BCS Oakland Chess Program
The 2010 2nd Annual Oakland Year-end Tournament will be on Wednesday, June 2 at Learning Without Limits Elementary School.
Parents & Student Information | Press Information | Instructor Information
For two years now 400 students at Learning without Limits, Esperanza, Futures, Maxwell Park and Santa Fe schools, located in some of Oakland’s poorest neighborhoods, have been taught the game of chess by the Berkeley Chess School. Chess has been shown to improve academics, classroom behavior, attendance and self-esteem. In a study for the 2008-2009 school year, conducted by the Berkeley Policy Associates, it was found that students who had 20 or more chess classes scored significantly higher in Math on the California Standardized Test than did their peers who did not have chess.
It is now the end of year two. The students have just finished taking the CSTs. They are ready for fun and competition. They have honed their skills and are eager to compete to see who will place first this year. At last year’s tournament Learning Without Limits earned first place from between the five schools. Each school is determined to win the first place trophy for their school this year. The fun will be in the trying but at the end of the day at least one out of four students will go home with a trophy for winning their quad, every participating student will get a medal and all five schools will receive a trophy from first to fifth place.
Until last year there had never been an occasion in these children’s lives where they could compete in a non-threatening environment, have fun and get along. Thanks to the sponsorship of In Dulci Jubilo, The Irene S Scully Foundation, The Arthur and Toni Rock Foundation and board members and families of the Berkeley Chess School the students have had this chance. The tournament culminates the year of chess. The children are eager to play. Knowing the hidden and obvious benefits of chess, we are eager to help them.
Last year's tournament coverage from KGO-TV ABC7 is nominated for an Associated Press Award.
History
Since it began the fall of 2008, the Berkeley Chess School's Oakland Chess Program has offered weekly classes to 400 second through fourth graders from five low-income Title 1 Schools in Oakland.
Thanks to the generous support of BCS parents and friends, our successful new program now gives hundreds of economically disadvantaged East Bay girls and boys access to chess, a valuable learning tool that fosters both academic and personal success. Chess builds concentration, memory, critical thinking and self-esteem, the building blocks of academic achievement. The game also helps develop good judgment, both inside the classroom and beyond, preparing young people for a challenging world. For an example, please read:
Chess Can Make a Difference: Futures Elementary's Story
Research
An independent study shows Oakland students who took chess had significantly higher math test scores and school attendance than their non-chess taking peers.Learn more
Please help us enrich the lives of Oakland's children today by supporting this important program.
PLUS: your gift will be doubled by a matching gift from the Hellman Family Foundation and the Arthur Rock Foundation!
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Your gift for Year 2 (2009-2010) will let us continue to bring the benefits of chess to as many East Bay children as possible. The BCS Oakland Chess Program will include a study by our educational research partners Berkeley Policy Associates to determine how chess impacts academic achievement, classroom behavior, and children's attitudes towards learning. Please make your gift today! | “My class had a hard time in the beginning of they year, both academically and behaviorally ─ especially getting along with one another. Chess has helped them realize that they can play with anyone and still have fun.They are also doing better academically. They are teaching family members and friends how to play, and are asking for chess sets for Christmas and birthdays.” -- A fourth grade teacher at Oakland’s Futures Elementary |