CSC Teesside Training Day 2016

The 2016 CSC Teesside Training Day took place today at the Middlesbrough City Learning Centre, Acklam Grange School.

My students were a fabulous collection of teachers, TAs, parents and chess players.

Claire Nixon was my assistant for the day and she very skilfully facilitated everything required to ensure the day would run very smoothly and highly efficiently. Claire also took most of the photographs in this report.

We explained the basics of the CSC, demonstrated how we teach children to play chess, made brave volunteers move around the room like chess pieces, played lots of mini-games and discussed the advantages to adding chess to the school curriculum. But most of all, we managed to demystify the game of chess.

Thank you to everyone who came along today. I really enjoyed working with you.

Sweets were on the table even before the chess pieces!
But to whom did they belong?

Ah-ha!

'What is she thinking?'

Claire multitasking (as usual); taking photos, mingling
and explaining things all at the same time.

10 minutes to write down all of the merits of chess.

The buffet, supplied by the centre, was of a very high quality. Thank you!

Nick was the brave volunteer who moved around the room like a Bishop.

A Rook, concentrating hard on straight lines. 

Queen Amanda!

Serious stuff.

'Is this the best move?'

'No!' 

Demonstrating the Knight moves.

Victor - a Knight moving with swagger!

Val (inadvertently) plays the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian Defence.

What is unusual here?

Yes, that's right - a jelly baby chess piece!
(Will this madness never end...!?)

Getting rather professional!

Chess is fun!