Chess in the Library

Woodbridge Library

2012-02-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the newest addition to Chess in the Library! Woodbridge library, part of the Vaughan Public Libraries, has recently joined Chess in the Library. The chess program at the library has been organized mainly by one volunteer: Charles Camilleri. Charles had already been facilitating the program for several months when he sent me an email inquiring about a large chess set for demonstrations. Although CITL did not have one to meet his purpose, we continued to correspond via emails which eventually led to Woodbridge Library joining CITL! The program runs from 6:45 to 8:00 every Tuesday evening and includes lessons as well as leisure play. Since joining almost a month ago, this new location has already helped improve and expand Chess in the Library. CITL will now be mailing out books among other chess resources in order to better accommodate session facilitators at CITL locations. Correspondence with the head librarian at Woodbridge library has indicated interest from other libraries in the Vaughan region. Who knows? There may be some more new Chess in the Library locations very soon!

Vivek Chachcha
Director of Communications, CITL

2011 CITL Toronto West Region Winter Swiss - A Success!

2012-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

At the inaugural meeting of the new executive board, one of the resolutions we adopted was to have more regional tournaments, on top of our big annual Chess in the Library Festival. Just before Christmas, CITL and Humberwood branch of the Toronto Public Library organized such a regional tournament.

Competitors played four rounds under the Swiss system. The turnout was great and almost everyone was at a comparable level, which has led to the unusual occurrence of a 5-way tie for second place!

One of the striking things I found during the tournament is the sheer enthusiasm of the grade-school participants. While we didn’t have a skittle room, between rounds players challenged each other to quick games, and some even stepped forward and challenged us – the TDs. Neither losing nor winning dampened their enthusiasm and most of them continued to express appreciation for a game well-played. I have to admit that I was very impressed. Some of the qualities we try to develop through CITL program are accountability, respect for one’s opponents, and general sportsmanship – and it seems that Humberwood branch has been very successful with teaching these values.

Regional tournaments allow players from neighbouring areas to meet and compete against each other, thus widening their chess circle of acquaintance, finding more players at their level, and forging new friendships. I remember thus meeting one of my best chess “rivals” when I was a kid playing at a relatively small tournament.

As in all CITL tournaments, regionals tournaments too are CMA rated, and thus provide another opportunity for players to more accurately gauge their rating without having to pay for admission. Another nice boon is that the atmosphere is warm and friendly, as in a regular CITL club meeting. Thus, children get to experience the excitement of a tournament without the often crippling pressure accompanying them. This makes regional tournaments the perfect place to introduce children (and their parents) to the wonderful world of competitive chess.

With so much going for it, I hope for a few more regional tournaments in 2012. The Humberwood Regional wouldn’t have been possible without the kind support, great enthusiasm, and amazing management skills of the Humberwood librarians – especially Vivien and Eunice. If you are a librarian or volunteer and would like to organize a Regional tournament at your branch, please contact CITL Executive Team for more details.
The prizes for the tournament were purchased with your donations. We thank everyone who has supported CITL so far – you make it all possible!

The Winners of Humberwood Tournaments are
First Place: Raymond Quan with 3.5 points.
Second place: Mann Parekh, Jaanani Sivarasacumar, Gaajen Sivarasacumar, and Diana Lin; all with 3 points.

Congratulations and well-done!

Let's Take A Look Inside the Canadian Youth Chess Championship!

2011-10-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

Through days, month or even years of preparation, young chess minds finally awaited the CYCC 2011, which took place July 6-9 at the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond Hill. It is probably the biggest event in the young chess community, as the top 3 finishers in each section receive the honor of representing Canada at the World Youth Chess Championship (in Caldas Novas, Brazil).

First stepping down the stairs of the hotel, players were checked off on the registered list, received knapsacks for those who registered early and were offered the option of buying a CYCC T-shirt. Then eager participants lounged against the wall, sharpened their skills in the skittles room and reviewed their games on the computer to prepare for the intense rounds ahead of them.

When the pairings were posted on the wall, these young chess bees furiously devoured this pot of honey. Jotting down the table number, opponent name and perhaps complaining about being paired with too strong a player. Before leaving, parents snapped the best candid shots they can of their kids starting their game, and hustled them onto the journey they've all been waiting for.

After the storm, arrives the calm. Players settled into their thinking caps and the entire tournament hall seemed to freeze in time, with the occasional interruption of 'adjust' and the sound of pressing the clock.

All this time, while observing these kids during my spare time through out my games, I contemplated the future of chess in Canada. Seeing an increasing amount of youth becoming interested in chess certainly shines a bright light on Canada's trek to chess glory. These kids will not only come to realize the intellectual excitement within this board game, but the life lessons it can teach with only 32 pieces and a chess board.

Linda Fu
Art Director, CITL

Plugging the Holes

2011-09-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have spectacular news for everyone: Chess in the Library now has nine operating locations in Toronto!

You may wonder, “What’s so special about the number ‘9’?” Well, for starters, we can now officially claim to outnumber both Walmart and The Bay, more than double the number of Tommy Hilfigers and Aeropostales, and TRIPLE the number of Gino’s Pizzas.

The point is, CITL is rapidly expanding. And while the expansion seems like a great thing, it does come with a few consequences. One of these, as I’ve realized, is our lack of “quality control” to go with it, which, unfortunately, even Gino’s Pizza has a department for.

Recently, in an effort to check up on the programs at each library, I visited Fairview. Expecting to see a small quiet group of kids playing chess as I’ve seen in other branches, I have to admit I was a little shocked by what I saw. When I walked into the program room, I found the kids screaming and chasing each other around the room; the volunteers, clearly short in number, were screaming “SHUT UP” at the top of their lungs; and the parents, who really shouldn’t even be in the already overpopulated room at all, were walking around and helping their kids win, making the volunteers’ jobs even more difficult.

When I finally walked through all the chaos (trust me when I say it wasn’t easy), I went to introduce myself to the volunteers. To my surprise, I was greeted by a “Who the hell are you?”

Well, after I awkwardly introduced myself to them, it turned out that the volunteers weren’t that bad after all. I suppose they were just a bit cranky from being amidst that boisterousness too long. I mean, who wouldn’t be?

Anyways, despite the mishaps, I’m glad that I made the visit. After discussing the situation at our executive meeting last week, we were able to provide them with five more chess sets and two new volunteers. Of course, we’ve also added a few new items to our agenda for the October volunteer training session. (Hehe)

From this experience, I’ve learned that although CITL is not yet perfect, what’s important is that we are improving and plugging the holes. And from what I see, we definitely are.

Aaron Zhang
Treasurer and Secretary, CITL

Chess in Armenia

2011-09-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

School has started, and by now, most of us have entered our regular routine, whatever it may be. Some prefer to take a nap before they start their homework, while some prefer to procrastinate till 12 at night. Despite the differences in our individual schedules, we all have one thing in common: homework. Now imagine that other than your regular math, and science homework, you had homework for... chess!

The Armenian Ministry of Education recently made it mandatory for students age six and above to study chess in the classroom for at least two hours per week. Armenia is on its way to become a chess superpower with their top player, Levon Aronian, ranking number three in the world, and their national team winning at the biennial International Chess Olympiad in 2006 and 2008. With these new mandatory chess lessons, Armenia hopes to bring about a wave of talented chess players to enhance their army of professional chess players.

Despite Armenia's bad economic standing, Armenian Presdient Serzh Sargsyan and the Chess Academy of Armenia have decided to invest approximately $1.5 million in this program. The program is being implemented on the basis that it will nurture the students' intellectual development and teach them to think flexibly and wisely.

While the advantages of such a program are self-evident (intellectual development, recreational integration, etc.), the disadvantages seem to be non-existent.. at least at a glance. The economic repercussions of such a big investment are unknown but even without the economic prospect, the program may not necessarily be advantageous for the students.

Although details about how Armenia plans to go about this integration are yet unknown, one fact remains intact. If the students are required to study chess for two hours a week at school, that invariably means that the students lose two hours a week of school. Over the period of 12 years (age 6 - 18) this seemingly small number adds up to approximately 1080 hours. This means that students lose 1080 hours they might have otherwise spent learning any of the various subjects taught at schools.

Is it worth it? That is for you to decide.

Vivek Chachcha
Director of Communications, CITL

New Beginnings

2011-09-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school, which marks a new beginning. It also indicates the end of summer and, for many, a renewal after hibernation, a clarion call back to work.

The Executive Committee of CITL did not hibernate over the summer though. We have held many long meetings, preparing everything behind the scenes to make sure CITL will be even greater and better in the upcoming year.

For example, several new library branches have joined us since the beginning of summer. We have been visiting these locations during July and August and I can personally attest that the attendance have been nothing short of amazing, making our newest additions some of our most active clubs.

Before the year is out—before Christmas even—you can expect to see several more new locations joining rank. Our wonderful new Director of Communications has been actively updating our website with the new information. He and our new terrific Arts Director are working on a complete make-over for the website and their drafts are very exciting. (By the way, if anyone reading this feels they can contribute to this effort, this is your call to arms!)

We have also been working hard on some sensational grand-scale events, that will enhance and enrich CITL. The final details still have to be worked out, but be sure to stay tuned.

All in all, this promises to be an exciting year for CITL, and we hope that soon you will be as enthusiastic about it as we are!

Gal Gross
VP, CITL