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Frequently
Asked Questions of our Enrichment Programs
Q.
Why should we consider using Chess-Now for our training
needs?
A. Games in general are very popular
activities in recreation and education. Chess is strictly
a game of skill. The ability to look at an opportunity,
visualize an outcome and assess the value in making
a decision is developed on every move over the board.
Strategy and tactics are constantly used in chess. Played
by 550 million people around the world, chess has existed
for over 1,400 years and is part of practically every
culture on the planet. Your patrons will be savvier,
have a common shared experience and have a skill they
can share at home with family and friends for a lifetime.
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Q.
Isn’t chess complicated?
A. Life is complicated. If you have a skilled instructor
who can streamline and present the material to your
class at the right level it is not a problem. To become
good in golf or tennis or master chess could take years.
But in our setting it’s all based on the presentation.
To enjoy a casual game and give anyone a challenge you
can learn all you need to know in about the time it
takes to read a good book. If the information is presented
at the appropriate grade level and in terms you already
understand then you can see why children in kindergarten
play the game. To see the joy in a student's eyes after
having achieved something through their effort and hard
work is why students enroll in our classes again and
again. (Back to top)
Q.
What are the benefits of your training?
A. Studies have shown that students that have learned
to play chess have higher test scores in math, reading
and problem solving ability. Much of education
today is memorization of the content. With chess, active
thinking about the situation on the board will help
anybody learn to think better, follow a plan, and determine
a course of action.
Students
in our classes also learn social skills as they interact
and participate in the supervised playing that is part
of their instruction. . (Back to top)
Q.
What can you learn from chess?
A. Our enhrichmentpPrograms use a variety of
methods and styles to help any ability student get better
at the game. By learning to play better chess, participants
will improve critical thinking skills using concepts
they already know. Students will learn and improve:
- Strategic Thinking
- Problem Solving Ability
- Visualization
- Logical Thinking
- Calculating Ability
- Tactical Awareness
- Competitiveness
- Seeing Threats
- Developing a Plan
- Executing a Plan
- Decision Making
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- Prioritizing
- Evaluating available Options
- Taking Action with Initiative
- Defeating Procrastination
- Leadership
- Team Building
- Management
- Getting your Moneys Worth
- Time Management
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to top)
Q.
What about the different ability levels of the participants?
A. While having actual chess experience is helpful,
it is not necessary to improve your decision making
skills. Participants receive a one (1) page handout
that they need to review before the session which covers
the pieces and how they move. Time spent on mastering
that is all that is necessary to build on your knowledge.
We take it from there. Advanced players are challenged
just as well as beginners because age appropriate examples
are used to describe the pieces and strategies and tactics
you need to know. (Back to top)
Q.
Do the participants have any fun?
A. Yes we do, our presenters are excellent speakers
and bring a wealth of experience to the session. Every
20 minutes the participants are involved in a different
activity. We introduce new material, we go over an important
game, we solve puzzle challenges and the participants
play several supervised rounds during their program.
For the experienced players we might use a chess clock
to make sure things are really even. We use humorous
materials (bloopers) from major advertising campaigns
and pictures that portray chess but have obvious mistakes
(ouch). Participants also enjoy learning something new
or reviewing information they have previously learned
about the game. (Back to top)
Q.
What do the participants receive?
A. Generally participants receive all of their training
materials, a chess board and set are provided during
the classes to reinforce the material covered in the
lessons. (Back to top)
Q.
What if we have special requests or requirements for
our training?
A. We can customize a training event specifically for
your needs (Back to
top)
Q.
Who could benefit from your training?
A. Students from age 5 and above can benefit from the
training they receive in chess. Primary, Elementary,
Middle School and High School students all take advantage
of our classes. (Back to top)
Q.
How do you use chess as a team building activity?
A. After the participants have had a reasonable amount
of instruction, one of our most popular activities is
to break up into teams of equal ability and play a consultation
game. The teams compete against each other discussing
their strategies and tactics while analyzing the moves
and threats from their opponents as a group. Decision
making is rotated in the group and teams have to react
to new situations as they happen during the game. We
can also introduce a chess clock on the games which
means you learn how to manage your time effectively.
Another popular option is to have teams of equal strength
play a match against each other where the result of
each team member’s game adds to the final total
to determine who won the match. Yet another possibility
is to play team chess (bughouse). 2 teams of 2 players
play chess against each other and when pieces are captured
they transfer to your teammate’s board where the
pieces are placed on any available open square. (Back
to top)
Q.
How many people participate in the training at the same
time?
A. To maintain the quality of the instruction we keep
the instructor/participant level low. Generally we use
small groups and would have no more than 16 participants
go through the hands-on training that is provided in
the program. We can hold multiple sessions if necessary.
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Q.
What kind of programs do you offer and who do I contact
about getting more information on where you are holding
classes?
A. We offer classes on:
Beginning/Intermediate
Chess - introduction to the pieces, values
and basic strategey/tactics of the game. Advanced
Chess - Review of more significant tactics
and patterns you must know.
Competitive
Chess - Allows our tournament players to get
ready for competition with clock and scoring. Chess
for Champions - Review of classic games from
world champions to learn from the best. Chess
for the Improving Player - A repeating course
for players who want to continue to improve. Chess
for Kids - Classes designed for younger players
who are learning the benefits of chess.
Contact
us and we will respond to you inquiry as soon as
possible about where our classes are being held. Also
look under Customized Community Programs to see where
we are currently teaching chess. (Back
to top)
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