Nearly 25 Girl Scouts from a variety of troops came together at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) on Saturday, March 5 for a fun-filled day that included a tour of the World Chess Hall of Fame and an instructive lesson from resident GM Varuzhan Akobian. The Girl Scouts earned a special new patch for their efforts in learning chess and hopefully made some new friends while getting acquainted with the sport.
It was inspiring to see so many young women who are involved with an organization that helps to empower girls all over the world standing in the tournament hall of the CCSCSL, where they would later participate in a mock tournament of their own. After a tour of the Chess Club, the Girl Scouts were split into two groups and went to the World Chess Hall of Fame where they played chess and made crowns and shields in the Kings, Queens & Castles exhibit on the second floor. Later, they were shown the Ladies’ Knight: A Female Perspective on Chess and Her Turn: Revolutionary Women of Chess exhibits, where they asked a lot of good questions about the powerful artwork by female artists influenced by chess and learned more about female chess players.
Following the WCHOF tour, the Girl Scouts returned to the Club for lunch and then learned the basics of tournament etiquette and some chess training from GM Varuzhan Akobian. The GM lesson was accessible and fun for everyone and made all of the girls excited to checkmate each other in their tournament.
The Girl Scouts paid close attention to the new rules they had just learned, including touch-move and hitting the clock with the same hand with which they moved their pieces. After the game, the girls played freely with each other before having a snack, receiving their new patches and saying goodbye to the Chess Club.
The CCSCSL looks forward to seeing the Girl Scouts again soon, and appreciate everyone who made this fun and educational event happen so smoothly.
For more information about the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and World Chess Hall of Fame visit http://stlchesscampus.com/. To learn more about the Girl Scouts of Saint Louis, visit www.girlscoutsem.org.
