My public speech was not that hard to write, I thought it would be harder, because I had never done this before and also because the other kids said it would be really hard. Once I was done writing my speech I was really proud of myself. But then i realized that there was more! I HAD TO PRESENT IT TO THE CLASS!!!

Have you ever heard of Magnus Carlsen? Currently the world’s chess champion, since 2011, he has been called the best chess player of all time. Why does he play? 

 

In his own words: “One of the things that first attracted me to chess is that it brings you into contact with intelligent, civilized people – men of the stature of Garry Kasparov, the former world champion, who was my part-time coach.” 

 

Magnus Carlsen, child prodigy and chess champion is one of the people who I look up to, and who brought chess into ordinary people’s lives. 

 

Dear teachers, students, parents and guests.

 

Like my hero Magnus Carlsen, I think chess is an ancient game worth learning, it is easy to play once you know how, and it has a long, rich history.

 

Not only is chess fun to play, time consuming, and international, once you get good you can play other people and learn new strategies. It is an ancient game originally played by kings.  I think board games are better than video games because Chess helps with memory,attention and strategy. It also teaches you how to think and plan in advance,take turns, and be a good sport. Some Scientists say chess can improve your mental age by 14 years. Chess is one of the most complex games we play. 

 

It is said that chess has more combinations of moves then stars in our galaxy! 

 

There are 32 pieces in chess, 16 black 16 white on each side of a checkerboard. The board has 64 squares. There are 2 castles/rooks,horses/knight, and bishops. There are 8 pawns, 1 queen, and 1 king on each side. Each piece has a different role to play and a different move to make. Pawns: move forward one or two spaces and take on diagonal. Bishops: move diagonally and take on their color. Rooks: can move and take forward, back, or side to side.Queens: can move any directions. Knights: move in the shape of an L (2 up and 1 over).  Kings move one square at a time.

 

The object of the game is to put the opposing king in check, meaning  he can be taken by another player.The game is over when the king cannot move without putting himself in check, this is called checkmate. Those are some of the rules and players of chess.

 

Chess is one of the oldest games in history, it is around 1500 years old. Chess appeared in India in the sixth century with the name Chaturanga or four limbs. From there it spread through the Persian empire, and into Europe. Chess rules as we would recognize them were set in the 13th century in Spain and Italy. Chess was played by the people in power and that is how the players got their names. Chess became a game for all people in the 19th century, when the first world tournament took place in 1886. Since the 1990’s there have been over 1000 chess tournaments world wide. Chess even has its own Olympics called chess Olympiad where over 130 countries participate.    

 

In conclusion I think everyone should have the opportunity to play chess. This game is simple to learn but takes a lifetime to master. You can travel the globe and play no matter the language you speak. At this very moment chess is being played on buses, in town squares, city parks, and peoples homes all over the world. Chess should be a part of everyone’s life and now you know why.