Charity Chess Tournament

My name is Jordan Shapiro and I am in seventh grade at the Sharon Middle School.  I am going to be hosting a chess tournament at Temple Sinai in Sharon on January 2, 2011, to benefit the Living Memorial Chess Fund of the Massachusetts Chess Association.  Numerous schools and libraries have received free equipment for chess programs from this fund.   At schools and at other sites, children that do not have chess sets at home or in school are given chess sets and easy to understand chess literature. 

I am going to become a bar mitzvah in March and this is my mitzvah project.  A mitzvah project is a good deed will benefit others.   I have played chess since I was five years old.  It is a great hobby---it makes you think.  I am playing chess on the Sharon High School Chess Team this year and I also play in other tournaments in Massachusetts.  Supporting chess for children is very important.   This project will benefit the community because it will generate an interest in chess for children and young adults!

Chess makes kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:

Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of concentrating. If they don't watch what is happening, they can't respond to it.  Visualizing- chess actually strengthens the ability to visualize by training people to shift the pieces in their mind, first one, then several moves ahead.

Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act.  Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness. These are some of the benefits of chess.

We hope to see you at the tournament at Temple Sinai on January 2nd at 9:30a.m ! All levels are welcome to play.  See www.masschess.org for additional information.