Foothills
Castlehill chess club plays to win
By Jamar Younger
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 02.14.2008
When visitors walk through the administrative building at Castlehill Country Day School, they quickly discover that the elementary school is a breeding ground for young chess players.
Almost 200 trophies sit atop bookcases and bookshelves and on tables in three rooms, including the principal’s office, with most of the awards representing the school’s dominance in state and national chess competitions.
Last month, Castlehill won the 14th annual Arizona State Grade Championship for fifth-graders, sponsored by the Southern Arizona Chess Association.
The championship is one of 12 state titles the school has won since 2002, as well as a national championship in 2004, said Levon Altounian, Castlehill chess coach.
Chess is an integral part of the school’s culture, with about 45 students who participate in the after-school chess club. Some children are as young as 3, Altounian said.
Here is the full story.
This would be news if they were playing to lose.
A Chess Player is walking from the lake carrying two fish in a bucket. He is approached by the Game Warden who asks him for his fishing license. The Chess player says to the warden, “I did not catch these fish, they are my pets’s pawn. Everyday I come down to the water and whistle and these fish jump out and I take around to see the sights only to return them at the end of the day; remember that the Chess Board is like an ocean; full of fish”. The warden, does not play chess, he not had any idea what he’s taking about; not believing him, reminds him that it is illegal to fish without a license. The Chess Player turns to the warden and says,
“CHECK” “If you don’t believe me then watch,” as he throws the fish back into the water. The warden says, “Now whistle to your fish and show me that they will come out of the water.” The Chess Player turns to the warden and says, “What fish!?”
“So I was having dinner with Garry Kasporov – Problem was, we had a checkered tablecloth and it took him two hours to pass the salt!”
1972, in a gulag, people follow the Spassky-Fischer match through the radio, but one day a guard breaks the radio. So when a new prisoner comes in, they ask him : “What happened in the world championship?” –
“I lost”, answers the new prisoner.