Chess’ governing body works to usher in a new era for the game
By Drew Ruble
Of the numerous championship events sanctioned by the nonprofit, 84,000-member, Crossville-based United States Chess Federation—the game’s official governing body—none are more myth-busting than the National Elementary Championship. Held last month at the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville, the event features hundreds of four-, five- and six-year-old players huddled together in a single location brooding silently over their next move for hours at a time.
“It really shows the power that chess has,” says Federation president Bill Hall, a native Crossvillian and three-time state chess champion himself. “We’ve had child psychologists walk in the room and say, ‘This is not possible.’”
Studies prove chess can significantly improve student achievement and behavior. Not surprisingly, the Federation is heavily focused on scholastic outreach. What would help, Hall admits, is an image makeover to improve the game’s appeal in the eyes of more students. Perhaps the arrival of another Bobby Fisher-type on the scene would help. Or chess’ equivalent of a Tiger Woods.
“Chess in general has an image problem of being a community comprised of geeks and nerds,” Hall says. “We’re trying to tackle that head-on.”
The Federation’s Chess Life magazine, chock-full of cool-looking, sunglass-wearing kid chess champions, serves as a testament to that effort.
With its staff of about 30 employees and a $3.2 million budget, the Federation is hardly capable of Herculean efforts in promoting the game. Instead, it focuses on core functions of hosting annual tournaments, sanctioning the recognized player rating system in America and, as Hall describes, “facilitating the spread of the grassroots effort.”
Just how did the national chess headquarters wind up relocating to Crossville in February of 2005? Facing financial difficulties, the once New York-based Federation selected Crossville from about 40 suitors on the strength of its offer of a quarter-million-dollar property, and free room and board to employees during headquarters construction. Predictably, hurt feelings stemming from the site-selection process and the Federation’s inability to achieve financial savings following the move at least in part explain what Hall refers to as the Federation’s recent “tumultuous history leading to the present day.” Hall’s hiring two years ago made him the Federation’s ninth leader in 10 years.
Source: BusinessTN.com. Click here to read the full article.
Well all of us USCF members have the opportunity to change the USCF’s future through the upcoming USCF executive board elections.
So vote wisely people!
Even in *this* article *image* has surfaced!
Concerning image enhancement and chess I offer the following for consideration:
Something similar to, but different from the color ranking of a martial artist’s competitive garb could be instituted for chessplayers. Each rating class would be dressed in a distinctive “chess uniform” of a different color.
Some advantages: chess events would be more colorful. Spectators would be able to instantly differentiate between a master and a class E player.
With proper marketing and publicity non-players could find chess to be a more desirable activity to participate in — and to move up in color (rating class).
With carefully designed “uniforms” speed chess might be made even more captivating to watch than it is now.
We could dispense with “business” suits as well as T-shirts and create an image specific to chess.
This is a change that could have a positive impact on *all* competitive chess — from beginners to world champions and everywhere in between.
whg
Given some of the information Susan has posted here in the past few days, it’s totally ironic that the USCF is identified as pro-scholastic events in this article! Ha ha ha!
Janet Newton