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Cafe Pi ChessCafe, C'est pour la belle vie![ATTACH=CONFIG]586582[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]586581[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]586579[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]586580[/ATTACH]

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The chess game develops critical thinking, problem-solving skills, powers of concentration and much more!

White move, check mate in 3:
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The chess game also fosters creativity, self-control, patience and motivation for self-improvement!![ATTACH=CONFIG]587553[/ATTACH]

Chess is also very much part of the culture at Willingdon School. The N.D.G. elementary school brings in a chess instructor twice a week during lunchtime to teach students at all levels. With about 60-90 children enrolled at any one time, according to school administration, it’s an extracurricular activity parents seem happy to pay for.

The school also pays for an instructor to teach chess in the classroom, one term for each of the three cycles (that’s once a week for a full school year.) Many of the teachers and school administrators past and present believe chess helps students tremendously with their math skills, especially in logical thinking and problem solving.

The investment had a nice payoff:  last spring at the Quebec school championships where the school won the Scholar's Chess Team Championship in the Kindergarten to Grade 6 division, section B.

Sam Hachem was one of the four members of that team.  Just 10 years old, he’s already spent half his life playing chess and enjoys competing in tournaments. “I like games with strategy because no one can say it was a bad roll of the dice.” he said. “And chess is really fun, too.”

Sam estimates that he’s lost about 10 games in his life, and half of those were to school chess instructor Nicolas Metivier, who has been teaching at Willingdon for about eight years.  “I think I bring a different angle to math,” he says. “Chess is more interactive. It’s more interesting to kids.”

He derives particular pleasure from being able to help a child who may be struggling to gain confidence by doing well in chess.  “I feel I’m making a difference,’ he says.

Metivier is one of about 70 teachers who are part of the Quebec branch of the Chess ‘n’ Math Association, a national organization dedicated to bringing chess into schools across the country. Headquartered in Montreal and with offices in Ottawa and Toronto, the association has a network of instructors who go to approximately 150 schools throughout the Montreal area to teach chess in extracurricular programs at lunchtime and after school. About 10 of these schools pay for instructors to teach in classrooms.

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When I play chess, I’m solving problems, having fun: Viswanathan Anand
“Such statements are just one of those things floating around, and I have no idea where they come from. I’ve never withheld preparations from my tournaments. I would often say that my focus had been on the (world title) matches. I meant my mental focus. Not that I am playing second-rate stuff (in tournaments),” said Anand, on his return from Khanty Mansisyk (Russia).
“From my point of view, I can say that it is a very silly idea that I was holding something back (in tournaments). I would have gladly used all my ideas if I could. But, may be, my preparation for matches was so oriented towards one opponent that it was hard to find ideas that I could use against others.
“Or, perhaps, I was unable to focus on tournaments with the same intensity as matches.
“These are statements that I can live with. The one that I withheld something because I felt, in some way that playing tournaments like this was okay, I think it’s an insane idea,” Anand said.
Even though the criticism evidently hurt, Anand retained his sense of humour.
“I just think some of the explanations they come up with are reasonably good guesses, even if they are not correct. Some tend to be accurate but even I cannot see them,” he said.
“The point is, it doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter if they hit on something that might turn out to be a good explanation. I don’t particularly think the way you play chess is to solicit a second opinion. At least, that is not the way I play chess.
“When I play chess, I am solving problems, having fun.”
Finally, has Anand re-discovered himself?
“Well, one can go now and say all kinds of things. But I don’t see the point. I tell myself, just put it (the performance in Candidates) in the bank and keep playing well,” he said.

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CHESS is like having psychic powers, because I look deep into the game and figure out what my opponent is going to do before he does it," said Wesley Yu, a pint-sized scholastic chess champion from Seattle.

"Chess is the best!" he added, and his parents concurred. His mother, Yuwei Feng, said the game had helped Wesley, an energetic 7-year-old, to focus and learn to face difficulty without giving up.

Parents often disagree with their children over how many hours they can spend playing video games or whether to use their allowance to enhance their Pokémon card collection. But a when a child takes up chess as a hobby, many parents are excited.

"Scholastic chess is experiencing a real resurgence," said Jerry Nash, scholastic director of the U.S. Chess Federation in Crossville, Tenn. The national organization counts 45,000 children 18 and under in its membership rolls and played host to 5,300 children at the Super Nationals tournament last year. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg," Mr. Nash said, "when it comes to kids playing chess."

Like many activities for children, chess brings an associated cost, but it can be significantly lower than that of other popular pastimes. Families need not buy expensive protective gear or uniforms or join private clubs, and unless their children are serious players, they do not have to travel out of town. A good-quality chess set can be had for $20 and can last a lifetime. Fees to enter local scholastic tournaments usually run just $15 to $20, and membership in an after-school chess team is usually reasonably priced. Compared with hobbies like ice skating, ballet, squash, golf or the piano, chess can be practically free.[ATTACH=CONFIG]588366[/ATTACH]