The desire to inspire the school chess movement in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - As an intellectual sport, training the thinking and courage of the players, chess is currently loved by many young people. The school chess movement is developing quite strongly in Nghe An, notably the activities of the Chess Club of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted.
From hobby to passion
We came to know about the Chess Club of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Vinh City, Nghe An) by chance. One evening, while walking around the walking street, visiting the bustling stalls, we suddenly discovered a group of students sitting together in a corner, but it was quiet in a way that did not "fit" with the noisy, bustling atmosphere around. Curiosity arose, we asked around and learned that this was a "Street chess" activity of young people studying at the province's specialized school.
Ho An Thu - a student of class 11C5, currently the Head of the Chess Club of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (PCA) said: "From the end of 2022 until now, every 2 weeks, on Friday or Saturday evening, PCA organizes Street chess on the sidewalk of Vinh city's walking street. We often rent small tables and chairs, or simply spread out mats and sit on the sidewalk, but this activity always attracts a large number of children and young people to participate enthusiastically and seriously."
Learning more, we know that the Chess Club of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted is quite young, having only been in operation for about 3 years, but is currently one of the outstanding clubs of this school with a long history of achievements, gathering a large number of members, regularly maintaining many useful and effective programs and activities. PCA was "conceived" from the passion of young teachers and students, including the role of Mr. Phan Phuong Duc - a former student specializing in Mathematics of the school, currently a teacher of Mathematics. Mr. Duc is the founder, laying the first "bricks" for PCA in the early days, and now, when the activities of the Club are gradually becoming more organized, he has stepped back, taking on the position of senior advisor and accompanying, encouraging young players to keep the fire burning for this hobby Club.
For the members of PCA, Mr. Phan Phuong Duc is not only a teacher, but also an experienced elder brother, a former professional chess player of the province, many times achieving high results in national and international youth chess tournaments,... He has instilled a love for chess in his students, so that many of them gradually become attached to and passionate about this intellectual sport, discovering its benefits in developing thinking, improving concentration, training courage, maintaining a calm attitude, and at the same time, it is also a healthy way to entertain after stressful hours of studying in class.
Having spent time studying and teaching in Hanoi, I realized that the chess movement in the capital was developing very strongly. However, when I moved to work in Nghe An, I found that the movement was not yet vibrant and widespread, so from my passion for chess since childhood, I asked for permission and the school created conditions for me to establish a chess club, opening a useful playground, bringing many positive things to the students.
With personal experiences, along with the diligence in observing and learning new and effective ideas and implementation methods to build and develop the chess movement in other localities across the country, Mr. Duc and his colleagues and students have selectively absorbed and applied a number of methods suitable to the conditions and practical situations to make PCA grow stronger and stronger.
The success of PCA has inspired and motivated the establishment of chess clubs at other high schools in Vinh city and neighboring areas. Along with that, many meaningful and exciting activities have been organized, besides Street chess, it is impossible not to mention the Vinh Chess Summer 2022 chess tournament organized by PCA in collaboration with the chess club of Huynh Thuc Khang High School and Vinh University High School for the Gifted; exchange and compete simultaneously with national grandmaster Nguyen Dinh Trung - chess player of Nghe An province; or online exchange with the chess club of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted (Ho Chi Minh City); and many school-level tournaments organized systematically...
Chess "Festival" at the beginning of the new year
In the last days of the Year of the Cat, the atmosphere at the Chess Club of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted is still very exciting, everyone is dedicating time and effort to completing the preparations for a tournament to welcome the New Year. The young people of PCA, from the "launching pad" of the success of previous tournaments and chess exchange activities, have boldly come up with the idea, coordinating with the Nghe Chess Club to organize the first Phoenix Chess Festival in Trung Do - welcoming the Spring of Giap Thin 2024.
According to Mr. Phan Phuong Duc, this will be the largest and most professional tournament ever co-organized by PCA, aiming to carry out the mission outlined from the early days of its establishment, which is to strongly spread the chess movement in Nghe An and neighboring areas. The tournament hopes to attract participants who are chess players - members of chess clubs or independent players, divided into 12 groups for men and women, ages 6-14 and an open group with no age limit. The format of the tournament is rapid chess, each player has 15 minutes to complete the game and competes in the Swiss 8-round format.
Although the online registration link has not been opened for long, the tournament has received many applications from young chess players in and outside the province. Mr. Lam Thai An - a parent with a young child who loves chess, after learning about the activities of PCA as well as the upcoming tournament, said: "My child was very excited when he learned about this tournament, so I decided to register him to participate in the Phoenix Trung Do Chess Festival on February 18 (ie January 9, Giap Thin year) in Vinh city. I find this a very practical and useful playground for school-age children, an opportunity for children and students who love chess to experience, practice and learn, and nurture a healthy passion. I hope the tournament will be successful and maintained regularly in the future."
In the joyful, excited, and bustling atmosphere welcoming Spring,Phoenix Central Capital Chess Tournamentwill certainly add more joy to the festival season in Nghe An, a "hard" schedule in the Spring trip for chess enthusiasts of all ages. And in the vibrant Spring, there will be more green shoots discovered and nurtured, to become potential factors, continue to develop and improve the achievements of young chess clubs in particular, of Nghe An in general in this intellectual sport.
