The Berwick Grammar School Chess Club has relaunched this term, with one major change. The club is now entirely student run. Year 10 student, Kurt Caddy, has spent considerable time working with the my-Summit team to plan and deliver a program, aimed at building chess skills, through a mix of theory and practice.
There are a range of ability levels within the program, with first timers able to learn from the skills and experience of their more veteran peers. Kurt has been supportive of new players, taking time to teach them the basics and support them as they learn to play. The early focus of the course is on strategies for effectively opening a game, and ways to counter a range of opening moves. However, this focus will change as players become more experienced and capable.
Attendance at the club has been impressive, with more showing up each week.
It is a humbling experience to observe students voluntarily engaged in such an intellectually challenging activity, giving up their valuable recreation time to broaden their problem solving skills, abstract reasoning, strategic thinking and sportsmanship.
We are looking forward to watching the development of this club and its players, and excited for the opportunities it will present for competitions down the track.