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Super Saturday Team Chess Tournament is open to 5th through 8th Graders!
Do you want a fun way to enhance your middle-schooler’s critical thinking skills? Have them enter the region’s first Super Saturday Team Chess Tournament!
The tournament, open to students in 5th through 8th grade, will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at the Youth Learning Center, 4471 Olive Street in St. Louis. Pre-registration is now available online at www.saintlouschessclub.org or by phone at 314.361.2437. Registration also may be done at the door prior to the start of the tournament from 9:15 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. Tournament play begins at 10:15 a.m. The tournament is co-sponsored by the Youth Learning Center and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
“There are numerous studies that show the correlation between the skills developed through the strategic game of chess and performance in academics, such as math and science,” says Bill Kent, Jr., Executive Director of the Youth Learning Center. “Because our mission is to foster excellence in the “STEM” areas of science, technology, engineering, and math, we felt the middle school Team Chess Tournament is an ideal way of fostering the development of those skills through the fun and challenge of chess.”
Tournament teams may be formed in advance or will be formed at the door. The entry fee is just $5/person. Free lunch will be provided to all players and concession stands will be open for players as well as parents. Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 players and the top three teams. Teams can be of any size; however, only the top four scores will count toward team prizes.
According to CCSCSL’s executive director Tony Rich, chess helps students improve: critical thinking skills, spatial awareness, goal-setting, sportsmanship, patience, complex problem-solving skills, planning, and pattern recognition.
"Chess is a valuable educational tool that teaches students important critical thinking and decision-making skills," Rich adds. "The numerous benefits of chess offer teachers an engaging alternative to reach their students.”
In addition to hosting the Regional Chess Tournament, the Youth Learning Center provides after-school learning activities in mathematics, language arts, science, computer science, and art as well as entrepreneurship and civic leadership. Intensive classwork in core curriculum is supplemented with dynamic and popular programs focused on robotics, computer animation and video game development, all targeted to increase students’ STEM knowledge. For more information about the Youth Learning Center, call 314.531.9916 or visit www.ylc-stl.org.
For more information about the middle school Super Saturday Team Chess Tournament or to find out more about CCSCSL outreach programs, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
