GCF should be commended for chess-in-schools programme

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has launched a free online Chess-in-Schools programme in partnership with ChessKid.com, one of the foremost chess websites worldwide. Chess.com, the parent Company of ChessKid.com, hosted the 2020 FIDE Online Chess Olympiad last month.

The purpose of the Chess-in-Schools programme is to teach children about creativity, tactics, strategies, perseverance and calculated risk-taking which they can access throughout their lifetimes. Once children sign up, a variety of learning tools would be made available to them. ChessKid. com boasts a fully curated curriculum, video content and a level progression system. The site is designed as an educational tool to make learning chess fun. One of the children who has demonstrated an interest in the ChessKid programme is Ronan Lee, a third form student of Marian Academy. He is known within the chess fraternity since he participated at the national level and represented Guyana at the 2018 Carifta games in Suriname, FIDE Americas Cup in Barbados (2019) and the St Lucia Chess Classic in 2019 where he won the title of Under-20 champion.

Lee secured his place on the Guyana team for the 2020 Junior Carifta Chess Championship but it was postponed owing to the pandemic. At home, Lee won the 2018 Marian Academy Inter- School

Open and the Mae’s

Schools Under- 14

Tournament 2020.

In a brief comment, his father John Lee disclosed that his son preferred the longer classical games ( 90 minutes) instead of the blitz (5 minutes) and bullet (2 minutes) games. Since the appearance of Covid-19, all face-to-face chess board games have ceased and online chess tournaments have become very popular.

The GCF should be congratulated for this timely initiative.

Developmental