We are pleased
to announce a course for trainers on
Wednesday 23rd May
2012 in London.This course is open to anyone,
regardless of teaching/playing experience.
We are pleased
to announce a new course for trainers on
Wednesday 27th
June 2012 in Middlesbrough.
This course is open to anyone,
regardless of teaching/playing experience.
For more information or to book your place
click here.
Sacred Heart, Liverpool reach the Lancashire
Megafinal
30th April 2012
23 players from Sacred
Heart Primary School in Liverpool made a
coach trip to Oldham on Saturday 21 April
for the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge
Megafinal. An incredible number!
Four qualified for the
Gigafinal at Derby in July and we are
thrilled that Geeya Joy (following in Emily
Adams footsteps) won the U7 girls with a
score of 4/6. Tom McGann of
Northway also qualified and was 3rd in the
U9 with 4/6 ... [read
more]
4th London Chess Classic
confirmed
London
5th April 2012
I am delighted to announce that the 4th London Chess Classic
will be held from December 1st - 10th, 2012. The tournament will again be a nine
player all play all. I will announce the players, venue and prize fund in due
course ... [read
more]
Malcolm Pein
Chief Executive
Vodafone Award
5th March 2012
Chess in
Schools and Communities is delighted to
announce that one of our coaches,
Clive Hill,
has recently won a Vodafone World of
Difference award.
He was one of 500 winners
chosen out of 8,000 applications in a
national competition organised by the
Vodafone Foundation. His part-time paid
placement will last for four months (March
to June 2012) and he will be working on our
relations with other charitable and
voluntary bodies on teaching in some of our
West London partner schools, and on new
fund-raising ideas for our organisation.
In the next few
months, Chess in Schools and Communities
will be seeking to initiate partnerships
with like-minded bodies who are also seeking
to improve educational outcomes, and foster
social development amongst disadvantaged
children through extra-curricula activities
such as art, music, drama and physical
sport.
If this is an
idea that might interest you or your
organisation, Clive can be contacted
directly at .
Strasbourg Visit Report
Wednesday 15th
February 2012
CSC is
working with the Kasparov Chess Foundation
Europe and European Chess Union (ECU) on a
political campaign to garner support for
chess to be introduced to schools
Europe-wide.
The
focus of the campaign is a written
declaration which can be found here
http://www.kcfe.eu/wd50.
Malcolm Pein,
CEO of CSC and Rudi Valcke,
chess teacher (BE)
explain the
benefits of chess during the
Chess
in School seminar at the EU (on
the left Garry Kasparov)
This was
sponsored by 5 MEPS from the UK, Finland,
Italy, Bulgaria and Malta.
Written declarations need the support of
half of all MEPs before they can go
before the European Commission for
consideration and possible action.
For the last 6
months Garry Kasparov and his team, aided by the
office of Bulgarian MEP Slavi Binev have been
working tirelessly to secure the signatures of 380
MEPs. I am delighted to report that to date 377
signatures have been received!
Thanks to all those associated with CSC
who wrote to their MEP's.
Would you like a chess club in
your school. We are considering
new applications for 2011-12.
Click here to join the Urban
Chess Scheme.
CSC runs
regular training courses on how
to teach chess. Please click
here to be sent more
information.
Does your
school need chess sets and
boards?
If you
have a question about chess in
schools or on anything about
chess.
Carlsen on US TV news
magazine 60 minutes
Sunday 19th
February 2012
Magnus Carlsen appeared on the prestigious news show "60 Minutes" which has
run on CBS since 1968. Reporter Bob Simon profiled Carlsen in a segment that
appeared Sunday February 19th 2012.
You can now see this interview and much additional material. There is footage
of Carlsen in Norway and playing at the London Chess Classic alongside the
interview.
The following is a script from "Mozart of Chess" which aired on Feb. 19,
2012. Bob Simon is the correspondent. Michael Gavshon and Drew Magratten,
producers.
Magnus Carlsen is the best in the world. He is a 21-year-old
Norwegian, reigns supreme in a sport played by 500 million people. It is
chess. Many don't think of it as a sport because nobody moves, but chess
masters will tell you it can be more brutal than boxing.
That's because at the championship level, the objective is not only to
win, but to demolish your opponent. That can take hours, the best players need
extraordinary endurance...so most of them are young. Magnus is the youngest
number one ever.
And no one can explain to you how he does what he does. It seems to come
from another world, which is why he has become known as the Mozart of chess.
Help the EU Chess in Schools campaign. Write
to your MEP!
Chess in
Schools and Communities is supporting the
Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe's campaign
to get chess introduced into schools
Europe-wide. A declaration on Chess in
School is gaining traction at the European
Parliament.
In Armenia all six-year-olds study chess; in
UK schools it 'fell off a cliff' in the
1980s. But its educational benefits are
plentiful.
Guardian
online commentator calls for chess to be in
schools. [read
more]
Bristol Course
A
report about the
Bristol Course on 14th March
2012 is available
here.
First birthday reception for the charity
Chess in Schools and Communities
18 October 2011
Rachel Reeves MP, Member
of Parliament for Leeds West, hosted our first birthday
reception in the Jubilee Room at Westminster on Tuesday.
A huge thank you to Rachel who recently
visited
one of our schools in her constituency to give a
simultaneous display. Despite not having played
competitively for many years, she remains a very good
player and even Garry was impressed.
Children from Teesside,
Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol,
Barnet, Hackney, Newham and Hammersmith and Fulham were
accompanied by their teachers and parents. Every child
got the chance to take on Nigel Short in a simultaneous
display. Rachel spoke about how learning chess at an
early age had helped her. CSC are also grateful to the
13th World Champion Garry Kasparov who came to London
and spoke at the event as well as making many media
appearances. Thanks also to Nigel Short who played the
children and a few MPs without losing a game!
Grandmaster Jonathan
Rowson and our Field Worker England international
Sabrina Chevannes, also made some moves. There was an
outstanding performance from Matteo Walls of William
Patten School in Hackney who nearly drew. I played a few
moves and came to his board to find the position
completely equal after about 30 moves – well done!
Rachel’s colleagues in
the Labour Shadow Cabinet; Angela and Maria Eagle also
attended the event. They, like Rachel, were strong
junior players but in my home city of Liverpool.
A
report about the Nottingham
Introductory Course on 1st February
2012 is available
here.
CSC and the London Classic
CSC is
running free lessons for schools at this
year's
London Chess Classic. All schools are
welcome. We are also organising the 2nd
English Junior Rapidplay on December 10th
also at Olympia.
22.09.11 -
I am
writing to tell you of an exciting
development in CSC’s campaign to promote
chess in UK schools. Following our
appearance on BBC Breakfast I was contacted
by Yasmin Qureshi MP who asked if she could
assist. She has kindly submitted an Early
Day Motion to Parliament.
How to get
involved, write to your MP!
The strength of
an EDM is measured by the number of MPs who
sign it so please write to your MP and ask
them to do so. MPs usually react positively
to such requests. You can find out who your
MP is by entering your postcode here
http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/ and you
can write to your MP via this website.
http://www.writetothem.com/
Your own words
are best but you can use this text: As
your constituent, I am writing to ask you to
sign EDM 2158 on Chess.As a teacher
/ chess coach / parent / chess player I am
convinced of the benefits of introducing the
game of chess to children at a young age.
04.07.11 - Chess in Schools and Communities
is delighted to announce that the 3rd London Chess Classic will be staged at the
Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington from Saturday 3rd December to Monday
12th December. The 3rd edition of what has already become one of the world’s
most prestigious tournaments will be bigger and better than its predecessors,
with more children’s events and an even stronger field, the composition of which
will be announced shortly.
There will be
two extra rounds, as the addition of one more top flight player to this year’s
main event will make it a nine player all play all. One player will sit out each
day and keep the spectators at Olympia and online, doubly entertained by joining
the commentary team. The field is almost complete and is absolutely stellar with
the world champion Vishy Anand aiming to unseat Magnus Carlsen, the winner of
the first two London Chess Classic tournaments.
The English
players will again be led by the UK number one Michael Adams and former world
title challenger Nigel Short. David Howell, who surprised everyone including
perhaps himself with his stunning debut in 2009 when he came third, will be
aiming to repeat this success.
• Schools can visit the Classic for free
coaching.
See times and dates.
Interested? Let us know
.
• To see the full schedule for this year's
Classic, including details for schools, click
here.
In 2010, 500 children came to the London
Classic for free chess lessons from GMs IMs
and top chess coaches. This year we will be
doubling the number of invitations to
schools and free lessons will be available
on five days. See details about this
exciting opportunity and photos from 2010
here.
CSC activities in Newham were featured in
The Times
This initiative is tremendously powerful in
terms of raising our pupils' confidence and
aspirations. We are very grateful to CSC for
including us in their programme. I am proud
of our pupils - they are so enthusiastic and
dedicated. It is a privilege to be able to
see the impact it is having on them.
Anabela Monteiro
As a
mother of one of these marvellous kids I can
assure you that they really do love it. I am
tremendously proud of my son being one of
the selected to be part of the 'chess in
schools' programme and representing this
amazing school.
Whizzkids from two Stoke Newington primary
schools have emerged at the London Classic.
Pupils from William Patten in Stoke
Newington Church Street won the under 10s
category at the London Chess Classic Junior
tournament held in Kensington’s Olympia.
[see more]
Our Mission
To encourage teaching and
playing chess in state schools
and inner city communities.
To organise and promote world
class chess events as a catalyst
for mass participation.
To raise the profile of chess
and highlight its educational
and social benefits.
Featured testimonial
Dear Malcolm,
May I thank you for the efforts you have
gone to to make us feel welcome at the Chess
Classic. It was everything that we hoped
for. Charlie Chess was phenomenal and has
given us plenty of food for thought as we
ponder taking chess forward at LJS. From
start to finish you have accommodated us and
made us feel very welcome.
Mr T
Dear Malcolm,
Thank you so much for such an excellent day
out today! The children all had a superb
time, loved the thrill of the auditorium and
Dan King's generous lesson, not to mention
the free mugs and T-shirts!
Your organisation made the whole day a real
pleasure, so many thanks indeed.
Mark
Our next move
2011-12: To use the best methods
divined
from year one in the pilot area and prepare
to scale up.
Introduce chess to
13,000 primary
schools in England and Wales and have 1
million children playing by 2015.
To establish a long-term partnership with
public or private partners.
