"Bring it on!" exclaimed Justin, as he sat down to play his third and final round of the JO Ford Elementary School Championship, eyeing the six golden trophies that glistened in the front of the room.

Justin, along with teammates Jason, Peace, and Joseph, who are in the JO Ford GATE program, had just finished taking 9th place in the BCS Elementary School Team Championship last April, and were hunting for more trophies to add to their collection. This time, though, they faced the top three JO Ford students from each of Rooms 8, 9, 13, and 17 in a field of fifteen players.

All went smoothly for the tournament veterans in the first round, who each won their games, but in round two, Joseph narrowly escaped with a draw against second-grader Luis, the top player from Room 8. Carlos from Room 17 pulled off a stunning upset, checkmating top-seeded Jason with a Rook Roller!

By the third and last round, only three players had perfect scores. Justin won first place by outplaying Luis in a difficult Rook endgame, finally promoting a pawn to a Queen, and checkmating with the Queen and King.

"I knew once Justin got the Queen he would win," said National Master Roger Poehlmann, who directed the tournament and coaches the JO Ford chess team. "We practiced that King and Queen checkmate over and over in our class-it's a very important technique to know."

Meanwhile, Carlos and Peace battled to a draw, giving them each of them 2-1/2 points and 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Joseph recovered and won his last game, moving up into 4th place, and so did Jason, who took 5th place.

Helped by Carlos's strong showing, the players from Room 17 garnered 4-1/2 points between the three of them to edge out Room 13's combined score of 4 points. This earned Room 17 a special Class Trophy, and bragging rights until next year's tournament. All the kids had a great time and received a medal for their participation in this event, which took place on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 between 12:40-2pm.

View All Photos of this Event!

We would like to thank the Y&H Soda Foundation, The Morris Stulsaft Foundation, and The Mechanics Bank, all of whom made this tournament and our weekly chess classes possible at JO Ford this year.

The JO Ford Scholastic Chess Team once again excelled at the BCS Berkeley Area Team Tournament, placing ninth out of 32 East Bay schools participating. It was the third year in a row the school has placed in the top 10. Five fourth- and fifth-graders from Ford participated in this regional event. Justin Rodriguez led the team, winning three games and a draw out of a possible six, followed by Jason Clemente and Joseph Bryant at three games each, Peace Taylor at two games and a draw, and Ricardo Navarro winning two of his games. It was the third year Ricardo played in the tournament, having started chess as a first-grader in our after-school pilot program. Justin and Jason participated last year.

For the second year in a row, the JO Ford Scholastic Chess Team excelled at BCS' regional Berkeley Team Tournament, placing eighth out of 31 teams participating from schools throughout the East Bay.

A record twelve Ford students from 1st thru fifth grades played in the tournament. Fifth grader Raymar Valera, a student in the after-school GATE class, was a top scorer at the tournament, coming in 14th place.

Congratulations to all the Ford students who attended this event!

The JO Ford Second Grade Tournament in late May was a "total success", according to BCS chess instructor Jorge Barrera. In this final chess event of the year, the after-school students had a chance to play the in-school students. After a three-hour tournament - with a nail-biting final game between Ricardo and Jose - winners came from both classes. They include:

1st place: Ricardo (after-school)
2nd place: Jose (in-school)
3rd place: Ramiro (in-school)
4th place: Daniel (after-school)

Click here for all the photos and Jorge's report on the final game!

JO Ford Elementary was buzzing with excitement today as two back-to-back tournaments took place on the Ford campus. First out of the box was the First Grade Tournament: Students from Mrs. Ponce's bilingual class played Mrs. Giusti's class, while BCS chess teachers Jorge Barrera and Roger Poehlmann were on hand to moderate, answer questions, and declare the winners. Winners would play each other, and those who lost would play others who lost, a "Swiss" format which gave children a chance to play others of comparable skill level. Trophies were given to the first-, second- and third-place champions. For more photos, click here.

The after-school GATE students (4th and 5th graders) got two surprises from teacher Roger Poehlmann: chess clocks to time their matches, and - pizza! What a fun way to end the year! Click here for photos!

Click here for news and photos!!!

We are very pleased to announce that we have received funding for Year Two of the First Moves Program at J.O. Ford Elementary School from the Trio Foundation and the Y. and H. Soda Foundation.

The First Moves Program is an intensive course of chess study designed to introduce young children from low-income East Bay neighborhoods to the joys of chess while exercising the skills they will need to excel in school.

Thanks to a 2004 grant from the Trio Foundation, The Berkeley Chess School can extend its reach to children in our community who have few opportunities for extra-curricular enrichment.

During the first year of our pilot program, we will teach chess to two first-grade classes at J.O. Ford Elementary School in Richmond. Students will learn the basics of the game and play chess for two hours per week, and we will organize a special in-school tournament just for First Moves students. The children will also be able to participate in our regional end-of-year tournament and all-girls' tournaments. J.O. Ford principal Barbara Penny-James is very excited about First Moves, which will offer classes for both English and Spanish-speaking students.


Teacher Jorge Barrera quizzes the after-school chess class at Ford Elementary.
In the second and third years of our program, we will follow the same two classes as they develop and refine their chess skills.

Research shows that intensive chess instruction can make profound changes in young children's academic performance in math and reading, as well as in their long-term attitudes towards learning. Chess also boosts kids' creativity, self-esteem and sense of mastery, all while letting them have fun! Please click here to read more about the benefits of chess. We look forward to working with Ford's students as they discover the many rewards of the game.

We are grateful to the Trio Foundation for sharing our vision for a bright future for all East Bay children. In the future, we hope to extend First Moves to other Richmond elementary schools. If you'd like to help us with our efforts, please contact us at bcschool@pacbell.net or call Elizabeth Shaughnessy at 510-843-0150.



More First Moves Program photos!
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"Gracias, Jorge, para ajedrez!"

Please bookmark this page for the latest news and events concerning the BCS First Moves Program.

At the end of Year One of the BCS First Moves Program, the after-school chess class at J. O. Ford Elementary enjoyed an afternoon of informal tournament play. Winning students received trophies, and teacher Jorge Barrera brought the giant chess set to class so that children could experience a "life-size" chess game!

Click here to see more photos!

At a J.O. Ford "Market Day," teacher Maria Ponce's first-grade class showed off their newly-learned chess skills by offering to play students throughout the school.

Read more about "Market Day" - el Dia del Mercado.

First-graders in Maria Ponce's class as well as those in the after-school class were delighted to receive their free chess sets, which they were allowed to take home and enjoy playing with their family and friends. Chess instructor Jorge Barreras says he is pleased at the kids' response to the game. They are currently learning how the pieces move on the board, the three ways the king can evade checkmate - "capture, block, and move" - and how to castle to protect the king. Ponce's class was recently treated to a showing of the film "Searching For Bobby Fischer," the critically-acclaimed film about a young chess prodigy.