|
|||||||||
|
Chessville
Advertise to Single insert:
|
Sam Schmakel
Age: 6 Grade: 1 One of the most active and effective local chess organizations is Chess In Chicago, dedicated to promoting scholastic chess in the Chicago, Illinois (USA) area. They do a fantastic job, too - their website is top-notch, and they have a great looking and informative newsletter. Last Thursday I received the latest issue of their newsletter, and sat casually perusing it, when my eye caught the following snippet of a tournament report:
WHAT??? Did that really say a 1st-grader tied for 2nd place with a 9th-grader, just behind an 11th grader? This has to be a typo, right? WRONG! Sam is for real! Sam began playing chess in May of 2002, when he was five years old and still in kindergarten. He saw some older children playing, and they taught him how the pieces move. From that day on he has been HOOKED on chess! Neither of his parents were chess players, but have learned since so that they can help him and enjoy his participation. His mom is what a chess parent should be - very supportive & enthusiastic, but doesn't push him. She said there was no need to... you couldn't hold him back! Forum Host Kelly Atkins recently talked with Sam & his mom, and filed this report: Sam's mom said that the day he first learned the moves last May, he asked her if they could play when they got home. She bought an inexpensive set and between reading the instructions and Sam explaining, she learned how to play. I got the impression that she's really getting into the whole chess thing and that she enjoys it herself, though she admitted Sam was rapidly outdistancing her. She said that he LOVES the Josh Waitzkin tutorials in CM 9000. "I hear Josh's voice constantly while Sam works his way through them. I think Josh is his older brother! He just idolizes Josh and gets a lot out of those tutorials." She's started a chess class/club at his school that meets weekly and prepares a suitable lesson for the kids. She also said that Sam had always been shy, but that chess had really caused him to blossom and start being a lot more open & confident. She was just very enthusiastic about his participation in chess and how much he loved it and the benefits for Sam and all children. I was greatly impressed by her and thought "Boy, I wish all chess parents could be this supportive, helpful, and non-pushy". Sam was quite
charming. Just a normal, bright kid. Most of his answers were
"Yes" & "No", but when I asked him what part of the game he enjoyed the
most, without hesitation, he said "The endgame! I love the endgame!"
He also said he like tactics, but his mom said he was getting into
positional play and studied openings too. I asked him what openings he
played and he told me he used Queen pawn openings and the English Opening.
As black he usually plays the Dutch and Sicilian, though his mom said he was
starting to really like the Caro-Kann. Sam joined the Chicago Chess Kids program in June of 2002. This program is run by a wonderful chess coach named Milan Mitrovic. Milan has been patient, understanding, and his love of the game comes across in his dealings with the children. Sam has also had the advantage of playing some very talented older opponents who have taken him under their wing and supported him. Eye of the Tiger
Northwest Scholastic Open--January, 25, 2003. Record: Won 5 out of 5. 1st place in the primary division (K-3) (Trophy) (There were over 200 kids in his division). Chicago K-12 Internet League MVP Qualifier #1 on US Chess Live--February 6, 2003. Record: Won 4 our of 5 games, & tied for 1st place with a 8th grader who was a former National Scholastic Champion. (A year of Royal Membership). Latin School Tournament at Navy Pier--February 15, 2003. Record: Won 4 out of 5 games. 14th place in the primary section (Trophy). Caveman Tournament--March 1, 2003. Record: 5 out of 5 games. 2nd place (due to tiebreak) in primary section (trophy). Chicago Public School Elementary Chess Championship--March 3, 2003. Record: Won 4 out of 4 games, then had a playoff for the championship and won. Sam's school, Decatur Classical, won 1st place in the primary division (Trophy). Chicago K-12 Internet League MVP Qualifier #1 on US Chess Live--March 5, 2003. Record: Won 3.5 out of 5 games. 2nd place, under a High School Junior (Cash prize). [Click here for a JavaScript Board to see one of Sam's recent internet games] Clearly Sam is a chess prodigy in the making. Keep an eye out for his name in the future, because we has no doubt you will be seeing it a lot more over the coming years. Sam, Chessville salutes you!!
Written by
David Surratt |
Advertisement
The Chessville
The
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
