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Legal Moves

On Friday, October 25th, the Saint Louis Chess Club partnered with the Missouri Department of Youth Services (DYS) in hosting the 1st Annual St. Louis Cops Helping Enhance Student Skills (C.H.E.S.S) COPS/DYS chess tournament at the Saint Louis Chess Club.  This event was put together to create an opportunity to build better community relationships between police officers and youth. It that and then some. It was an amazing and tightly contested event. It went from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Positivity permeated the air from start to finish. The mutually displayed sportsmanship was remarkable.

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C.H.E.S.S. in Saint Louis: Communities Learning From One Another

C.H.E.S.S. Cops was launched on Monday, February 11, 2019.  What began as as simple breakfast with officers and students enjoying ches over coffee and orange juice, ultimately expounded itself into a multifaceted community outreach program.

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More to It

I’m not quite sure exactly how many lessons I’ve given on how the rook moves, what fork is, or how to properly hit the clock when you’ve made a move – it’s too many to count. Being a teacher, time kind of flows in a different way in my schools, almost like each classroom is a time capsule. However, even as the semesters pass by, I will never forget my very first day teaching in front of a group of students.

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A Day in the Life: Chess Class at Halls Ferry Elementary

Just under a week after Valentine’s Day, I was very surprised to receive Valentine’s Day cards from two of my 4th grade students, Christa and Jessica.  I teach at a few schools, but have never received something like this!  It was very sweet, and it made me realize that I had a bigger impact on the students that I teach than I thought. Teaching at Halls Ferry, along with many other schools, has made it clear to me that I love what I do.  Although my main job is to teach the rules of chess and prepare students to compete in tournaments, I understand now that I must also show just how much work, creativity, and passion goes into achieving success in whatever they choose to do.

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St. Louis Public Library Chess Camp Review

St. Louis Public Library Summer Camps explored a variety of topics through activities that encouraged teamwork, communication skills, problem solving, and strategic thinking.  Over 551 children participated in one or two of 48 camps offered by the Library in summer 2018.

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Strategy & Storytelling

Teaching strategy can be difficult.  Learning experiences that are meaningful can make it easier for students to relate to the concepts being taught.  When the lesson can be applied to real life, students tend to have a greater educational take-away. To convey chess concepts like piece protection, consequences, and goal setting, I like to use real-life scenarios or storytelling.

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How to Create A Classroom Culture - Part 5

To close the series, I’d like to share with you my final tip on creating a classroom culture using the final ‘S’ from our acronym C.H.E.S.S.

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Community Engagement at the Balloon Festival

by Dan Todd, Scholastic Instructor 

 

The Saint Louis Chess Club’s booth was buzzing with visitors in the children’s area, of the 2018 Forest Park Balloon Festival. The oldest and most well-attended FREE Hot-Air Balloon Event in the world.

 

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How to Create A Classroom Culture - Part 4

From our acronym C.H.E.S.S., there are a few more tips on creating a classroom culture that I’d like to share with you.  The first ‘S’  stands for:

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The simple creation of Geniuses in Academia and Industry – by Dr. O.T. Olabanji

“Chess is an extremely important game that tweaks the cognitive functionalities, enhances academic skills, aids rapid thought processes, boosts logical and strategic thinking, and helps to gain exceptional memory skills, creativity, focus and discipline” [1-5]. I strongly recommend it for any child or adult who aims to achieve excellence in academia, industry or in any field of endeavor.

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