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Welcome to our Scholastic Chess Page. Here you'll find information of special interest to junior players, from stories about today's young chess superstars
In 2004, GM Hikaru Nakamura, 16, Won the Overal US Champioship!
Check out the the official site for the full story! Lots of photos and blog entries from the players, including Nakamura.
This exciting event included 12 of the top American players ranging from age 16 to 19. Special feature coverage includes the final standings and biographies of the players. For the 1997 event now underway, see US Chess Federation news feature.
Chess is an international sport, and its grandmasters often step forward to help the world's children. While many charity events, like the amazing US Chessathon, focus on getting chess equipment and lessons into schools, others take a more direct approach. In 1996, two separate groups of grandmasters worked on charity events to benefit children more directly.
FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov held a simul exhibition in mid-1996 to benefit the children of Chernobyl, who were affected by an accident at a Russian nuclear plant a number of years ago. These children still show a much higher rate of cancer than typical, and need medical assistance. The Champion raised funds by giving a simultaneous exhibition. Adults were asked to pay a fee: children were asked to bring a new toy.
One of the biggest problems in
Bosnia is left-over landmines. Recently, a special match was
staged between a team of two Norwegian Grandmasters and two
Bosnian Grandmasters, to help raise funds to assist in clearing
these mines. The match, which featured a lot of exciting chess,
ended up tied at 4-4: but the children of Bosnia will be the real
winners. For game scores and commentary in Norwegian, see the
Norwegian news site at http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/forste/sjakk.htm.
The Chess Coaches Homepage at Exeter has put together a great collection of sayings on chess.
You may know this:
"When I have White, I win because I am white;
When I have Black, I win because I am Bogolyubov."
--Bogolyubov
But who said:
"Chess is mental torture."
[Hint: He was the youngest World Champion in chess history, and he recently played a match against the strongest chess-playing computer on the planet--and won! ]
More Information on the 1st Man/Machine match!
The winner was the number one junior player in the US, Grandmaster Gabriel Schwartzman, age 19, who had a perfect 6-0 Result! This event was played online at the Internet Chess Club, and included players from a dozen countries around the world.
Think you're ready for tournaments? The US Chess Federation has a number of scholastic events around the United States. You can get a rating, play with kids from other schools, and have a lot of fun! They also publish a bi-monthly chess newsletter just for kids called SCHOOL MATES. Cost for membership (magazine included) is $10/year.
Canada also has a scholastic chess association, the Chess and Math Association. (Epileptics beware--this site uses WAY too many "blink" tags!)
The Chess'n Math Association (CMA) is a non-profit organization with provincial coordinators dedicated to bringing the game of chess to schools across Canada.
Lots of information on scholastic chess in Canada, including reports on local tournaments and how Canadian juniors did in important international events. They also publish Scholar's Mate, a chess magazine aimed at kids ages 7-12, published 5 times a year for about $12 Canadian.
I'll be glad to include links to junior chess organizations in other countries: just drop me an e-mail!
These resources are available
at other Scholastic Chess Sites
Duif also writes articles for several other chess sites. The US Chess Federation has started a new Fun Facts feature as part of its Chess Buzz each week. These include trivia questions, the lighter side of the chess news, and features on junior superstars. See Chess Life Online Index for a list of features available.
See:
Coaches: Don't miss Dr. Dave's fine CHESS COACHING homepage from Exeter, England
Looking for coaching ideas? Help for promising juniors? For more information on the CHESS IN THE SCHOOLS program in the U.S., check the ACF homepage
Get a Free Listing in our new International Directory of Chess Teachers on our Teachers' Page
Copyright 1996-2005, J. Duif Calvin, California.
All rights reserved.
Last update on 04/21/2005