Photo: Rachel Gallagher, 9, of McCandless, concentrates on her next move during Saturday's chess tournament. Northland Library typically hosts the largest tournament in the region.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review
Calvin Beideman loves trying to find a way around a zugzwang.
Whether he's playing a timed game of chess with his father or giving younger brother Micah an advantage by playing with fewer pieces, Beideman loves the strategy behind avoiding a bad move.
"I like strategy games in general," said Beideman, 12, of Franklin Park. "Different people play different ways, and it's fun to get variety and see how others play and figure out what a good move would be."
The Beideman boys are among hundreds of youngsters competing in the 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament. Children in kindergarten through eighth grade compete at libraries for the right to advance to the county finals March 28.
Chess is a niche hobby, said Kelley Beeson, youth services coordinator for the county library association.
Around Pittsburgh, there is a strong desire to play, said Susan Claus, a children's librarian at McCandless' Northland Library.
"Even though it's an ancient game, every game is brand new," Claus said. "You're the king of a little army, so it's the best of war games, and anyone can learn it."
Kids enjoy the special language of chess, said Jerry Meyers, scholastic director of the Pittsburgh Chess Club in Squirrel Hill. Much of the world might not know what a zugzwang is -- a situation when players can only make a move that worsens their board positions -- but the kids who play certainly do.
"If you're outside the community, if someone says, 'I made a barrier, cut off his king and slammed into him from the side with my rook,' to a nonchess player that means nothing," Meyers said.
The youth chess circuit always has been strong in Pittsburgh, Meyers said. This year, however, six libraries are not holding tournaments, and registration at Northland, which typically hosts the largest tournament, dropped from about 90 children to 20. Claus did not know why participation at Northland is down but said it is now on par with other tournaments around the region.
Interest in chess spiked in the 1970s when Chicago's Bobby Fischer became the only American to ever win the World Chess Championship.
"Chess has a certain aesthetic to it, as there are surprise moves, twists and turns," Meyers said. "There's a battle going on between the two armies, and that seems to especially appeal to the boys."
Make a move
The 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament starts with 34 qualifying tournaments between January and March. Entrants can compete in one tournament in either the kindergarten-through-fourth-grade or the grade-five-through-eight divisions. Upcoming tournaments:
Saturday
Penn Hills: 9:15 a.m.
Crafton: 9:30 a.m.
Plum: 9:30 a.m.
Dormont/Castle Shannon/Greentree: 10 a.m.
Moon: 10 a.m.
North Versailles: 10 a.m.
Homestead: 1 p.m.
Feb. 14
Sewickley: 10 a.m.
F.O.R. Sto-Rox: 10 a.m.
Upper St. Clair: 1 p.m.
Feb. 21
Bethel Park: 10 a.m.
Hazelwood: 1 p.m.
Feb. 28
Monroeville: 8 a.m.
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library: 9 a.m.
Hampton Community Library: 9:30 a.m.
Lauri Ann West Memorial Library: 9:30 a.m.
Jefferson Hills/Pleasant Hills: 10 a.m.
Brookline: 10:30 a.m.
Carrick: Noon
March 1
McKeesport: 1 p.m.
Squirrel Hill: 1:30 p.m.
March 7
Beechview: 10 a.m.
Mt. Washington: 11 a.m.
South Side: Noon
South Fayette: 1 p.m.
West End: 1 p.m.
Shaler: TBA
March 14
Main Library, Children's Department: 10 a.m.
For more information, visit http://www.youthchess.netlib09sch.htm/
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Supporting Local Chess: Announcements
NEW JERSEY:
Kids' chess tournament Sunday, Feb. 8, in Madison
by Independent Press
Thursday February 05, 2009, 2:20 PM
MADISON -- A chess tournament will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Madison Community House, 25 Cook Ave. The tournament is for players of all abilities in grades two to six.
To register, call 973-377-5877 or email troop7@spfc.com. The tournament is part of a Madison Boy Scout Troop 7 Eagle Project that also includes placing picnic tables with chess boards on top of them at Livesey Park on Kings Road.
For more information, call or email Andrew Carter, 973-377-5877, troop7@spfc.com.
SOUTH CAROLINA:
From the Charleston Post Courier
Library Programs
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Charleston County Public Library will offer the following free programs.
East of the Cooper
-- McClellanville Branch Library, 222 Baker St.: 887-3699
Chess Club (ages 12 and up): Feb. 19, 6-8 p.m. Join group for a meeting of the Mount Pleasant Regional Library Chess Club. Learn how to play the game of chess. Chess sets provided, but you may bring your own if you like. Call 849-6161 for more information.
PENNSYLVANIA:
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Allegheny County libraries sponsor battle of the boards
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Photo: Rachel Gallagher, 9, of McCandless, concentrates on her next move during Saturday's chess tournament. Northland Library typically hosts the largest tournament in the region.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review
Calvin Beideman loves trying to find a way around a zugzwang.
Whether he's playing a timed game of chess with his father or giving younger brother Micah an advantage by playing with fewer pieces, Beideman loves the strategy behind avoiding a bad move.
"I like strategy games in general," said Beideman, 12, of Franklin Park. "Different people play different ways, and it's fun to get variety and see how others play and figure out what a good move would be."
The Beideman boys are among hundreds of youngsters competing in the 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament. Children in kindergarten through eighth grade compete at libraries for the right to advance to the county finals March 28.
Chess is a niche hobby, said Kelley Beeson, youth services coordinator for the county library association.
Around Pittsburgh, there is a strong desire to play, said Susan Claus, a children's librarian at McCandless' Northland Library.
"Even though it's an ancient game, every game is brand new," Claus said. "You're the king of a little army, so it's the best of war games, and anyone can learn it."
Kids enjoy the special language of chess, said Jerry Meyers, scholastic director of the Pittsburgh Chess Club in Squirrel Hill. Much of the world might not know what a zugzwang is -- a situation when players can only make a move that worsens their board positions -- but the kids who play certainly do.
"If you're outside the community, if someone says, 'I made a barrier, cut off his king and slammed into him from the side with my rook,' to a nonchess player that means nothing," Meyers said.
The youth chess circuit always has been strong in Pittsburgh, Meyers said. This year, however, six libraries are not holding tournaments, and registration at Northland, which typically hosts the largest tournament, dropped from about 90 children to 20. Claus did not know why participation at Northland is down but said it is now on par with other tournaments around the region.
Interest in chess spiked in the 1970s when Chicago's Bobby Fischer became the only American to ever win the World Chess Championship.
"Chess has a certain aesthetic to it, as there are surprise moves, twists and turns," Meyers said. "There's a battle going on between the two armies, and that seems to especially appeal to the boys."
Make a move
The 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament starts with 34 qualifying tournaments between January and March. Entrants can compete in one tournament in either the kindergarten-through-fourth-grade or the grade-five-through-eight divisions. Upcoming tournaments:
Saturday
Penn Hills: 9:15 a.m.
Crafton: 9:30 a.m.
Plum: 9:30 a.m.
Dormont/Castle Shannon/Greentree: 10 a.m.
Moon: 10 a.m.
North Versailles: 10 a.m.
Homestead: 1 p.m.
Feb. 14
Sewickley: 10 a.m.
F.O.R. Sto-Rox: 10 a.m.
Upper St. Clair: 1 p.m.
Feb. 21
Bethel Park: 10 a.m.
Hazelwood: 1 p.m.
Feb. 28
Monroeville: 8 a.m.
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library: 9 a.m.
Hampton Community Library: 9:30 a.m.
Lauri Ann West Memorial Library: 9:30 a.m.
Jefferson Hills/Pleasant Hills: 10 a.m.
Brookline: 10:30 a.m.
Carrick: Noon
March 1
McKeesport: 1 p.m.
Squirrel Hill: 1:30 p.m.
March 7
Beechview: 10 a.m.
Mt. Washington: 11 a.m.
South Side: Noon
South Fayette: 1 p.m.
West End: 1 p.m.
Shaler: TBA
March 14
Main Library, Children's Department: 10 a.m.
For more information, visit http://www.youthchess.netlib09sch.htm/
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
Photo: Rachel Gallagher, 9, of McCandless, concentrates on her next move during Saturday's chess tournament. Northland Library typically hosts the largest tournament in the region.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review
Calvin Beideman loves trying to find a way around a zugzwang.
Whether he's playing a timed game of chess with his father or giving younger brother Micah an advantage by playing with fewer pieces, Beideman loves the strategy behind avoiding a bad move.
"I like strategy games in general," said Beideman, 12, of Franklin Park. "Different people play different ways, and it's fun to get variety and see how others play and figure out what a good move would be."
The Beideman boys are among hundreds of youngsters competing in the 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament. Children in kindergarten through eighth grade compete at libraries for the right to advance to the county finals March 28.
Chess is a niche hobby, said Kelley Beeson, youth services coordinator for the county library association.
Around Pittsburgh, there is a strong desire to play, said Susan Claus, a children's librarian at McCandless' Northland Library.
"Even though it's an ancient game, every game is brand new," Claus said. "You're the king of a little army, so it's the best of war games, and anyone can learn it."
Kids enjoy the special language of chess, said Jerry Meyers, scholastic director of the Pittsburgh Chess Club in Squirrel Hill. Much of the world might not know what a zugzwang is -- a situation when players can only make a move that worsens their board positions -- but the kids who play certainly do.
"If you're outside the community, if someone says, 'I made a barrier, cut off his king and slammed into him from the side with my rook,' to a nonchess player that means nothing," Meyers said.
The youth chess circuit always has been strong in Pittsburgh, Meyers said. This year, however, six libraries are not holding tournaments, and registration at Northland, which typically hosts the largest tournament, dropped from about 90 children to 20. Claus did not know why participation at Northland is down but said it is now on par with other tournaments around the region.
Interest in chess spiked in the 1970s when Chicago's Bobby Fischer became the only American to ever win the World Chess Championship.
"Chess has a certain aesthetic to it, as there are surprise moves, twists and turns," Meyers said. "There's a battle going on between the two armies, and that seems to especially appeal to the boys."
Make a move
The 36th annual Allegheny County Libraries Association Chess Tournament starts with 34 qualifying tournaments between January and March. Entrants can compete in one tournament in either the kindergarten-through-fourth-grade or the grade-five-through-eight divisions. Upcoming tournaments:
Saturday
Penn Hills: 9:15 a.m.
Crafton: 9:30 a.m.
Plum: 9:30 a.m.
Dormont/Castle Shannon/Greentree: 10 a.m.
Moon: 10 a.m.
North Versailles: 10 a.m.
Homestead: 1 p.m.
Feb. 14
Sewickley: 10 a.m.
F.O.R. Sto-Rox: 10 a.m.
Upper St. Clair: 1 p.m.
Feb. 21
Bethel Park: 10 a.m.
Hazelwood: 1 p.m.
Feb. 28
Monroeville: 8 a.m.
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library: 9 a.m.
Hampton Community Library: 9:30 a.m.
Lauri Ann West Memorial Library: 9:30 a.m.
Jefferson Hills/Pleasant Hills: 10 a.m.
Brookline: 10:30 a.m.
Carrick: Noon
March 1
McKeesport: 1 p.m.
Squirrel Hill: 1:30 p.m.
March 7
Beechview: 10 a.m.
Mt. Washington: 11 a.m.
South Side: Noon
South Fayette: 1 p.m.
West End: 1 p.m.
Shaler: TBA
March 14
Main Library, Children's Department: 10 a.m.
For more information, visit http://www.youthchess.netlib09sch.htm/
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
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