Across the country, students from second grade to senior year have stumbled across a new obsession, which is, in fact, a centuries-old game. Interviews with teachers and students in eight states paint a picture of captivated students squeezing games in wherever and whenever they can: at lunch, at recess and illicitly during lessons, a phenomenon that is at once bemusing, frustrating and delighting teachers.
Data from Chess.com, whose usership is the highest it’s ever been, and anecdotal evidence nationwide suggest a fervid, growing base of young users.
And it is about time that Americans rediscovered chess. The last time was around the 1972 World Championship match between Boris Spassky of the USSR and Bobby Fischer of the USA. That was a Cold War match up that was not to be believed.
My 12yo was telling me what a great day she had yesterday because after state testing she had lots of time to read and then play chess all afternoon with her friend. Since I haven't studied chess, when I play with her, she's actually better at it and usually beats me. Neither of us has memorized any plays or opening systems, etc. so it's fun.
ReplyDeleten
That's a good stage to be at in the game, though learning a few of the openings can be good - and isn't hard. Well it is if you are playing at the Grand Master level, which I never was.
DeleteChess.com is good place to start. The basic membership is free. You get a limited number of puzzles to solve everyday, you get one lesson a week, and you can play against the computer, though the bots they have for free and limited. Personally I love solving the puzzles in the morning. Beats crossword or wordle or whatever...
I expect a lot of schools to have clubs and run tournaments if this keeps up.