Please Help the Chess Kids of IS 318

Times are hard.  Revenues are down for states and municipalities.  As is the case in so many school districts across the country, budgets are being slashed, teachers are being fired, aides are being fired, programs (those left that is, after many prior years of cutting, cutting and cutting) are being eliminated.  None of this benefits our kids.

I think all of us would agree that our kids should not be made to suffer. 

When I read the plea for help for IS 318's chess program at Elizabeth Vicary's blog, my heart went right out to the kids - in this case, chess kids!  We immediately pledged a donation.  We only wish it could be more!

For those of you who don't know Elizabeth Vicary, she has played in several U.S. Women's Chess Championships.  These events are by invitation only from the U.S. Chess Federation, to the top-rated U.S. women and those who have otherwise earned the right to participate (such as the prior year's champion and winners of certain USCF-sponsored events).  Elizabeth won the 2007 Goddesschess Brilliancy Prize for her game against WGM Camille Baginskaite at the 2007 Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship.  It was by virtue of that prize that I came to "know" her a little bit, and became a big fan! 

Goddesschess believes whole-heartedly in the importance of chess programs for our young people.  The many benefits that chess brings to them are well-documented and I'm not going to bore you to tears by going into them here.  Suffice to say that the tangible and intangible benefits for our young people stand as a testament to why "scholastic" chess is so popular in the United States today - and new chess programs are being added across the nation, despite budget cuts!  But, as fast as we're pedalling, we're just playing catch-up to programs that have been going on in Europe (and particularly in Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union) for generations; and these programs are a primary reason why Chinese players have risen so quickly to the top ranks of female and male chessplayers on the world ratings lists! 

Please help the IS 318 school chess program.  If you can, please help the kids by making a donation.  A Pay-Pal account has been set up to make donating easy.  Any amount, no matter how "small" you think it might be, is welcome.  All of those "small" donations can add up quickly, darlings, if enough of us make them! Remember the story about how a mighty forest grew from one little acorn? That's what we can do, a few dollars at a time.

Your donation is deductible for U.S. income tax purposes to the extent allowable by law as a donation to a qualifying tax-exempt entity (as a public school, IS 318 is a qualified tax-exempt entity under the Internal Revenue Code).

Link to the PayPal page for IS 318. 

If you pre, checks, made payable to I.S. 318 Chess Team, can be mailed to:
I.S. 318
101 Walton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206

For more information, please contact I.S. 318 Chess Coach Elizabeth Vicary. 

Anita Maksimiuk, 2010 IS 318

Elizabeth Vicary (left) and some of the girls from the 2007 IS 318
Chess Teams.  IS 318 was honored by the Mayor's Office in 2007!

I would also like you to know that Goddesschess' donation will be used as follows:  [W]e decided to use the money to send girls to girls nationals, in honor of your blog. The total should cover the entry fee for 10-12 girls. Obviously, we'll still have to cover other expenses, but the assistant principal said he would find the money.

Information on the wonderful chess program at IS 318:

You can read up close and personal accounts of Elizabeth's work with these kids at her blog.

I.S. 318 Chess Team

IS 318 Chess Team

The Story of IS 318: Interview with the Director of Chess Movie
by Jennifer Shahade
April 5, 2010

April 20, 2011
Remainders: IS 318 wins national chess tournament
by Philissa Cramer, at 7:28 pm

Information on Elizabeth Vicary:

E. Vicary on Chess, Girls and Genius
by Jennifer Shahade
June 26, 2007

Some of Elizabeth's games at Chessgames

Braden Bournival on Elizabeth

According to the U.S. Chess Federation's current statistics, Elizabeth is currently ranked 49th of U.S. women, with a USCF rating of 2076 and a FIDE ELO of 2154.  She reached her peak USCF rating near the end of 2007. As so often happens with promising U.S. female chessplayers, Elizabeth has not played in many events recently - her life is now filled up with other demands on her time, including her teaching career.  Her most recent event was in May of this year, the 2011 World Amateur Team and US Team East.