You may have seen the recent Richmond Summer Chess Camp posting for Maurice Ashely’s MATCH Camp for Richmond kids at 
Collegiate. Even if your summer is packed and this camp won’t fit into your tight schedule, you may be thinking: why would my child benefit from chess?
Says Harvard Magazine article focusing on “mind sports”:
“Education must strike a balance between physical and mental sports . . .Teaching kids, we can use the notion of starting with play—which is where they are. Schools tend to turn them off at certain points: fractions and algebra are just death on math for so many kids. But in a game, they aren’t just abstract symbols, but tools.” –Charles Nesson, co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
In England, there is a growing effort to establish chess in the curriculum starting in primarily school, and it’s starting to be discussed in the U.S. as well in Oregon, Miami Dade County and New York City to name a few. While researching I found more pretty amazing data on how playing chess can help kids grow intellectually and beyond:
- Improves math and logical/critical thinking skills
- Impacts reading and other verbal skills
- Fosters self-esteem and respect for others
“MATCH” is an acronym for Maurice Ashley Trains Champions, a trade name for Ashley Parr, LLC, a collaborative effort between GM Maurice Ashley and Dr. Teresa Parr. All MATCH/Ashley Parr LLC products and services are based on GM Ashley’s unique method for developing visualization skills, focus, concentration and coolness under pressure augmented by Dr. Parr’s expertise in psychology and education.
Using the latest research in education and neuroscience, their products and services are designed to make learning both fun and effective. Teresa’s degree is in clinical psycholgy. She is a co-investiator on a research project with Dr. Serpell of Virginia State University, Dr. Ellefson of Cambridge University funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (Department of Education, R305A110932 ) looking at the malleability of cognitive skills using chess as the central feature of the intervention. Learn more about their work, and find educational games and recent media posts on LearningDiagonal.com.
Says Parr, “I became interested in the impact of chess on cognitive skills when I saw the improvements my own children made in focus and problem solving that seemed to be a result of playing chess.”
“Of course, this idea isn’t new, but is it true? It turns out that numerous studies back up my observations. As a researcher, I was excited about the possibility of a vehicle for improving skills often assumed to be fixed. As an educational professional, I saw an easy, but fun way to help kids succeed. And, so, MATCH was born. We have now run camps in Richmond, Baltimore and Schenectady. The camps provide a way for kids to stay sharp over the summer, but, more importantly, they generate excitement for an activity that can reap benefits well beyond a week of chess camp.”
For more information on the MATCH Richmond Chess Camp click here.
MATCH is an advertiser of Richmondmom.com.
