Coordinator: Mrs Connie Pizzato
Contact Details E mail cpizzato@somerville.qld.edu.au
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What is Chess ?

2012 CHESS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Chess at Somerville House

Through the Queensland Junior Chess League, our students have the opportunity to participate in Chess Clinics, competitions, coaching sessions and also in other Chess- related activities with various Independent Schools. From the commencement of the school year, introductory and intermediate courses are offered to students at a small fee by the best players and coaches from the Junior Chess League. The culture of Chess is a well-established element of school life at Somerville House. In the Junior School in particular, there are many opportunities to engage in Chess activities including Chess as a mandatory subject, formal Chess lessons twice a week, Chess Club once a week and Chess Days of Excellence. Additionally, the School hosts four tournaments each year which attract up to 600 students from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and the greater Brisbane area. Players of all levels are encouraged to participate with students from Prep to Year 6 representing Somerville House at these events. The benefits of studying Chess include improved mathematical, language, analytical and spatial skills. It is one of the few activities where age, gender and physical size is not a consideration.

Described as ‘gymnastics of the brain’, the list of people who have been passionate advocates of chess include almost every famous and sometimes infamous historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Strauss, Voltaire, Rousseau, Shakespeare, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Napoleon, Fredrick the Great, Winston Churchill, Catherine the Great, King Montezuma, Queen Victoria, Robespierre and Ivan the Terrible. Throughout its 2000 year history, the passion to master this fiercely competitive game has not lessened. Chess continues to fascinate millions of people world-wide; evident by the fact that there are more books written about chess than any other sport.

The diversity of the levels at which chess is played makes the game, often referred to as the Game of Kings, accessible to people of all ages and cultures. Chess is analogous to life and reflects some of the key elements that are integral to human survival – mental fitness; the need for deep thinking and strategic calculation, defence tactics, aggressiveness and consequences for our actions. It teaches us that there is always more than one solution to a problem. In fact, after the first three moves for each player, there are millions of possibilities to be considered.