Chess Experts

On Friday, March 4, only five students attended, due to a tennis tournament and Calculus Bowl being held at the same time. Nevertheless, it was a productive chess club meeting. I worked with two students on the "king and pawn versus king win" from People, Places, Checkmates: Teaching Social Studies with Chess while two other students completed a ladder game. When the fifth student arrived, he helped the two groups solve the Eight Queens problem featured in my book Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving.

For March 2, I had two new boys for a total of 9 (7 boys, 2 girls). This is the lesson plan and also what actually happened today.

Objectives: Students will use algebraic chess notation to read and write chess. Students will propose a best move for presented positions from a game between two of their classmates and tell why they chose that move.

I gave two presentations at University of Texas of the Permian Basin on Monday, March 1, 2010. For the three-hour morning presentation, 246 schoolchildren and their teachers and coordinators from the gifted and talented programs in Odessa and Midland, and some other educators as well, attended. One boy solved the knight's tour as reported in the local paper. Another local paper also covered the story, and I was interviewed by a TV reporter too.

On Friday, February 25, 2011, I divided the Denton High School chess club students into four teams of three students for two games of team chess. Here’s some more information on how to implement team chess, which I first learned about at Jim Liptrap’s Klein Chess Camp (where it had previously been introduced by Brownsville chess coach J.J. Guajardo). Summary: A two- to three-person student team consults at their analysis board.

For February 23 after-school chess I had four students (3 boys and 1 girl). Some of my students had pre-UIL practices for their instruments, which may explain the low attendance. Objectives: Each student will take notation for some or all of the ladder chess game. Students will discuss the importance of reading and writing in chess and in general, as also covered in my book Read, Write, Checkmate: Enrich Literacy with Chess Activities.

Before volunteering for Denton High School chess club today, I was at UT Dallas to receive The President’s Volunteer Service Award, Bronze level. That award recognized that I volunteered between 100 and 249 hours in 2010, much of it teaching chess! I sat next to Saheli Nath, who was also receiving a Bronze-level award. The high school chess club meeting today was mostly casual games.

On February 16, 8 students (5 boys and 3 girls) attended chess club in the cafeteria. I learned that it is harder for blindfolded students to move like a bishop than a rook. Objectives: Students will work in trainer-trainee groups on the bishop section of chapter 5 of Read, Write, Checkmate: Enrich Literacy with Chess Activities.They will fill out their trainer-trainee worksheets, featured in People, Places, Checkmates: Teaching Social Studies with Chess. They may then go on to another section of chapter 5, or go over a previously played chess game (post mortem).

On February 9 I had 12 students (9 boys and 3 girls) in the after-school chess club at Strickland Middle School. For the first time, we didn't get our classroom. Rather, we were in the cafeteria with other after-school groups. On the plus side, this attracted four students who had either never come to chess before or who had come only once or twice before. Also, we had more room to move around. On the minus side, some of the tables weren't the best shape for chess boards and it was noisier.

Today, February 2, 2010, I had 8 students (6 boys and 2 girls, all of whom had attended at least once before) for after-school chess club at Strickland Middle School. Here is what happened during the class (3:45-5p.m.)

Objectives: Students begin to learn notation. Students play a ladder game.

Barnes & Noble Chess in Education event: 1989 U.S. Women's Chess Champion Dr. Alexey Root and Denton High School Chess Club officers host an all-ages FREE chess event including a book signing, activities like "Pawn Game" and "Battleship Chess," and chess information for educators and parents. Saturday March 19, 2011 1:00 PM

Today students played ladder games. Officers also reported that chess club T shirt pre-orders will be available next Friday. Chess club officers want T shirts in time for their bookstore presentation with Alexey Root on March 19.

Seven boys and two girls showed up January 26 after school for chess club. Here was the lesson plan that we followed.

Objectives: Students will work in trainer-trainee groups on the rook section of the trainer-trainee worksheet. They may then go on to another section of the trainee worksheet of their choice, or go over a previously played chess game (post mortem).