own character?
Maurice Ashley: I'm motivated by a number of contemporary figures. I think Nelson Mandela for very obvious reasons. His tenacity is unmatched in my opinion. Incredible how someone could have suffered that long and come back out of prison with such a good heart and positive things to say and do. I wish that I could mimic him in some way in my life and realize that nothing that I suffer even compares to what he had to suffer. Other people I admire, Andre Agassi, I think that the ability to go to the very bottom and come back up and rise again is admirable, I think is really truly the greatest of character traits. I guess Michael Jordan is another one, not for his excellence but for his hard work despite being so gifted. Certainly a great character. More recently I've come to deeply appreciate my mother. I know that sounds strange but she has sacrificed so much to make sure that my brother and my sister and I got to where we are today, and only now having my children and trying to do the best for them do I realize just how profound her sacrifice for us was.
So far as drawing from Arthur Ashe and Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe - just his modesty despite being so great, despite being so amazing - just his desire to contribute back to kids and to the African-American community. And Jackie Robinson, for his ability to stand up to the violence and evils with his head held high and his chest out proud, and never letting his spirit be broken despite everything people, I should say foolish people, threw at him and now he shines, as they say, like a shining Black prince. He is definitely a tremendous human being and I hope that I can mimic some of that quality of being able to stand tall despite any obstacle.

-----------------------------
On your web site you wrote about one of your inspirations, Tiger Woods, the following: "Tiger's win at Augusta served as a wake-up call. It made me realize the need to make some serious changes in my life if I was going to get to where I wanted to be. I decided there and then that nothing else mattered, that I needed to prioritize my life if I was ever going to accomplish my goal. I had put on hold a career that I was very successful in to pursue one that had brought me confusion and frustration, but that I felt a deep passion for. It was that Sunday in April watching Tiger realize his dream that convinced me that I needed to change my life and go chase mine." Do you still have that single-minded focus about your own chess career, and how have your goals changed over time?
Maurice Ashley: I would say that I do not have that same focus for my chess career, because achieving the grandmaster title was probably the most significant achievement of my life. I mean I very much fancied becoming world champion one day, maybe even US Champion, but I don't think that even necessarily will leave the mark of the first, that becoming the first African-American did. Also I think it is a little late in my career, to be thinking about becoming world champion. And I have other goals now. My other goals are dramatically different. I see myself more as an ambassador of the game. And I hope to bring chess to a higher level in the United States. Making bigger tournaments, more interesting events. Making it a respectable profession for young people to be able to pursue in the future. And so as an ambassador, I see myself doing tournaments, I see myself traveling around, talking about the benefits of chess, writing books. Making chess fun, making the public realize that chess is something that people can have a great time at and enjoy as much as they enjoy any other traditional sporting activities or art or music. Chess has elements of them all and I think I can be a small part of making that happen here in the United States.

---------------------------
Susan Polgar recently spoke of her struggles in chess as a pioneering woman player, what struggles have you experienced as a pioneering Black chess player in the USA?
Maurice Ashley: I have to say that I got off very easy. There were incidents. Some crass incidents for example one Grandmaster remarking while I was playing against an International Master, Jay Bonin we were playing speed chess. And he looked at Jay after I defeated Jay a game and said, “Are you letting this shvarts beat you?” And you know this term is a derogatory one in Yiddish. But, you know, stuff like that , of course it angered me, but my best way to respond to that was over the chessboard and when I played this Grandmaster two games I defeated him both games and I had nothing to say. I let my game do the talking. I’ve had incidents like that but when I compare my own story to the stories that have happened forty or fifty years ago particularly to Jackie Robinson for example. I think I got off easy. I think that by and large chess players have been very kind. Like I said there have been a few incidents, but they certainly didn’t serve to bring me down any. And knowing the strength of character that African-Americans before me have displayed against much greater obstacles, I think that I have no reason at all to complain about how my experience went.

-----------------------------
Who really is Maurice Ashley - what are your essential qualities?
Maurice Ashley: Well, I'm still looking for Maurice Ashley. My essential qualities. I think that more than anything, I try to do the right thing, I think about doing the right thing. I was brought up to be someone who gives back. Also someone who is very determined. Whenever I have a goal I come up with a million and one ways to execute that goal and I usually expect to fail nine times out of ten, but sooner or later I figure that I will succeed if I just keep trying hard enough. And I think that I want to see young people succeed. I guess from the way I grew up, just growing up as a poor boy in Jamaica. Finally getting an opportunity to show what I could do and then being able to work hard and do it. And I know what it feels like to not have opportunity or to dream and not be able to just do what it is you want or have what it is you want. So I have a soft spot in my heart for young people and giving to them and making sure that they grow and flower in the best way. But you know I have a lot of qualities. I don’t think I could really touch on only one or two that would take every thing and say that this is Maurice Ashley. But the couple I said, I think really speak to the things that I value. Pretty much more than most other things.

------------------------------
What are your professional goals in chess at this point, do you have specific rating gains in mind, or certain levels of competition you are working to achieve? Where do you see your life in chess developing in five years time? What plans do you have to achieve your goal?
Maurice Ashley: As a professional player I am almost in semi-retirement right now. I can pretty much say that I have achieved most of my goals in chess and I am at a point where I just want to get better. But I don’t have anything really specific in mind. Well, maybe winning the US Championship is something that I think is realistic, but you know if it doesn’t happen for me, it’s not going to kill me. As I said before, my big thing right now is to propagate chess, to spread it around the country. And that is a very difficult job and I think that I’m tailor-made as a chess player, coach, commentator, ambassador of the sport to be able to do that more than many of my colleagues. So I think that’s were my life is headed. In five years time I see my company, Generation Chess, exploding, really making a difference in the chess world. Bringing on sponsors, doing a lot of innovative ideas, executing a lot of interesting tournaments and plans that will keep the chess world abuzz. But as far as a player, I think right now I just want to get better. And keep enjoying the game.

-------------------------------
You've been quite outspoken regarding the so-called "GM-draw", first with your editorial "The End of the Draw Offer?", and then the Generation Chess International Tournament where a no-draw rule was employed. Still, it seems this was all in the past, and we haven't heard much of late about this effort. What's new on this front, and are you going to keep "fighting the fight?" What's the next step in promoting your anti-draw initiative?
Maurice Ashley: Well the HB Global Chess Challenge is the next step in promoting this initiative. The point is if players don’t comply, they’ll be fined or they will be forfeited rounds or they won’t be allowed to play in our events. Well we won’t fine them, but we will prevent them from playing in our events and they will be forfeited that round. I think that the only way to convince players that this rule is important to us is to show that you mean business and if they want to play in the top event in the world then they will have to adhere to the rule. No we haven’t heard that much about it, but it really doesn’t matter. We feel as a company that we are on the forefront of something very important. That chess fans all around the world e-mail me in droves to say how much they appreciated my coming out and writing this article. I don’t think I did anything special, I just stated something very very obvious and just to me it’s not really a fight, although you know some chess players might disagree, but I don’t see it as a fight. I just see it as a natural evolution of the game. It's very natural, it not even something that should be considered unusual, except maybe to people who have it so ingrained in them that they can’t change, but I see it as very natural. A part of the game that simply has to change, it has to become current with the fighting spirit that is exhibited in all major sports. Hopefully all the top chess players will come around and see that this is the way it has to be and with enough money on the table they’ll start making an effort to make this change.

----------------------------
What sort of reaction did you receive privately from other GMs and tournament organizers about your anti-draw initiatives?
Maurice Ashley: Well, it was probably the strangest thing to me that GMs kept so quiet on this. But, actually the only public one I saw was Nigel Short who agreed that this is a rule that he feels definitely needs changing. I also saw Viswanathan Anand in an interview say that he is not sure about the way I wish to implement it but he thinks that something should be done and that it should be tried in every single chess tournament. Or by organizers, just try it and see what happens. That the important thing is in the attempt to try to work this out in a way that’s going to suit both players and fans. Privately I have received a great response from chess fans, from Grand Masters, for example Gregory Kaidanov. Kaidanov he said that this was really a big change for him, that after reading my article, he decided inside that this what he wanted to do, to just not have these quick draws anymore. And organizers, Jerry Weinkel, who organizes the Reno tournament he called me recently and said he wants to do one in March. The organizer of the Millennium Tournament in Virginia Beach, Tom Braunlich, wants to do the same thing also for his tournament in upcoming years. So its catching on. Recently in Corsica they had a tournament where they wanted to do no draws at all. No agreed draws at all and also three points for a win and one point for a draw. So I think the movement is beginning. And I think when people see the big tournament like the HB Global Chess Challenge work, they’ll start to realize that things aren’t as bad as they thought and that this is not some kind of bizarre rule that is being imposed on them from on high, that it’s just about playing chess.

---------------------------------
What is the shortest draw that you ever played and under which circumstances did it occur?
Maurice Ashley: I've had a few quick draws. Mainly the quickest draws have been in the last round of major tournaments, that I was about to win. I remember playing in the Bermuda Open and Joel Benjamin and I tied for first place by just having a quick draw in the last round. I remember in both Foxwoods that I tied for first place in, having quick draws with my opponents, it was Wojtkiewicz one game and Serper the other. Look, this is something that's been part of chess. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's also something that was within the context (I say was, but it still is) of how grandmasters earn their living. Unfortunately the practice is terrible for chess, and I didn't wake up to it until after the US Championship of 2003, and after Kasparov drew Deep Junior in the last game of a huge match where if he'd won he would have won the match. So, I think it's something that I've only recently awoken to and now that I have I just have a passion for it and I want to see it changed.

---------------------------
In order to develop more home-grown American GMs, what needs to change? Have you ever considered opening a chess program that trains students to reach the levels of master and grandmaster, much like they do in Russia and other parts of Europe?
Maurice Ashley: I have considered opening a school, and I think eventually Generation Chess will open a school or have a camp. I think more needs to be done though. I think you'll find American grandmasters coming about when it seems as if chess is a real lucrative profession to pursue. When Bobby Fischer became world champion, American grandmasters came out in droves, and the reason for that was simply because they felt like there was excitement behind the game, there was potential dollars behind the game, there was a reason to play. With no real money behind the sport, smart young American kids - they are going to be lawyers and doctors and they should be, in my opinion, if there's no real promise for them then just to pursue the sport that's not going to feed them, why do it? So I think that's the final piece. I think if kids see a monetary opportunity, a lucrative opportunity, in chess then they'll continue to pursue it and you will see a ton of GMs coming out of the United States, but until then they're going to go and pursue regular degrees like all their friends and become successful business people or doctors and lawyers. That's only natural, so I think that's the real thing that has to change.

-----------------------------
What are your thoughts on the scholastic chess movement?
Maurice Ashley: I think the Scholastic movement in chess is fantastic, it's growing, the USCF is really putting a lot of energy into it, and in groups all around the country they're doing the same. That really is our future, and that should be promoted as much as possible. They're the fans of the future, they're the stars of the future. So I am very pleased to see just how these different initiatives around the country are burgeoning and will continue to blossom over time.

-------------------------------
When teaching inner-city kids chess as you do, do you make it a point to tie in the life lessons, such as thinking ahead, consequences of bad choices, etc? What have been the responses of such lessons (such as, any positive feedback from the kids as they got older and looked back on those lessons)?
Maurice Ashley: I can't help it when I teach but to incorporate life lessons, it's actually embedded in my style. I bring up all sorts of connections between chess and life and sports and success. I do it just naturally as I'm teaching. It actually enhances how the kids learn chess itself, learn even just basic tactics. And kids have great response. Years later now I have kids who have graduated from Harvard and Yale, kids who are pursuing PhDs in music programs and business degrees, MBAs. To a person they all tell me chess was fabulous and the way I explained chess to them really helped. They weren't able to articulate the benefits then, but now they say it's just so clear to them that they use chess constantly in the way they think, the way they approach life, how they think about life. So I'm real proud of the fact that that was something I had to offer, and I continue to watch them blossom. They're fantastic kids, now fantastic young men and women and chess really had a part, a big part, to do in their eventual success.
Drawn from your observations of teaching chess to children, what aspects of their character do you observe is being most developed?
Maurice Ashley: I really can't point to a single one but I think that a critical one is self-confidence. Playing chess is viewed by the rest of society as something extremely difficult to do. So when a kid plays chess well they get positive feedback from most adults, who just hearing it think 'Wow, you must be really smart.' And in fact chess does help your critical thinking skills, I know it helped mine coming up for sure and it's something that I try to stress with the kids all the time. So I think that as that happens, as you start to solve problems in an effective way, use your mind, you know it's you that's doing it, so you have a real sense of ownership over every single chess game. The strength of character that develops is really tremendous and I think that it definitely helps your self-confidence and anytime you're confident you've already won half the battle for anything that you have to do in life.

------------------------------
Describe one life lesson you have taken away from the game of chess that you apply regularly in your life.
Maurice Ashley: There's so many lessons I get from chess, it's incredible, but I think the biggest thing for me has always been is that losing is learning. Whenever I won a chess game it was so easy to forget the game, I almost didn't even feel that great. You know I felt pretty good, but it seemed like it was supposed to happen because I just kept making the moves and it happened, but when you lose, whoo. There's so much to learn from that. To identify mistakes and figure out what it was exactly that went wrong. That to me is the hardest thing, but it was always the thing that developed me the most. I go away from losses stunned, hurt, but thinking, analyzing, wondering. And I come out of losses so much stronger, almost to a point where I look forward to my losses. I know that sounds strange, but the things that kept me down, that got me down, brought me up, so much afterwards. I was so inspired by it, that to lose was just not a big deal. It just became part of the growth process. And I think that's the biggest lesson that I ever learned from chess - that you can grow from failure.

--------------------------------
The perennial discussion about how to be a better player goes on and on, what combination of elements do you think are key to developing chess performance.
Maurice Ashley: There's no mystery, I don't think it's a mystery. I think hard work, truly hard work, study, examining your mistakes, the ability to bounce back from defeat - and to grow from it. Naturally it helps to have some talent and the ability to calculate and to analyze. But I think even if you look at a gifted youngster like Hikaru Nakamura for example; sure he's a great thinker, he's quick on his feet, but more than anything I like about this kid is he's so determined. And you'll find that top chess players have that quality time and time again. Their determination despite all obstacles and odds or challenges. The ones who stick it out, the ones who push themselves, push to learn more, push to become better players, are the ones who actually do become better players. I see that time and time again, the difference between mediocrity and excellence is effort. And that applies to everything. It's just no mystery; those who don't want to work don't go anywhere, and those who do always end up succeeding on some level. And I think that in addition to natural skills and talent that I think are pretty obvious in chess, I think to me that's really the quality.

--------------------------
What parting thoughts would you like to leave to the readers of this interview? Perhaps something we haven't touched upon yet, or something you would like to elaborate on.
Maurice Ashley: I think a strong message I would like to send to chess fans everywhere is that really and truly the fans are going to make the difference in chess. The fans have to mobilize. The fans have to show that chess is a meaningful activity and that they're willing to spend dollars to make chess successful. As fans, as players, traditionally we have been very lazy in showing our support for chess in real ways, in concrete ways that can make a difference, whether it's in terms of giving to chess charities, whether it's in terms of doing our own promotions for events. We tend to sit back and let other people do all the work. If we continue to do that chess is going to be at a standstill, but if each fan figures out a way to help grow chess then our sport really stands a chance. And one of the big ways to do that is to get our dollars behind it in some way, even if it means buying a bunch of chess sets and giving them to your local community center. Those things make a difference, and we will grow chess fans one by one. If each fan were to create just one more fan, if each member of the USCF were to create just one more member of the USCF then we'd have 200,000 members in the organization, and that's huge. So if each one teaches one, then we grow. So I would like to see the fans really take up this mission of spreading chess, so that we can see the game that we love really thrive.

*courtesy chessville.com

Dr. Alexey Root Supports M-Dade Chess

2008-05-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. Crew,

I'm writing to commend your public schools for your chess education program. Being from Texas, I'd heard about the wonderful results that the Brownsville Independent School District (ISD) has achieved. There, students learn chess in 45 of the 48 schools. Brownsville students are inspired to attend college because the University of Texas at Brownsville has full-ride chess scholarships. Positive publicity for the largely-Hispanic Brownsville ISD and UTB students has been constant. See, for example, http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-04-10/news/chess-masters-at-ut-brownsville/full

---------------------
That article also mentions Miami-Dade College, a formidable college chess team. Now that M-DCPS, like Brownsville I.S.D., has Chess Education, I would expect that more of your students will benefit from the connections between chess and education, and chess and higher education. I've already read about some promising results of your M-DCPS students in chess competitions, and about your educators excited to provide this chess enrichment.
----------------------
As the author of two books on the connections between chess and academic objectives, and as the instructor for online undergraduate and graduate courses for educators interested in those connections I wish you continued success with your Chess Education initiative. http://telecampus.utsystem.edu/catalog/programs/programinfo/chess.aspx,

Sincerely,
Dr. Alexey Root--
----------------------

Author information: https://mail.dadeschools.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://lu.com/authors/AlexeyRoot.pdfScience, Math, Checkmate: https://mail.dadeschools.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/TIP8571.aspxChildren and Chess: https://mail.dadeschools.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://lu.com/showbook.cfm?isbn=9781591583585

Edison Park Ties for 1st in K-6 Under 1000

2008-05-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Edison Park Elementary chess club came as close as one can to being crowned national champion. The chess club finished tied with a private school from Philadelphia with 19 points after seven rounds of chess in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over this past weekend in the K-6 Under 1000 section of the 2008 Burt Lerner K-6 Championship. Edison Park scored 71 to Philly's 78 in the first (Median)tie breaker. EP finished ahead of 30 other schools that included 259 students. Milton Canton scored 6 and tied for 2nd place. He comes home with the 7th place trophy. Woody Jean-Louis scored 5 of 7. Denaric Mikle and Cary Canton both four games.
---------------------------------------
Olympia Heights tied for 4th place and came home with 9th place (tie breaks). Eduardo Vega scored 5 points. David Lopez and Michael Larroche each won 4 games with William Santos winning 3 of 7. After Saturday, Olympia Heights was in first place. Teacher Ruth Sommerfeld retires at the end of the year after 43 years in the classroom and 13 years teaching chess.
---------------------------------------
M-DCPS chess was represented by 7 schools and 48 students including Bay Harbor, Everglades K-8, John Smith Elementary, Southwood Middle and Rockway Elementary in Pittsburgh. Congratulations to all.

FCA President Addresses Chess Cuts

2008-05-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. Crew:

I am Andrew Scherman, the President of the Florida Chess Association, which is the official state affiliate of the United States Chess Federation. I have been alerted by some members of the Miami-Dade Chess community that there is discussion of severe funding cuts for scholastic chess in your area. This is a terrible idea. Chess improves standardized test scores in every level of achievement: gifted students, challenged students, & mainstream students.

-------------------

Chess is mathematical, and there are repeated patterns of tactical maneuvers. Once a student learns these tactical patterns, they look to use them. They are applying what they know to what they see. Now, every test they ever take is applying what they know to what they see, so playing chess reinforces that skill. With a clock running, as is usual among intermediate players and especially in tournament play, you are applying what you know to what you see with time pressure. That’s the FCAT’s and the SAT’s. I tell parents to have their children jump up onto the kitchen table 100 times every day. At the end of the year, their vertical leap will show improvement against other people their age, as they have exercised those muscles. Well, when they play chess, and exercise the mental muscles needed to take standardized tests, the result is the same. If your students are going to grow up and go to the NBA and earn their living rebounding, have them jumping onto the desks. If they are going to go to college and earn their living with their minds like the rest of us, keep your chess program going.

---------------------------

Any investment in chess is repaid by rewards obtained through better scores. Besides, chess is inexpensive. For the cost of outfitting one football player for one season, you can get twenty-five chess sets and fifty students can be playing chess every day. And, if you have 25 sets today, in ten years you have twenty complete sets. How many lives could be changed by that opportunity to hone critical thinking skills which will help them in and out of the classroom forever?

--------------------

You have a magnificent program going in Miami-Dade. Taking away the funding for it wouldn’t put you worse than the ordinary county. It would just remove you from the ranks of the extraordinary, and deprive your students of a fabulous path to success.

-------------------

Thank you for taking your time to consider this. If you need to see studies backing up these assertions I can provide them; I will happily answer any questions. By the way, I was a tournament chessplayer as a child. I got into law school with a 2.96 GPA. Because my LSAT score was in the top half of one percent in the nation. Because of chess. Please keep doors like this open for your students.

Andrew Scherman

USCF:Chess in Education Workshop

2008-05-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

The United States Chess Federation (USCF) Chess in Education

--------------------------
Thursday, August 7, 2008:
1:00-1:30 USCF Chess in Education committee business meeting (John Buky and Joseph Eberhard, co-chairs).

-------------------------
1:30-2:00 Dr. Alexey Root, author of Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving, presents a classroom activity.
Looking to combine educational goals with chess? Dr. Root presents an activity from her most recent book that teaches the geometry of the board along with the particular way in which knights move, all wrapped up in a fun story. Come hear, and participate in, “Coco Can’t Wait.”

----------------------------
2:00-3:00 Keynote Speaker Russell Harwood,

Chess Program Director
UTB/TSC, presents, The Chess Boom in Brownsville, Texas, and Tips for Duplicating it Where You Live.
Scholastic chess is booming in Brownsville, Texas, and the surrounding communities. Of the 50 schools in the Brownsville Independent School District, at least 35 have active chess programs. In addition to big numbers (we had a couple of local tournaments this fall with over 700 participants), we have had excellent results from local teams and individuals at state and national tournaments. Six different Brownsville ISD schools have won national chess championships, led by Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary’s seven national titles. Two elementary school students have tied for individual national championships, and many others have finished in the top five. The chess success of our local schools got the attention of Dr. Juliet Garcia, President of The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, who formed a chess program at UTB/TSC so that area students would have the opportunity to earn scholarships and compete in chess at the university level. The Brownsville Independent School District has gotten onboard, and now allocates about $400,000 per year to their chess program. Chess has become a source of pride to BISD, UTB/TSC, and our community, and is now part of our identity. How did all of this come about? How can these results be duplicated elsewhere? Are there other successful models in our area? How does the future look? These questions and more will be addressed during this informative presentation.

-------------------------
3:00-3:30 Break for refreshments.

------------------------
3:30-4:00 Jerry Nash, Scholastic Director for USCF, presents Strategies to Introduce Chess as an Educational Tool: Coordinating the Five Communities.
Scholastic chess has seen a dramatic increase within the last twenty years. In 1988, the United States Chess Federation’s youth and scholastic members totaled approximately 7000. By 2002, the two age groups combined for over 53,000 members. In April, 2005, the USCF-sponsored Super Nationals (a combination of kindergarten through high school) registered over 5300 students. Whether by memberships, tournament participation, or by the number of scholastic programs and organizations created to advance scholastic chess, the growth of chess among youth in the U.S. has been amazing, especially considering the fact that chess receives comparatively little funding. The state of chess in education may be characterized by its status as two types of programs: after-school and curriculum instruction. By far the majority of scholastic chess programs fall within the after-school category. Few school systems allow chess to be taught as an optional curriculum subject and this tends to be in larger cities. While the education community clamors for the teaching of math skills, critical thinking skills, and character development, it has been slow to accept chess as a valid teaching tool. The coordination of four communities – educational, civic, business, and political communities – along with the chess community is critical for the development of opportunities to demonstrate the value of chess for instruction.

-----------------------------
4:00-4:30 Rosalyn B. Katz, author of The New Jersey Chess Bill; Chess in the Classroom; Start Playing Chess; and, Play Better Chess, presents Make it Legal – Chess Legislation and Application.
New Jersey’s Chess Bill was passed in 1993. Fifteen years later, we examine such questions as: What good did it do? How and why was it done? How did we overcome obstacles and constraints? Is similar activity a viable option for your state? How can we go even further? Those interested in expanding chess in their own states in a legalistic and practical way, will find an organized approach to success. Booklets about the process will be provided for those in attendance by the NJ State Chess Federation. Roz will offer individual consultation, at no additional charge, from August 6th through August 11th for promoters developing action plans for their own states.

--------------------------
4:30-5:00 Dr. Tim Redman, editor of Chess and Education: Selected Essays from the Koltanowski Conference, presents Chess and Syntax: An Hypothesis.

Location: Held during the U.S. Open, August 2-August 10, 2008The Westin Park Central12720 Merit DriveDallas, TX 752511-888-627-7032$99 Chess Rate

Participant fee information:
For the U.S. Open workshop: $10 for participants post-marked by July 24th, $15 at the U.S. Open site.

Address for participant registration:
For USCF workshop, send advance fees (made out to U.S. Chess Trust Chess in Education fund) to:
Dr. Alexey Root
500 Sunrise Cove
Denton, TX 76209
940-484-2265
alexey.root@gmail.com

Looking Back: Fischer Beats Spassky in 1972

2008-05-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of House of Stauton

------------------------------------

In 1972, Robert James "Bobby" Fischer and Boris Spassky battled for the World Chess Championship in the most widely followed match in the history of Chess. It was a disastrous start for Fischer, who lost the first 2 games in strange fashion. The first game was lost by an uncharacteristic blunder in a clearly drawn endgame. The second game was lost by forfeit, when Fischer refused to play the game in a dispute over the playing conditions. When the tournament organizers refused to give into his demands and the match appeared destined for a forfeit victory for the reigning Champion, Spassky yielded since it would have been a hollow victory. The third game was moved to a back room, away from the cameras whose presence had upset Fischer during the first game.
The match continued and Bobby Fischer fought his way back and decisively defeated Spassky by a final score of 12.5 - 8.5, having won 7 and losing only 1 of the remaining games. Fischer's win was a momentous victory for the United States during the time of the Cold War. The iconoclastic American almost single-handedly defeating the mighty Soviet chess establishment that had dominated world chess for the past quarter-century.

M-DADE Schools to attend Nationals in Pittsburgh

2008-05-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Miami-Dade Public Schools will be represented in Pittsburgh at the 2008 Burt Lerner National Elementary Championships this weekend.Schools attending are Bay Harbor Elem, John I Smith Elementary, Olympia Heights,Everglades K-8 Center, Southwood Middle,Edison Park, and Rockway Elementary. Jan Dennard of Bay Harbor says,"Oh my gosh I am nervous. We leave at 5:45 AM tomorrow morning. I am just trying to get us on that plane." In all 7 schools and 48 students are going.

--------------------------

Olympia Heights has 16 students going and Everglades K-8 has 13 students attending. For Edison Park teacher Holly Warco it will be a homecoming of sorts since she is from the "steel city". I predict Edison Park will do very well in th K-6 Under 1000 section. Olympia Heights has 4 fourth graders and 1 third grader in the same section that should do very well too. OH also has 6 kids in the K-5 U900 section. Good Luck to all.

Florida Invitational Super Stars Tournament

2008-05-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the results for the FISS tournament

K-3
Oak Hall 1st Place
University School 2nd Place
Olympia Heights 3rd Place
Berkeley Prep 4th Place
Snapper Creek 5th Place

K-5
Oak Hall 1st Place
Tampa Palms 2nd Place
Sweetwater Episcopal 3rd Place
Berkeley Prep 4th Place
Edison Park 5th Place

K-8
Rockway Middle 1st Place
Liberty Hall 2nd Place
University School 3rd Place
Osceola School 4th Place

Holy Trinity 5th Place

K-12
Mater Academy 1st Place
ArchBishop McCarthy 2nd Place
Miami Senior High 3rd Place
Heart School 4th Place

District Invitational @ Devon Aire K-8

2008-05-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

What: District Invitational Chess Tournament

When: Saturday May 17th

Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Time Controls: 5 rounds (Game 20) 20 minutes per player

Where: Devon Aire K-8 Center 10501 SW 122nd Avenue

Sections: K-3 & K-5 Top four players’ scores will count towards awards.
K-8 4 players. Each school plays a different school per round.

Prizes: Trophies for top 5 individuals and top 3 teams. All players will receive a medal.

Food: Food will be sold on site for lunch (snacks too)

Venue: Students will play in cafeteria and move to covered shelter with picnic tables after each round.

Entry Deadline: List of players/grades must be received by May 13th

At the beginning of the year many teachers requested a tournament for AEP schools. This tournament is for your school! It is designed for schools who have never been to a tournament. It will be a relatively small event. I hope schools take this opportunity to give their kids a chance to play. There is no USCF membership required nor entry fee. I will consider allowing some schools with a little experience.

Instruyendo a nuestros estudiantes sobre el ajedrez

2008-04-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in El Nuevo Herald today. Lilia Garcia is the Administrative Director of the Division of Life Skills and Special Projects which oversees the Chess Education Program.

By LILIA GARCIA

Muchas son las personas que juegan el ajedrez como forma de entretenimiento, para relajar el cuerpo y estimular la mente. El juego ofrece una oportunidad al ser humano de estimular su mente y de formular diferentes estrategias para lograr su victoria. Los que participan en el juego enfrentan el reto que representa a su capaciad mental. La clave consiste en anticipar la próxima jugada por parte de su oponente.
Existen estudios sicológicos como los de Dauvergne, Frank, Gaudreau y Palm, los cuales indican que el aprendizaje del ajedrez a temprana edad aumenta la inteligencia y capacidad de nuestros alumnos en una forma significativa. Esto lleva a que se fortalezca la capacidad y habilidad de los jóvenes para resolver diferentes problemas y llegar a decisiones críticas en tiempos de crisis. También mejora y aumenta su habilidad de leer, pensar, hablar y resolver problemas de matemáticas.

El ajedrez despierta la creatividad de la persona y fortalece su capacidad para llegar a una resolución cuando enfrenta un problema. Por medio del ajedrez la persona aprende a pensar con lógica y esto le ayuda a seleccionar la mejor opción en muchas circunstancias durante el transcurso de su vida. Además, le enseña a tener flexibilidad y a asumir responsabilidad cuando las consecuencias así lo determinen.

Conocedores del ajedrez han concluido que nuestros jóvenes desarrollan mejor sus mentes cuando aprenden a jugar el ajedrez. Los ayuda a solucionar cualquier diferencia que pueda surgir durante el día laboral. El ajedrez presenta un reto al ser humano, despertando sus facultades de pensar y analizar cualquier contratiempo. Les enseña a quienes lo practican a planificar con cautela sus planes para evadir cualquier posibilidad de error.

El Distrito Escolar ha reconocido el valor significativo del juego, lo que el mismo representa para nuestros jóvenes. Hace dos años se creó la posición de coordinador de actividades que promueven el ajedrez en las escuelas públicas de nuestro condado de Miami-Dade. Trabajando con los maestros e instructores de las diferentes escuelas, el Distrito Escolar planifica y lleva a cabo actividades que promuevan el juego entre nuestros jóvenes en todas las escuelas participantes. Entrenamos a instructores para que ellos estén a cargo de enseñar el juego. También les ofrecemos apoyo para que organicen y lleven a cabo competencias y concursos que despierten el interés entre los alumnos interesados en el deporte. Los estudiantes del Distrito Escolar de Miami-Dade han participado exitosamente en diferentes competencias y concursos a nivel estatal y nacional.

Desde que este esfuerzo ha comenzado, un gran número de nuestros alumnos han adoptado el ajedrez como su juego favorito, lo cual los ayudará a prepararse mejor académicamente y a desarrollar mejores hábitos de estudio para cuando ingresen en los colleges y universidades de la nación.

Dtora. admtva. de las Artes

Escuelas Públicas de Miami-Dade.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2008 El Nuevo Herald. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.elnuevoherald.com

Seniors, Collectors and Hall of Famers Meet in Florida

2008-04-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Senior Open, Chess Collectors International and Hall of Fame Induction are all set to converge in a thrilling week of chess from April 28-May 3 in Boca Raton/Miami Florida. Watch the games live on Monroi.com starting with the first round on April 28, at 7 PM EST. Read a complete schedule of events and see the uschess.org tournament page.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 3, GMs Larry Christiansen, Nick DeFirmian and Joel Benjamin will be inducted into the Chess Hall of Fame. GM Susan Polgar will give a speech and a simul in conjunction with the celebrations.

GM Becerra Visits Miami Senior

2008-04-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Carlos Diaz created excitement for chess at Miami Senior while he was there. I visited the school at his invitation the first year I started in 2005. Carlos taught a chess elective but transferred to Hialeah Senior this past year. It was not a pleasant separation. He gave his heart and soul to the chess program. They attended both MICA and PCS tournaments. His chess elective class was as organized as any I have seen. Most impressive was that he was willing to share all of his lessons, curriculum, ideas and tests for the good of M-DCPS chess programs. He was not afraid of competition. He shared my vision and saw the bigger picture. He is a true gentleman & educator and deserves some credit for the success of Miami Senior's success. Now he is re-building Hialeah Senior into a power.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Bigorra took over the chess class this year but left mid year for Arizona. Now Math teacher Julio Aguilar has stepped in with a vengeance. I met him at the M-D College tournament. He is also an assistant basketball coach. He is busy but he is in to chess. He took his students to Orlando where they became the first OPEN state champions from Miami since MICA (club team) used an all star team to win the K-12 Open section in 2002 and since the Miami Jackson Senior days who were lead by my good friend FM Marcel "the Magician" Martinez. Miami Senior also finished in a tie for 4th place at nationals in the Open section. Keep doing what you are doing Julio!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GM Julio Becerra, arguably the best player in Florida and a serious contender for the US Championships, visited the school last week. He analyzed his game against GM Eugene Perelshteyn at Foxwoods. He played white and Ruy Lopez. His main message was " constant attacks are the foundation for tactical maneuvers" . He also said to be patient and wait to capture pieces. Opening up the lines...opens positions. See the game below. Thanks for supporting our programs Julio.

Region V & VI Battle at Homestead Senior

2008-04-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

Ms Nodal of Pine Lake waits for her students.

Miami Heights ready to go!

Ruth Sommerfeld's last hurrah!

Gulfstream Elementary

TDs Evelio and Alejandro

Mr. Soler of Redland Elementary

Middle School combatants

K-8 Results

1. Campbell Drive

2. Paul Bell

3. Centennial

4. McMillan

5. Cutler Ridge

OPEN Letter to Dr. Rudolph Crew

2008-04-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. Rudy Crew,

I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Webber J. Charles and I am an art teacher and chess facilitator at Edison Park Elementary School. I am writing you on behalf of the nearly 250 teachers teaching chess in our school district. As President-Elect of the Miami-Dade Chess Teacher Association, I would like to inform you of the many successes our school district has received competing in scholastic chess locally, state-wide, and nationally. During the 2008 Florida Super State Scholastic Chess Tournament, a dozen Dade-County schools performed brilliantly, receiving trophies in all categories. Nationally, half a dozen Dade County schools have been recognized for their outstanding board play. There are 244 chess teachers and over 5,500 students participating in scholastic chess via the AEP Chess Component, Title I Chess, chess elective courses offered in middle and high schools and school chess clubs. There are more children and families involved with chess in Dade-County Schools than ever before.

Over the past three years there has been unprecedented growth and progress made in establishing chess as an integral component of “quality” education in our schools. It is evident cognitive processes developed by chess has had a profound impact on our students and their endeavors in other academic disciplines. The chess program I have implemented at my school has drastically changed the culture and morale of our student body. Our students are inspired by our chess team’s ongoing success. The newspaper editorials, radio interviews, and the acts of affirmation by constituents in the community are all a result of chess in our school. It has helped our administration increase parent involvement, build a rapport with local small businesses and companies, and most importantly, has afforded our students with opportunities to travel.

During this fiscally challenging period, I understand all things are subject to reconsideration in making very difficult, yet necessary budget reformations. On behalf of the M-DCTA and the nearly 6,000 children actively participating in scholastic chess through the innovative programs our district implements, I call for your full support of all chess initiatives. Chess in our schools is an undeniably growing phenomenon warranting the attention and care of those charged with steering education in the right direction. Choose to support chess in our schools. Do not cut critical chess programs and initiatives which create opportunities for thousands of students to begin to believe they can achieve in our school system.

Sincerely,

Webber J. Charles
President-Elect of the Miami-Dade Chess Teachers Association

To Whom It May Concern:

I don't know if chess programs will be cut but I have heard there is a strong possibility. Please don't wait until it is too late. Write letters now and let your voice be heard. We have come too far. There is strength in numbers. Budget meetings are going now.

Webber J. Charles

PCS Grand Finale

2008-04-25T08:09:00.001-07:00

Miami Senior High Ties for 4th at Nationals

2008-04-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues,

This weekend the Miami Senior High chess team participated in the 2008 U. S. National High School (K-12) Chess Championship in Atlanta. In the K-12 Open section there were 338 participants. Juan "Camilo" Arango came tied for 4th place winning 5/7, Ian Pico placed first in the U1400 section and Alfonso Chie came in 3rd in the same category.Javier Abreu won 4/7, Alberto Delgado won 3.5/7 and Frank Lopez won 2/7.
I am proud to say that even though we did not win the national championship we ended up 3 points behind the winner. We tied for fourth place overall but due to tie breaks were awarded the sixth place trophy. Yes that is correct, we are the sixth ranked high school chess team in the entire United States. This is an accomplishment that these young man should be commended on. I also would like to acknowledge that as a team we also won 12th place in the National Blitz Championship. It has been a memorable week for all of them and they wanted to make sure that each and everyone of you know that they could not do have done it without your support. Once again the team would like to thank Mrs. Mabel Garcia, Mrs. Rembert, Dr. Tosado, the administration, all teachers ,and EESAC for their continuing support and providing these young men the opportunity to succeed and excel in their endeavours.
Once again thank you all for your support. Next is the National Invitational SuperStars tournament in Tampa, Florida on May 2-4. We will be leaving after school with hopes to continue showing the rest of world the caliber of talent that our faculty and administration is and has been developing for years.

Sincerely,
The Miami High Chess Team
2008 FLORIDA STATE CHAMPIONS
2008 NATIONAL 6th PLACE WINNER
Julio C. Aguilar
Math Teacher/Chess Coach
aguilar@dadeschools.net

MaCarthur South Career Day

2008-04-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

Roger Martinez won 4/5 at PCS

Former School Board member Frank Cobos gets schooled by Roger Martinez

I attended "Career Day" at YMAACD @ MacArthur South last week. Joseph Terrano also teaches a chess elective class. I spoke to three different groups. I ran into Frank Cobos during breakfast and chatted about the chess program. He says chess was very important during his youth. He says it helped him develop many skills he still uses today. The next day I returned to visit the chess class from 7:30 am to 9:10. We took a demo board, DVDs, and chess sets. Alex Villafuerte (1968) came with me and gave a strong lesson. Roger Martinez and Stuart Ortiz both played a PCS tournament this past Saturday and did very well. Roger tied for first place.

Miami-Dade Shines at State

2008-04-16T07:48:00.001-07:00

Ruth Sommerfeld' daughter and grandson (Olympia Heights)

Talented duo- Jeffrey Haskell and Daniel Ludwig TD at State

Jonathan Ochoa (McMillan Middle) won 4/6 in K-8 Under

Sandra Taylor of Charles Hadley waits for round to start

National Master Karel Gonzalez

Chady Hamwi (North Beach) wins 4.5/6 in K-5 Open

2nd grader Toni makes her move (Edison Park)

Norwood star shine!

Edison Park girl power!

Cane Puma of Krop Senior

Camilo Arango leads Miami Senior to State Championship

Results at http://www.floridachess.org/ or at http://fsclchess.org/2008_SS08_RESULTS_TEAM.htm

Foreclosure Doctors Win U.S. Amateur Team Nationals

2008-04-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

M Klein/J Shahade

Chess Life online

The U.S. Amateur Team Playoffs, conducted Saturday April 12 on the Internet Chess Club and directed by Carol Jarecki, concluded with a resounding victory for the team from the South division. "The Foreclosure Doctors" got fast starts in both of their matches, winning the first two games against Eastern team 1.d4 in the semifinals and against Western champs "We Have Cox" in the finals. Top board Bruci Lopez, who was the highest rated player in the event, and third chair Javier Gonzalez went a combined 4-0, and Jeffrey Haskel and Gilberto Luno navigated toward a trio of draws to clinch each match.

FM Bruci Lopez led the team with sparkling Sicilian play in the finals. Below is the game against Western Champs player Daniel Yeager.

U.S. Amateur Team Playoffs
White: Lopez, Bruci Black: Yeager, Daniel
1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 a6
6.Bc4 e6
7.Bb3 b5
8.O-O Be7
9.Qf3 Qb6
10.Bg5 O-O
11.Rad1 Qb7
12.Rfe1 Bd7
13.a3 Nc6
14.Qg3 Kh8
15.Kh1 Rac8
16.f4 h6
17.Qh4 Kg8
18.Nf3 hxg5
19.Nxg5 g6
20.Qh6 Rfe8
21.Nd5 exd5
22.Bxd5 Be6
23.Bxe6 Bf8
24.Qxg6+ Bg7
25.Bxf7+ Kf8
26.Rxd6
1-0

All the players were TDs at Super State V in Orlando and left after the first round to play the East, After winning they went into seclusion again to defeat the East at the Marriott Hotel where the scholastic tournament was being held. Asked how he felt, Jeffrey Haskel shrugged his shoulders and yawned. Then bursts out laughing as Gil Luna punched him on the shoulder.

UTD Wins; M-DC Places 3rd at Final Four

2008-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Final Four of Collegiate Chess consists of a four-team, three-round round robin, with Miami Dade, New York University, University of Texas at Dallas, and University of Maryland Baltimore County qualifying through the 2007 Pan-American Championships. In the end UT-Dallas wins with a dramatic 2½-1½ match win over UMBC. It came down to Davorin Kuljasevic versus Pawel Blehm, and UTD ahead by ½ point. Kuljasevic was up a few too many pawns in a Knight vs Bishop ending to give UTD the championship this year. Below are games by MDC GM Renier Gonzalez and GM Sergey Erenburg as well as the final dramatic match.

Rockway Wins National Titles at JHS Championship

2008-04-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Rockway Middle at South Regional

Rockway Middle continues to make waves on the national scene winning national championships in the Under 1250 and the Under 750 sections this past weekend. They also placed 2nd in the Unrated section and 5th in the Under 1000 division. Jose Marti placed 4th in the Unrated section. LL Curry also sent a small contingent. Rockway is coached by teacher Nestor Carrerou and MICA's International Master Blas Lugo.

Arguably, the most impressive result was Christian Jimenez 1809 ( see game below against the overall Open section winner Alec Getz 2229 of New York) tying for third with a host of other players from throughout the country with 5 wins in the K-8 Open section. Other standouts included Laura Cordovi (Jose Marti), Jorge Torres (Rockway) and Brian Vazquez (Rockway) all scored 5.5 to tie for 3rd with many othersin the K-8 U1250 section. Juan Trujillo (Rockway) tied for 2nd in the K-8 U1000 with others. Also tying for second in the K-8 U750 section were Rockway students Nicholas Castano, Conrad Ambroise, and Jason Gutierrez. Curry Middle was represented by Abelardo Montalvo who won 4.5, Cuba Levenberry (4.0,1081), and, Jeffrey Valencia with a 3.0.

Below is a game 8th grader Jesse Diaz (1328) of Rockway played against Andy Shao (1549) in the K-8 Open section. Jesse played black in this game and won 4/7 games. This game was shown live by Monroi over the internet.

K-9 Under 1250

1 Rockway MS, Miami,FL 20.5
TORRES, JORGE (5.5,1134)

VAZQUEZ, ERIAN (5.0,1223)

VEGA, CLEIVER (5.0,1152)

LUGO, JOSHUA (5.0,1169)
2 Mott Hall, New York,NY 19.5

PAULINO, ENRIQUE (5.0,1202)

SAHA, AMIT (5.0,1134)

PENA, LEONARDO (5.0,1222)

TU, ZHIMING (4.5,1213)

3 Duffield , Detroit,MI 18.0

TYLER, TAVANTE (6.0,1126)

HERBERT, JOSEPH (5.0,1168)

BRUNSON, JOSEPH (4.0,1152)

REDDEN, BREJAE (3.0,1079)
4 Lake Harriet, Minneapolis,MN 17.5

BERTEL, PETER (5.5,1231)

ROBINSON, CONNOR (5.5,1111)

PAGUYO, ISAIAH JACOB (4.0,794)

CANNON, WILL (2.5,941)

5 Metcalf, Burnsville,MN 17.0

JASPERSON, JACOB (6.0,1012)

DOFFING, CHRIS (4.0,1084)

REDMAN, NICK (4.0,727)

SMITH, LUKE R (3.0,760)

K8 Under 750

1 Rockway MS, Miami,FL 23.5

GUTIERREZ, JASON (6.0,708)

AMBROISE, CONRAD L (6.0,265)

CASTANO, NICHOLAS (6.0,641)

MIYAR, IRMA (5.5,535)

2 Metcalf, Burnsville,MN 21.0

SCHMID, NATHAN (6.0,715)

GREGOIRE, MATT (5.5,710)

VOXLAND, EVAN (5.5,676)

KUZIEJ, JOHN (4.0,433)

3 NY PS 279, Bronx,NY 20.5

VERA, ERIC (6.5,643)

FERNANDEZ, ONEIL (6.0,581)

MARTINEZ, ERICBERNE (4.0,251)

GIL, ALFREDO (4.0,523)

4 NYI I.S. 318, Brooklyn,NY 20.0

BRUSZEWSKI, MATEUSZ (5.5,408)

LI, JIE JING (5.0,530)

SINGH, LOVEDEEP (5.0,577)

OVANDO, JAMES (4.5,734)

5 NY PS 171, New York, NY 18.5

DELACOUDRAY, KEVIN (5.0,355)

GARCIA, BEN (5.0,275)

RODRIGUEZ, MIGUEL (4.5,610)
ASENCIO, RAYMOND (4.0,283)

Flashback: September 12, 2004

2008-04-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

CHESSMATES TAKE HOME TROPHY

By LISA ENGEL
September 12, 2004

Move over, monopoly. Back up, Barbie.
Chess is the name of the game for this all-girl-powered trio. West Homestead Elementary students Elsie Medrano, 9, Edith Acosta, 9, and Isamar Duran, 8, captured the first-place team trophy, at the first Girls National Open Chess Tournament in Chicago.
``The trophy is taller than me,'' said Isamar, who also placed fourth individually during the May tournament. ``We had to bring it on the plane, and everyone was looking and asking what it was for.''
The three players battled it out, round after round, against 250 students from all over the United States.
The girls won the 8-and-under division against fifteen schools.
``I am so proud of these girls,'' said Andy Ramos, the chess coach and a teacher at the school, 1550 SW Sixth St. in Homestead. ``It is a phenomenal accomplishment and our school deserves the recognition.'' This is Elsie’s second year. Edith and Isa started this year. The fact that they are my students has given my more time to work with them.”
The trio is part of the chess club, made up of about 70 kids, who have competed in scores of tournaments around the state since the club started in 2001.
Trophies and medals line the book shelves of the West Homestead library where the players meet everyday before, and after, school. The results has been state and local championships.
``I love to play,'' Edith said. ``I am able to meet people and excel at something very cerebral.''
In a game that has been typically dominated by boys, chess is now catching the eye of girls.
``Boys tend to be more aggressive or competitive at this age than girls so that may explain why more boys play than girls,’’ says Ramos, a former college baseball player. ``But after seeing what these girls were able to do, more are starting to see that they can play, too.''
About 190 schools in Miami-Dade County qualify for the money, which buys books, computers, extra teachers and the chess club.
Ramos said the game also teaches discipline. ``They have to concentrate and focus; it is a type of behavior modification; plus, they really love the competition.''
As for the girls, they all agreed that they loved Chicago but were ``freezing cold.''
They got to ride in a limousine for their first time after the tournament - and they are all back in the chess club again this year.
``When I am older,'' says Elsie, ``I want to be an international chess grandmaster and a coach, or maybe a teacher.''

Eight Years Old or Younger

Individual Winners:

1. Anna Matlin, NJ

2. Eve Zhurbinsky, NJ

3. Alice Li, KY
4. Isamar Duran, FL

Team Winners:

1. West Homestead, FL

2. Latin, IL

3. McKenzie, IL

GM Kosteniuk Visits Miami Beach Senior

2008-04-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

International Chess grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk walked into the Miami Beach high school chess class and all eyes focused on her. The former 2004 European Chess Champion is striking enough to have posed for Elle and Vogue magazines. “She looks even better in person,” whispers one student to another. The male dominated class soon learned this was not just another pretty face.

Chess is serious business for Kosteniuk who at fourteen years old became the 10th woman in history to earn the title of grandmaster. The twenty-three year old former 2005 Russian champion who lives in Key Biscayne during the winter and competes in Europe during the chess season says, “Dad taught me how to play just before I turned five years old. Chess is a part of our culture.” It is not unusual for her to play to large crowds and is a celebrity in her homeland.

The former Soviet Union dominated world championships until the late Bobby Fischer’s reign from 1972 to1975 and has continued since with Russian players like Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. Chess is ingrained in the Russian school curriculum. It goes back a thousand years and was even played by Peter the Great.

Kosteniuk is the fifth highest rated woman in the world. She travels the globe to promote chess. Her foundation funds her visits and she has been featured in Time, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek. Later this month she will visit Columbia University in New York City to play a simultaneous exhibition against the school’s powerful chess club and visit the famed Marshall Club where Bobby Fisher got his start.

Kosteniuk’s visit is part of the “Chess Master Tour” that brings titled players to schools offering chess as an elective. Chess titles include International Master, FIDE Master, and Grandmaster and are earned by players achieving the highest levels of success in international competitions based on ratings, strength of opponents, and length of tournaments. Local titled players participating in the “Chess Master Tour” are Grandmaster Julio Becerra, Grandmaster Renier Gonzalez, Grandmaster Gilardo Garcia, International Master Blas Lugo, International Master Alejandro Moreno, FIDE Master Marcel Martinez, and FIDE Master Charles Galofre.

The “Chess Master Tour” is organized by the M-DCPS Chess Education Program. There are twelve schools offering chess as an elective in the school system including middle and high schools. Overall there are over 240 chess programs including the Division of Advanced Academic’s AEP chess, Title I chess, elective classes, and clubs. There are an estimated 6,000 students playing chess in Miami-Dade. According to longtime scholastic chess organizer, Arden Dilley, “Chess is sleeping giant in this county”.

Kosteniuk, who recently won the women’s 20-24 age group division in the Miami Beach Ocean Drive 5K, analyzed a game she played against International Master Andreas Huss in Switzerland in 2003. All moves are algebraically notated and players evaluate different variations at different points in the game to find the best moves for both the white and black pieces. This practice allows students to recognize a move they may have missed during a game.

Studying games helps children build a structure or pattern of moves from diverse positions on the board. Students put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating new attacks or defenses. The parts include the opening, middle, and end game. The idea is to find the best move to carry out a plan or refute an attack by your opponent. Students learn to notate their games and develop analytical skills through this meticulous process. M-DCPS students participate in local, state, and national tournaments.

There are 12 middle and high schools offering chess as an elective including 6 more preparing to offer the class next year. Although there is no specific statewide course code for chess, schools use critical thinking and problem solving as the formal code. The state has signaled support for a course code and leaves it up to individual school districts statewide to petition the state for approval. The Chess Education Program has drafted a proposal and will submit a formal document for administration to approve in the spring.

Funding for chess programs vary throughout the district. All elementary schools are eligible to submit a proposal to the AEP chess program. Once approved, an allocation is provided to pay a teacher and for materials. Training is then provided for teachers who have access to support throughout the year. The Title I Administration authorizes principals to use their school-wide allocation to pay teachers, transportation as well as entry fees for tournaments. Title I funds are federal monies granted to schools with a demographic facing economic challenges and base allocations on the percentage of students receiving free and reduced price lunch at individual schools. Biscayne Elementary chess coach Oscar Rodriguez states, “The costs are relatively small but the benefits are huge. Children develop many academic and social skills.”

Miami Beach senior high math teacher Ben Silva has taught the chess class the past two years states, “This is awesome. It is not everyday you have this kind of opportunity to study chess with a grandmaster. She is a phenomenal player”. Silva, who played in his first tournament at the Miami Open in September as part of a M-DCPS professional development event says, “I had students who do not take the class ask permission to attend the lecture,” as he looks across an overflowing classroom.

During the lecture, Kosteniuk asks students for input and several call out moves, “Knight c6, Rook to d7, Bishop to b7….” and Kosteniuk skillfully corroborates or refutes moves with comments like, “Good idea but….look at the pawn protecting the b7 square…,” and the lesson continues until the correct “line” or variation is played out. Kosteniuk has a natural way of affirming the students’ thought process while demonstrating her intentions and thinking throughout the game.

As the bells sounds, the class erupts into simultaneous applause and Kosteniuk’s smile lights the room. Kosteniuk’s husband Diego Garces hands out complimentary copies of her book, “How I became a Grandmaster at 14” and students line up for autographs and pictures. Junior Max Cufari, the top player in the class, asks if he can play the 3-time Olympic medal winner. She smiles and nods as he sets up a board to play.

Julio Ties for First in US Open Qualifier

2008-03-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

Julio poses with North Beach students Chady & Ariel who recently participated in a MICA scholastic tournament.

At the Frank Berry U.S. Championship Qualifier Open, five players tied for first with 5.5 points each: GM Julio Beccera, GM Alex Yermolinsky, GM Jesse Kraai, GM John Fedorowicz, and IM Dean Ippolito. Each of them won $1000. All have qualified for the Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship May 13-21st. Becerra beat IM Vinay Bhat in the last round to earn the tie. IM Blas Lugo drew in the last round to win 4.5/7. See games below. Other Floridians participating were child prodigy FM Ray Robson and Jeffrey Haskell.

GM Alexandra Kosteniuk Visits Miami Beach High

2008-03-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Students Max Cufari, Ariela Zuniga, Alexandra, teacher Ben Silva

As part of the "Chess Masters Tour", GM Alexandra Kosteniuk visited Miami Beach Senior High's chess elective class taught by math teacher Ben Silva. The "Chess Masters Tour" involves titled players visiting 12 middle and high schools offering chess as an elective in the M-DCPS system. The "Chess Masters Tour" is organized by District Chess Coordinator Andy Ramos of the Chess Education Program. Chess experts expected to participate are GM Renier Gonzalez, GM Julio Becerra, GM Gilardo Garcia, IM Blas Lugo, IM Alejandro Moreno, FM Marcel Martinez and FM Charles Galofre. GM Gonzalez visited Howard D. McMillan Middle and IM Lugo visited Shenandoah Middle recently and presented lectures and analysis. M-DCPS has over two-hundred and thirty chess programs including AEP Chess, Title I, chess elective classes, and clubs.

Alexandra analyzed a game she played against IM Andreas Huss in Switzerland in 2003. The game featured the Queen's Indian Defence. White usually develops the King's Knight to support the d4 pawn to avoid the Nimzo-Indian. Kosteniuk (Black) played its sister defence the Queen's Indian in response, planning to fianchetto her Queen's Bishop to control and occupy e4. She also examined variations played by Victor Korchnoi vs. Vladmir Simagin in 1960 and Kiril Georgiev vs. Alexander Grischuk in Crete last year at the European Championships for white after 9.Bd3 http://www.kosteniuk.com/photoenews3/Huss-Kosteniuk.pdf . To emphasize how much GMs prepare for their opponents, she states incredibly that 20. ......Be4 was her only original move in the game below! The students engaged her with great questions and ideas which she skillfully corroborated or refuted. She advised them to learn basic positions, study great games, study challenging problems, and work hard on the end game. She gave away pamphlets and her books to the students.

Last year Alexandra played a simul and analyzed games with students at the Florida State Scholastic Chess tournament attended by 1200 players from throughout Florida. She gave away her signature computer to the top girl in each of the 12 sections as well as her book, "How I became a Grandmaster at 14". Thank you for your generosity and kindness. Her daughter Francesca Maria will turn 1 year old on April 22nd.

For a free chess video podcast hosted by Alexandra go to http://www.chesskillertips.com/index.php and improve your chess game.

[Event "Swiss Championship"][Site "Silvaplana (Switzerland)"][Date "2003.165.165"][Round "4"][White "Huss, A"][Black "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"][Result "0-1"]

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 b6
4. Nc3 Bb4

5. Qc2 Bb7
6. a3 Bxc3+
7. Qxc3 d6
8. e3 O-O

9. Bd3 Nbd7
10. O-O Ne4
11. Qc2 f5
12. Nd2 Qh4
13. f3 Ng5

14. f4 Nh3+
15. gxh3 Rf6
16. Nf3 Rg6+
17. Kh1 Qxh3
18. Qe2 Nc5!!
19. Bxf5 exf5
20. Bd2 Be4

Black is better

White resigned because after...
21. dxc5 Rg3
22. Rf2 Rxf3
23. Rg2 Rg3
24. Rg1 dxc5

Black wins an exchange and gets a winning endgame 0-1

Miami's GM Julio Becerra Ties for First at Foxwoods

2008-03-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

Playing in the "world's largest casino" didn't tempt GM Julio Becerra to play much poker this past weekend where he tied for 1st place in the 10th annual Foxwoods Open at the Foxwoods Resort Casino & Hotel in Mashantucket, CT. The purse was a projected $100,000 and guaranteed $70,000 in prize money. Julio tied with GM Yury Shulman who beat GM Ivanov in a blitz armegeddon along with US Champ GM Alex Shabalov and IM Robert Hess who earned his first GM norm.
Becerra played his student, Eric Rodriguez, in the first round. He said, "Obviously, I know him very well which gave me a big advantage. It is always difficult to play a friend." Did you expect to do so well?," I always expect to win. I was very confident." Becerra's ELO rose 8 points inching him closer to the 2600 mark. He heads for Oklahoma which will hold a qualifier for the US Open ( http://www.okchess.org/qualifier.htm ) which aims to select seven players for the U.S. Championship in May with a special seven-round Swiss, in Tulsa, March 28-30.
Julio says, " My goal is to win the US Open and represent the US in the Olympics." Biggest comp? "Shabalov, he plays to win."
Above is his game against GM Eugene Perelshteyn he played a Ruy Lopez variation in which he says "was well played" and after 19. Rc3... "I felt I had a clear advantage."

Carol City Middle Visits MICA

2008-03-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Teacher Wendy Wadley successfully applied for a $250 mini grant from the Education Fund . The Chess Education Program found her a matching grant. They have attended the World Chess Hall of Fame and on Monday visited IM Blas Lugo at Miami International Chess Academy on Calle Ocho.

Blaso's lesson focused on positions in the opening and typical mistakes. The Cuban International Master explained that moving the same piece more than once loses tempo and initiative. He also warned of moving the Queen too fast. He emphasized developing your pieces quickly. He suggested attacking the Queen if your opponent tries to be overly aggressive. He told the students to analyze positions carefully making sure to look for positional advantages. He demonstrated centralizing minor pieces like the Knight and Bishop to use in combinations. He asked students to explain their reasoning for making moves which helped develop their analytical skills.

Idaho Turns to Chess as Education Strategy

2008-03-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

NY Times By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: March 20, 2008

Once a week, Deborah McCoy, a third-grade teacher in Donnelly, Idaho, unpacks chessboards and pieces and spends an hour teaching her 20 students how to play the game.
Mrs. McCoy said of the program: “They learn give and take in chess. There are courtesies that you follow.”
Mrs. McCoy does not do this because she is passionate about chess; she barely knew how to play before this school year. But she began teaching it as part of an unusual pilot program under way in more than 100 second- and third-grade classrooms across Idaho.

On Thursday, state officials will announce in Boise that the program will be extended in the fall to all second and third graders — making Idaho the first state to offer a statewide chess curriculum.

The state’s $1.5 billion education budget, passed two weeks ago, includes up to $60,000 to finance the instruction. Tom Luna, the state’s superintendent of education, said participation by teachers would be voluntary, but if reaction to the pilot program is any measure, interest will be great.

There are no studies showing that teaching chess has benefits for children, but there is anecdotal evidence, Mr. Luna said.

“One of the things that we hear is that too much of what we do is based on rote memorization,” Mr. Luna said. “The part I really like about this program is that kids are thinking ahead.”

Mrs. McCoy said she has been pleased with the results.

“So many kids spend their time plugged into video games, iPods, television and so they are more isolated,” she said. “They learn give and take in chess. There are courtesies that you follow. It has been really beneficial for them.”

Idaho has 40,000 second and third graders, and Mr. Luna estimated the instruction will cost about $200,000 to $250,000 a year, although it could run as much as $600,000 “if everybody jumped on it the first year,” he said. The money is expected to come from private financing and from reducing administrative expenses in the school system, though state officials said they had not yet identified where the savings would be made.

Idaho is using a curriculum called First Move, which was developed by America’s Foundation for Chess, a nonprofit, Seattle-based organization that promotes teaching chess in school. First Move is now taught to 25,000 students in 18 states, according to Wendi Fischer, the vice president of the foundation.
Rourke O’Brien, the foundation’s president, said the idea to introduce chess into Idaho’s school system arose out of a discussion between Erik Anderson, the foundation’s founder, and Roy Lewis Eiguren, a lawyer and lobbyist who lives in Idaho.

Mr. Anderson and Mr. Eiguren sit on the board of the Avista Corporation, an energy company based in neighboring Washington. After hearing about the benefits of teaching chess, Mr. Eiguren set up a dinner early last year and invited Mr. Luna, Karen McGee, an education-policy adviser to the governor, and three Republican state lawmakers — Representatives Eric Anderson (no relation to Erik Anderson) and Bob Nonini, and Senator John W. Goedde.

The dinner participants agreed to create the pilot program, and Mr. Nonini volunteered to provide $600 of his own money to pay for one of the classrooms in his district for a year, Mr. O’Brien said. The rest of the cost, about $60,000, was paid by the state.

First Move differs from some other chess-in-school programs in that it is taught by classroom teachers and is intended as a curriculum enhancement for second and third graders. It incorporates elements of math, history and vocabulary.

Teachers who wish to use it do not need to know chess. They are trained at seminars over a day or two before the school year starts, and are provided with an instructional DVD, a DVD player, chess sets, boards, online resources and a manual. Every other week, an experienced player is available to answer questions.

Mrs. McCoy said her town was so remote — Donnelly is about a two-hour drive from Boise — that the expert player, Mark Morales, was available only online, but she had found that was adequate. She said it was good for her students to be exposed to a sophisticated game like chess.

“Donnelly is approximately 250 people,” she said. “We are right smack dab in the mountains. Most of our kids live on ranches or in small towns.”

Some of the benefits of the program, Mrs. McCoy said, came in unexpected areas.

“I actually have one student who is originally from Russia and two Hispanic students who have limited English skills, and chess kind of leveled the playing field, and it kind of helped their self-esteem issues,” she said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

IM Blas Lugo Visits Shenandoah

2008-03-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

IM Blas Lugo visited Shenandoah Middle School on Thursday March 20 as part of the Chess Education Program's "Master Tour" of chess elective classes. Lugo who runs Miami International Chess Academy ( http://www.miamiches.com/ )has been a fixture on the Florida chess scene since 1994. His chess club has produced a who's who list of chess champions from Miami. Some of the best players in Florida play at his club. He recently added an after school program for neighboring schools. Children get help with homework and study/play chess. There is financial aid available for those who qualify. He will also offer a spring break camp as well as a summer camp. The club also hosts tournaments including Sundays and scholastic tournaments at Rockwood Middle.

IM Lugo's lesson featured attacking squares F2 & F7. He demonstrated various common positions in which the queen is sacrificed for checkmate or won material. He explained how difficult it is for scholastic players to conceive sacrificing the most powerful piece on the board. Development of the knights and bishop were critical in these combinations. The most important part of the lesson was demonstrating the attacks thus making the students realize the potential for an advantage and initiative by giving up the Queen. When they see the position again they will analyze more closely.

He also analyzed a game he won against current US Champion Alexander Shabalov in 1996 in Philadelphia in which similar positions were reinforced. One thing he said to me that stuck was that sometimes people have unrealistic expectations about chess lessons. There is no magic wand or class that turns you into an expert. These titled players have spent a significant amount of time to achieve their expertise. It is a constant effort for a long period of time.

Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving

2008-03-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Max and Hiroko Warshauer

Department of Mathematics Texas State University-San Marcos

Science, Math, Checkmate is the second book by educator and chess expert Dr. Alexey Root that deftly weaves chess into the educational fabric of school mathematics and science. As in her first book, Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators, this book is a rich resource of activities educators can use to engage, enrich, and enhance student learning.
Teaching problem solving is one of the most challenging tasks for mathematics and science teachers. Chess provides an intriguing context for students to explore a variety of intellectually demanding problems while encouraging students to explain and justify their solutions. The 32 activities found in this book are designed to encourage students to experiment with strategies, visualize relationships of pieces, and reason through their moves and consequences.
Written as a resource book for teachers that links to national standards, each activity includes Objectives, Materials, and Procedures, and is designed to take students 30 to 45 minutes to complete. In addition, the activities are notated with grade appropriateness that ranges from grades 3 to 8 and sequenced according to the extent of students’ chess knowledge that is required. A chess test is included to assess the chess knowledge of students. The author shares with us numerous activities that were inspired by her children, which suggests a very student-focused approach to activities.
It is through our children that we first met Dr. Root. Over 15 years ago, Dr. Root offered chess lessons to children in Austin, Texas. Three of our four children were able to take lessons with Alexey, as they fondly called her, who instilled in them a great love for the game. As a mathematician and a mathematics educator we were fortunate to have Alexey write an article on chess and mathematics in Math Reader magazine, which was published by Texas Mathworks at Texas State University- San Marcos. We have been impressed by how she has used chess as a platform for teaching students to think creatively about problems while making learning fun and engaging. Teachers will find these activities to be a wonderful resource that they can use in their classrooms to stimulate excitement and curiosity about problem solving. At the same time, students will develop a foundation in chess that can be a lifelong source of fun and enjoyment that can be shared between people of all ages.

2008 Miami-Dade College Chess Tournament

2008-03-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Mater Academy Charter

Miami Beach Senior Math/Chess Teacher Ben Silva observes M-DC Tournament

Chief TD Gil Luna analyzes game with Coral Park's Christine Martin

M-DC organizer Rene Garcia and Mater Academy coach Jorge Leon

M-DC organizer Christine Ferrer & Miami Senior Math/Chess Teacher Julio Aguilar

As soon as I get results...I will post them.

Karel Gonzalez won overall (Mater Academy)

Miami-Dade High School Chess Tournament

2008-03-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

GM Renier Gonzalez Visits McMillan Middle

2008-03-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

Call it the Grandmaster Tour. I have invited four local GMs to visit schools that offer chess as an elective and they have all agreed including GM Renier Gonzalez, GM Julio Becerra, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, and GM Gilardo Garcia. We started with McMillan Middle on Friday.

GM Renier Gonzalez chose to analyze a game (34 moves) from the National Open in Las Vegas in 2005. It was one of his best tournaments ever, he beat 2 GMs and drew another one, finishing tied for 5th place with 4.5 out of 6. He played black against GM Ildar Ibragimov (FIDE 2611) and used the modern defence (fianchetto bishop along the A-H diagonal): Averbakh variation (A42). His lecture focused on attacking the king in the center, being able to adjust to different styles, and the danger of not castling early. Renier also spoke of how GMs prepare for each others games by studying databases of their opponents games. Ibragimov underestimated the lower rated Gonzalez (FIDE 2483) and paid for it.

Renier said he was impressed with the knowledge of the McMillan students and spoke highly of their chess teacher Marcos Diez. The group looked very interested in improving their chess level which is good. He noticed a lack of openings knowledge which he said will come with experience. Mr. Diez fared very well at the Miami Open in September scoring 5/7 (1460P). What do you think of the GM Tour? "I think it is a great idea since chess tends to be an autodidactic activity. It is really hard to have a lot of "one on one" lessons which is the best way to improve your chess. One of the best ways to show your students how to make better use of their time is by bringing experienced players who had to train a long time in order to be able to play at a high level. They can also offer some guidance to those instructors that have a hard time teaching high-level classes, they may have the pedagogy but lack chess experience. Another interesting thing is to offer simuls or lectures with those experienced chess players in tournaments and seminars, not only for the students but also for the instructors. Hopefully, I have not only taught them some things but also inspired and motivated them." How should I or the chess elective teacher decide what to cover or teach during a GM or titled player's visit? "The the best thing is to find what the group is having more problems with, normally endgames and positional ideas, and work on them slowly since it takes a lot of time to improve the positional understanding of the students" he said.

[Event "National Open"][Site "Las Vegas USA"][Date "2005.06.10"][EventDate "2005.06.10"][Round "2"][Result "0-1"][White "Ildar Ibragimov"][Black "Renier Gonzalez"][ECO "A42"][WhiteElo "2611"][BlackElo "2483"][PlyCount "68"]

1. c4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Nxd4 Nc67. Be3 Nge7 8. Be2 O-O 9. Qd2 f5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. c5 fxe412. cxd6 cxd6 13. Nxe4 Nf5 14. Bf4 Re8 15. Bf3 Rxe4+ 16. Bxe4Qe8 17. f3 d5 18. O-O-O dxe4 19. Rhe1 e3 20. Bxe3 Qf8 21. g4Nxe3 22. Qxe3 Rb8 23. Rd2 c5 24. h4 Bb7 25. f4 Bd4 26. Qe6+Qf7 27. Qd6 Rf8 28. Re7 Qc4+ 29. Kb1 Bd5 30. b3 Qf1+ 31. Kc2Qf3 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. Kb2 Qc3+ 34. Kb1 Be4+ 0-1

TCA Chess in Education Workshop

2008-03-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

TCA Chess in Education workshop was held March 8, 2008, 1-5 p.m. (Houston), co-organized by UTD's Dr. Alexey Root and Luis Salinas. The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB), Texas Tech University (TTU), and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) are the higher education leaders for chess in education in Texas. With this workshop, Texas builds its reputation as the leading state for chess in education. UTB, TTU, and UTD are joint workshop sponsors, along with the Texas Chess Association (TCA).

Scholastic chess is booming in Brownsville, Texas, and the surrounding communities. Of the 50 schools in the Brownsville Independent School District, at least 35 have active chess programs. Six different Brownsville ISD schools have won national chess championships, led by Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary’s seven national titles. Two elementary school students have tied for individual national championships, and many others have finished in the top five. The chess success of our local schools got the attention of Dr. Juliet Garcia, President of The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, who formed a chess program at UTB/TSC so that area students would have the opportunity to earn scholarships and compete in chess at the university level. The Brownsville Independent School District has gotten onboard, and now allocates about $400,000 per year to their chess program. Chess has become a source of pride to BISD, UTB/TSC, and our community, and is now part of our identity. How did all of this come about? How can these results be duplicated elsewhere? Are there other successful models in other areas? How does the future look? These questions and more face M-DCPS.

South Miami Heights Making Moves

2008-03-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

The South Miami Heights chess club meets a few times a week from 7:15 am to 8:15 am and on Wednesday afternoons. I was there yesterday morning and teacher Shari Sussman had the coffee brewing. She has high hopes for her students as they get ready for their Region V & VI tournament scheduled for May 10, at Booker T. Washington Senior.

The students asked me questions about en passant, how many pawns to promote, and the difference between the "touch move" rule and adjusting a piece. Based on their questions, I reviewed checkmate with a King and a Rook as well as checkmate with two Rooks. I explained that the problem with overpromoting is that you run the risk of being stalemated. I also gave examples of tactics and focused on Knight forks. At this level, tactics are so important e.g., forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, batteries, combinations etc.

WIM Dr. Alexey Root: 10 Questions

2008-03-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

Alexey W. Root has a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. She was the 1989 U.S. Women's Chess Champion. A Senior Lecturer for the University of Texas at Dallas, she teaches online, college-credit, chess curriculum courses. Earlier in her career, she taught social studies and English in public secondary schools. Over the past 20 years (in elementary and secondary schools, after-school programs, recreation centers, camps, and private lessons), she has taught chess to over 1000 people. She is also the author of Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving and Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators. Her books can be found on www.amazon.com

1. How old were you when you learned how to play chess? Five years old.
2. At what age can children be taught chess? Children as young as four can learn, but an ideal age would be around eight or nine. By that age, many children can win or lose with some graciousness.
3. What do you like most about playing chess? During a game, I like to apply a pattern that I know (such as tactic) to improve my position.
4. Who is your favorite chess player? Any player on the UT-Dallas chess team!
5. What do you do when you are not playing chess? I work at the computer, either writing my books or grading students' work from my online courses, while I pet my rabbit, Abba (see attached photo). Abba is from a shelter; see http://www.rabbit.org/ for how to have a rabbit as a house pet.
6. Why is chess good for children to learn? Chess may encourage pattern recognition, problem solving, and sportsmanship. Playing chess allows children to interact with people of different ages and cultures.
7. How can chess facilitators become better chess teachers? Take my online chess courses, see http://telecampus.utsystem.edu/catalog/programs/programinfo/chess.aspx
38 students are enrolled this semester, from beginners who are classroom teachers to grandmaster chess players. See this editorial http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/points/stories/DN-root_09edi.ART0.State.Edition1.37225be.html8 .

8. What makes a good chess teacher? As with any subject, knowledge of content combined with knowledge of teaching methods and child development.
9. Why should chess be taught in schools? Chess in schools must address educational goals. My two books give lesson plans and activities that use chess as a tool to meet academic and humanistic objectives. One analogy is basketball teaching in P.E. During P.E. class, one might teach some basketball skills, such as shooting or dribbling, that have wide applicability. But if students want to compete at entire basketball games, they play in leagues after school. Similarly, chess in the classroom might feature some aspects of chess. Tournament chess play, in my opinion, should be an extracurricular option.
10. What stands out about your 1989 US Women’s Championship? What stands out is that I had a good attitude going into the tournament. I had just attended a Fourth of July celebration with my fiancé and his family, and was happy about living in the U.S. and about my future as a wife. I married about two weeks after I won the U.S. Women's.

CBS 4 Features Chess Students

2008-03-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

Inner-City Students Get All Their Pawns In Place
Reporting
Jawan Strader MIAMI (CBS4) ―

Students at Edison Park Elementary in Miami have a good chess team, one that could go to the national competitions in Pennsylvania if they had the money. Their art teacher and chess coach are working with the community to see that all the pieces come together.

There isn't a day that 11-year-old Jacqueline Cordova doesn't walk into class telling Charles Webber, Edison Park Elementary's chess coach, a story of some crime that happened in her neighborhood.

"I'd rather be here in school and playing chess, because there's a lot of violence in my neighborhood," she said. "I tell my coach the stories all the time."

Cordova is a member of the Edison Park elementary Rooks chess team who won first place out of 24 teams with 21 points in the kindergarten through fifth- grade category in the 2007 Florida Scholastic Chess Championship.

"I practice all the time. We have a good coach. He encourages us to keep going even if we lose," Cordova said. "The game helps me in math."

The school had four students finish in the top twenty at a March competition held at the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel. More than 1,500 children from all over Florida participated. In the tournament, students faced opponents with comparable ratings.

Chess is a novelty in the school. It was implemented by Joe Rubio, 43, two years ago. He came to Edison Park two years ago from Paul W. Bell Middle School. The school is located at 500 NW 67th St., an area prone to violence. It is termed a "zone" school, which is considered a low-performing school.

"I was in shock when I heard of the victory. We faced schools that have had the chess program for more than 15 years," Rubio said. "This shows that low-performing schools can be productive. I knew they would do well."

Rubio, who picked up the game 15 years ago as a hobby, said he taught it to "at-risk students" at his former school.

"I introduced the game. All of a sudden, I saw these kids who were hyper calm down," Rubio said. "They started to better in school and their way of thinking changed. My son is also playing it and I see progress in him, too."

To put the program together, Rubio overcame some hurdles. He didn't have any equipment nor a coach. He called Andy Ramos, District Chess Coordinator Division of Life Skills and Special Projects of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, who he had never spoken to. Ramos and his department supplied the team with some equipment. Also, the Title One program gave the team an introductory package that all new programs receive.

Soon after, he approached Webber, an art teacher at the school, and asked if he would be their coach.

At first, Webber had doubts. He told Rubio he didn't know how to play and that some of these kids couldn't even read at grade level.

However, Webber doesn't like to back down from challenges. "The challenge drove me to learn chess. I love challenges. It motivates me," Webber said. "I bought computer chess games and started to practice on my own and with the kids."

He picked 12 students with good academics and made them practice constantly. The team has since increased to 18.

In the first few tournaments, the Rooks were defeated badly. So Webber then took it upon himself to read journals and study the game further. He also solicited advice from other chess coaches in the county. "I wanted these guys to win. I felt bad when they lost, so I took it upon myself to teach them," he said.

(see video below)

https://mail.dadeschools.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://cbs4.com/video/?id=51223@wfor.dayport.com

Two future champions: Karel and Emmanuel

2008-03-03T04:46:00.000-08:00

CHESS TEAM AT MATER ACADEMY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL COACHED BY JORGE LEON

bcazalis@MiamiHerald.com
March 2, 2008

They are the top four chess team in the state and top 20 in the nation -- and they have their eyes on the big prize.
"In no time they will be number one in the country," said the team's coach, Jorge Leon, who, three times a week, teaches 12 students how to plan the game, memorize plays, be patient, be intuitive and think.
Chess requires concentration and forces students to think logically about the possibilities of a play -- which is why, according to Leon, it increases the attention span of players, which, in turn, helps them focus and better their grades in all subjects, especially in math.
"After a year in the team, students start increasing their grades, and, if they had discipline problems, those disappear," said Leon, who has more than 30 years of experience as a chess master, teacher and researcher. He has written four books on teaching and playing chess. "The idea is not to make champions but to better their school performance," he said in a recent interview at the Hialeah Gardens school.
The idea may not be to make champions; this team is full of them. The Mater Academy chess team has given superior performances since Leon became coach in 2004. When he arrived, 18 students were in the after-school chess club, and the number has risen to more than 100. The team, which ranked 40th in the state, is now fourth.
The team's achievements have been a surprise for the school, said Principal Judith Marty, who promised to continue to encourage younger students to become members.
"I am very impressed. It is a good group of students, and they are all very serious about it," Marty said. "Chess is great because it creates critical thinking skills, so the more students who join the team the better for the school."
Since the start of the school year, the Mater Academy team has played in 10 Grand Prix tournaments organized by the Miami Chess Academy and has won first place eight times, along with one second place and one fourth. Next up is a national tournament in April in Georgia. The Mater Academy team will compete in the K-12 category against older students, but they are not worried. They already have about 20 trophies, along with more than 30 individual trophies as an indication of their skill.
"We have so many trophies we have to keep some in boxes," said one of the star players, Karel Gonzalez, 17, who learned to play chess from his father when he was 5 and he rarely loses a game.
Leon said Karel and teammate Emmanuel Iglesias, 14, have a good shot at becoming national champions. Both joined the team a year ago, and each has won seven first-place trophies in the Miami Grand Prix.
Emmanuel, who immigrated from Cuba a year ago, also knew how to play chess before joining the school club and had won championships in Cuba, including placing 14th in a national match-up.
"Chess helps me while I am taking a test," said Emmanuel. "I start thinking the way I would think when I am playing, like looking at possibilities or making a plan or just simply concentrating to remember what I studied. And it works great."
Team captain David Gonzalez, 16, a junior with a 4.0 grade point average, said he really learned to play chess when he joined the club.
"I thought I knew how to play, but it was not until I joined the team and took the classes that I figured how hard chess is. Our teacher has taught me a lot; he is a very wise man," said David, a club member since 2005.
"Chess opens up your mind to all kind of things," David said. "It helps you think outside the box and see the different possibilities to everything. You also learn to focus and concentrate -- plus, it teaches you to make a plan and then adapt your plan to the other player, which is great because when you start thinking like that in life you become more organized and perform better. I think it should be an elective in school; it would really help a lot of students."

Flashback: May 17, 2007

2008-02-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

CHESS CHAMPIONS

RODOLFO R. ROMAN Special To The Miami Herald

Webber J. Charles, an art teacher at Edison Park Elementary School, seemed an unlikely choice to coach the chess team when it was started two years ago. For starters, he didn't know how to play chess, as he explained to assistant principal Joe Rubio when he was first approached about the position.
But Rubio persisted, so Charles finally said yes and decided it was time to learn how to play chess.
"I love challenges," Charles said. "They motivate me. I bought computer chess games and started to practice on my own and with the kids."
Today Charles is a chess player and champion coach. In Cinderella-like fashion, the Rooks pulled off a stunning victory in state championships, held in March, placing first among teams in the K-5 category. Four players on team finished in the Top 20 at the championships, held at the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel. In all, more than 1,500 students participated in the championships.
"I was in shock," Rubio says, describing his reaction to the news that the team had won the championship. "We faced schools that have had the chess program for more than 15 years. I knew they would do well."
It was vindication for Rubio, who decided to start a chess team after arriving at Edison Park two years ago. His previous job had been at Paul W. Bell Middle School in the Fontainebleau area, and his experiences there made him believe in the powers of chess.
"I introduced the game" at the middle school, he said, and "all of a sudden, I saw these kids who were hyper calm down.
"They started to do better in school, and their way of thinking changed."
At Edison Park Elementary, 500 NW 67th St., practice takes place several afternoons and some mornings in Charles' classroom. Students play among themselves and sometimes against Rubio and Charles. As they play, they jot down notes to learn from their mistakes.
Among the team's 18 members is 11-year-old Monique Patterson, who started playing at age 4.
"My grandpa taught me, and I learned a lot of different strategies," she said. "I play with him every weekend."
Monique, a fifth-grader, credits the game with making her smart.
"I sometimes [help] do my brothers' sixth-grade homework," she notes.
Jacqueline Cordova, also 11, echoes the sentiment. "The game helps me in math," she says.
Chess helps her in other ways, she notes.
"Id rather be here in school playing chess because theres a lot of violence in my neighborhood," she said.
Charles makes sure his players are ready to play. It's a lesson he says he learned early on, after the team had been beaten badly in its first few tournaments.
"I felt bad when they lost, so I took it upon myself to teach them," he said.
Charles says he asked other chess coaches for advice, read journals and studied harder himself.
His practices are nonstop and feature not only games but also computer training, lectures and brain teasers to keep their minds flexible.
"I tell these guys that we play hard," Charles said.
The championship has not gone unnoticed. The Florida Leadership Council, a privately owned tutoring company in Miami, recently provided the team with T-shirts, new playing boards, clocks and carrying cases for chess boards.
"Our company decided to invest in these kids' enthusiasm," said company CEO Manny Riera. "We wanted to be a part of the team and community."
Charles is proud of his players' accomplishments.
"This is really a success story," he said. "Nobody gave these kids a chance, but now they are respected wherever they go."
Jacqueline says that respect starts at home.
"My parents are proud of me," she said. "I plan to play it all my life if I can.
"At first it was tough because I did illegal moves, but I got used to it. This game makes me think and challenges me, which I like."
For information about the Edison Park Rooks, call Charles at 786-269-4337.

Orchard Villa Gets It Going

2008-02-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

I recognized Steve Kirby from the chess teachers meeting in September. He is new to teaching chess and asked me to come by. I had a demo board and teaching guides donated to his school. He has a good group that is really into playing chess. He admittedly is still learning too. He said he learned a lot from the presentation. Orchard Villa is very close to Edison Park. I noticed cameras scanning the school from inside the office. I have not seen that at an elementary school. The principal escorted me to the classroom. Mr. Kirby is the sponsor of the 500 Role Models group. Several students had ties and button down shirts. As I was leaving a couple a student escorted me out. I gave him a chess set I had in my trunk. Soon after several others came running....needless to say my trunk is now empty.

Miami-Dade Chess Teachers Association

2008-02-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

Webber Charles (Edison Park), Fabricio Rivas (Milam K-8), Yalili Aguinaga (Eveglades K-8), Isabel Espinoza (Citrus Grove Middle).

These are the folks that will lead the newly formed M-DCTA. The awesome logo is original and was created by Webber. According to Webber," It is a symbol in which our organization can stand behind. We are committed to quality, excellence, and high standards in all our endeavors." The group is in the process of adopting bylaws, incorporating, setting membership fees, creating a letterhead, business cards and all the other details involved in organizing this body.

I have said all along that in order for the chess program to reach new heights, the teachers have to organize and voice their sentiments. There is power in numbers and there will be no support for chess (administratively) unless it comes from the masses. I mean support that merits the need and current participation. There are over 5,000 students learning and playing chess. It will also help in terms of communication and the association can help guide the direction of chess in the county. The art teacher's association recently met with the superintendent which gives them credibility and visibility. I hope all will support this group and participate.

Neighbors 4 Neighbors Visits Edison Park

2008-02-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

On May 17, 2007 the Miami Herald's Neighbors section did a feature on Edison Park and its recent success (I will reprint the article Friday). The reporter Rodolfo Roman contacted his colleagues at Neighbors 4 Neighbors CBS 4. The film crew was at the school Friday shooting and interviewing the students. The exact date of the segment was not immediately announced but will air in the very near future. Art/Chess teacher Webber Charles is on a mission. His ideal is to create opportunities for his students to reach their potential. I can't articulate the positive impact his efforts have had on the students as well as the school.

Additionally, Edison Park placed 2nd in the K-8 section of MICA's Grand Prix this past Saturday behind Rockway. Of note as well, Olympia Heights' K-5 team also did well playing up a section. Edison Park spent a week at MICA this summer sharpening their skills.

It is paying off...not to mention all the tournaments they are attending.

Flashback: May 5, 2000

2008-02-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

MIAMI STUDENT IS TOPS IN CHESS

Rodelay Medina, varsity kicker on the Miami Jackson High School football team, has become the country's top scholastic chess player.
It's the second year in a row the school has produced the national champion in the United States Chess Federation tournament. This year, 1,395 players from 185 schools competed in North Carolina April 28-30. Jackson's six-man team finished fourth. In 1999, senior Marcel Martinez captured the title.
Medina, 18, learned chess at age 6 from an older friend in Cuba. He came to South Florida in 1995 after his mother, manicurist Lazara Gonzalez, won an immigration lottery. They live in Little Havana.
Medina said he knew three English words when he arrived: pencil, teacher and table.
He enrolled at Miami High School, where his sister, Yamara, 16, still attends classes. Medina switched to Jackson, where chess team coach Mario Martinez has built a respected academic and competitive chess program.
In chess, said Medina, ``you can plan your future; it depends on you. Just like life.''
He also said that chess has dramatically improved his math skills.
Mario Martinez called Medina ``a real dedicated player and true student of the game. He loves competing and doesn't like to lose, but he also likes to teach and share what he's learned and work with the guys'' on the team.
During the tournament, Medina played 28 hours of chess in three days. The final game, which took 3 hours, 50 minutes, left him exhausted.
But he said he knew from the beginning that he would win; his opponent ``made a few mistakes in his opening.''
Medina gives private chess lessons, and recently started teaching the game to youths ages 7 to 17 for the Miami Parks and Recreation Department.
His supervisor, Barbara Wade, calls him the best thing that ever happened to the department. She coordinates the Youth at Risk program for the Miami Love Project.
``We promote leadership with neighborhood role models,'' said Wade, who praised Medina's patience and respectful manner.
Through the summer, Medina will teach chess at nine parks in the city system: 35 kids per park, Wade said.
``He believes he can teach anyone, and that's a great strength to me,'' she said.
Medina is hoping for a college scholarship for the fall. ``I'm waiting for a school where I can play both: football and chess,'' he

Stormont Kings Keeping Pace

2008-02-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Chris Stormont...Bringing It

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

Steve Violeta, 11, and Vic Song, 7, stare each other down. They contemplate their next move. Goal: To annihilate the other.
The two Pinecrest Elementary students aren't about to duke it out, however.
Instead, Steve, a fifth-grader, goes for the jugular -- on a chess board.
He checkmates Vic, a first-grader, during the school's chess club's third annual chess tournament earlier this month.
About 50 kids at the school, 10250 SW 57th Ave., meet each Thursday for an hour with instructor Chris Stormont to learn the game of kings.
Most people take Saturdays off or spend the day taking care of chores -- mowing the lawn, doing the laundry, washing the car.
Not Stormont.
He has spent every Saturday since 1991 teaching young people how to play chess at the Miami-Dade Kendall library branch.
Stormont, founder of the Stormont Kings Chess Club, has also taught at Temple Beth Am, Village Green Christian School and various Miami-Dade County parks.
He now has classes for chess clubs at Pinecrest and Sunset elementary schools and Kenwood K-8 Center.
In 17 years, he has helped thousands of children learn the difference between a pawn and a rook and how to move a bishop or a knight. He's taught them the touch rule -- you touch a piece, you play it.
But, many parents say, he has really taught the kids so much more:
To think ahead and pay attention.
To follow rules and win, or lose, with decorum.
And, amazingly in many cases, to sit still and quietly for up to hours at a time.
''Chris is a disciplinarian. He's a blessing,'' said Sue Courshon, whose grandson Ben Spiegelman, 7, has been playing for a year.
``They learn cooperation and they learn to use their brains.''
Daniel Mirones has noticed the difference in his son Peter, 7, a first-grader at the Pinecrest club.
''It certainly has improved his focus,'' Mirones said.
``It's helped him develop mental discipline.''
For Kyle Neufeld, 8, chess is the perfect activity because he is more of an introvert and not comfortable in team sports, said his mother, Kelli Neufeld.
''He's always afraid to fail the team. This is more one-on-one,'' said Neufeld, a teacher at Pinecrest who lets Stormont use her classroom for the club.
Stormont is proud of his kids.
He keeps three big blue scrapbooks of photos from the tournaments, with standings and scores.
''I want to remember all the kids and it's good to show them who won,'' he said.
He started playing as kid.
''My father taught me to play at the age of 9 and I have been playing ever since,'' Stormont said.
``My first opportunity to join a chess club was at South Miami Middle. The coach there told me that I had the potential of becoming a strong chess player and he invited me to play in a tournament between South Miami Middle and West Miami Middle.
``I tied for first place, which made me feel very proud.''
He started a chess club in high school and helped run a local chess club before he began his own 17 years ago.
Since then, Stormont, who also gives private lessons, has had thousands of students.
The hardest part is ''getting them to learn how and when to force a win,'' Stormont said.
''My biggest accomplishment is starting the chess club and having it thrive for so long. It has allowed me to positively influence many children through chess. It is very gratifying to see the children progress and gain confidence in the process,'' he added.
``I am especially proud of being able to help many children with disabilities through the game.''
Cathy Carrera said chess has taught her 10-year-old son Zachary, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, to keep trying.
''It stimulates a certain part of the brain. Our neurologist told us about it,'' Carrera said. ``One year, he played twice a week because it was doing him a lot of good.
''It helps his self-esteem. He's very good at it. It is something he can do well and help other kids with,'' Carrera said.
Others, like second-grader Justin Broce, have learned about winning.
Justin, who says his favorite move is ''castling,'' when more than one piece can be moved during a turn, won the tournament earlier this month at Pinecrest.
How did he do it?
''I'm not telling my secret,'' Justin said.

The Foreclosure Doctors LLC 305.300.2055

2008-02-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

Gil Luna, Javier Gonzalez, Jeffrey Haskel, and Bruci Lopez

The US Amatuer Team South championship was played over the past weekend and the Foreclosure Doctors squeaked by in the last round to come home with the varnished log. Captain Gil Luna says," Bruci did his job, Javier and I were solid and Jeffrey Haskel was awesome." The Miami contingent was down 1/2 a point gong into the last round and needed a win against the Flaming Flamingos. The Falmingos were lead by Corey Acor and Eric Rodriguez. Haskel beat Rodriguez in an awesome attack according to Luna. "He castled and played g4. He used two Knights and aimed his bishop across the diagonal and overwhelmed Eric", said the Captain.

Individual Winners

Board 1: Bruci Lopez (5-0)
Board 2: Eric Rodriguez
Board 3: Jeffrey De Jesus
Board 4: Michael Corello

Team Results

1
The Foreclosure Doctors

W20 W6 D12 W9 W2
2
Flaming Flamingos

W13 W7 W3 W4 L1

3
LUDWIG

W21 W15 L2 W12 W7

4
Foreclosing Your Castle

W14 W10 W8 L2 D6
5
ROBSON

W16 L8 D14 W20 W12

For more information check site below

http://www.centralflchess.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=60&cntnt01returnid=15

MICA Holds IM Invitational

2008-02-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

By FM Marcel Martinez (reprinted from USFC website w/ permission from the author)

MICA held an IM Invitational (January 2-8) right after the Pan-American Championship, also in Miami. The good news is that the Miami IM Invitational is here to stay! Sponsor and chess player Eric Hecht and organizer IM Blas Lugo are promising to make it happen in the future, at least 3 times a year. This is great for Miami chess, cause it means more GM and IM norm chances for the area.

The January IM invitational counted three IMs: IM Jacek Stopa, IM Blas Lugo and IM Evelio Otero. Jacek Stopa is from Poland, and goes to school at UTD. He had such a great time at the tournament we almost had to induct him into the Miami chess family. IM Blas Lugo had his hands full as player and organizer. IM Evelio Otero from Cuba is a very strong player who has been inactive for a while but is hoping to come back to the mix soon. The seven other players in the event were: FM’s Bruci Lopez and Marcel Martinez as well as locals: Marc Esserman, Eric Rodriguez, Rodelay Medina, Eric Hecht, Gaston Andretta (from Argentina but resides in Miami Beach).

The event was very hard fought and ended up in a three-way tie between IM Blas Lugo (who came out the winner on tiebreak), Harvard graduate Marc Esserman and me, Marcel Martinez. Without a doubt Esserman was the Cinderella story of the event, tying for first from the middle of the chart and achieving his first IM norm. He also did it in an amazing way by winning 6 games, losing two and drawing one. In Blas Lugo and my case, the result was less surprising as we were among the top seeded of the event.

I was a bit disappointed, but not with my result. I thought I had achieved my third and final IM norm. My FIDE rating is 2418 and many people think my IM title is long overdue! Unfortunately, I only played four titled players so I couldn't get the norm despite having a high enough performance rating. Esserman, who earned a norm, had the same score, but because I am an FM, his field included five titled players.

Jacek Stopa scored six points to finish right behind the top finishers. FM Bruci Lopez who just graduated from chess powerhouse UMBC just relocated to Miami , his hometown. Bruci did not have his best performance to date, though he finished with 5 out of 9. Bruci will be one of the Miami Sharks newest acquisitions for the 2008 U.S. Chess League. Evelio Otero scored 4 points but now is determined to change this performance for the next events. Argentinian National Master Gaston Andretta scored 3.5. Eric Rodriguez and former US High School Champion Rodelay Medina each earned 3 points. Rodelay had the flu at the tournament but even so, he won his game against Stopa, which was decided to be the Best Game of the event. Eric Hecht, the sponsor and player achieved 1 point out of 9, which will bring him into the FIDE list.

Having these events right in our neighborhood is great. Even better news is that they will keep happening so keep your eyes open for more news and norms from Miami.

In September 2008, The Miami Beach Convention Center will be the host of the II Miami Chess Open. The 2008 edition will be in South Beach to ensure the players fun while playing for $100,000 in prizes so mark your calendars for September 10 to 14 of 2008.

2008 South Regional Results

2008-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

The 2008 South Regional tournament exceeded expectations ( 560 students) as we continue to learn and strive to improve this premier tournament. The tournament will always be held on the last weekend in January. Authentic assessments (tournaments) are the true measuring stick for students. The competition was fierce especially in the K-3 section where Olympia Heights, University School and Amelia Earhart all scored 16 points. Not to be out done, the K-5 section also had three way tie for first place with 16 points including Flagami, Olympia Heights and Biscayne. Complete results can be seen at http://www.floridachess.org/ or http://www.bocachess.com/

The TDs above included some the best young players in the United State including former University of Maryland BC FM Bruci Lopez (2476), FAU student Eric Rodriguez (2245), FAU student Brian Goldstein (2091), MDC student Alex Villafuerte (1956), GM Renier Gonzalez (2568), MDC student Gil Luna (2073), FIU student William Kennedy (1717), and Santa Clara teacher Judy Flores. (not pictured..MDC Student Javier Torres (2232) and Greater Miami Chess Association president Ivan Ochoa (2005) .

Lopez (UMBC), Rodriguez (FAU), Goldstein (FAU), Villafuerte (MDC), Gonzalez (MDC), and Torres (MDC) recently participated in the Pan American championship involving the best colleges teams in the country. MDC and UMBC both advance to the final four.

K-1

1. Freedom Shores
2. Norwood
3. Amelia Earhart
4. Everglades K-8
5. Pinecrest Ft. Lauderdale
6. Olympia Heights
7. Biscayne
8. Eugenia B. Thomas
9. Reinassance
10. Twin Lakes

K-3

1. Olympia Heights
2. University School
3. Amelia Earhart
4. Flagami
5. Freedom Shores
6. Snapper Creek
7. Eugenia B. Thomas
8. Charles Hadley
9. Norwood
10. Everglades K-8

K-5

1. Flagami
2. Olympia Heights
3. Bicayne
4. Norwood
5. Mae Walters
6. North Dade Center for Modern Languages
7. Eugenia B. Thomas
8. Oliver Hoover
9. North Beach
10. Rockway Elementary

K-8

1. Rockway
2. University School
3. Jose Marti
4. Hialeah
5. Curry
6. Highland Oaks
7. Jane S Roberts
8. Doral
9. Miami Sprngs
10. Ammons

K-12

1. Archbishp McCarthy
2. Miami Beach
3. Southwest Senior
4. Suncoast
5. Coral Park
6. Archbishop Curley
7. Ferguson
8. Ronald Reagan
9.Palm Beach Lakes
10. Spanish River

2008 South Regional Championship Resonates

2008-01-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

561 scholastic chess players developed their problem solving skills at John A. Ferguson Senior High January 26, 2008

155 K-8 players participated in the 2008 South Regional

5 year old Zane Ice notates on his way to 5 straight wins

K-1 section making moves

Girls rule and boys........

Parents peeking in on pawn play

Mr. Martinez and Miami Springs Middle (chess elective)

North Dade School for Modern Languages Family

Teacher Annette Perpignano instructing her Flagami team

Bay Harbor Girl Power

Gil Luna poses with future champion

Snapper Creek Elementary -Tournament Warriors

Teacher Maribel Ferrer and Amelia Earhart K-3

Norwood Elementary Rises High

The Robinsons relax...

Teachers Mrs. Naranjo & Ms. Aguniaga and Everglades K-8 (K-3 team)

Teacher Rafael Trinidad and Highland Oaks Middle (chess elective)

William Kennedy, GM Renier Gonzalez, Judy Flores, Gil Luna, Brian Goldstein, Alexander"the Great" Villafuerte, Eric Rodriguez, and

Bruci" El Caballo"Lopez

Awards Presentation @ John A. Ferguson Senior

Freedom Shores

Flagami K-5 Wins K-5 Open Section

Hialeah Middle Wins Trophy

Teacher Silvio Lores and Jose Marti Middle place 3rd

Coral Park Senior (George Acevedo, Christine Martin and Inti Bogari)

Teacher Marcos Cohen and Southwest Senior place 3rd

Teacher Ben Silva and Beach High place 2nd (chess elective)