Chess is big at Matthews Hall, a private school in London, and Steve Demmery is the driving force behind the club, which runs during noon hours and from 6:30-8pm on Wednesdays. There are around 20 kids in the weekly chess club, which Demmery started organizing two years ago. He gives lectures and guidance to the students at Matthews Hall.
“Studies have proven that chess has increased reading and math skills in children,” said Demmery, who has also run the London City Chess Club for the last 10 years. “Chess is a very advanced math taught to children in a fun way.”
In addition to the weekly club, Matthews Hall also operates three or four tournaments annually. There’s one in the fall (the Fall Brawl), one in the winter (the Winter Blizzard), and one in the spring (the Spring Thunder Chess Tournament). On average, 35 kids have competed in each of those tournaments. The last tourney had 50 participants.
Some players come from other schools to play chess at Matthews Hall, such as West Oaks Public School and Masonville Public School, among others. Demmery believes that kids should start playing chess at a young age.
“In the chess world, almost all the top players are Chess Masters by the age of 10 to 12, and are Grandmasters by the age of 16 to 20,” Demmery said. “Chess should really be taught in schools starting in grade 1. It’s the perfect age.”
The benefit of competing in tournaments at Matthews Hall (and at the London City Chess Club) is that those tournaments are all rated by the Chess Federation of Canada. To become a titled player, you need to compete in tournaments that are rated by the Federation. Ultimately, being a chess master in Canada means that you are in the top one percent in the entire country.
But, of course, it’s not all about becoming a master, and Matthews Hall values chess for many other reasons.
Says Demmery: “They understand that chess is a great learning tool.”
Submitted by SportsXpress Team, contributions by Steve Demery
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