IN OUR PROGRAM STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PRACTICE SPORTSMANSHIP AND ETIQUETTE ALL THE TIME. STUDENTS ARE HELD TO THE STANDARD OF TREATING EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT. THROUGH CHESS WE TEACH THE STUDENTS NOT ONLY ADVANCED CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS BUT ALSO FAIR PLAY AND ETHICS.
 

CHESS DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTES TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. CHESS MAKES KIDS SMARTER. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE SKILLS:

CONCENTRATION: CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT THE BENEFITS OF OBSERVING CAREFULLY AND CONCENTRATING. IF THEY DO NOT WATCH WHAT IS HAPPENING, THEY CANNOT RESPOND TO IT, NO MATTER HOW SMART THEY ARE.

VISUALIZING: CHILDREN ARE PROMPTED TO IMAGINE A SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS BEFORE IT HAPPENS. WE STRENGTHEN THE ABILITY TO VISUALIZE BY TRAINING THEM TO SHIFT THE PIECES IN THEIR MIND, FIRST ONE, THEN SEVERAL MOVES AHEAD.

THINKING AHEAD: CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT TO THINK FIRST, THEN ACT. WE TEACH THEM TO ASK THEMSELVES "IF I DO THIS, WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN THEN, AND HOW CAN I RESPOND?"

CHESS DEVELOPS MEMORY: THE CHESS THEORY IS COMPLICATED, AND MANY PLAYERS MEMORIZE DIFFERENT OPENING VARIATIONS. YOU WILL ALSO LEARN TO RECOGNIZE VARIOUS PATTERNS AND REMEMBER LENGTHY VARIATIONS.

CHESS DEVELOPS LOGICAL THINKING: CHESS REQUIRES SOME UNDERSTANDING OF LOGICAL STRATEGY, FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES AND RULES AND METHODS OF ACTIONS. MISTAKES ARE INEVITABLE, AND CHESS, LIKE LIFE, IS A NEVER-ENDING LEARNING PROCESS.)

CHESS PROMOTES IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY: IT ENCOURAGES YOU TO BE INVENTIVE. THERE IS AN INDEFINITE AMOUNT OF BEAUTIFUL COMBINATIONS YET TO BE CONSTRUCTED.

CHESS TEACHES INDEPENDENCE: YOU ARE FORCED TO MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS INFLUENCED ONLY BY YOUR OWN JUDGMENT.

CHESS DEVELOPS THE CAPABILITY TO PREDICT AND FORESEE CONSEQUENCES OF ACTIONS: IT TEACHES YOU TO LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET.

CHESS SHOWS THAT SUCCESS REWARDS HARD WORK: THE MORE YOU PRACTICE, THE BETTER YOU WILL BECOME. YOU SHOULD BE READY TO LOSE AND LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. ONE OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS EVER, CAPABLANCA SAID, "YOU MAY LEARN MUCH MORE FROM A GAME YOU LOSE THAN FROM A GAME YOU WIN. YOU WILL HAVE TO LOSE HUNDREDS OF GAMES BEFORE BECOMING A GOOD PLAYER."

WEIGHING OPTIONS: CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO DO THE FIRST THING THAT POPS INTO THEIR MIND. THEY LEARN TO IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVES AND CONSIDER THE PROS AND CONS OF VARIOUS ACTIONS.

ANALYZING CONCRETELY: CHILDREN LEARN TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF SPECIFIC ACTIONS AND SEQUENCES. DOES THIS SEQUENCE HELP ME OR HURT ME? DECISIONS ARE BETTER WHEN GUIDED BY LOGIC, RATHER THAN IMPULSE.

THINKING ABSTRACTLY: CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT TO STEP BACK PERIODICALLY FROM DETAILS AND CONSIDER THE BIGGER PICTURE. THEY ALSO LEARN TO TAKE PATTERNS USED IN ONE CONTEXT AND APPLY THEM TO DIFFERENT, BUT RELATED SITUATIONS.

PLANNING: CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT TO DEVELOP LONGER RANGE GOALS AND TAKE STEPS TOWARD BRINGING THEM ABOUT. THEY ARE ALSO TAUGHT OF THE NEED TO REEVALUATE THEIR PLANS AS NEW DEVELOPMENTS CHANGE THE SITUATION.

GOAL SETTING: TO IMPROVE AT CHESS YOU MUST SET YOUR GOALS (SET LONG TERM/MIDRANGE/SHORT GOALS).

CHESS AND MATH: CHESS INVOLVES AN INFINITE NUMBER OF CALCULATIONS, ANYTHING FROM COUNTING THE NUMBER OF ATTACKERS AND DEFENDERS IN THE EVENT OF A SIMPLE EXCHANGE TO CALCULATING LENGTHY CONTINUATIONS. AND YOU USE YOUR HEAD TO ANALYZE, EVALUATE, AND CALCULATE.

CHESS AND SCIENCE: CHESS DEVELOPS THE SCIENTIFIC WAY OF THINKING. WHILE PLAYING, YOU GENERATE NUMEROUS VARIATIONS IN YOUR MIND. YOU EXPLORE NEW IDEAS, TRY TO PREDICT THEIR OUTCOMES, AND INTERPRET SURPRISING REVELATIONS. YOU DECIDE ON A HYPOTHESIS, AND THEN YOU MAKE YOUR MOVE AND TEST IT.

CHESS AND TECHNOLOGY: WHAT DO CHESS PLAYERS DO DURING THE GAME? JUST LIKE COMPUTERS THEY ENGAGE IN A SEARCH FOR THE BETTER MOVE, BETTER PLAN, AND IDEAS IN A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW? YOU ARE USING A COMPUTER AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING.

CHESS AND ART: YOUR IMAGINATION WILL RUN WILD WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES ON THE 64 SQUARES. YOU WILL PAINT PICTURES IN YOUR MIND OF IDEAL POSITIONS AND PERFECT OUTPOSTS FOR YOUR SOLDIERS. AS A CHESS ARTIST YOU WILL HAVE AN ORIGINAL STYLE AND PERSONALITY.

CHESS AND PSYCHOLOGY: CHESS IS A TEST OF PATIENCE, NERVES, WILL POWER AND CONCENTRATION. IT ENHANCES YOUR ABILITY TO INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. IT TESTS YOUR SPORTSMANSHIP IN A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT.

CHESS IMPROVES SCHOOLWORK AND GRADES: STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THAT KIDS WHO PLAYS CHESS OBTAIN A GREAT LEARNING ABILITY. FOR ALL THOSE REASONS MENTIONED ABOVE AND MORE, KIDS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO SUCCEED IN LIFE.

CHESS OPENS THE WORLD FOR YOU: YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A HIGH RANKED PLAYER/PROFESSIONAL TO ENTER BIG IMPORTANT COMPETITIONS. EVEN TOURNAMENTS SUCH AS THE US OPEN AND THE WORLD OPEN WELCOME PLAYERS OF ALL STRENGTHS. CHESS PROVIDES YOU WITH PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TRAVEL NOT ONLY ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY BUT ALSO AROUND THE WORLD. CHESS IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, AND YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ANYONE OVER THE BOARD.

CHESS ENABLES YOU TO MEET MANY INTERESTING PEOPLE: YOU WILL MAKE LIFE-LONG FRIENDSHIPS WITH PEOPLE YOU MEET THROUGH CHESS.

CHESS IS CHEAP: ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR COMPUTER! OR A SIMPLE CHESS SET WHICH IS CHEAP.

CHESS IS FUN! PLAYERS CREATE NEW IDEAS IN MANY GAMES. IT NEVER GETS BORING. YOU ALWAYS HAVE SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO. IN EVERY GAME YOU ARE THE GENERAL OF AN ARMY AND YOU ALONE DECIDE THE DESTINY OF YOUR SOLDIERS. YOU HAVE GOT THE POWER! TO SUMMARIZE EVERYTHING IN THREE LITTLE WORDS: CHESS IS EVERYTHING! THE BEAUTY OF CHESS AS A TEACHING TOOL IS THAT IT STIMULATES CHILDREN'S MINDS AND HELPS THEM TO BUILD THESE SKILLS WHILE ENJOYING THEMSELVES. AS A RESULT, CHILDREN BECOME MORE CRITICAL THINKERS, BETTER PROBLEM SOLVERS, AND MORE INDEPENDENT DECISION MAKERS.