Chess in Education Discussion Group

Chess in Education

Join the Global Conversation!

Every last Wednesday of the month the ECU Education Commission holds a Discussion Group meeting for chess educators to share experiences and discuss their ideas and knowledge on different topics related to Chess in Education.

Discussion Group Meetings allow participants to learn from each other and gain new insights through different perspectives.

This month:
Hands-on Chess: Creativity and Creation in the Chess Classroom

In this discussion, with Tom Mahoney, we will explore and brainstorm simple ways to inject individual creativity and fun into teaching kids chess. We'll talk about utilizing drawing lessons, creating impromptu chess sets, and a program from Italy called "Chesscards" that gives kids a chance for creative expression while making their own 2-D chess sets and learning the fundamentals of chess. Attendees are encouraged to bring a pen and paper to participate in a short "chess art lesson."

Tom will introduce a study, Chesscards: Making a Paper Chess Game with Primary School Students, a Cooperative Approach. This study details an experimental program undertaken in Rome, Italy, begun in 2015, and which, with refinements gleaned from their initial effort is still going strong today. The initial study profiled in this paper takes place in the school years from 2015 to 2020 with primary-aged children ages 7-10 years old.

Tom Mahoney is an actively proselytizing chess zealot. He has created chess communities both in-person and online. He is a true believer in the power of chess to better humanity. In 2016 Tom began a quest to release chess back into the wild. Frustrated by the lack of places to play live chess and the cloistered chess organizations that kept chess locked away from casual players, he started staging open live chess events in public places with real chess boards. These events were not only designed to give people a place to play chess but also to show the general public that chess is a game anyone can play and enjoy. Tom has gone on to teach chess in public schools and for The Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Tom has no chess rating and no plans to get one.

Register and join the Discussion Group Meeting to learn more!

Wednesday, 25th September 2024

18:00 - 19:30 Central European Time

(Don`t forget to check your time zone!)

The event is managed by ChessPlus.