I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

[Jack Maguire]

Re : I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

With all due respect, Larry, the first thing that needs to be done is a total revamp of the CMA course material. Not teaching a simple mate with a Q/K vs lone K until Queen level is quasi 'criminal', imho. I teach that at Pawn level and have yet to meet a child who couldn't grasp the concept at that level.

It does make me cringe, tournament after tournament, to see at least 50% of those endings end in stalemates. One of the TDs I work with will frequently say to me, "bet you a dollar it ends in a stalemate".

At the first OCC Qualifier last Sunday, one grade 5 girl got 2 stalemates in a row, the first game playing down a Queen and the next game 2 Queens! And the tournament before that one boy couldn't mate a lone King with 3 Queens (since he treated 2 of the Queens as mere Pawns) and we eventually had to impose a 50-move draw.

Adding insult to injury, the only mate taught in the early lessons, at Bishop level to be precise, is Scholar's Mate. Although I have to teach this 'bad chess' to my Bishop students since the Bishop exam has a couple of questions on the subject, I always joke with my students that I'm sending them back to Pawn level if I ever see them play it.

In all sincerity, if the CMA truly wishes to develop better chess players, then they should provide better course material.

[Felix Nemenyi]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

Well done, my best Larry, I sincerely appreciate your work!

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

I've daydreamed winning millions in a lottery and If I gave $100,000 to chess my current favourite ideas would be for a cross-country publicity tour of members of the Olympiad team and a university scholarship for masters (although they may leave chess).

$20,000 is not a lot. It could be used to bring 5 GMs to play 5 strong juniors. But I found that juniors schedules are often different and not all are in tournament form at the same time. The money for 5 GMs would be better spent sending these 5 juniors to European tournaments on their schedule. Perhaps helping almost IM level players is too late, and better to offer an advanced program to help rising 1600 players become masters.

Why isn't Chess'n Math in more schools? I think the money should be spent to expand into more communities, reach more kids. Perhaps have a chess website for kids where they can get online lessons. A website where a school team can compete with other schools across the country. Perhaps offer a website course for communities that can't get cma teachers in person, maybe a live teacher teaching a whole class through the internet. Certainly the book side of the website needs improving to offer books tailored to kids in cma classes: pawn level graduates should get these books, knight level these ones, king level these ones, etc. so that they would have bought 50 cma books on their way to becoming a master.

I think at one time the CFC had an idea of sending a chess set to every Canadian school. A free chess set could be offered with a cma link, I don't know how many schools would accept or what it would cost. Could limit to the first 1,000 schools who answer.

[Michael Yip]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

I have some ideas for future projects for our organisation.

In otherwords...if you were in the place of the CMA executive...how would you re-invest CMA dollars (generated by our many faithful customers!) into the Canadian Chess Community?

If you had $20,000 to spend on chess in Canada with a youth focus...what would you do with that money? This is $20,000 to be spent in 2013.

You can send me an e-mail if you would not rather see your reply here...send it to bevand@chess-math.org

Ideas
-Upgrade your website
-Chess and Math Youtube Channel
-Scholastic Chess Blog
-Make a junior tournament annual but add in 3 IMs and make it a norm tournament
-change the format of the Quebec/Canadian Opens so that there is a 9 Round 9 GM norm/ and a 9 round IM norm tournament running concurrently and the Open is for everyone else.
-Need to make Canadian chess so that someone can get a title within the same calender year.
-Need an annual book/DVD or something of Canadian chess activity(WYCC,Can Open, Can Jr, Que Open, Can Ch etc)

Probably I just spent more than 20K of your money

[Roger Patterson]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

Ideas
-Upgrade your website

oh yeah. The number of times I need to send someone a link to some particular product you sell..... but you don't support that.

[Eric Hansen]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

1) Have a curriculum/program to build more advanced players.

2) And most importantly: more chess in the schools. You need enthusiastic people as well but there is definitely a very large percent of kids who've never been introduced or had a chance to learn to the game.

[Michael Yip]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

oh yeah. The number of times I need to send someone a link to some particular product you sell..... but you don't support that.

http://chess-math.org/

I meant this website.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

1) Have a curriculum/program to build more advanced players.

2) And most importantly: more chess in the schools. You need enthusiastic people as well but there is definitely a very large percent of kids who've never been introduced or had a chance to learn to the game.

Normally I would be quite enthusiastic about chess in the schools. I suspect that it will be big business and there are companies moving into the void that Canada's chess organizations are leaving in their absence. If fact they have moved into the schools of some of my students. One of my students saw people playing chess in a classroom after school. He thought it was the school chess club but it turned out to be a Mad Science chess class.

The instructor and a student were playing chess.

Student - Instructor
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Qg5


I expect to see a lot of attempted four move checkmates at the next Windsor Chess Challenge.

[John Coleman]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

The instructor and a student were playing chess.

Student - Instructor
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Qg4


I expect to see a lot of attempted four move checkmates at the next Windsor Chess Challenge.

Even worse, 2... Qg4 is an illegal move :p

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

Even worse, 2... Qg4 is an illegal move :p

The youngest member of the Mississauga Junior club reacts to 2..Qg4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M2XWimDl9A

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

Even worse, 2... Qg4 is an illegal move :p

I grew up with descriptive notation and am thus sometimes dyslexic when it comes to algebraic. I have corrected it to 2.... Qg5 in the original post.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: I have a meeting of the Chess'n Math Association (CMA) executive on Feb 13

The youngest member of the Mississauga Junior club reacts to 2..Qg4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M2XWimDl9A

That was exactly my student's reaction.