Bringing chess to a whole new level: Windsor, Ont. chess players looking for national support
![Sebastian Haddad - Windsor - Feb 2023 Grade eight student and chess team member Sebastian Haddad from Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School is seen in Windsor, Ont. on Feb. 28, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/2/28/sebastian-haddad---windsor---feb-2023-1-6293238-1677624741542.jpeg)
Hundreds of young chess players have taken over the Ciociaro Club as the Windsor Chess Challenge returned to the region Tuesday.
1,400 students representing 90 Windsor-Essex elementary schools are taking part in the two-day event that took a two year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is the first time since 2020 that we've been able to run the tournament and we didn't know what the response would be,” said tournament organizer Kathleen Westlake. “We didn't know if the momentum was gone and if the kids still wanted to play chess or if the chess teams at the schools would come back and they did.”
Westlake said the response was overwhelming while organizing the event, noting registration opened early to make sure everything ran smooth. Officials said there were no virtual tournaments during pandemic restrictions, and said the spirit of the game is best experienced in person.
“Chess is supposed to be a game. People overthink it and then they take all the fun out of it. So it's something that doesn't need electronics, it doesn't need Wi Fi it doesn't need anything other than board and pieces,” said Westlake.
1,400 students from across Windsor-Essex took place in a two-day event as the Windsor Chess Challenge returned to Windsor, Ont. on Feb. 28, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor) Westlake added, “The secret thing about chess is it actually makes kids smarter. And there's empirical evidence that says that, if you play chess, your math scores go up. A lot of your educational and academic scores go up. So don't tell your kids that, but there's actually real benefits to playing chess.”
Meantime, the Chess Federation of Canada is circulating a petition calling the federal government to support chess as a regular sport in Canada.
“So it'd be like Hockey Canada or Tennis Canada,” said President Vladimir Drkulec. “Just on chess.com I think there's over a million players in Canada, playing chess.”
According to Drkulec, chess improves creativity, memory, problem-solving skills and concentration while it teaches planning, foresight, decision making, logic and reasoning. He said federal support would allow for more funding to make tournaments like the Windsor Chess Challenge possible.
“The petition is asking for government support for chess but also as recognition as a regular sport,” he said. “Right now in two provinces, chess is supported by the government. One is Alberta and one is Quebec.”
1,400 students from across Windsor-Essex took place in a two-day event as the Windsor Chess Challenge returned to Windsor, Ont. on Feb. 28, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor) Drkulec told CTV News Windsor, “We're doing okay right now because we have the largest membership since probably the 1970s when chess was more popular, but I think we're getting there again.”
300 medals will be distributed during the two-day event. Playoffs for the Windsor Chess Challenge will be held on April 8.
“They might not be your athletes. They might not be your drama kids. They might not be front and center for all those accolades that the other kids get, but this is a legitimate team for a school. This is a team that can come out and compete against other schools,” Westlake continued.
She added, “They can represent your school. Some of them have the team shirts on. We give pennants and pennants that we give go up beside the soccer and beside the the volleyball and the basketball, that these kids are representing their schools in a way that is valuable to them.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6944656.1719586956!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Biden's Democratic allies admit he had a poor debate but say they're still standing behind him
U.S. President Joe Biden strained to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with former U.S. president Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talks of replacing him atop the ticket.
Russia to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drones over Black Sea
Russia's defence minister ordered officials to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
Is homemade sunscreen safe to use? Here's why it's 'a horrible idea,' according to experts
If you could make sunscreen with items found in your kitchen pantry, should you do it? Posts from social media influencers and bloggers including recipes to make your own sunscreen have been wildly circulated online, but the dermatologists who spoke to CTVNews.ca call it a 'horrible idea.'
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
Fines related to neighbour's 443 noise complaints at centre of B.C. dispute
A B.C. condo owner who was fined tens of thousands of dollars over hundreds of noise complaints made by his downstairs neighbour was partially successful in having the penalties overturned.
Navy facility in Canadian Arctic 'could be finished this season,' a decade overdue
Nearly a decade behind schedule, the Canadian military’s long-promised naval refuelling station in the High Arctic could open as early as this summer, albeit with restrictions on the facility's operations and serious questions about its long-term viability.
Cutting-edge technology on show at Euro 2024 is changing the face of soccer
From smart-enabled match balls and artificial intelligence to cryogenic recovery chambers, soccer is being transformed by the cutting-edge technology available to players, coaches and officials.
Elton John is selling his clothes on eBay
As well as being loved for his music, Elton John is known around the world for his unique sense of style. Now, the rock star is giving his fans the chance to own some of his eye-catching outfits.