Kristi’s Kids Making Movings on the Chess Board

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Kristi’s Kids Making Movings on the Chess Board

Kristi’s Kids Making Moves on the Chessboard.

Chess has been on board for over a thousand years. Jean Hoffman co-founded 9 QUEENS, right here in Tucson, about 4 years ago.

“And our goal was to create a chess program that was…made chess fun, exciting and accessible to everyone.”

Kristi’s Kids was there for one of the chess tournaments 9 QUEENS put into play at the Himmel Park Library on a Saturday morning. There is more to this game than just moving pieces around the board. Click here to watch the story.

GEEK DAD: Your Chance to Play Like a Girl

By Dave Banks | January 10, 2012 | 6:30 am |

For beginners, chess is a game that centers around preserving a decidedly female (and all-powerful) piece. Still, the world of chess has long been dominated by males. But, in case you had missed it, there is a movement afoot to increase the number of women in chess. A group called 9Queens has been working the past few years to increase participation of at-risk youth and, especially, girls in the sport. It’s an admirable commitment and one that has shown promise.

Now, one of the founders of 9Queens, Jennifer Shahade, has written a book targeted specifically at girls. Play Like a Girl is a collection of tactics that young women and others can use as they develop their chess skills. Shahade, a Women’s Grandmaster, believes that women play more aggressively than men and points to Judit Polgár as example of women who attack relentlessly.

In Play Like a Girl, Shahade provides bios and brief examinations of favorite combinations and tactics of more than a dozen important women players in history, from Vera Menchik to Hou Yifan. Each tactic is followed by a number of puzzles that players can try to solve, using the tactic outlined in the player bio. (Answers are in the back if you’re stumped.) Beginner players are sure to pick up a move or two – or at least know what to look for when setting a defense.

If you have a daughter interested in chess or any kid who wants to learn more about an exciting style of play, check out Play Like a Girl — it’s both an inspiring and challenging group of puzzles. Plus, all royalties from the sale of this book are directed back to the 9Queens project to help girls and inner city youth discover and thrive in chess

9 Queens gets a makeover

After spending five years working to change the face of chess, we finally decided it was time to treat ourselves…to a total website makeover! For the past six months, we have been working with Dennis Fesenmyer from Fezlab and Ian Johnson from MoiaGroup to redesign 9Queens.org. We are thrilled to launch the new site and pretty proud of our new duds. In addition to the spiffy new design, there are a couple of features we created specifically for the 9 Queens community.

They include:

Calendar- This is your place to find upcoming 9 Queens events and workshops.

Learn to Play- Features a preview of the 9 Queens passport. This soon to be released booklet is your guide to learning how to play chess quickly and painlessly.

Success Stories and Player Profiles- 9 Queens chess players around the country tell us why they like chess. If you have a quote about chess and want to be featured on our website, email us!

Many thanks to Ian and Dennis for all their hard work and beautiful design. We hope you like the site as much as we do. Let us know what you think!

5th Annual Chess Fest!!!

Join 9 Queens and former Women’s World Champion and Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk for the 5th Annual “Chess Fiesta” on Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2012) from 2-5 pm at the Hotel Congress (311 E Congress St, Tucson, Arizona). This year’s Chess Fest will feature a simultaneous chess exhibition where Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk will play multiple games at a time against Tucsonans interested in challenging the Grandmaster. Grandmaster Kosteniuk will also be the recipient of the 9 Queens Award given to a player who embodies the mission of 9 Queens and our commitment to empowering under-served and under-represented populations.

This year’s “Readymade” Chess Fest will have something for everyone, regardless of age or chess experience. For those more artistically inclined, Chess Fest will pay homage to Marcel Duchamp an artist and avid chess player known for selecting ordinary manufactured objects and using them to create “readymade” pieces of art. Participants can visit the arts and crafts station to create their own “readymade” chess sets and crowns. Other activities include: beginner chess lessons, pick-up chess games, face painting, chess simultaneous exhibits.

Fighting Chess Award

In celebration of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, the nonprofit organization 9 Queens is partnering with Goddesschess to award $1000 to the winner of the “Fighting Chess” award. Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk, reigning Women’s World Chess Champion, will select the prizewinner whose performance in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship exudes determination, confidence and character under pressure. The prize will be announced on July 20th during the tournament awards ceremony at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

“I’m so glad that 9 Queens and Goddesschess are promoting and celebrating fighting spirit among female chess players, and look forward to enjoying the beautiful and skillful display of chess mastery at the US Women’s Chess Championships,” said Grandmaster Kosteniuk.

Both 9 Queens and Goddesschess are organizations dedicated to encouraging more women and girls to play chess. Since 2007, Goddesschess has been awarding prizes to players in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. Last year Anna Zatonskih won the Fighting Chess Award for her commitment to keep fighting even after she clinched the tournament with her astounding 8.5/9 score.

“As part of Goddesschess’ commitment to encouraging more girls and women to play chess, we are extremely pleased in 2010 to partner with 9 Queens to sponsor a Fighting Chess Award of $1,000, the largest award yet, in keeping with the prestige of this event,” explained Jan Newton official spokesperson from Goddesschess.

In addition to the Fighting Chess Award, 9 Queens will also award a $400 scholarship to the best performing student under 25 in the tournament. The US Women’s Chess Championship is taking place July 9-19 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Visit uschesschamps.com for more details, and to listen daily to live commentary by GM Ben Finegold and 9 Queens co-founder Jen Shahade.

Battle of the Ads video

Check out this video from the Battle of the Ads this year featuring our friends from Madden Media as they make our poster for this year’s Chess Fest!

Archive for the ‘News’ Category