![]() That’s perfectly fine because we’re not teaching them chess for that reason. would be for the very serious ones who want to devote themselves to chess, and 99 percent of the kids are never going to become title players. If we can teach every child that, then we’ve taught them to be better people, better friends and better citizens.ĭo you find that a lot of the kids are sticking with the game when they get a grasp of it?Īshley: Chess is one game of many options that kids have, so I’m not really concerned about whether they become international masters and international grandmasters. You playing chess well is just a reflection of your inner thought process and your ability to maintain discipline throughout that’s something we want them to translate for their lives. So you learn to be tougher, you learn to think your way out of problems, you learn to plan and concentrate. I guess you can learn in other sports as well, but chess has the advantage of being a mental game. Some might say it’s a large lesson, but it’s a sliver of the number of lessons you can learn when you play chess. You knock us down, we get back up.” And that’s just a small lesson. Just because you lose doesn’t mean you’re a loser, and champions don’t quit. I said, “All of us here have lost at something.” Then I said, “You think this is a room with a bunch of losers?” “No!” the class shouted in unison. I asked them, “How many of you here have lost at something?” I had my hand up, of course, and there was a group leader who had his hand up there was a center director who had her hand up and all the kids had their hands up. ![]() What are kids really learning other than openings and endgames these days?Īshley: I was in my classroom at the PAL center my third graders and fourth graders. I hear you’ve been going to Ferguson, Mo. I really wanted to make a difference, so I spoke to Graham Jurgensen, the head of the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa, and we came up with an idea to bring strong chess trainers to help train the trainers in Africa and bring materials as well. In addition to that, I’m part of another initiative called Chessmasters for Africa, and it was an idea I worked on with the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa. So I’ll be doing that, and the next week I’ll be a part of the Grand Chess Tour that goes around the world to bring the top players on the planet, including world champion Magnus Carlsen and these three players as well to battle for the Grand Chess Tour title. It’s one of the most anticipated championships in recent memory because you have three of the top six players in the world. I’m always doing the commentary for the big chess events, the U.S. ![]() That’s an important project for us, and I’m happy to be a part of that team. We’re really trying to standardize chess in a way that could make it a subject in school on a daily basis. They’re in over 100 schools now, so that scholastic program is extremely strong. ![]() Louis to a curriculum that will develop thousands of kids in their program. I’m also working with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. What move–no pun intended–are you plotting now?Īshley: I’m currently teaching chess three times a week at Automotive High School in Brooklyn, and also the Police Athletic League after school with third and fourth graders and a middle school, so I’m pretty much spread out across the educational spectrum of bringing the game to African-American children. At this point, you’ve elevated the game and probably introduced it to thousands of African-Americans. Chess Hall of Fame.ĮBONY caught up with Ashley once again to get the latest on what he’s been up to-and to find out his thoughts on chess as a trash-talking game.ĮBONY: You’re an ambassador of chess. At last year’s tournament, he was inducted into the U.S. Women’s Championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. These days, the grandmaster is continuing his mission as a chess educator in addition to working as one of the game’s most-sought after commentators and will call plays at the 2017 U.S. “Chess is an exciting game in and of itself, but on top of that, I really wanted to teach them and get them excited,” Ashley told EBONY in a 1999 interview. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., started playing at age 14 and by 20, he had become a national master, eventually moving up the ranks to expert, master, senior master and, in 1999, to the title of International Grandmaster, the first African-American to do so.Īshley has also always had a passion for teaching chess and started coaching teams in the Harlem and New York’s South Bronx during his ascension to superstar. Maurice Ashley is a name that is synonymous with chess in this country.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |