Youth News
Barber K-8 Nationals
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- Written by Zachary Holecek Zachary Holecek
- Published: 23 August 2011 23 August 2011
D4...D5. The players were tense as 25 silent battles started throughout the room. On board one a Northern Californian was battling a Georgian in the first round of a 6 round tournament. On board 22 I waited...
I'm Zachary Holecek, and I represented Illinois at the first "Dewain Barber" K-8 National Invitational in Orlando. The tournament was held at the Hyatt which connects to the airport and where the U.S Open, and the high school Denker were being held simultaneously.
Opening ceremonies started at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the talks were about college chess, high school chess, scholarships and other subjects for the Denker players. After an hour of these speeches, Mr.Barber handed out participation medallions to all of the players.
Raising a Champion
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- Published: 06 August 2011 06 August 2011
Andi Rosen, mom of 2011 National High School Champion Eric Rosen, writes about what it's like to raise a champion. Hint: it has little to do with being a tiger mom. Read the article here. (Originally printed in Chess Life, August 2011.)
"King Eric"
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- Published: 22 July 2011 22 July 2011
The 2011 National High School Champion Eric Rosen learned much from Chicago's Russian Jewish community. Read this cover story in The Chicago Jewish News.
Chicago Mayor Visits Warren Scholars
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- Written by Jennifer Stevens Jennifer Stevens
- Published: 09 July 2011 09 July 2011
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a surprise visit to the Warren Junior Scholar activity tent at the Taste of Chicago on Saturday, June 25, 2011. The newly-elected mayor stopped by at about noon with a TV crew and observed the 10 Warren Junior kids play each other and other chess enthusiasts. The typically engrossed chess players were speechless and stopped to greet their celebrity visitor. Emanuel chatted with the parents and asked the Warren Scholar kids about chess. Jimi Akintonde, who will be entering Chicago’s Whitney Young High School this fall as a freshman, told the mayor that chess is fun and challenging, and that he’s enjoyed being part of the Warren Junior Scholar program.
Youth Committee Sends Expanded Chicago Proposal to New Leaders
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- Published: 05 July 2011 05 July 2011
The Youth Committee has significantly expanded its proposal to upgrade the chess program in Chicago’s public schools and delivered the proposal to the city’s new leadership team last week. Copies went to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard, members of the Board of Education, and some of their senior staff.
The proposal is available on this site. It summarizes the research on the benefits of chess for children and makes the case that Chicago’s youth program lags far behind other cities both in the number of kids who participate in organized programs and in the number who play in major competitions. Among the reasons for Chicago’s low numbers are low coach stipends and the absence of a coordinating center like those in other cities. The proposal includes a detailed Action Plan and a list of endorsements by members of Illinois’ chess community.