The secret to success, happiness, achieving your desires, all of the things that we as humans do and aspire to be, comes down to one concept: the ability to accurately assess your position. Everything you do in life is a move and there would be a response. This is a concept that has been bubbling in my mind and it comes alive for me on the chessboard. – Will Smith, actor, chess player.
The un-shakeable belief that chess develops critical thinking skills, builds self-esteem, teaches discipline, fosters positive social skills, motivates academic achievement and empowers children to succeed, has led to its growing popularity in schools internationally.
For this year, chess is being taught as an integral part of the regular math curriculum to 130,000 students in Canadian schools. In New York, Guyanese-born teachers are teaching chess in schools to complement a more comprehensive understanding of mathematics.
We in Guyana cannot be ambiguous any longer about teaching the game in schools. This great board game of skill and strategy cannot be ignored. The Guyana Chess Federation requires the selfless cooperation of teachers to propel this process forward. We respectfully beseech Heads to become ardent motivators for the teaching of the game in their respective schools, because chess is a good use of a student’s time, especially a teenager’s time.
This argument is backed strongly by the results of numerous studies which have been conducted over the years, and many testimonials from educators. The game is a developer of the mind in all areas.
The standards of success and failure in chess are strict. If your decisions are faulty, your position deteriorates and the pendulum swings towards a loss. If they are good, it swings towards a victory. Every single move reflects a decision, and with enough time, you can analyse to a fine certainty whether each decision you made was the most effective. Even in the complex real world, this kind of objective analysis can provide a great deal of insight into decision-making, which, ultimately, represents the key to one’s success or failure.
Children, therefore, learn how to evaluate which move is best, and they must live with the consequences of their decisions. Chess brings meaning and direction to the disorder of a young life. How can we ignore this game?
The ancient game has captivated millions of minds — kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, scientists and philosophers, athletes and actors, doctors and lawyers, fathers and mothers, and children and grandchildren for well over 1,400 years. For sure, it has the wonderful power to fascinate everyone who touches it.
Some people harbour a feeling that the game is difficult; too intellectual. Nothing could be further from the truth. The game is easy to grasp, perhaps easier than other popular board games. Parents, if you purchase a chess set and put it on a table in your home, your children will want to know how the pieces move. Why is a horse there, and what does it do? There is also the film Searching for Bobby Fischer, which is available on DVD and tells the true story of Josh Waitzkin, an extraordinarily talented child from New York who rose above almost insurmountable odds, to become junior chess champion of the United States. Children tend to fall in love with chess after watching this film.
Chess is fun. You can play the game and enjoy it, although you are faced with challenges after each move. As you go along, your confidence will improve, and you feel reassured when making decisions in life. Give chess a try!
