But the constant spring of information, precautions and warnings, whether it's straight from the CDC or some recirculated, dubiously-sourced post on Facebook, can take a real toll on your mental health.

A pandemic is a rather abstract villain, so it may help to sit down and really consider what specific threats worry you. Do you think you will catch the coronavirus and die? "The fear of death taps into one of our core existential fears," says Bufka. "But you have to think about what your fear is, and how realistic it is." Consider your personal risk and how likely it is that you will actually come in contact with the virus.

Of course, you could have other, more practical fears. "Some people may worry about what would happen if they were moved into self quarantine, or if they're not able to work. They're wondering if they would have access to groceries or childcare," says Bufka. "Again, people have greater abilities to manage hardships than they think they do. Think about a plan. Consider options if you can't telework. Do you have savings? Do you have support?" Being prepared for your fears will help keep them in scale.

Since action can allay our anxieties, you may want to also consider what you can do to help others who may be more affected by the outbreak than you. Service workers, medical workers, hourly workers and people in the restaurant or entertainment industries may have their livelihoods paralyzed or have to put themselves in disproportionate danger. "It will be important for us as communities to think about how to support these individuals whose lives are going to be disrupted," Bufka says. "How can we even this burden and support those who have less options?"

People are going to talk. But if you want to run to a friend to discuss the latest outbreak cluster or your family's contingency plans, try not to create an echo chamber. "If you are overwhelmed, don't necessarily go to someone who has a similar level of fear," Bufka says. "Seek out someone who is handling it differently, who can check you on your anxiety and provide some advice."

If you can't seem to get a handle on your thoughts, professional help can be an option. "It doesn't need to be a long-term thing," Bufka says. "It means you can get some guidance for this specific situation."

In short, don't get so wrapped up in thinking about the coronavirus that you forget the essential, healthy practices that affect your wellbeing every day. "In times of stress, we tend to minimize the importance of our foundation when we really should be paying more attention to it," Bufka says. Make sure you are:

Practicing mindfulness, meditation, yoga or other forms of self care can also help center you in routines and awareness, and keep your mind from wandering into the dark and sometimes irrational unknown.

Here is the original post:
How to keep coronavirus fears from affecting your mental health - CNN

Jacinda Ardern with a print-out of the Spinoff 'Flatten the Curve' visual by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

With the exception of arrivals from the Pacific islands, those coming from every country in the world will be required to self-isolate for a fortnight. It follows the cancellation of the remembrance service scheduled for tomorrow in Christchurch and confirmation of a sixth positive Covid-19 case in New Zealand, a man who had been in the US.

The Spinoffs coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by Spinoff Members. To support this work, join Spinoff Members here.

The New Zealand government has announced a step change in measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, with arrivals from all countries required to self-isolate for a fortnight upon arrival in New Zealand. The measures go into effect from midnight tomorrow, with the Pacific region exempted. Australia is not exempted.

New Zealand will have the strongest restrictions in the world, said Ardern.

In effect, the change means incoming passenger numbers will reduce to a trickle, but the government believes that the public health imperatives outweigh the economic and social implications.

At a media conference in Auckland, Ardern said New Zealand had not seen the volume of cases experienced elsewhere, but needed to flatten the curve.

We must go hard, and we must go early.

The decision will be reviewed in 16 days, and applies only to passengers, not freight. Ardern also announced there will be exit controls applied to those travelling from New Zealand to Pacific islands. No one who had been out of New Zealand in the last 14 days, in casual or close contact within anyone confirmed as having Covid-19 or showing symptoms of illness would be permitted to travel.

Announcements on guidelines for social gatherings, new support measures for people in self-isolation and a business support package will be announced in the next few days.

Previously the requirement to self-isolate applied only to arrivals from South Korea and Italy, as well as New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who have been in mainland China or Iran. A blanket ban on foreign nationals travelling to New Zealand from China and Iran remains in place.

As of midnight Sunday every person entering New Zealand, including returning New Zealand citizens and residents, will be required to enter self isolation for 14 days. Everybody, said Ardern.

The Pacific are exempted from this measure, but they are the only ones. Anyone from these countries, though, will be required to self isolate should they exhibit any Covid-19 symptoms on arrival in New Zealand.

(The Pacific is defined as the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu & Wallis and Futuna.)

The announcements follow a meeting of the Covid-19 Cabinet Committee, set up to coordinate and direct the government response to the outbreak, as well as a full Cabinet meeting.

At the media conference Ardern held aloft a print out of the gif created for The Spinoff by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris.

The goal is to ultimately flatten the curve. That doesnt mean you have no cases. It means the pace at which you receive them is at a rate such that you can make sure people are cared for in the places they need it most, be it with mild to moderate symptoms at home, or be it in critical care if required, said Ardern.

The decision meant New Zealand would have the widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world. We are also encouraging New Zealanders to avoid all non-essential travel overseas this helps reduce the risk of a New Zealander bringing Covid-19 in, said Ardern.

She also announced that all cruise ships would be directed not to come to New Zealand until at least the end of June.

We do not take these decisions lightly, we know these travel restrictions will place a significant strain on the aviation industry and anticipate some routes will reduce or cease for a period of time, she said.

More than a million passengers passed through the border at Auckland International Airport alone in January.

The changes come on a day marked by an intensified New Zealand response to the outbreak.

Early this afternoon a planned service to mark a year since 51 people were killed at prayer in two Christchurch mosques was cancelled. Organisers said the event, which had been scheduled for 3pm tomorrow at the Horncastle Arena, would not go ahead owing to the risk of Covid-19.

Just moments after the announcement, the Ministry of Health revealed that New Zealand had its sixth confirmed case of Covid-19, with a 60-year-old man, who had recently returned from the United States, testing positive in Auckland.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said they had taken a pragmatic decision to cancel the Christchurch event. Were very saddened to cancel, but in remembering such a terrible tragedy, we shouldnt create the risk of further harm being done.

In a statement, she said: The advice we received for this event, is that based on people travelling from different parts of the country and from overseas, if there was a case it could be difficult to trace those who had come into contact with that person, so we are taking a cautious approach.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said: My understanding is what changed was very much a focus on this not being a ticketed event and the risks around traceability. So if there was a case then it would be harder to trace all the contacts that were made. That was probably exacerbated because it is hard not to embrace people at a remembrance service. I think if it had been something else it would be much easier to stand back, but your heart naturally goes out to be people and there is a desire, a need to embrace, and that creates a risk situation.

The health of the community comes first. We were gathering tomorrow to commemorate the worst possible events you could imagine. It would have been worse to have added to it: the fear that it could have acted as a vector.

Spokespeople for the Al Noor and Linwood mosques said they accepted the decision had been made in the public interest, and would hold small gatherings tomorrow for their own communities and Muslims visiting the city. Al Noor spokesperson Tony Green said they would be small events with known members and a few invitees.

The Pasifika event which was to have taken place in Auckland this weekend was yesterday cancelled, but a range of other events, including the St Patricks Day parade on Queen Street and Super Rugby games, have proceeded.

Tomorrows scheduled service in Auckland has also been cancelled.

The sixth positive test for the coronavirus involves an Auckland man in his 60s who recently returned from the US. He did not require hospital treatment and is in self-isolation at his home.

The Ministry of Health said that because he did not become unwell for more than three days after returning home, they do not believe anyone else on his flight is a close contact.

In a statement, the ministry said: Once he became unwell, the man did everything right. When friends in the US alerted him to their possible link to a Covid-19 case in the US, on Wednesday he phoned ahead to the GP and told them of his travel history and his symptoms.

The man was then assessed in his car by his GP, with the GP wearing appropriate protective equipment, and a test swab taken.

A handful of close contacts who were at a church service he attended at 8.30am on Sunday 8 March at St Marys church in East St Papakura shortly before becoming unwell are being contacted and put into monitored self-isolation.

New research suggests that some people may be able to transmit Covid-19 virus for up to three days before they display symptoms. Writing in The Spinoff yesterday, microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said: This is in line with influenza and several other viral infections. Its obviously a worrying development as it does mean that people may be more infectious in the early stages of Covid-19 than we initially thought.

As well as the six confirmed cases, there are two other cases considered probable officials believe they have had Covid-19.

Health officials are currently scaling up the ability to contact trace individuals who have been able exposed to others with Covid-19, in anticipation of further positive cases.

The ministry statement said: With regard to concerts and other large gatherings we have coming up, including this weekend the ministrys advice is to please stay home if youre unwell.

In Australia, official guidance is that no public events with more than 500 people in attendance should go ahead.

The White House has performed a handbrake turn in its own approach, with President Trump in recent days banning travel from continental Europe for 30 days and declaring a national emergency as the number of positive cases spiral.

Meanwhile New Zealand First minister Tracey Martin has gone into self-isolation. This follows her recent engagements in Washington DC with Peter Dutton, the Australian minister of immigration, who announced yesterday that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Anyone feeling unwell should ring Healthline on the dedicated Covid-19 number: 0800 358 5453 or ring their GP.

This story was updated at 4.30pm to include the prime ministers announcements.

The Spinoff politics section is made possible by Flick, the electricity retailer giving New Zealanders power over their power. With both spot price and fixed price plans available, you can be sure youre getting true cost and real choice when you join Flick. Support us by making the switch today.

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Covid-19: All arrivals to NZ must self-isolate for 14 days. Heres what you need to know - The Spinoff

A GROWING community is hoping to build a volunteer bank of people who can offer assistance to those self-isolating in their area, across the island.

The proposal is open to anyone, although particular emphasis has been place on people who are elderly, vulnerable or alone.

Help could include getting essential supplies, a friendly phone call or generally assisting people during this difficult time.

The total number of people testing positive for coronavirus rose to 1,140 in the UK yesterday, with a second case confirmed on the Isle of Wight.

If you are part of an organisation that could help coordinate the community response, or an individual wishing to help, please get in touch with IW Coronavirus Community Help Facebook page by clicking here.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Follow @iwcponline

Original post:
Isle of Wight community are you able to assist those vulnerable and in self-isolation? - Isle of Wight County Press

Smartphones, buzzers, even yogurt chess has nearly seen it all in both live and online tournaments. And just as in baseball, technology only makes it harder to root out.

Until the sports world ground to a halt last week over the coronavirus outbreak, perhaps the biggest issue looming over professional sports in the United States was the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The revelations of their scheme led Major League Baseballs commissioner, Rob Manfred, to deliver a stern warning to all 30 club owners that there was a culture of cheating in the game.

But baseballs malfeasance sign-stealing or otherwise has nothing on chess. At prestigious live tournaments and among thousands of others playing daily online, cheating is a scourge.

Whether its a secret buzzer planted in a shoe, a smartphone smuggled into the bathroom, a particular flavor of yogurt delivered at a key moment or just online players using computerized chess programs chess has perhaps more cheating than any other game in the world.

Of course it is a problem, said Leinier Domnguez, the Cuban-born player currently ranked No. 1 in the United States. Because with all the advances in technology, its always a possibility. People have more chances and opportunities to do this sort of thing.

In both chess and baseball, both real and rumored instances of cheating have been around for decades, but an explosion in technology and data over the past 10 to 15 years has made the problem much harder to curb for both.

The Astros scheme, which helped propel them to the 2017 World Series title, involved illegally deciphering the signs of opposing catchers via a live video feed and then banging on a trash can to signal the next pitch to the batter. M.L.B. is now grappling with how to prevent similar electronic-based schemes in the future.

In chess, players at live tournaments are now required to leave their phones behind and pass through metal detectors before entering the playing area. Some have even been asked to remove clothing and been searched. And some tournaments now put players behind one-way mirrors to limit visual communication.

But, like the Astros, many chess players still try.

Just last year, a grandmaster named Igors Rausis was caught examining a smartphone in a bathroom stall at a tournament in France. In 2015, Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia was barred for three years by FIDE, chesss global governing body, and had his grandmaster status revoked for the same offense.

FIDEs anti-cheating commission has recently stepped up its efforts to combat the problem. The group met last month and resolved to give financial support to national federations that need it to help them root out cheating, and will share detection techniques with online chess platforms. They are currently investigating 20 cases.

The cheaters have been winning for a long time, Arkady Dvorkovich, the president of FIDE, said in a telephone interview from Moscow. But in the last few months we showed our determination to fight it and I think people realize it is serious.

In 2013, Borislav Ivanov, a young player from Bulgaria, was essentially forced into retirement after he refused to take off his shoes to be searched for an electronic device that might be used to transmit signals to him. A device was never found Ivanov reportedly refused to remove his shoes because, he claimed, his socks were too smelly but he retired shortly after the tournament.

Dominguez said he did not think the top 20 players in the world cheat: It would be too risky to their reputations, he said. But he was at the 2012 chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, when accusations flew that the French team had used an elaborate cheating scheme. The French team was accused of sending text messages to teammates, who would then stand in prearranged spots in the gallery. Their location was supposedly the signal to a young, unproven player, Sbastien Feller, for the next move.

Feller denied the accusations but was suspended by the French chess federation, which said it discovered numerous suspicious texts. That penalty was later overruled by a French court.

Dominguez was not playing Feller, but saw the furor at the time and its effects even on clean players.

One of the dangers is that you get a bit paranoid about these things, Dominguez said. Maybe in baseball as well. You feel insecure and lose focus on your game.

There are players who cheat by sandbagging intentionally playing poorly in order to qualify for a lower tournament and win the prize money. There are some who create fake accounts online, build up the stature of that account, and then beat it in order to improve their own ranking. Sometimes opponents agree to an outcome and share meager prize money.

In 1978, Viktor Korchnoi accused Anatoly Karpov of cheating with blueberry yogurt. After Karpov received purple yogurt from a waiter during the game, Korchnoi worried that the flavor was a signal from someone on the outside.

Korchnoi later claimed his accusation was a joke, but officials took it seriously, ultimately mandating that the same snack would be delivered to both players at a predetermined time.

It sounds crazy, said Gerard Le-Marechal, a full-time monitor and anti-cheating detective for Chess.com, one of the worlds largest online chess platforms. But its a legitimate concern because there are so many ways to help a player.

Le-Marechal is one of six people employed by the website to combat cheating. They rely on sophisticated algorithms of statistical data, and Le-Marechal says he gets ping alerts throughout the day about cheaters many amateurs, some professionals and even the occasional grandmaster.

During a 40-minute telephone interview, at least three pings could be heard in the background, and Le-Marechal said all were alerts for cheating.

Daniel Rensch, a former junior champion and one of the owners of Chess.com, said his cheat-detection team had consulted for live tournaments to help stop cheating. There is little doubt, he said, that haptic buzzers have already been used.

The idea is that, while one person plays, another watches from a remote location and simultaneously pores over potential moves on a computerized chess engine. Then the accomplice would signal the best upcoming moves to the player via the haptic device that taps (or buzzes) a coded signal for the player.

A top player does not necessarily need to be told the exact move. In some cases, the prearranged signal could simply be: There is a winning move here. Grandmasters are skilled enough to find it.

Buzzers have also fueled plenty of speculation in the Astros scandal. Though they were found only to have cheated in the 2017 season, many suspected they continued beyond then in part because of a video that showed second baseman Jose Altuve telling teammates not to rip off his shirt after hitting a home run during the 2019 postseason.

Altuve and the Astros denied the accusations, but it has done little to quell rumors and questions: Could baseball players effectively use haptic devices?

One hundred percent, Rensch said, and it would not even be that complicated.

During his teams investigations, Rensch said, a knowledgeable source indicated that tiny electronic earpiece receivers, the size of a peppercorn, were being used to cheat in chess. The insidious miniature earbuds, which are marketed online to students for the expressed purpose of cheating on exams, are so small that they cannot be detected.

But Rensch is more concerned with the scourge of online cheating on his platform. Ever since the IBM computer Big Blue beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, increasingly powerful chess engines have made cheating easy.

Its so much worse now, Le-Marechal said. You have this almighty god that can tell you everything. Its so tempting for everybody.

About 10 years ago, as rank amateurs were beating grandmasters and rampant cheating threatened the legitimacy of online chess, Rensch and his fellow owners of the site held a meeting on the topic. At that point they were hosting a million games a day now it is 3.5 million and someone suggested there might be nothing they could do to stem the rolling tide of deception.

Just saying it out loud was enough to make us kind of vomit in the back of our throats, Rensch said. We were like, No, we have to do something. We have a responsibility as a steward of the game to try to solve this problem, that everybody and their cousin with a free freaking program was suddenly the best chess player in the world.

The website also hosts tournaments for money, making cheat-detection even more critical. So the team developed computer programs that mine statistical data to prove cheating, which they say has saved the online game. They often do not even know how someone is cheating, but they can prove it is happening based on irregularities in the moves over time.

Rensch said they shut down sometimes tens of thousands of accounts a month, including some of professionals and grandmasters.

They can also spot irregularities in live matches. According to Le-Marechal, they knew about Rausis months before he was busted in the bathroom in France last year. Even some professionals whom Renschs team does not name publicly have confessed, apologized and wondered how they were caught.

I dont care how you are doing it, Rensch said. All Im saying is, what you are doing is not reasonably possible based on the data I have, and I would win in court.

Rensch and Le-Marechal believe that other sports, particularly baseball with its wide use of statistical data, can adopt their approach to catching cheaters. Dvorkovich, the head of FIDE, added that just as the cheaters benefit from technology, the authorities can, too.

No matter what the game is, Dvorkovich said, when there are benefits from winning, you have cheating.

Excerpt from:

Think Cheating in Baseball Is Bad? Try Chess - The New York Times

Nine-year-old Tani Adewumi was hoping to defend his title this weekend at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship. The tournament was canceled due to Coronavirus. When Tani won the primary school division in 2019, he was living with his family in a homeless shelter. HarperCollins hide caption

Nine-year-old Tani Adewumi was hoping to defend his title this weekend at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship. The tournament was canceled due to Coronavirus. When Tani won the primary school division in 2019, he was living with his family in a homeless shelter.

The story of how 9-year-old Tani Adewumi became a chess prodigy begins nearly five years ago, in a print shop in Abuja, Nigeria. Tani's father, Kayode Adewumi, owned the shop, and printed textbooks, manuals, flyers whatever his clients wanted.

But one day in December 2015, four men came in with an order for 25,000 posters. Adewumi didn't know it at the time, but they were members of the terror network Boko Haram. Later that evening, Adewumi looked at the flash drive they'd given him, and found their poster said in Arabic: "Kill all Christians. Death to western education."

Adewumi is Christian. When the men came back to pick up their order, he pretended the printing machines were broken and suggested they go elsewhere. The men didn't believe him, so Adewumi pretended to take a call on his cellphone and slipped out the back door.

Not long after, Adewumi was away on business, and men showed up at his house. When his wife Oluwatoyin opened the door, they burst in, threatened her at gunpoint, and demanded to know where her husband was.

More than four years later, sitting on a couch in a Manhattan apartment where the Adewumis have lived for the past year, Oluwatoyin shudders at the memory.

"I put my head down. I don't want to look at anybody's face because, we hear it in the movies, 'Can you recognize my face?' So I don't want to recognize anybody's face," she remembers.

Having been raised Muslim, she spoke a few words to them in Arabic, including the word "Please." They asked her if she was Muslim. She said "yes," and eventually they left.

The Adewumis suspect the men noticed the cross hanging on a wall in the print shop.

Tani, center, shares a laugh with his family big brother Austin, his mom Oluwatoyin and his dad Kayode. The Adewumis came to the U.S. from Nigeria in June 2017. HarperCollins hide caption

Tani and his older brother Austin slept through it all. "We were snoring!" Tani, now 9, chimes in from across the room. The Adewumis moved to another part of Nigeria but Kayode and Oluwatoyin continued to believe their lives were in danger. In June 2017, they left the country on tourist visas.

Eventually they made their way to Queens where they met Nigerian Pastor Philip Falayi who says he's helped dozens of families like the Adewumis. "They come to me, I help them, they move on. They come to me, I help them, they move on," he says.

Pastor Philip (as congregants know him) let the Adewumis stay in his basement and connected them with New York's Department of Homeless Services. The family was given temporary housing in a shelter located above a hotel in Manhattan: Oluwatoyin and Kayode on one floor; 7-year-old Tani and his 14-year-old brother Austin on another.

Tani didn't like having to go to another floor just to see his mom and dad. His parents, however, were relieved. "We thank God we were able to find somewhere to put our heads," says Oluwatoyin.

Tani and his brother enrolled in a nearby public school that had an active chess club. Tani wanted to join. When his mother told the coaches they were living in a shelter and couldn't pay the $330 fee, they waived it.

Tani's coach, Shawn Martinez, says the 9-year-old isn't afraid of anything on the board and "that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," he says. Oluwatoyin Adewumi hide caption

Tani's coach, Shawn Martinez, says the 9-year-old isn't afraid of anything on the board and "that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," he says.

Coach Shawn Martinez says Tani's potential was clear from the outset. "He has an incredible memory and he's very interested in what he's learning," Martinez says.

Tani is obsessed with chess reading books about it, studying famous masters and playing chess games online. Even his coaches like playing him. The day I visit his apartment, Tani sits across from Coach Shawn, concentrating, his hands gripping his head. Martinez is a chess master, but that doesn't faze Tani. "I think you're getting into trouble," he tells his coach.

Tani wasn't a shoo-in for first place in the primary division at the 2019 New York State Scholastic Championship. He'd only been playing for a year and admits, after winning five games in a row, he nearly lost the final, deciding game of the tournament. "I was winning but then I blundered," he says. It was a blunder that Tani says could've lost him the game. But before his opponent noticed it, "I offered a draw and he took it," he says.

When Tani won that tournament, his coaches eager to help the family find a way out of the shelter spread word to the media about this young chess prodigy whose family was homeless. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote an op-ed with the headline "This 8 Year Old Chess Champion Will Make You Smile."

Coach Shawn Martinez says chess is a game that "honors intelligence, character and how much you invest in it." HarperCollins hide caption

"Almost as soon as it went online, there was a huge response," says Kristof. "I was kind of taken aback by it. Fortunately, the chess coaches were way ahead of me and they had set up a GoFundMe."

The New York Times column turned Tani's win into a global story. Kayode Adewumi says they were inundated with interview requests from other countries. "Everything just blew up," Adewumi recalls. "I now strongly believe that this is God that wants to bless us."

The GoFundMe page raised more than $250,000 within 10 days. An anonymous donor offered to pay their rent on an apartment for one year. Trevor Noah bought the movie rights to Tani's story and the family co-wrote a book with bestselling author Craig Borlase. My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles will be published in April.

"I mean it's absolutely a beautiful story," says Martinez. As a coach, he's seen chess help a lot of young people through adversity but you have to work hard at it. Chess "honors intelligence, character and how much you invest in it," Martinez says.

He says he considers Tani "between a lion and a tiger."

"He's not scared of anything on that board and that's what it takes to beat the best of the best," Martinez explains.

Tani's mother is amazed at how her son's passion for chess has transformed their lives. Oluwatoyin Adewumi doesn't play herself, but she remembers something Coach Shawn once said about strategy: "When you put pawns together, there's no stopping them."

Adewumi says the teachers, pastors and fellow immigrants who came together to help her family might be seen as pawns.

"You might see them looking so small, but they are very powerful," she says.

With the proceeds from the GoFundMe site the Adewumis created a foundation in Tani's name that helps children "achieve excellence in learning the game of chess."

In the meantime, Tani's chess rating keeps climbing, putting him ever closer to his goal of becoming a master.

Read this article:

This Young Chess Champion Is 'Not Scared Of Anything On That Board' - NPR

A global survey has highlighted that a lot of people have been enrolling their children in online chess programs to help them develop their overall personality. As it has been proved in many studies that playing chess improves the creativity and focus of a player. Chess requires the use of both sides of the brain that helps a player to boost his creativity and logical reasoning by playing this game.

Many parents have expressed that it is important to shape the personality of children in the growing years. And they believe that playing chess can help anyone inculcate some important qualities that one requires in order to deal with any challenge in life. A lot of parents believe that spending time playing chess can help a child boost his focus and creativity which eventually helps him in understanding his academics education in a better way.

And they are consulting many virtual chess coach programs such as chess-bot.comto help their children play chess in a better manner. Another motive for parents to enroll their children in online chess programs is to teach them to handle high-pressure situations calmly. Many experts believe that playing chess helps a player analyze losses and winnings which eventually helps him build his confidence.

In the survey, many parents have confessed that children spend a lot of time on smartphones for playing many other games. They added that, in order to make sure the best possible use of their time, they simply want their children to play chess to add to the overall development of their personality.

Continued here:

More Parents have been Enrolling their Children in Online Chess Programs to Help them Boost their Focus and Creativity - California Herald

Just as GM Teimour Radjabov withdrew from the Candidates Tournament, due to the uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus, you may be considering skipping your next in-person chess tournament. In addition to getting your chess-fix with sessions on Play Chess, you could become a chess streamer, coach, or writer.

Teaching online chess lessons is easier than ever, with these tips from Albert Silver. Having a chess title helps a streamer or a coach build clientele.

Whether or not you are a titled player, you can write about chess. Chess outlets are looking for writers; some of them pay for articles. For example, Chess Life Kids pays $75 per page. Non-titled children writing for that magazine get paid at the same rate as adults and titled players.

Moreover, manychildrenandadultsdream of becoming writers. Forbooks, non-fiction outsells fiction. Chess writing can be non-fiction or fiction, but non-fiction is much more common. This article provides four tipsFind Topics, Query, Persistence, and Reader Feedbackfor writing.

Chess streaming is a way tomake money, if you develop a large following such as that enjoyed by Woman FIDE Master AlexandraBotez

Covering chess tournaments their winners, best games, anecdotes is the bread-and-butter of chess websites and magazines. But if fear of the Coronavirus keeps you at home, interviewing chess players can be done via email, text, chat, or phone. Lets suppose you are aware of a junior player who has just reached a rating milestone. If you have the permission of that prodigys parents, you could interview that prodigy.

One recent example from ChessBase is an articleabout D. Gukesh by Sagar Shah. Shah is an International Master. Therefore, Shah could have analyzed all the chess games himself, but he had Gukesh annotate some. If you are not a strong chess player, you can ask your interviewee to annotate all the chess games in your article. In any case, some articles, like this one, dont include chess games or positions.

The cover story for the March 2020 issue of Chess Life was written by Menachem Weber, who has journalistic credentials but no US Chess rating. 47 minutes into this podcast about Webers story, US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas stated(47 minutes and 5 seconds) in:

To any aspiring journalists who want to specialize in chess writingweve hired many a high school student who are writing for publication for the very first timeIf youve got talent, and ability, and an interesting story to tell, please pitch it to us and you can find the contact information at our website on uschess.org.

My first emailed query to ChessBase was 784 words long. I introduced myself and asked to review Danny Gormallys book. I outlined what I thought would be interestingin that book, from an excerpt available at its publishers website. I also referred to Gormallys history by linking to ChessBase articles about him. Once I got the assignment, which the ChessBase editor modified to my interviewing Gormally rather than reviewing his book, I read Gormallys book and interviewed him by email. Five takeaways:

Queries are often rejected. In 2010, when Dan Lucas was editor of Chess Life, I wrote the following email to him after he had accepted my query to review the latest book by Grandmaster Andrew Soltis.

As I wrote you the Soltis query (my third one to you in the last couple days), I had two thoughts in mind:

1) IfDansays yes to this query, then its third times a charm.

2) IfDansays no, then threestrikesyoure out. (Though I would have kept trying with more queries!)

The two rejections referred to above had come after Id already written several articles for Chess Life. Even after working with an editor, there are no guarantees that your next query to that editor will be successful. Be persistent, dont give up, and hope that the editor doesnt think you are a pest.

One way to build your clips, and to get appreciation rather than rejection, is to write for free. In the US, many states and regions need written content for magazines and websites. Texas Knights (where I have a book review column) doesnt pay columnists. However, Texas Knights editor Louis A. Reed Jr. promotes each writers work and liberally hands out compliments. On the other hand, sometimes writing at the state level pays. Texas Chess Association pays the Texas Knights editor and also pays for social media posts.

When I watch television, listen to chess podcasts, view YouTube or Twitch chess broadcasts, or peruse Facebook all good hobbies for avoiding the Coronavirus I stay alert for possible chess stories. I watched The Oprah Winfrey Show for years and finally, near the end of its run, got a chess story out of it.

Writing questions and emailing them to podcast@uschess.org is a great way to win $50 in USCF Sales merchandise. I have won best question three times, and each of my three winning questions have been less than 25 words long. If more people had emailed questions to that podcast, I think I would have only won once. So, write a question!

YouTube and Twitch broadcasts of chess tournaments can be sources for chess writing ideas. The Mechanics Institute Chess Clubs broadcasts have inspired three of my articles including this one for ChessBase.

On Facebook, the Eade Foundation posted about its new $1000 award for Chess Excellence, which could be turned into a query that answers What monetary awards are available for young chess players? and then lists the Arthur Award (named after Jim Eades father, Arthur Eade) along with more famous awards, such as the Frank P. Samford, Jr. Fellowship.

Comments on past articles may inspire new writing. As I wrote at the end of this article about Jennifer Yus result in the U.S. Junior Championship, Thanks to chess fan Leavenfish for hiscomment, which motivated me to write this article.I enjoy and learn from the comments on my articles; part of the fun of being published is readers feedback (hint, hint).

The Charles Bukowski poem so you want to be a writer? sets a high bar for the passion needed to become a great writer, as Bukowski was. My level of passion is lower, and I am not a great writer. For me, writing, editing, and proofreading is fun; thanks to ChessBase and its readers for this outlet.ChessBase encourages freelance writers to submit queries. Email editor[at]chessbase.com.

See the rest here:

So you want to be a (chess) writer? - Chessbase News

Lourdes High School juniors Yiping Wang and Peizhan Wang are not brothers, Wang being as common a last name in China as Smith or Johnson is in the U.S.

Yet even if they had different last names, it would be easy to think of them as a tandem, not only because of their nativeness to China but by the way they play chess.

And last weekend, they proved how good they are, with Yiping taking second place and Peizhen third place in the 9th- through 12th-grade under 1200 division at the Minnesota State Chess Association Tournament.

Yiping, 16, is from Shandong Province. Peizhen, 17, is from Shanghai. From the time the two landed in Rochester three years ago, chess became their calling card, a language to connect to their new community first at Kellogg Middle School and later at Lourdes.

Both came to Rochester as exchange students, accompanied by parents who were researchers at Mayo Clinic. They now live with host families after their parents returned to China.

"Chess is the way that connects them with the Lourdes community and the other Lourdes students," said Lourdes chess coach Dennis Mays. "You can see them joking and having fun with the students. That's really satisfying."

Their performances led the Lourdes chess team, which went undefeated this year, to a second-place finish at the state championship with 16.5 points. Mayo High School came in fourth with 15.5 points, followed by John Marshall's 8th place in the dozen-team division.

Each student played six games during the two-day tournament. A player wins a point for a victory and a half point for a draw, with 6 points being the maximum number a player can earn.

Home-schooled junior Michael Kern finished 6th overall in the top-tier K-12 Championship division, and Mayo senior Henry Lange finished 9th.

Kellogg Middle School finished in fourth place, led by 8th-grader Ethan Zhang, who finished 8th.

Stephen Jones of St. Francis placed 19th in the K-8 Championship and Isaac Ann of Schaeffer Academy finished 11th.

Yiping and Peizhen are friends and chess rivals. Although Yiping tied for first in his category and was awarded a second-place trophy by virtue of a tie-breaker, Yiping acknowledges that Peizhen is "slightly better."

"He has slightly more wins," Yiping said.

"Slightly?" Peizhen said.

"I'd say slightly," Yiping said.

Peizhen was still kicking himself over how one game he should have won ended. His opponent was down to a king, while Peizhen had his king, rook and several pawns. One move away from winning the game, Peizhen moved his rook to "another square" and the game ended in a tie. He ended with four wins and two ties.

"I was definitely winning," Peizhen said. "But probably, it's too late and too tired."

Yiping said he first began playing chess in China as a form of relaxation and reprieve from his homework. Then he stopped. At Kellogg, his passion in chess were reignited, thanks to a "fantastic music teacher" who also loved the game. He soon found himself in an "awkward situation." He was beating his teacher, but "I didn't finish."

In one game, he was a move away from checkmating his teacher. Instead, Yiping called the game a draw and extended his hand in handshake. Instead the teacher gave him $10 in acknowledgement that Yiping had won.

Thirty-seven Rochester students participated in the state tournament. For Mays, the number and the skill displayed by the players at the tournament reflected how much a culture of chess has taken root and grown in Rochester.

The Rochester teams had their own meeting room at the tournament, and in between games, coaches went over the games with students, "discussing what they did well and what they thought they could improve on."

Peizhen said he can't imagine a time when he won't be playing chess.

"People need to to keep their bodies healthy," he said. "Chess is exercise for the brain. It keeps your brain active."

Original post:

Chess mates: Wang and Wang rise to the top at state tournament - PostBulletin.com

Many of our tournament organizers are facing tough decisions due to the general guidance from authoritative sources to avoid large gatherings because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. If there is a tournament you were planning to play in, you should first make sure it is still being held before you make a potentially unnecessary trip, up to and including the day of the event.

We are trying to make this process as easy as possible for our members by listing cancellations/postponements in the Upcoming Tournaments area of our website located at:

http://www.uschess.org/tlas/upcoming.php

Click here for an example of what you might see if you search for all tournaments in Texas (Note: this is a sample image and not a live update of current Texas events).

We are updating this area immediately upon receiving updates from our organizers. Of course, you can always use the contact information given in an individual Tournament Life Announcement (TLA) as well, which often have an email, phone number, and sometimes an organizers website.

We have taken other steps as well, including:

We have suspended certain rules: https://new.uschess.org/news/us-chess-rules-suspensions-due-covid-19/ We have made it free for organizers for organizers to use our email blast system to notify potential participants if they cancel a previously advertised TLA by simply contacting our TLA department at [emailprotected]. We have cancelled the National High School (K-12) Championship

We appreciate your patience and continued support of US Chess as we all work together to meet this challenge. We want our members to not only stay well but be informed every step of the way as it relates to US Chess. Please continue to check http://www.uschess.org regularly for other updates.

See the original post here:

US Chess Affiliate Tournaments and COVID-19 - uschess.org

Students from theSouth Carolina Governors School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) won the state championship at the South Carolina Chess Associations State Scholastic Chess Tournament in Greenville on February 29, 2020.

HARTSVILLE Seven students from the South Carolina Governors School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) won the state championship at the South Carolina Chess Associations State Scholastic Chess Tournament in Greenville on February 29, 2020.

One hundred eighty-nine young future Masters and their families came together at University in Greenville to hunt Kings, double Rooks, promote many pawns, and to generally get their passant en.

The field of 36 high-school players contested the five-round tournament. GSSMs winning score of 12.0 surpassed longtime rival D. W. Daniel High School, who finished second with 11.5.

This years chess team consisted of Katherine Brennan of Charleston county, Anavami Isa of Orangeburg county, Anish Kanthamneni of York county, Connor Miles of Kershaw county, Breckin Muzzy of Dorchester county, Patricio Ortiz of Greenville county, and Theo Pedapelu of Orangeburg county.

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The winning score was based on the top four combined scores of the GSSM Chess Team.

I am proud of our students for both their skill and their good sportsmanship, whatever the outcome, said Dr. Clyde Smith, GSSM retired physics instructor and advisor of the Chess Team. Daniel High has been a state chess power for many years now.

This competition marked the 15th time GSSM has won the State Scholastic Chess Tournament since 1993.

Read more from the original source:

GSSM students win state chess tourney - The Times and Democrat