News
Schmakel leads Whitney Young to Four National Titles
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- Created: 16 December 2013 16 December 2013
Sam Schmakel, Chicago’s top youth player, added to his long string of national championships on the weekend, winning a fifth individual national title and leading the chess team from Whitney Young Magnet High School to three other national first place awards. The event, USCF’s National Scholastic K-12 Championships, was held Friday through Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Schmakel won the 12th grade national championship, the clear winner with 6.5 out of a possible seven wins. He previously won the national championship in 2nd grade (2003), 9th grade (2010), and 10th grade (2011) and was co-champion in 11th grade (2012).
Class Struggle Resolved in Lisle
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 30 November 2013 30 November 2013
A huge walk up registration saw 99 compete in six sections at the 2013 Illinois Class. The ICA-sponsored event was held November 24 at the Lisle Hilton. The four-round event also represented the tenth and final stop on the 2013 Illinois Chess Tour.
With a fourth-round draw over Gopal Menon, GM Nikola Mitkov claimed the championship in the combined Masters/Expert section. Menon shared second place with Aung Zin and Nathan Kranjc, all posting 3.0/4 scores.
Chess Documentary Airing on PBS
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 06 October 2013 06 October 2013
After a whirlwind appearance in select movie theaters and a recent DVD release, Brooklyn Castle is coming to the home theater this week, courtesy of public television and its award-winning POV program.
The documentary depicts the travails of New York's Intermediate School 318 (NY's version of middle school), highlighting the challenges of its chess program through a critical period a few years back.
Public television stations including WTTW in Chicago will air the program at various times and dates through early November, and online viewers can stream the documentary starting October 8 at http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/.
Grandmasters Ask to Meet with Mayor and CPS
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- Created: 19 September 2013 19 September 2013
Four Illinois Grandmasters, the elite of the state's chess world, have requested a meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett to discuss a new chess plan for the city's public schools. The request was made in a letter dated September 18.
Chicago has approximately 1,500 scholastic players compared to 23,000 in New York. New York dominates national competitions rarely even attended by Chicago teams. ICA has been actively advocating a new program for nearly four years.
The GMs mentioned Chicago's recent award from the U. S. Chess Federation naming it "Chess City of the Year" and said they were ready to "help you make that title come true."
Opportunity Lost: Chess in CPS
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- Created: 25 August 2013 25 August 2013
An editorial
Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Public Schools frequently speak about the pursuit of excellence for our children. Their intentions are good, but bureaucracy, budget woes and special interests often get in the way. Chicago’s approach to scholastic chess is a telling example.
Chess is unquestionably one of the best tools for developing young minds and providing safe after-school alternatives. New York City gets it. They have 23,000 players in K-12. Their kids dominate national tournaments. Regardless of their socio-economic background, kids in New York City have access to chess.