Chess-as-a-Learning-Tool Demonstration at the Indiana Association of Home Educators Convention

Scholastic chess coach will demonstrate materials and methods of teaching chess at Booth #107at the 20th Annual Home Educators in Indianapolis, Indiana, February 25-26, 2005.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) February 23, 2005 -- Atlanta-based Championship Chess will be a presenter at the annual Indiana Association of Home Educators Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, February 25 and 26, 2005. For more than 20 years, Championship Chess coaches have guided scholastic chess clubs that, consistently, have placed high in state championships.

Dennis A. Jones, a chess coach with Championship Chess and a former classroom teacher, will present Chess: Its More Than a Game" (Workshop 2, Room 211) and, for the second consecutive year, will demonstrate materials and methods of teaching chess at Booth #107. Children in attendance will also have an opportunity to play.

Both the materials and the methods were developed by Stephen A. Schneider, who is the director of Championship Chess and the author of The Scholastic Chess Series. The Series includes Chess Basics, Chess Openings I, Endgames Strategies I and a chess readiness activity book, Color My Chess World, that introduces pre-chess activities to very young children. Schneider, who has been teaching chess to children for more than 30 years, teaches chess incrementally, using chess strategies from day one. As student players advance, they are taught strategies that apply critical thinking skills like visualization, thinking ahead, thinking concretely and abstractly, weighing options, focusing and planning.

Convention organizers expect 4000 to 5000 home schoolers to participate in this years convention whose theme is Generation to Generation." Championship Chess coaches have made presentations to various educator groups throughout the country, including teacher conventions, conferences on the gifted child and staff development workshops.

Interest in playing chess has been growing steadily in the U.S. since the 1980s. In schools across the country, chess is making a strong contribution to childrens learning across academic areas. Chess is a learning tool that just happens to be a game. Studies conducted over the last 30 years show that students IQs increase and test scores improve after less than a year of systematic chess study.

Fun and motivational, chess turns problem-solving into a game and encourages students to use patterns and logical deductive reasoning to solve problems. Chess also develops self-esteem, builds team spirit and increases concentration. Chess players come in all ages. Even very young children can be successful at chess, as demonstrated by the annual national kindergarten championship.

Championship Chess clubs and their coaches have won local, state, regional and national awards and distinctions. Currently, Championship Chess players are ranked in the top 10 in the state of Georgia and the top 100 in the United States.

The coaches teach lessons in strategy and supervise chess play among public, private and home schooled students. The workbooks created for the Scholastic Chess Series are designed for students who are beginners in chess, as well as for those who are ready to improve their skills. Each of these titles has a supporting video.

Chess Basics is the initial workbook for students. Step-by-step, it introduces the chess pieces one at a time, not only demonstrating how they move and capture but, also, how they work together. Chess Openings I introduces the openings that are most popular with beginning scholastic players, and Endgames Strategies I prepares players for the most common endgames of chess. In the spring of 2004, a Maryland chess coach, using the Championship Chess workbooks, steered her team on to win the Maryland Primary championship. A chess tactics book that builds upon Chess Openings I, and is ideal for the beginning player as well as the tournament player, is scheduled for publication later this year.

Also in the Scholastic Chess Series is Color My Chess World, a chess readiness activity book, with an accompanying music CD of short, fun songs that invite kids to dance and sing along, that builds the skills to make the introduction of chess easy ― and fun ― for very young children. Developed by certified early childhood educators and scholastic chess coaches, this program builds academic skills through chess activities designed to capture the interest of young children. Color My Chess World introduces children to the world of chess": the chessboard, chess characters" and chess play. Activities in the book introduce basic chess concepts while improving spatial skills, developing math and reading readiness skills, and reinforcing skills in listening and following directions.

Chess as a teaching tool is quickly gaining ground in schools all over the United States. Championship Chess will demonstrate its materials and methods of teaching chess and explain the academic benefits that accrue after less than a year of systematic chess study, as well as its social and emotional benefits.

Championship Chess is a division of Teachable Tech, Inc., an award-winning company of curriculum writers and educational consultants. Teachable Tech has designed curriculum for pre-K and K-12 for such diverse clients as the American Red Cross, the National Park Service, Social and Health Services in association with SAMHSA/HHR, CNN, Turner Broadcasting, ABC News, HBO and The Weather Channel.

For more information about starting a scholastic chess club and/or purchasing materials in the Scholastic Chess Series, contact:

Dennis Jones or Stephen Schneider
3565 Evans Road
Atlanta, GA 30340
(888) 328-7373 or (770) 939-4596
Fax: 770-493-1115
Championship Chess: www.championshipchess.net

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