October 2011
CSC is up-and-running with four schools
signed up to the programme in Cardiff. In
this Autumn term we have started teaching at
two of them:
Kitchener Primary School in the Riverside
area and Mount Stuart Primary in Butetown.
In both schools we have been welcomed by
helpful teachers and hugely enthusiastic
pupils – their excitement is so rewarding
and delightful. They’re probably just
naturally polite but they make us feel like
the morning or afternoon we spend with them
is the highlight of their school week.
The mixture of Year 3 and Year 4
children, almost without exception, had not
played any chess in their lives before.
Although they had heard some of the names of
the pieces only a couple had any idea how
any of them moved.
Over the next few weeks therefore we took
them slowly and steadily through (in order)
the Pawns, the Rooks, the Kings, the
Bishops, the Knights and the Queens.
In each case we would learn how they
moved then play mini-games using just those
pieces or those pieces plus pawns so that
they gradually came to master them.
Now at last they are able to play “proper
chess” and once we return from half-term
we’ll be getting engrossed in the mysteries
of opening (develop those bishops and
knights) and middlegame tactics (watch out
for forks and pins). We can’t wait and
neither can they!
We are building up towards a Junior Team
Tournament taking place in Cardiff on the
3rd December and will have teams there
representing each of the four CSC schools.
Our next report will be all about that – a
first taste of tournament chess for most of
the children. In January we will be adding
two more schools to the weekly teaching
rota:
St Paul’s Primary School in
Grangetown and Hawthorn Primary School
in Llandaff North.
We have started supporting these schools
already and established chess clubs there,
but we look forward to giving all Year 3 /
Year 4 pupils the opportunity to learn the
game.
A fantastic day was had by all and the
four children; Euan and Matthew Richards,
Eve Farrow and Owen Stanley all gave great
account of themselves in the simultaneous
display by Nigel Short.
Finally here are the four St Paul’s
children posing with their MP Alun Michael
(Lab, Cardiff South and Penarth). All in all
a great start, and we look forward to
helping take CSC from strength to strength
here in Cardiff.
Tim & Sarah Kett
26th Oct 2011
Click
to see this report on our News page
