Tag Archives: Chess

10 year old Nadia Braganza from New Zealand

Articles, Blog, ,

We don’t have to travel too far to see junior chess action at the Olympiad. 10 year old Nadia Braganza from New Zealand is playing on board 4. With a current rating of 1367 she will need to fight very hard against some very strong opposition this tournament.

Before the start of round 2, we caught up with her and her mother in their hotel lobby to ask some questions.

Chesslife: How old were you when you started playing chess
Nadia: I started playing chess when I was 8 years old at school when I joined the local chess club.

Chesslife: How much chess do you study per week
Nadia: Approximately 3 hours.

new zealand

Chesslife: What is your favourite chess book
Nadia: Silman’s Endgames. (This endbook game provides a variety of end games divided into difficulty for every player)

silmans

Chesslife: What was your first International Tournament
Nadia: The Commonwealth Games in 2014 in India. I have not played in Australia yet, but look forward to participating in the near future.

Chesslife: What is you favourite player
Nadia: GM Magnus Carlsen. He is a great inspiration for what you can achieve through chess.

magnus

Chesslife: What is the Junior Chess League like in New Zealand
Nadia: Growing, there are approximately 35-40 junior players at each tournament. Of these players about 10 are girls.

Auckland Chess Centre is currently working hard on developing their juniors towards a strong World Youth Olympiad team in years to come. Australian Grandmasters Ian Rogers and Daryl Johansen fly out to New Zealand every school holidays to assist with their training.

Chesslife: What is it about chess that you like
Nadia: It is very interesting, never boring. I enjoy it very much. It has helped with my mathematics at school and helped me concentrate.

Capture

Chesslife: How do you describe your style of play
Nadia: I have a very active style of play, with lots of attacking and forward play. For black my favourtite opening is the Sicilian Dragon variant. With white I enjoy playing the Giuoco Piano.

The Dragon  Variations is one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defence and begins with the moves: 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 (This is probably one of the most difficult openings in chess)

The Literal translation for Giuco Piano is translated ‘quiet game’ and begins with the moves 1.e4 e5  2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

Chesslife: What is your most memorable game

Nadia: That was against Kimberly at the Northshore Open (New Zealand). Her mum pipes up and agrees, ‘it was just great to watch how she developed her pieces and moved forwards’.

Click on the board below to see a review of Nadia’s game against Kimberly Yuan.

board 1

Chesslife: What are your future goals
Nadia: The ultimate goal is to become a Grandmaster. It will mean I can be very proud of myself and my achievements in chess. It shows I have had the determination to continue working on my chess.

Chesslife: What advice can you give Australian Juniors

Nadia: The more you practise, the more you will achieve.

Great advice Nadia, we look forward to seeing more of you during this Olympiad!

Click on the board below to see a review or Nadia’s first game at this 42nd Olympiad against Melissa Gomez:

board 1

CM Konstantinos Michaelidis from Cyprus

Articles, Blog, ,

On board 1 for Cyprus we find 13 year old CM Konstantinos Michaelides with a rating 2060. He is the youngest player to receive the National Title in Cyprus, which he did in May.  He is currently ranked number 7 in Cyprus.

We had the pleasure of catching up with his father Andreas and his mother to ask them some questions about their chess journey, while Konstantinos is playing his first round against Vietnam.

CM Konstantinos Michaelides from Cyprus in his first round against Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen from Vietnam

Chesslife: How old was he when he started playing chess
Andreas: When he was 8,5 years old his grandfather visited for the winter from Siberia and Konstantinos asked him about the game he was playing. Within the 3 month visit, he was beating his grandfather that was sitting at a rating of around 1500.

cyprus

Chesslife: How much chess does he study per week
Andreas: Twice a week for 2 hours he skypes with his Russian coach IM Konstantin Mesropov, to which he adds approximately another 2 hours each day. Of course this increases around tournaments and decreases a little as school work picks up

Chesslife: What is his favourite chess book
Andreas: He is currently studying the French Defense, but among his favourites are books about the Capablanca. The passion for this book was passed along by his first chess coach FM Antonis Antoniou.

capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca

Chesslife: How old was he when he obtained his CM title
Andreas: He was awarded the CM title at the age of 12 when he came second at the World Youth.

 Chesslife: What was his first International Tournament
Andreas: Playing the U10 division at the European Championship in Prague in 2010.

prague

Chesslife: What is his favourite player
Andreas: GM Magnus Carlsen, both for his game style and attitude. He also loves the fact that Magnus plays out of theory. That level of comfort around chess is to be admired.

magnus
Photo courtesy of @MagnusCarlsen

Chesslife: What is the Junior Chess League like in Cyprus
Andreas: There is currently not a real junior league in Cyprus, it is difficult to find 3 players that would qualify for the World Youth Championships in each category. Women’s chess is almost completely non-existing, which is why there is no Women’s team representing Cyprus at this Olympiad.

Chesslife: What has chess taught him
Andreas: Friendship is on top of the list. But also better planning and discipline. It has taught him to schedule his learning and reading.

Chesslife: How do you describe his style of play
Andreas: Definitely not aggressive, he likes to take his time, prepare and position his pieces. Strategic and Positional. Probably unlike his 9-year-old brother Alexandro says his father, who plays much more aggressively, but that may also be due to age.

strategic

At this point in time his father also tells us that his son does not generally like the publicity that his chess gives him. It was in fact his father that had to tell the school that Konstantinos was crowned National Champion.

Chesslife: What is his most memorable game
Andreas: That was at the World Youth Chess Championships in 2015 against Slovakian Victor Gazik.  Click on the board below for a review of the game.

Click on the chess board below for an interactive analysis of Konstantinos’ favourite game:

board 1

 

 

Chesslife: What are his future goals
Andreas: The ultimate goal is to become a Grandmaster. Which will require constant work, to have a plan and to let nothing distract you from the plan. The next stage will be to try and win tournaments in Greece.

michaelidis
Photo courtesy of www.picssr.com

Chesslife: What advice can you give Australian Juniors
Andreas:

To the players – you have to work to achieve results, nothing will come for free. And after an average or bad tournament, you must not be discouraged, this is when you learn the most.

To the parents – Trust the coach you select, your child may not win all the time, but as long as they stay on track and follow the plan there will be improvements in the long run.

 

Click on the chess board below for an interactive analysis of round 1 in the Olympiad against Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen from Vietnam:

board 1

The 42nd Olympiad has started!

Articles, Blog, ,

The Olympiad is the largest chess tournament you can attend and host country Azerbaijan has set the standard even higher! With a spectacular opening ceremony on Thursday 1st September at the National Gymnasium Arena, the 42nd Olympiad has officially started.

14233102_1427388650608714_4855349714473568935_n

 So what is the Chess Olympiad?
The Chess Olympiad is a chess tournament that runs every 2 years and is the biggest chess event on the calendar. FIDE (The World Chess Federation) organised the first Official Olympiad in 1927 in London. There is an Open Division and a Women’s division. Teams of 5 play 11 rounds where the defending champions China will need to work hard against the highest rated team Russia and second seed USA.
azerbaijan
Players and Countries

For this event there are a record breaking amount of players; the total number of participants is 1,607 with 899 in the open and 708 in the women’s event.The number of participating teams is 181 from 176 countries in the open section and 142 from 137 countries in the women’s section. Seven countries, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Kosovo, Liberia and South Sudan, all participate for the first time. (numbers from Wikipedia)

14095995_1424168977597348_5699912672725735345_n

Australia is currently ranked 46th in the Open division and 54th in the Women’s division. We will keep you posted on their progress!

14183703_1427388977275348_2070326969715595980_n

Juniors and the Olympiad
And it is incredible to see so many juniors play this year: in the Open division there are over 50  players who are 18 years or younger, that makes a staggering 6%!
The players are from far and wide, from countries we can only dream of visiting one day. For example 18 year old IM David Silva from Angola, 16 year old Hin Leong Seak from Macau and 17 year old FM Joshua Johnson from Trinidad and Tobago. Australia is also showing its strength around junior chess with the participation of 15 year old IM Anton Smirnoff. (Photo courtesy of Cathy Rogers)
anton
The youngest participants in the Open section are 13 years old; CM Dante Beukes from Namibia, Alireza Firouszja from Iran and FM Mahammad Muradli from Azerbaijan.

 

For the next 14 days we will bring you daily reviews and study material from the junior chess players at the Olympiad from those places far and wide. It only seems fitting that we start with a player from the host country of Azerbaijan.

13 year old FM Mahammad Muradli obtained his FIDE Master title in 2015 while competing in the World Youth Cadets U12 Open, taking out the gold trophy. He is playing on board 2 in the third Olympiad Azerbaijani team. (The host country is elligble to have multiple teams participate). Currently ranked number 24th in the world for the U14 players, he is certainly one to watch!

FM Mahommad
Photo courtesy of Reint Dykema
Click on the chess board below for an interactive analysis of the game:
board 1

Spotlight on Girls in Chess: Susanne Wells

Articles, Blog, , ,

Susanne Wells is one of South Australia’s Under 18 female chess players. Currently studying in Year 11 at Adelaide High School, she participates regularly in both team and individual tournaments.

susanne

We stole a few minutes of her time at a recent tournament in Adelaide to ask her some questions about what it’s like to compete in a typically male-dominated sport.

Chesslife: What do you like about chess?

Susanne: I appreciate the logic and calculation in chess. Also, I enjoy attacking and playing aggressive chess.

Chesslife: Who is your favourite chess player?

Susanne: There are a lot of chess players that I admire. Some of them may not be that good on the international stage but they are still exemplars and role models for me.

My two favorite players would have to be Fabiano Caruana (one of the top players in the world) and David Smerdon (an Australian grandmaster).

I also look up to Hou Yifan (who is the strongest female player in the world) and hope to follow in her footsteps.

houyifan

Chesslife: What do you like about playing all girls compared to mixed tournaments where you play boys and girls?

Susanne: Playing against other girls in the Australian Junior Chess Championship U18 Girls was a rare experience for me. I have only played in four girls-only tournaments in my life and this was the fourth.

Generally, woman’s tournaments are easier than mixed tournaments. I think this is not because girls are generally worse than boys at chess, it is because we have a smaller pool of players. Unfortunately, it seems that less girls take chess seriously than guys.

I prefer playing in woman’s tournaments because I have a higher chance of winning, but I do know that playing in mixed tournaments is better as I learn more. I believe that we learn more losing than winning, even though we all prefer to win our games.

suzi2

(Photo courtesy of @DaffodilDayChess)

Chesslife: How many girls do you know that play chess, and do you think there is a difference between playing against girls or boys?

Susanne: In South Australia, there are only about 5-6 girls my age that play chess out of school. We all know each other and are a close-knit group of friends. I do also have a team of girls that I am training up for school chess.

I am very lucky to have found a team that takes chess seriously and enjoy it. I give them extra coaching at lunchtimes and hopefully we will get to National Interschool Championships!

suzi3

(Photo courtesy of @DaffodilDayChess)

 

 

Australian Researcher on Why Pokemon Go and Chess Benefit Autistic Youth

Articles, Blog, , , ,

What do Pokemon Go, Chess and Autism have in common?

By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or a Geodude), you’ve probably heard of the global phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. The creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, an autistic man himself, developed the game out of his passion for video games.

pokemon

If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll already know that it’s mental health benefits are now recognised alongside those of playing chess.

At Chesslife we support things that benefits young minds, particularly those with special learning styles such as autism.

By all accounts, Pokemon Go is doing exactly that.

The so-called ‘augmented reality’ game is increasingly being recognised by educators as beneficial to those who live with behavioural disabilities such as ASD.

The reason? It gets them out of the house, it gets them socialising, and it gets them doing things they wouldn’t otherwise have a reason to do.

 

PhD researcher Craig Smith in an interview with ABC described Pokemon Go as an “unheralded” opportunity for children on the autism spectrum to discover new social opportunities.

The visual nature of the game, combined with its ‘active mindset’ makes it the perfect conduit for making friends.

pokemon go

Photo courtesy of ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-22/regional-pokemon-go-players-hard-catch-them-all/7652050

Autism and chess

From a very young age those on the autism spectrum often display a proclivity for games, enjoying an immersion in them at times unreachable by those untouched by the learning disability.

People living with autism often excel at visual, systematic tasks, such as chess and Pokemon Go.

In fact, many well known chess players are acknowledged or are rumoured to be on the autism spectrum. It’s even been speculated that the great Bobby Fischer himself was on the autism spectrum!

Fisher

Our qualified chess coaches are experienced at engaging with special learning styles. We highly recommend chess as a tool for improving the social skills of those with autism, as well as for the academic and cognitive benefits it provides. Chesslife is also part of the Autism Friendly Charter coordinated by Autism SA, you can read more about this HERE.

autism friendly image

Click HERE to find out more about how you or your child can get involved in chess!

What does ‘Autism Friendly’ mean?

Articles, Blog, , , , , ,

We are proud to be part of the Autism Friendly Charter coordinated by Autism SA and supported by the NDIS. But what does ‘Autism Friendly’ mean?

Autism SA

‘The Autism Friendly Charter provides a framework for business, organisations and services to become and maintain an autism friendly environment. This will ensure people on the autism spectrum and their families feel welcome and comfortable within the wider community.’

So what does it mean for Chesslife?

  • It means we are open, accepting and understanding of chess players with Autism.
  • It means we are not judgmental towards some of your unique features and we are accommodating towards your needs.

Our highly experienced team knows what challenges may arise during a class and are more than happy to listen or to help you find some quiet space when it all becomes a bit too much.

  • It means we are happy if you want to touch all the chess pieces before you start, or want to straighten them up on the board.
  • It means we are happy if you want to sit under the table for a bit.
  • It means we are happy if you want to wear sunglasses or head phones, because sometimes we are unable to control the environment.

headphones

Chess classes provide an excellent setting where you can be among people that have the same special interest. You will find many people that would love to talk openings, end games or amazing games you have played. But you can also choose to just play a game of chess, without any talking.

michael

If you want to know more about our coaches and read a bit about them, why not visit our TEAM PAGE. If you would like to know which coach comes to your school, just drop us an EMAIL and we will let you know.

13502582_1373786922635554_6743747738862670951_o

If you would like to know what you will be learning in the first 10 classes, why not download our basic Fact sheet learning chess so you can get ready and prepare.

If you would like to know more about the educational system we use in our classes that will allow you to learn at your own pace, have a look HERE

step-1-front002-208x300

Teaching students with Autism is one of our most rewarding parts of our roles. You can read about some of our experiences in our BLOG.

thewheelers

We are here to make the learning of chess as enjoyable and fun as we can and are looking forward to seeing you soon!

If you have any other questions, or would like to tell us more about yourself before you come to one of our chess classes, why not drop us an EMAIL or give us a CALL. We love to hear from you!

autism friendly image

Interschool Chess Championships and how a local council has made a difference

Articles, Blog, , , ,

Chesslife would like to invite all students from the Campbelltown district, their parents and chess-lovers to celebrate the fantastic performance of the area’s teams in the 2016 Interschool Chess Championships (ICC).

Chess in the park 2016

The ICCs are run every year for schools across the country to earn the right to compete in the national finals. In South Australia, Scott Creek Primary School, St Catherine’s Primary School and Nairne Primary School from the Adelaide Hills division have already qualified for the state finals in September held at Prince Alfred College

Since 2014, the Campbelltown Library Chess Club has been allowed to enter teams in the Championship thanks to a generous committee of the South Australian Junior Chess League.

This has allowed players whose schools did not have a chess club or who were excluded due to their age from participating to have the chance to play in a tournament and be part of chess in South Australia. The Campbelltown Council has been supportive of this initiative from the beginning.Capture

Since then schools such as East Marden Primary School have seen the potential of chess and gotten ‘on board’ by starting their own clubs. Not only did they start participating last year, they also won the C Grade title at the State finals! Seeing more schools come on board is great news for chess in South Australia.

East marden C Grade team

As the Championship draws to a close in 2016 Chesslife would like to once again thank the Campbelltown Council, without whom hundreds of budding young players would be without a club. They have been supporting the chess club at the library and the team entry fees into the Interschool Championship.

Capture

We therefore extend an invitation to all participants in the tournament and the Campbelltown area to attend our event, Chess In The Park.

Trophies sponsored by Member for Hartley Vincent Tarzia will be presented to the most improved players and a free sausage sizzle sponsored by the Morialta Rotary Club will be provided as they did last year.

11953549_1180125762001672_7828041915437452496_o11988704_1180125692001679_4684872995242013645_n

Well done to all participants in the Interschool Chess Championship this year, especially those who played for the Chesslife Campbelltown Clubs and the teams in the Adelaide Hills!

See you all at the celebration!

Chess in the park 2016

 

Coaching junior level chess is as challenging as it is rewarding

Articles, Blog, , , , ,

That’s why every school holidays the staff at Chesslife come together to share what they know about the art of imparting chess wisdom to our hundreds of beginner to intermediate level students.

Capture

No single teacher has the answer to every question (especially in the chess world, where the variations go into the millions!). By working as a team the Chesslife staff make sure all our students benefit from the same high quality learning experience delivered within the Step Method chess curriculum.

Untitled

The best way to make sure our high standards are met is through collaboration between coaches. Once a term, we consult on everything from teaching tricky lessons like checkmating with a king and queen to using terminology appropriate to the developmental level of your class.

13502582_1373786922635554_6743747738862670951_o

There’s no greater asset to a strong business than a strong team, and as Henry Ford said:

Capture

‘Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success’.

Of course, the benefits of teamwork go beyond sharing didactic knowledge. Being among a group of enthusiastic chess players keen to share their skills is inspiring for everyone involved in chess.

10846374_1013306745350242_6925577848420655507_n

 We all learn from each other, and ultimately become better coaches!

Click here to find out more about the Chesslife team.

Want a Mental Health Boost? Play Games!

Articles, Blog, , ,

It’s well known that playing chess makes you smart, but did you know it also makes you happy?

Capture

After criticisms that the recent Pokemon Go craze has led some keen players into dangerous situations, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne emerged in support of the trend.

pokemon logi

 

His research has shown what our chess coaches have always known: playing games is an excellent way to relax and get your brain working in a positive way. If approached correctly, chess can bring the same mental health rewards.

As these Sydney players have discovered, it’s also a great way to get yourself out of the house and interacting with others.

So what are you waiting for? Get those pieces moving! 

Here’s something to get you started:

Capture

 

Why we use the Dutch Learning System

Articles, Blog, , , , ,

The Chesslife Method of Learning Chess

When head coach and Chesslife founder David Koetsier along with Sabrina came to Australia in 2005, they brought more than their Dutch accents and an appreciation of European coffee with them.

Since Chesslife began in 2010, students in Adelaide and Australia have benefited from a structured learning system uniquely created in the Netherlands to develop talent from a young age. This method is known as the Step by Step Method.

What is the Step Method?

Widely used throughout schools and chess clubs in Europe and increasingly the world, the Step Method provides trainers and students with a logical way to introduce chess concepts at exactly the right level for their experience with the game.

step-1-front002-208x300

Presented in a series of six steps, each with an accompanying series of workbooks, the Step Method introduces chess material in increasing complexity, all the way from beginner’s chess in Step One to master level play in Step Six.

 

What makes the Step Method so successful at bringing out the best in young kids? The answer lies in the method of teaching, which relies on quality coaches who are familiar with the didactic teaching processes included in the Step Method.13418680_1362356690445244_420211662090243346_n

Chesslife coaches, like those that have used the same techniques to develop some of Europe’s most impressive chess talents. GrandMaster Loek van Wely was a student using the workbooks and understand that young minds learn chess in stages.

Spatial skills, for example, come only after players understand the unique value of each of the pieces. In other words, there’s no point learning how to checkmate if you can’t first keep all your pieces safe!

Every Chesslife student completes the same Step Method workbooks , which act as guides on their progress. That way our coaches always know what level their students are at, which topics are understood and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Parent can use those same methods at home.Untitled

The tournament results speak for themselves, with a growing South Australian Junior Chess Community. It is also evident in the classroom where kids can’t wait to use the workbooks in the class and the coaches who have seen the results first hand.

Playing chess has long been known to produce impressive scholastic results. And combined with the method, Chesslife provides students with the great benefits from this proven teaching method.

We may not have Dutch quality coffee, but at least Australia has the Step Method!

Capture