Personal Update
With this being the last update in these Inquiry posts, I’d like to give a final update on how I have done, and what Chess has given me. Firstly, I have completed my goal of increasing my ELO by 100 points, and if I continue to play, I think it will definitely to rise. Now besides completing my goal, I think this project has really brought some positivity in my life. My brother moved to California this year and this is the longest I have gone without seeing him. We have not talked a whole lot, but since picking up chess, we have begun to play almost daily and communcaite more often. Chess has also given me a positive hobby. I am terribly addicted to my phone and social media, and chess has been a great outlet for me to spend time doing instead of playing on my phone. Overall, I am really glad I was tasked with this project, I am also really glad I chose this topic. This has been such a fun experiment for me to do, and with the stress of school being a constant; these inquiry posts have been a breath of fresh air for me.
Gamification of Chess.
One of the things that resonated with me in week 9’s class was how impactful gamification can be. And I think this is a technique I can use to get kids hooked into chess. Although I have talked about how chess really fits into the curricular competencies such as critical thinking, I think I almost want to take my students focus away from emphasizing the educational and curricular aspects of chess, and instead have them focus more on chess being a fun game that they can play. I think if we focus more on chess as a game, and that it is fun, students will be more eager to engage in it, and associate it less with school and more with fun. With this way of thinking, I still think you get all of the benefits of chess, such as critical thinking and creative thinking, but it allows the kids to separate from academics and focus more on the game and less on if they are winning and losing, right or wrong. I really hope I get the opportunity to be able to do this in a classroom of my own as the benefits of chess in the classroom have been known since my first post. And with this new way of approaching it, I think I can really get students engaged in this powerful learning tool.
Chess and Mental Health.
Like previously mentioned, one of the reasons I love chess in a classroom environment so much is the low entry barrier. There is no physical requirement to play the game, it levels the playing field, it is low cost, and there are no gender, physical, or any other requirements to play. One of the things that I was curious about for this project was the accessibility of chess for players with physical disabilities. After doing some research, there are lots of different accommodations for players who have physical disabilities. For example, there are different types of chess to help accommodate players with visual disabilities, such as braille chess, and auditory add ons to help with online modes. I also found an international federation for physically disabled chess players. This federation has lots of different classes to allow players of all different skill levels and physical abilities to find proper competition in the sport.
Chess in the Olympics
If you ever questioned the validity of Chess as a sport. Your questioning should stop after reading this. In the next Olympic games, chess, via Chess.com (the platform I have been promoting) will be played as an official Olympic event. This is super exciting news as a chess fan I hope this will help spread chess to people who maybe don’t recognize the game as a legit sport. This and maybe a new season of the Queen’s Gambit will help spark a new wave of chess players and get more students excited for the game.
