Chess News
Fritz and Chesster - Learn to Play Chess
Learn to think strategically, try out tricky mental exercises and master fun and exciting challenges – all with a generous helping of chess knowledge.
The city of Bremen has about 570.000 inhabitants, lies in the north of Germany and is a major cultural and economic hub. But last week it was chess that made the headlines. The reason: 1,000 pupils from primary schools in Bremen had met on the Rathausplatz, right in the centre of the city, to play chess against — or, better, with — each other. An impressive sight that made it to the frontpage of Weserkurier, one of the most important local newspapers.
Chess as frontpage news
Following the motto "Schach macht schlau" ("Chess makes you smart") the pupils in Bremen's primary schools now once a week learn chess in school. Teachers and education experts agree that chess is very useful for young kids. The children learn to focus, to follow their goals systematically, and they simply enjoy the playful lessons in school.
This initiative goes back to the association "Das erste Buch" (The first book) from Bremen. A driving force behind the initiative is the well-known football player Marco Bode, a local hero in Bremen. Bode was part of the German national team that won the European Championship in 1996 and was also part of the team that finished second in the World Cup 2002.
Throughout his professional career, Bode was loyal to his local club, Werder Bremen. From 1989 to 2002 he played for Bremen in Germany's Premier League, and is still famous for being an exceptionally fair player. In his 379 games for Werder he was penalized only ten times and was never sent off.
Marco Bode signs autographs
In his youth, Bode who is now chairman of the supervisory board at Werder Bremen, liked to play chess and realized how helpful the game is for developing your personality. But Bode has never lost his love for chess and has actively supported the idea to introduce chess as a subject in schools. He convinced the senator of education in Bremen of the advantages of this idea and now chess is subject in all primary schools in Bremen.
Jump into chess action, move by move, to rescue Chesster from deep within King Black’s castle. Join Fritz and Bianca in a thrilling chess adventure as they enter rooms of the castle, where each challenge will help you sharpen skills and prepare for the ultimate showdown.
Some banter before the game
However, chess not only helps in the education of young pupils, it is also a sport. That is reason why the primary schools were invited to join a huge chess tournament in the centre of town. At seven in the morning Bode and chess fans from Bremen (plus a few diligent helpers from ChessBase) started to set up 500 boards. Three hours later, at 10:00, the students sat down to begin their games.
The players were divided into four groups, symbolized by the legendary four town musicians of Bremen which appear in a popular fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm (pictured): donkey, dog, cat and rooster. This helped to pair students of the same age and roughly equal playing strength against each other.
Students who had won their game were rewarded with a walnut. In case of a draw, both players received a hazelnut. After the game, the students threw these nuts into a glass pillar that had been assigned to their group. From the pillar that contained most nuts the winning class was determined by lot.
Victory ceremony
Fritz and Chesster - Part 3 Chess for winners
This unforgettable chess adventure is designed to advance young chess player’s skills, move by move. Discover mini-games, brain-twisters and more at every attraction. Pick up chess tips and skills as you ride in bumper cars and the Ferris wheel. Polish up your chess strategy and tactics, opening, middle game and endgame and use what you’ve learned to win. You’ll have lots of fun while you learn more about the serious business of playing – and winning – chess!
The "roosters" won and the prize went to class 1c of the Primary School Lessingstraße.
The winners with their prize
The first XXL Scholastic Chess tournament of this kind in Bremen went smoothly and without problems. "I am proud that everything straight away worked so well," said a happy Marco Bode. Next year, the scholastic chess project will continue.
After the tournament followed an information event for teachers. Björn Lengwenus, creator of the Fritz & Chesster program presented the teaching material for the chess project: the Fritz & Chesster program, the Fritz & Chesster workbooks, and schachmachtschlau.de the website of the project.
Positive result: Next year, probably 2,500 primary school students from 125 classes will have one hour per week of chess as a subject in school. In 2020, the centre of town might get crowded! (List of participating schools and classes.)
The project was supported by the association Das Erste Buch e.V. and a lot of partners: the senator for education, the Bremische Volksbank, BLG Logistics, Werder Bremen, Bremische Bürgerschaft, DSB, Schulschachstiftung, SchachMagazin64, and ChessBase.
The event was widely reviewed in the local and the German press, for those interested...
Translation from German: Johannes Fischer
