Over the years, countless people have often discussed ideas about making chess BIG. Well, chess is ALREADY big. According to CBS News, the USCF and a number of other sources, there are more than 45 million people in the United States who know how to play chess. Everywhere I go, when I mention the word chess, most people tell me they DO know how to play.
This number is obviously much bigger worldwide. A number of sources including FIDE estimate that there are over 700 million people who know how to play chess worldwide.
If each of us just takes a little bit of our time every week to promote chess in our own areas or just teach chess to children in local schools or clubs, imagine how big this number can grow to? I put an item on my blog about the FREE curriculum / Training Guide from the SPF and nearly 2,150 people from around 70 countries requested for it. How many children will benefit from this? The number is unimaginable!
Many teachers, principals, superintendents, parents, volunteers, etc. have told me that they really want to introduce chess to their children. The problem is they do not know how to start. That is why there is a need for this Training Guide.
Regardless of our backgrounds, religions, race, economic situation or gender, we can do our parts to make chess big. I thought a lot about this issue when I attended the Global Leadership Summit a few days ago. There were many influential people from all over the world attending the summit. What I got out of it is sometimes a small silly misunderstanding can trigger wars and loss of lives.
The conclusion is there are a lot of lack of understanding, mutual respect and tolerance among people. Chess can bridge that. When children play chess, regardless of their colors, race, gender or religions, they shake their opponent’s hands. We teach them the same after the game. That is why I heavily promote “Win with grace, lose with dignity!”
Chess can teach children respect, understanding, tolerance and it can create unique long lasting friendships. Let’s not forget the universal values of chess. Let’s teach our children right. That was why I agreed to join and supported the Chess for Peace initiative with former President Mikhail Gorbachev and WC Anatoly Karpov.
We can do out parts to make this world a better place. We can do our part to help our children. Together, we can make it happen. It is up to US!
Needless to say, you are absolutely correct. Chess is a game which is known in virtually all countries of the world. Praising your efforts would be repetitive from me, but your example stands out in a spectacular way.
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I however doubt the 45 million figure (number of people who know how to play chess in USA). That is 15% of the population, and I seriously doubt that under our current, rather broken educational system that would be a realistic number. Perhaps that many people know ABOUT chess.
This reminds me a “cute” story. In 1984 I wrote a computer program with the title Intellectual Decathlon (for the Apple II computer). It was accepted by MUSE software to be published. One day we had an argument, whether the word “decathlon” should be explained within the program (or not). The publisher claimed that it would be redundant, everybody knows what decathlon means. I offered a bet:”let’s go down to the street and randomly ask 20 people. If 3 knows, I give in (and don’t have to explain it). Only 1 out of the 20 knew it, even that one only “it’s some kind of sport”. So, it was explained in the program.
Unfortunately that is about the average cultural level these days. Not in your circles of course, but that is different and could be misleading.
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I wish I could offer my help in some credible way, but what can an old country ob-gyn doctor do?
Gabor
Oh yes, and the picture is a great symbolic expression what you are trying to communicate (:-).
Gabor
Your work is truly inspiring!
2150 people asking for your curriculum could possibly reach 50,000-100,000 children.
And if they introduce it to someone else………suddenly this really is becoming a global aligned movement.
The power of blogging is becoming clearer and clearer!
Thank-you for………….everything!
http://www.ncatregister.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/11/02/454a519cc929e
Also, as we get more notoriety as a center for chess, we’re going to attract other players of his stature, for example, I would like to get the Women’s International Grandmaster Susan Polgar.”
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20061113d
“I think chess is a blessing for our community,” Ashley said. “Our people are going to realize very soon just how much the game can benefit us. It helps with a lot of things that we want our kids to do, which is think better, reason better, concentrate, focus – just use our minds more – which is the bottom line. That’s where the money really is. I understand that we’re trying to be basketball stars and rappers and all that, but the percentage is very, very small that our kids are going to be able to do that. However, if we can train the young minds of our people to be doctors, lawyers, scientists and engineers, then we’re doing something special, and I consider chess to be a vehicle for that.”
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The stories that really warm my heart are when the kids who play chess go on to college and become successful. There’s a strong correlation right there between chess and success in life.”
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Joseph Graves, who serves as the Dean of University Studies at A&T, was responsible for bringing Ashley to Greensboro and agrees that chess can make a valuable impact on one’s life. Like Ashley, Graves said he began playing chess at an early age and experienced first-hand just how advantageous the game can be.
“I started out as a Westfield Pawn (a youth chess organization) in New Jersey and playing chess is what got me into the intellectual circles I needed to be in to compete for the top scholarships to go to the best colleges,” Graves said.
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“It was a long road,” Ashley said. “First, you have to win major competitions and there are not a lot of those kinds of competitions here in the United States. I didn’t have the money to go to Europe, but I just kept working at it. First, I became an international master, which is the title right below grand master. Then finally, after I had been working for several years at an organization that taught kids chess and I went to the philanthropist who was financing that and said, ‘I’m really dreaming about becoming a grand master. Is there anything you can do to help me?’ He said, ‘You’ve done a lot for us over the years, why don’t you take some time off’. Eventually, I got a sponsor and that’s how I was able to travel to Europe and get a private coach. And the rest is history.”
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Chess master says game can help kids
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=314761
It was in a library like Rock Island High School’s where he fell in love with chess. He knew the game, but was often beaten by better players.
“A guy beat me so badly it wasn’t even funny,” Mr. Ashley recalled of the pivotal chess game of his life.
He found a chess book in the library of Brooklyn Technical High School. He absorbed that book, then found others. His skills increased. Instead of losing he was winning — often.
He went to City College of New York and started teaching chess to students at a nearby school. The team Mr. Ashley coached, the Raging Rooks, won a national championship in 1991.
He is devoted to teaching the game. “I believe in the mission of chess,” he said. “It is a wonderful alternative for kids and develops kids’ minds. It is not the cure-all, but it is one of the ways to develop discipline and focus.”
Dr Garbo you make it sound that education in the US is a bit down and out..Here in Australia we have always looked up to the American education system being of a very high standard in general over all way of speaking….I personally think that computerisation has caught everyone and including the education system and the way things work a bit of guard…
As far as our chess goes we have a long way to go,our percentage would only be a fraction of that in the US but I’m working on that as I’m teaching two 6 and 7 year old boys to play the game using Susans DVDs and teaching method and shortly try to get a local chess cub going and also try to get the local schools to play chess..(the six year old boy won his first game on ICC against a 1150 rated player the other day) Three month ago he didn’t know how to move the chess pieces.
if it wasn’t for Susans chess blog that boy would not be playing or learning to play chess today
Susan
Are you playing Karpov this year again? Will he be in Kansas?
hoddy said…
Dr Garbo you make it sound that education in the US is a bit down and out.
Elementary and high school education is a bit down and out in USA. I was once hiring a secretary. Among other things I asked each person I interviewed that how much is 6*18. The first nine could not answer without a calculator or pencil and paper. Only the tenth knew it. All high school graduates at least.
I won’t go into the details, it would be beyond the scope of this blog. University level education is good, but the rest if pathetic. I could tell you things, stories, you wouldn’t believe.
[i]Susans DVDs and teaching method and shortly try to get a local chess cub going and also try to get the local schools to play chess..[/i]
Well, as the result of Susan’s enthusiasm, I did start a chess club in the local school. I will not brag about it until I see students stay and the club succeed. We will see.
Gabor
I am sure you will succeed I wish you all the best you will find that chess mums are a power of strengths and purport