Everything/Anything and…Chess…"Despite the documented evidence by chess historian HJR Murray, I've always thought that chess was invented by a goddess"–George Koltanowski: from the foreword to:"Women in chess, players of the Modern Age"
I blogged in December HEREabout chess boxing and you can see a video too on this link! Now it’s also in the UK! I’m glad I don’t have to box before I can play a game of chess! Wonder if they play some good chess games in this sport…or is it just for the fun…and because of the rules…that they make only a few moves to keep the organisers happy….hehehe…wonder if they have chess coaches…chess is about tactics…concentration…seems to me the skills these people need too…hehe… yeah yeah chess!! once again!
Opponents compete over the chessboard then hit each other in the boxing ring in a combination sport being introduced to north London.
Chessboxing features alternate rounds of chess and boxing, with the winner decided by either knockout, checkmate or a judge’s decision after 11 rounds.
The first UK chessboxing club has begun at Islington Boxing Club in Archway.
Founder Tim Woolgar said: “Boxing requires tactical thinking, a skill that is vital to playing chess.”
We train at a high level to ensure competitors learn how to fully defend themselves
Chessboxing originates from Berlin, where the world’s first tournament was held last November. Championships have also taken place in Amsterdam and Cologne.
“I’m interested in both chess and boxing, so I went to one of the Berlin championships and thought they combined the two perfectly,” said Mr Woolgar.
“Boxers need real strength of mind, which helps them compete in chess.”
Competitors are given 60 seconds to remove their gloves as they leave the ring to sit or stand at the chessboard.
Read the entire article HERE on the BBC’s site.
Image: National Geographic
To win, players must either checkmate or knock out their opponent within 11 rounds.
We all know that Chess helps to improve children’s concentration, maths, reading, thinking processes, ability to make choices in life, dyslexia, etc. etc… but this video shows us how you can combine Chess with boxing!!! hehehehe….so, all you guys that want to be great boxers!! come on, play Chess!!! Chess isn’t for the “softies”…like some people think! Read my earlier post about a research that was done by a South African lady…about it. See the second link in this post. (scroll down with the slider once you’ve clicked on the link) I’ve copied a section of the article from the first link here…PS: All links will open in a new window.
That is good news for parents and teachers. Research indicates that chess accelerates learning skills in a huge way. The two Davids cited a number of dazzling statistics showing chess can improve IQ and comprehension retention rates.
They were results of a survey undertaken by the America’s Foundation for Chess (AF4C). Numerous studies confirm the benefits of chess instruction on students and academic performance, especially maths and reading. The studies all pointed out that “there is a positive effect of chess on intellectual achievement; not a single report fails to find such a connection”.
The researchers investigated and documented the impact of chess on a broad spectrum of academic areas: improved performance by students of diverse ages, intellectual abilities, economic and cultural backgrounds.
Chess, they report, has made a difference to children all over the world. For example, Smith and Cage (2000) observed southern, rural, black, secondary school students and found students who were taught chess scored “significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability”.
Closer to home, there is Van Zyl (1991), who studied South African high school students. After three years of chess instruction, he concluded that there was a “significant improvement in both verbal and non-verbal IQ scores”.
He surmised that “chess nourishes latent learning abilities and reinforces skills in logical and abstract thinking, impulse control, endurance and determination”. The studies cited in this survey are impressive.
As a parent, it seems we all need to get wise to the benefits of chess. That is easier said than done. Our children’s concentration spans are often ambushed by TV, cellphones and other distractions.
Let’s face it, it is easier to switch on the telly than to haul out a chess board. Not all of us know how to play. “You don’t know how to play – why should we?” chorus the children – and they are correct.
As with everything, it is not enough to extol the virtues of a topic. It has to be presented in a way which makes it exciting.
Take the following example: My husband taught our children (then in grade 1 and 2) the rudiments of the game and they loved it. They attended sessions with chess whiz kids at their school and had a great time. The young teachers – national champions – gave prizes to their students which added to the excitement.
It ended when the young mentors were unable to continue due to their schedules at middle school.
My daughters learnt chess at school, but soon gave up. Why? It was boring. The teaching lacked the buzz they had been accustomed to. Chess was not part of the curriculum. It was the grudge activity where pariahs hung out because they had no one else to play with at break. Or that was the perception.
In actual fact, there were some seriously good players at the school but it seems that if you were a newcomer, this wasn’t an exciting gig.
I have seen children playing the game at home, but they would not go near a board at school because it wasn’t cool; because the teacher shouted or because they felt inadequate, playing with the brains of the school.
It seems this is not uncommon. Berman e-mailed comments to me from Peter, a SA chess coach who cautions: “Just a warning: I see the old disease of schools supporting only the top 15 players and maybe a few reserves. Chess is for all; it is a language; it helps all pupils to bring order into their academic careers and speed.”
Indeed, chess teachers need to take cognisance of the abilities of all students and need to frame the learning process as an exciting adventure – just as MacEnulty has done at the schools he has taught at in the Bronx and elsewhere.
There is a need to train the trainer. Berman is doing everything in his power to get MacEnulty back in town during the winter holidays (June/July) to run programmes with teachers.
The long-term goal would be to get chess into schools as part of the curriculum – taught during school hours. Chess is for all and with that in mind, they are hoping to get funding so the game can benefit all children.
Berman is also keen on twinning schools to encourage social interaction. A programme like this takes funding, and Berman is hedging his moves and encouraging corporations and others to make some good financial moves in getting chess into action at curriculum level.
The day after watching the film and hearing MacEnulty speak, my daughters and their friends hauled out the chess board and dusted it off. They played a game on Saturday evening which went on for hours. They were all exhausted and remarked that it was a jol, but that they were tired – their brains were sore.
Celone (2001) “Chess significantly increased student scores in non-verbal intelligence, which reflected increased abilities in abstract reasoning and problem solving.”
Smith and Sullivan (1997) “Chess education has a substantial positive effect on analytical thinking skills which are important in math, engineering and the physical sciences. The impact was particularly strong among girls.”
Rifner (1992) “Problem solving skills that chess teaches will transfer to tasks in other academic domains, including reading comprehension and math, and to enhanced performance on standardized tests of academic achievement.”
Van Zyl (1991)(South Africa) “Chess nourishes latent learning abilities, and reinforces skills in logical and abstract thinking, impulse control, endurance and determination. This was manifest as a significant improvement in both verbal and non-verbal IQ scores after three years of chess instruction.”
Liptrap (1997). “Students receiving chess instruction scored significantly higher in standardized tests of both math and reading.” Resource: The American Foundation for Chess…click on this link:
Spoken by great men:"Give me 20 divisions of American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." - Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allied Forces during WW2.
"The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour, glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight, the Russians have no choice. The Germans for their Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of Bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George 'Guts and Glory' Patton.
Chessalee 