| Section | Grade | Rating | Name | USCF ID | Expires | State | School Code | Byes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, David | 14646123 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Antunish, Lennin | 14405828 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Antunish, Lennin | 14405828 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Arthur, Brian | 14176605 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Arthur, Brian | 14176605 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Asseviro, Anthony S, Jr | 13679473 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Asseviro, Anthony S, Jr | 13679473 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Barayev, Jacob | 13674277 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Barayev, Jacob | 13674277 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Baugh, Rashaan | 14820413 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Baugh, Rashad | 14820428 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Bennett Jr, Richard | 14693284 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Bento-Simon, Ishmael | 14540696 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Bullock, Jayvon | 14782166 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Bullock, Jayvon | 14782166 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Calixte, Eldridge | 14357417 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Calixte, Eldridge | 14357417 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Chanderdatt, Joshua | 14523912 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Chase, Earl | 14044732 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Chase, Earl | 14044732 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Chen, Mengnan | 14820366 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Chen, Mengnan | 14820366 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Clifton, Raphael | 14125092 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Clifton, Raphael | 14125092 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Cordero, Fernando | 14987702 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Cuate, Edeli | 14096560 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Dalhouse, Tristan | 14284268 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Dalhouse, Tristan | 14284268 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Diallo, Haby | 14170098 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Edwards, Kayla | 14096506 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Garcia, Sebastian | 13978603 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Gomez, Vincente | 14540675 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Gonzalez, Henry | 14583624 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Idemudia, Aaron | 14369997 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Idemudia, Aaron | 14369997 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Idemudia, Sean | 14369982 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Idemudia, Sean | 14369982 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Jobe, Kirk | 14221707 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Jobe, Kirk | 14221707 | NYI318 | ||||||
| John-Burnley, Elijah Kidane | 13944107 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Lawrence, William | 14159053 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Lewis, Isaiah | 14176564 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Marin, Kevin | 14463225 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Marin, Kevin | 14463225 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Marshall, Jelani | 14987697 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Nowosadko, Michal | 14876202 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Ntango, Edmond | 14567782 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Ouyang, Zongshan | 14812764 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Ouyang, Zongshan | 14812764 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Peguero, Ariel | 14521627 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Pond, Markus | 13578801 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Pond, Markus | 13578801 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Psujek, Krystian | 14109855 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Rasheed, Nasir | 14567797 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Rasheed, Nasir | 14567797 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Rivera, Gabriel | 14782098 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Rodriguez, Jordan | 14571657 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Rush, Christopher James | 13668541 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Sanchez, Freddie | 14988218 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Sheehan, Paul | 14966836 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Tapia, Carlos | 14176632 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Tapia, Carlos | 14176632 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Uddin, Mubassar | 14603572 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Uddin, Mubassar | 14603572 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Wang, Nancy | 14782103 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Wang, Nancy | 14782103 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Wen, Jack | 14531817 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Wen, Jack | 14531817 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Wright, Shanniah | 14096512 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Yang, Calvin | 14820351 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Yang, Calvin | 14820351 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Ye, Cindy | 14812847 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Yu, Michael | 14753683 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Yu, William | 14515817 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Yurgel, Stefek | 14089411 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Zamor, Jordan | 14696058 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Zhang, Tommy | 14491570 | NYI318 | ||||||
| Zhang, Tommy | 14491570 | NYI318 |
Showing posts with label IS 318. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IS 318. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
Supernationals V: The IS 318 Players
Here is a list of the players from IS 318 Brooklyn, and the events in which they are registered to play (that's why you see some names multiple times). Keep your eyes out for their results:
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Supernationals V and LOTS of Chess Drama!
Hola darlings!
Well - lots of news! I normally do not follow scholastic chess events (with a few exceptions). But ever since those dedicated coaches and teachers at IS 318 in Brooklyn brought their kids into national prominence, and because I am a fan of Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel and supporter of her efforts, I try do check the news on occasion to see what IS 318 is doing. And - wow, they've snuck up on me! Supernationals are taking place this year in Nashville, Tennessee and begin in just two more days, April 5 - 7!
IS 318, which has become internationally famous for its excellent chess program and great results with kids that, let's face it, some people consider "throw-aways", is defending it's K-12 title -- how excellent is that!!!!!
And - gasp - Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel will NOT be able to accompany "her kids" to Nashville. She is in the early stages of a much-desired pregnancy and is experiencing some complications, you see, and is prohibited from travelling at the present time. B-U-M-M-E-R! I'm not revealing any delicate secrets here - she's written all about it in her blog. Lizzy - SKYPE! Face-to-face with the kids has never been easier, and it's free. 'course, she's probably already planning on that...
While Coach Spiegel won't be in Nashville, WIM Dr. Alexey Root will be, as coach to a K-12 team from Denton, Texas. She is going to be one busy lady, too. Not only is she coaching, she'll be hosting a seminar: WIM Alexey Root Seminar - Thinking with Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14 ... Saturday at 10 AM.
From what Dr. Root wrote in her article for USCF, it appears that UT-Dallas will have a strong presence at Supernationals V, scouting for potential recruits for its collegiate-level chess team.
A little background... The ultimate prize among colleges and universities that sponsor a chess team is to win the Chess equivalent of the "Final Four." Until the advent of the Polgar Dynamic Duo at Texas Tech in 2007, it had been more or less taken for granted that UT-Dallas or the University of Maryland-Baltimore, would win the coveted title, year after boring year. Susan Polgar changed the equation - in a BIG FRICKING WAY! She won TWO titles for Texas Tech, suddenly putting it on the MAP, before (half-way through what was generally understood to be a 10-year long "understanding") moving her program (under the auspices of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) to St. Louis, Missouri and Webster University at the end of Spring Term, 2012, AND taking the entire "A" Team with her. Not without some controversy. The bottom line is that Polgar's grateful beneficiary, Webster University, has the best "collegiate" level team yet.
Suffice to say - there is, er, COMPETITION among top-level collegiate chess programs these days to attract high-level players, er, chessplayers. Who'd have thunk it! Cut-throat, darlings, absolutely cut-throat! Knives are out and high drama is afoot these days in the world of collegiate chess. Who is backing who? Where is the money coming from? Just how much, exactly, are we talking about? What are the ultimate goals, and who is scoring points on who? Woo woo! Like I said, high drama! Those idiots in Washington have some lessons to learn from chess politicians, let me tell you...
The chess femmes will have a STRONG presence this year at Supernationals -- in addition to the above --
WGM Jennifer Shahade Seminar - Popularizing Chess ... Friday at 5 PM.
Parents Coffee with USCF President WIM Ruth Haring ... Saturday 3 PM.
In addition, one of my favorite players ever, GM Alexandria Kosteniuk, the 12th Women's World Chess Champion, who has a big kind heart and is so sweet and shy, will be giving a simul:
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk Simul Thursday 2 PM.
Cost: $50. Limited to first 40 players. Register Online (scroll down to Event 4 under Step 3).
So, tune in and watch for the results. Right now I'm hunting for Teams composition to see what IS 318 players will be playing, so I can root for the all! Just not finding anything. I'll keep looking and will update as we get into the actual tournament.
Well - lots of news! I normally do not follow scholastic chess events (with a few exceptions). But ever since those dedicated coaches and teachers at IS 318 in Brooklyn brought their kids into national prominence, and because I am a fan of Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel and supporter of her efforts, I try do check the news on occasion to see what IS 318 is doing. And - wow, they've snuck up on me! Supernationals are taking place this year in Nashville, Tennessee and begin in just two more days, April 5 - 7!
IS 318, which has become internationally famous for its excellent chess program and great results with kids that, let's face it, some people consider "throw-aways", is defending it's K-12 title -- how excellent is that!!!!!
And - gasp - Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel will NOT be able to accompany "her kids" to Nashville. She is in the early stages of a much-desired pregnancy and is experiencing some complications, you see, and is prohibited from travelling at the present time. B-U-M-M-E-R! I'm not revealing any delicate secrets here - she's written all about it in her blog. Lizzy - SKYPE! Face-to-face with the kids has never been easier, and it's free. 'course, she's probably already planning on that...
While Coach Spiegel won't be in Nashville, WIM Dr. Alexey Root will be, as coach to a K-12 team from Denton, Texas. She is going to be one busy lady, too. Not only is she coaching, she'll be hosting a seminar: WIM Alexey Root Seminar - Thinking with Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14 ... Saturday at 10 AM.
From what Dr. Root wrote in her article for USCF, it appears that UT-Dallas will have a strong presence at Supernationals V, scouting for potential recruits for its collegiate-level chess team.
A little background... The ultimate prize among colleges and universities that sponsor a chess team is to win the Chess equivalent of the "Final Four." Until the advent of the Polgar Dynamic Duo at Texas Tech in 2007, it had been more or less taken for granted that UT-Dallas or the University of Maryland-Baltimore, would win the coveted title, year after boring year. Susan Polgar changed the equation - in a BIG FRICKING WAY! She won TWO titles for Texas Tech, suddenly putting it on the MAP, before (half-way through what was generally understood to be a 10-year long "understanding") moving her program (under the auspices of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) to St. Louis, Missouri and Webster University at the end of Spring Term, 2012, AND taking the entire "A" Team with her. Not without some controversy. The bottom line is that Polgar's grateful beneficiary, Webster University, has the best "collegiate" level team yet.
Suffice to say - there is, er, COMPETITION among top-level collegiate chess programs these days to attract high-level players, er, chessplayers. Who'd have thunk it! Cut-throat, darlings, absolutely cut-throat! Knives are out and high drama is afoot these days in the world of collegiate chess. Who is backing who? Where is the money coming from? Just how much, exactly, are we talking about? What are the ultimate goals, and who is scoring points on who? Woo woo! Like I said, high drama! Those idiots in Washington have some lessons to learn from chess politicians, let me tell you...
The chess femmes will have a STRONG presence this year at Supernationals -- in addition to the above --
WGM Jennifer Shahade Seminar - Popularizing Chess ... Friday at 5 PM.
Parents Coffee with USCF President WIM Ruth Haring ... Saturday 3 PM.
In addition, one of my favorite players ever, GM Alexandria Kosteniuk, the 12th Women's World Chess Champion, who has a big kind heart and is so sweet and shy, will be giving a simul:
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk Simul Thursday 2 PM.
Cost: $50. Limited to first 40 players. Register Online (scroll down to Event 4 under Step 3).
So, tune in and watch for the results. Right now I'm hunting for Teams composition to see what IS 318 players will be playing, so I can root for the all! Just not finding anything. I'll keep looking and will update as we get into the actual tournament.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Jon Stewart Talks About IS 318!
Katie Dellamaggiore specifcally mentions walkng into a chess class being taught by teacher Elizabeth Vicary (since married, now known as Elizabeth Spiegel) and being totally captivated, even though she had not ever played chess before, and had no idea what she was talking about...
IS 318's class president found himself in "a huge fiscal crisis" when the Brooklyn school's principal announced $1 million in cuts that would threaten the top-rated chess club's tournament travels.
Pobo Efekoro, now a student at Forest Hills High School in Queens, was juggling school, class presidency and a budget that was about to put the brakes on the IS 318 chess team, which had won more national championships than any other in the country -- and out of an inner city school populated by low-income students. The team was considered "the Yankees of chess." That was when documentary producer and director Katie Dellmaggiore sought to capture the story on film in "Brooklyn Castle."
Efekoro and Dellmaggiore appeared on The Daily Show together Thursday to tell parts of the story, shedding light on how IS 318's chess team illustrates the importance of extracurricular activities and education beyond the core four.
Stewart took the opportunity to bring up issues with the federal No Child Left Behind law and emphasis on standardized testing.
"As a student, there's a program in this school that's clearly lighting up these children's hearts and minds and bringing out the absolute best in them and the first thing we do in that situation is say, 'Well that's the thing that has to go.'" Stewart says. "You're cutting the vital appendage, and spending all that money for the tests."
Filming the documentary allowed Dellmaggiore to see first hand how chess, and other non-core subjects, allowed teachers to educate and engage kids in a different way, she said. Efekoro added that his eighth grade teacher at the school was the best he'd ever had -- and there was no teaching to the test.
"The teachers work very hard, and for them to get targeted as being demonized as the problem for why our education is bad is absurd," Efekoro said. "The teachers are fabulous. And a lot of my teachers that I had, according to the city, they're bad. But the fact of the matter is, I love them."
New York City released, for the first time, in February a list of individual ratings of thousands of the city's schoolteachers -- a move that concluded a lengthy legal battle waged by the local teachers union and media. The Teacher Dat aReports rate more than 12,000 teachers who taught fourth through eighth grade English or math between 2007 and 2010 based on value-added analysis. Value-added analysis calculates a teacher's effectiveness in improving student performance on standardized tests -- based on past test scores. The forecasted figure is compared to the student's actual scores, and the difference is considered the "value added," or subtracted, by the teachers.
Controversy surrounding the release was widespread as tales surfaced of teachers who were perhaps unfairly rated poorly. Forest Hills, where Efekoro now attends, has nearly 3,900 students, far above its intended capacity of 2,300 seats. "And thats what's going on in the schools right now," Stewart says. "And you have these incredibly intelligent, passionate young people. What you guys are doing there is incredible, I give you all the respect in the world, it's tremendous."
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Brooklyn IS 318 in USA Today
This Brooklyn middle school develops master chess players - a photo essay
Love this pic of Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel with "her" kids at IS 318.
Visit USA Today at link (above) for more!
Love this pic of Elizabeth Vicary Spiegel with "her" kids at IS 318.
Visit USA Today at link (above) for more!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Great News! Brooklyn Power Company Donates to IS 318
This is wonderful news! Thank you to the people of Brooklyn Navy Yard Cogeneration Plant for their generous donation to help the kids of Brooklyn IS 318 achieve more national championship titles.
A nationally renowned Brooklyn middle school chess club threatened by budget cuts has been rescued by a white knight — in the form of a local power company.
Brooklyn power company donates $25,000 to needy IS 318 chess team
Donation will help squad attend national championship in San Diego
Friday, December 2 2011, 10:10 PM
A nationally renowned Brooklyn middle school chess club threatened by budget cuts has been rescued by a white knight — in the form of a local power company.
Officials for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Cogeneration Plant donated $25,000 to Intermediate School 318 in East Williamsburg to help fund the school’s chess program.
“It’s like a dream come true that someone responded to our cry for help,” said assistant principal and team coordinator John Galvin.
After a rash of budget cuts and a lean economy, Galvin said the school had a daunting task of raising $60,000 to help their students trek across the country to compete for a national championship. Faculty at the school and the chess champs have been working overtime to raise the money by selling candy bars, running bake sales and reaching out to private donors.
Even though they’ve raised a good chunk of the money, Galvin still feared the deficit would be too much — especially with the team’s big trip to San Diego, to challenge for another national title, looming in April.
“Either the price would have been too high or we would have been unable to take all the students who earned the right to go,” said Galvin. “That was a dilemma that we were extremely fearful of.”
Officials for the power company said they called Galvin yesterday after they read the story in Thursday’s Daily News.
“We thought, ‘Three weeks before Christmas, what perfect timing,’ ” said company official Sean Lane. “It just seemed to us how could we not support this school.”
Lane said the company regularly donates their time to the school and when they saw the school needed cash, the decision was a no-brainer.
“We rely on New York to be successful so that we can be successful and that starts with the kids in our own community,” said Lane. “It’s a way for us to give back to the community we work in every day.”
Galvin said even though the team is still $15,000 short, he can now focus on getting his kids in prime position to checkmate the competition.
The team spent yesterday at Google’s offices in Chelsea wiping the floor with the search engine’s best and brightest on the chess board, cruising to an easy 45-9 win.
“It just reinforced our belief that our kids are the intellectual equals of anyone,” said Galvin. “They’re proud of what they’ve accomplished and they’re proud to show it off.”
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Brooklyn IS 318 Needs Help!
It breaks my heart that the kids of IS 318's chess program have to face this - and not just them. Chess programs all across the country are suffering because of massive budget cuts. These are championship calibre teams too. How sad, and pathetic. We've got plenty of money to pay New Gingrich over a million dollars of taxpayer money in "consultation fees" to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. How many school chess programs would that money fund - please do the math.
Brooklyn champion school chess team held in check by lack of funds
A Brooklyn middle school’s championship chess team is trying to avoid being checkmated by budget cuts.
Brooklyn champion school chess team held in check by lack of funds
Intermediate School 318 in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, running out of moves to raise money
Wednesday, November 30 2011, 10:45 PM
A Brooklyn middle school’s championship chess team is trying to avoid being checkmated by budget cuts.
Students and faculty at Intermediate School 318 in East Williamsburg are frantically trying to raise as much cash as they can to keep funding their top-shelf chess team.
School officials said budget cuts and the economic slide have made it nearly impossible to make ends meet. “It’s kind of like a double whammy,” said Assistant Principal and chess team organizer John Galvin. “We don’t have the money and \[parents\] don’t have the money, but somehow we’ve got to make it happen.”
Galvin said he was able to use school funds to run the $100,000 program, which boasts 28 national championships, before the cuts started in 2008. Now, administrators need to come up with at least $60,000 to cover the costs.
 |
Nicholas Fevelo for News
Yuxin Zhou plays chess at Intermediate School 318 in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Wednesday. Her championship-winning team is struggling to raise funds to attend competitions. |
Student chess players have already raised $12,000 from selling chocolate bars, and administrators were able to scrape together an extra $10,000 from private donations. Money has gotten so tight for the team that Galvin said he ran up an $8,000 tab on his credit card two weeks ago covering the team’s hotel and airfare on a trip to Dallas for a national competition. The team won in the eighth-grade division.
Galvin, who said he’ll be reimbursed from the fund-raising, said the chess program is important for his students who come from poor families. “The premise of the team is that if you work hard and you study, you can be the intellectual equal of any kid in the U.S.,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have or what language you speak — no one has an advantage when you sit across the board.”
Seventh-grader Shanniah Wright said she’s sad the team cut back on its local competitions. “I don’t get as much practice playing different people as I would like,” said Shanniah. “I could get better at chess before the nationals.”
“It makes me a little sad that I can’t do that,” said eighth-grader Isaac Barayev, 13. “You miss out on the experience and the fun of playing chess.”
Galvin said his chess team has bigger things to worry about than team finances.
The team is visiting Google’s Chelsea office to push around the firm’s executives on the chess board Thursday, and in the spring, it will be matching wits with students from Columbia University and NYU.
In April, the team heads to San Diego for the National Junior High School Championship. Meanwhile, the team is also the subject of the forthcoming documentary “Brooklyn Castle.”
“I don’t want the kids to worry about how they are going to afford the trip,” Galvin said. “I want them to worry about being good students and great chess players.”
For more information on how to donate, visit www.is318chessteam.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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.
For more information, please contact I.S. 318 Chess Coach Elizabeth Vicary.
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
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.
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
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! |
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
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.
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