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15/5/2022 0 Comments Tactical CornerContinue to build your nimble mind by completing the exercise below: Exercise The position below was reached in the game of Gast - Bhend played in Berne 1982. It was Bhend to play. Can you find the continuation that leads to a forced checkmate for Bhend?  Black to play.
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7/5/2022 0 Comments Spotlight on Noah Albury Noah Albury By Kean Smith ([email protected]) In today’s article we are featuring an interview with Noah Albury who qualified for the first time as a member of The Bahamas Olympiad Chess Team. This is significant because Noah is a junior (Under 20) and won against the highest titled player in The Bahamas Chess Federation during the qualifying tournament. Interviewer: Noah, congratulations on qualifying for The Bahamas’ Chess Olympiad Team 2022. When, where and what is the expected format of this year’s Chess Olympiad? Noah: Thank you for the congratulations. This year’s Olympiad is in Chennai, India from July 28 to August 10. It will be over the board, face to face play. The expected time control is 90 minutes per 40 moves with an additional 30 minutes after the 40th move and an increment of 30 seconds after each move. Interviewer: Would this be the first time that you represent The Bahamas at an international chess tournament? If no, then please list the tournaments and which sections you participated. Noah:This would not be the first time I have represented The Bahamas in an international tournament. I have represented The Bahamas in the [following tournaments]:
Interviewer: How did you get involved in chess? Please share one of your earliest experiences with chess? Noah: My earliest experience with chess was in 6th grade when one of the students brought a chess board into class. My classmate taught me the basic moves. My classmates and I played around with it for awhile and that was my first introduction to the game. A couple months later my mother saw me teaching my sister to play and was impressed with how well I was explaining the moves to my sister. She did some research on coaches and I started taking lessons. I started playing the game in late 2018. Interviewer: Following your earliest experiences, at which point did you decide to pursue chess as an extra-curricular activity? Noah: I decided to pursue chess as an extracurricular activity in Grade 8, in 2018. At the time I began participating in tournaments and playing more games. Over the Covid lockdown I also assisted the former President of BCF, Mr. Elton Joseph, to teach little children basic chess moves. I earned my FIDE Developmental Instructor certification in 2019. Interviewer: Many people believe that chess is a good activity for school age children. Do you believe this? How has learning and playing chess benefited you? Noah: I do believe that chess is a good activity for school children. Learning chess has afforded me many travel opportunities. I enjoy the challenge of the game, it makes you think and is a very competitive sport. I love chess! Interviewer: You qualified for the Chess Olympiad team during the Easter Qualifier which was played on Saturday 23 April, 2022. During that tournament you played the black pieces against FM Cecil Moncur. At which point do you believe you were able to equalise? Noah: The game was always even, but I started to gain an advantage when he traded pieces into a winning endgame for me. Interviewer: Also, at what point during that game did you gain the initiative and what was your plan to maintain it or to convert it into a win? Noah: I gained the initiative in the endgame when I started using my bishop to attack his pawns. They couldn’t be protected and this guaranteed a win for me. At Move 29, when I moved e5 (see chess diagram below) I started to win. I won with only 4 seconds left on the clock. Interviewer: Finally, what did the result of the game against FM Moncur mean to you and why? Noah: My victory meant a lot to me because I proved that no matter how good someone is, they are able to be beaten. It also meant a lot to me because FM Moncur was my first chess teacher. I respect him, know how good he is and know there is still a lot I can learn from him. Interviewer: Noah, thank you for agreeing to this interview and I wish you all he best during the upcoming Chess Olympiad and many good moves with your chess. I look forward to hearing about your experience at your first Olympiad.  Position after 29. ... e5 Below is a link to a story of 11 year old Tani earning his form IM norm. In case you missed it, his story and introduction to chess is incredible and demonstrates that there is no monopoly on talent. https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2022/04/24/first-im-norm-for-tani-adewumi/  30/1/2022 2 Comments International Day of EducationThe International Day of Education is observed by the United Nations on 24 January.  Below is the much anticipated BCF Calendar of Events 2022. We recommend to our students and/or their parents to review the BCF and/or FIDE most recent protocols for upcoming over-the-board chess events. Additionally, the most recent relevant protocols published by The Bahamas' Ministry of Health should be reviewed.  Photo by Wadi Lissa on Unsplash As a parent, you are likely aware that the job or career your child/children are preparing for does not exist as yet. This is believable because the rate of change and development of technology and use of technology are
staggering. As a result of this rapid development of technology and the uses of new technology, your child/children can benefit from being equipped with a repertoire of skills that can be used in any job or career. Examples of some of these skills are planning, problem solving and analytical skills. If you are looking for ways for your child/children to develop these skills then consider Chess. Chess is an ideal activity that can complement your child/children's education. Feel free to contact me for additional information at [email protected] FIDE World Championship 2021 Match starts this month, November. See the following link for further details:
Schedule Venue: Dubai “On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.” – (UN website: https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day) At the link below, a teenager from Long Island, The Bahamas was interviewed about topics related to the International Day of the Girl Child. Her response can be found at the link below: http://www.smithkas.com/?p=784 6/10/2021 0 Comments World Teachers' Day - 15 OctoberTheme for World Teacher’s Day 2021 – “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”
“World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate all teachers around the globe. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching personnel in higher education. World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994.” – (UNESCO website – World Teachers’ Day 2021) At the link below, three education professionals from The Bahamas were interviewed about topics related to the theme for World Teachers’ Day 2021. Their responses can be found at the link below: Teachers' interviews - http://www.smithkas.com/?p=763 23/9/2021 0 Comments Start a Chess Club at SchoolThe benefits of children and adults learning how to play chess are many. These benefits include mental calculation and problem solving, skills that are becoming more sought after in the job market. Starting a chess club at a school in your community is a great way to encourage the development of such skills in a relax environment. Such a club can even be started and ran online until the COVID-19 pandemic is stopped. Children like games and chess is not an exception. According to a survey conducted by the World Chess Federation in the summer of 2020 about 25, 000,000 (25 million) children worldwide were playing chess in a school setting! Chess is fun! Learn how to play it and consider starting a chess club.  |
AuthorKean Smith is a qualified FIDE National Chess Instructor and former member of FIDE's Chess in School Commission. Archives
May 2025
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