Committing to the education of children

Chess great Polgar committed to area children
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Sunday, April 27, 2008
Story last updated at 4/27/2008 – 1:57 am

Before I talk about chess, I would like to thank everyone for your wonderful support of my weekly chess column.

After my first column last week, I received many warm and wonderful e-mails and letters welcoming me to this community. My family and I are very happy here, and we are proud to call Lubbock home.

One of the questions someone asked me this past week is why am I so passionate about chess? It is an excellent question, and the answer is quite simple.

I grew up in an average-income-level family in Budapest, Hungary. Average in Budapest is equivalent to poverty level in most of the United States. But I had something money couldn’t buy, something money wasn’t needed for: I had love and support from my parents. And my parents instilled in me the belief that I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

I was 4 years old. I was looking for a new toy to play with and came across an old chess set. My father taught me how the pieces moved, and soon after, I won the Budapest Girl’s Under 11 Championship with a perfect score of 10-0. With my parents’ support, and with dedication, chess quickly became my most favorite thing to do.

I quickly learned at that young age that in addition to socio-economic status, chess transcends age, race, gender and religion. And I later began to discover beauty in chess. Chess is fun, sure. But it offers so many benefits.

According to various researchers, students who regularly take classes in chess improve general test scores by 17.3 percent, compared to only 4.6 percent improvement for children participating in other enrichment activities. Chess is especially helpful in math, science and reading. And in some 30 nations across the globe – including Brazil, China, Venezuela, Italy, Israel, Russia and Greece – chess is incorporated into the country’s scholastic curriculum.

In fact, chess can help children improve in critical and logical thinking, focus and concentration, creativity, problem solving, planning ahead, self-esteem, self-confidence, verbal aptitude, cognitive development, memory, decision-making, responsibility, sportsmanship, advancement in spatial and numerical and administrative-directional abilities, cultural awareness and so much more.

Here is my full column.