Instead of the usual cabaret or dance performances, Eindhoven’s Parktheater hosted a different kind of event on Wednesday afternoon—a bustling hall filled with children competing in the annual School Chess Tournament.
Hundreds of primary school students from the region gathered to compete in teams from Eindhoven, Best, Son en Breugel, Oirschot, Nuenen, and Geldrop, all vying for the Brabant Championship.
The participating schools each sent one or more teams of four or five children, aged 5 to 12. Parents also had the chance to watch their young chess players in action.
The Rules
At 1:30 p.m., volunteers from 040Schaakt set up a room full of tables, each equipped with a chess board. A large screen displayed which player was expected at each table. Once the children were seated, the rules of the game were announced. They were reminded to shake hands before starting and to maintain silence during the matches. A 040Schaak coordinator emphasised, “Important, boys and girls! If you touch a piece, you must play it!” If any game took longer than 10 minutes, a chess clock was activated to ensure each player had five more minutes to think and finish the game.
Playing chess is good for children’s development, the organisation claims. For instance, it helps with skills such as logical thinking, problem-solving, numeracy, spatial awareness, and concentration. ‘’I like it because I like to use my brain,‘’ says one of the primary school pupils. According to coordinator of School Chess Eindhoven, Sandra Bruin, it also sometimes happens that a child manages to win against a much older opponent. ‘’It is not a physical sport, so if you are younger, you are not immediately hopeless either‘’.
Strategy
Chess is known as a strategic board game where thinking ahead well is key. ‘’There are many ways you can play, so it depends on what your opponent is doing,‘’ one of the young chess players told me.
Chess has been growing in the Netherlands in recent years, also among young people.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta.
