This winter, a group of ambitious students have been learning the language of chess in weekly classes through thoughtfully-designed stories, brain-challenging activities, and fun competition. On Sunday, April 2 the program culminated with a Swiss-style chess tournament in which each participant had the opportunity to compete, learn and develop their interest in chess!
The tournament included 16 participants, ranging from ages 5 to 10. It began with four rounds of Swiss-style (i.e., non-elimination) chess in which the winner received 1 point, the loser 0 points, and each player received 0.5 points in the case of a draw.
![](https://bpca.ny.gov//wp-content/uploads/2017/04/image7.jpg)
Next, a high-action “simul” game was played between chess specialist Michah Saperstein and all of the students. A “simul”, or simultaneous exhibition, is a game in which a skilled chess player simultaneously plays multiple opponents, stepping from board to board and making one move at a time. After 45 minutes of resilient play from all (with parents watching!), Michah finished off the last of the students, undefeated. ![](https://bpca.ny.gov//wp-content/uploads/2017/04/image6.jpg)
By early afternoon, the points were tallied up from the Swiss-style tournament and it was time to hand out awards! First and second place for ages 7 and up were given to brothers Adam and Ellis, while Louis and Kian tied for first place in the 7 and under category. Next, a prize was given to 8-year-old Ananya for holding out a full 45 minutes against Michah in the simul game! Her remarkable patience and commitment helped her hang on until the very end. Finally, all players received a chess key chain for participating in the tournament.
![](https://bpca.ny.gov//wp-content/uploads/2017/04/image2-e1491590018632.jpg)
Though this tournament marks the end of indoor chess lessons, the outdoor class will resume next month. Drop-In Chess will be held 3:30 — 5pm every Wednesday from May through September in Rockefeller Park. Contact registration@bpcparks.org for more information.
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