Chess

SELECTION PROCESS:

All Baulkham Hills North students across Kindergarten to Year 6 enjoy a wide variety of chess activities throughout the year.

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM LOOK LIKE?

Chess Clinics

Chess lessons are offered by Sydney Academy of Chess; an independent chess-coaching organisation conducting classes every Thursday afternoons from 3:00–4:00pm. These classes include an interactive lesson and puzzles on a demonstration chess board. Newcomers play games against each other, putting newly learned strategies into practice, and receiving personal feedback from the teacher. As the term progresses and the children become proficient in all the basics, the lessons move on to more complex ideas such as strategy, middle game ideas and chess technique.

NSW Junior Chess Primary Schools Competitions

The NSW Junior Chess League’s Primary Schools Competition is a team’s competition for primary schools usually starting in Term 2. Matches are scheduled on a home-and-away basis and are usually played on Fridays after school. In order to cater for new and experienced players, BHN enters multiple teams across the three grades in the competition.

InterSchool Chess Challenge

Baulkham Hills North competes in various Interschool Chess Challenges in local heats with various schools such as Jasper Road PS, Beaumont Hills PS and Abbotsleigh Junior PS. We have successfully hosted the Regional Semi-Finals for five consecutive years with approximately 100 students participating from 18 different schools. These were fiercely-contested event with teams all around the state who had won their local heats. BHN has also participated in the Macquarie University Chess Challenge.

Baulkham Hills North Chess Championship

The highlight of all tournaments is the Baulkham Hills North Chess Championship. This is a one-day chess competition which is open to all students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Trophies are awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and participants receive a certificate. The winner’s name is engraved onto the school’s perpetual trophy.

BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM:

· Opportunities are created for students to succeed in a non-competitive and competitive environment thus boosting their confidence.

· Students gain higher-order thinking skills and establish long-term relationships through deepening collaborative learning.

· Chess provides students with opportunities to develop self-esteem and positive interaction skills.

MEET THE TEACHER

Mrs Vather