News / Chess
Local schoolchildren impress mayor with chess skills
Local children got the chance to show the mayor who was king of the castle at a recent inter-school chess competition at City Hall.
Organised by charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), the tournament saw children from 14 local schools put their skills to the test.
The charity offers weekly chess lessons to schools nationwide, particularly focusing on those in disadvantaged areas, in the hope of improving and enhancing key skills. Children can then put into practice what they’ve learned at the annual competition, which is now in its sixth year.
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Kajetan Wandowicz, event organiser for CSC, said: “As well as giving children a chance to improve their maths attainment by honing their concentration and special reasoning, it also helps to improve social development by teaching children how to move on after making a mistake.”
He added: “Plus it’s a great leveller – it isn’t bound by age, gender, faith, ethnicity or disability, and it’s a lot of fun to play”.
Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, popped in to City Hall to chat to the children and hand out prizes to the winners. Telling the youngsters he was a keen chess player when he was younger, Rees commented that he hoped to see even more schools taking up the sport.
The mayor continued: “This competition is helping to break down the myth that chess is only a game for the elite.”
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