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Who we
are!
ALAN M. KIRSHNER, Ph.D.
Dr. Kirshner, our Founder, has been a Professor of
Political Science at Ohlone College in Fremont since 1971.
Previous to arriving at Ohlone, he taught teacher education at The
University of West Florida. His articles on child rearing have
appeared in magazines and anthologies. Dr. Kirshner is well known in
the Northern California scholastic chess community. He runs numerous
children's chess tournaments every year. His Weibel Elementary
School Chess Team has been a state champion every year since
1990. His Weibel Chess Club has 225 members and a waiting list. The
program has had the largest proportion of girls of any group in the
Bay Area and a close to 100% retention rate. The United States Chess
Federation named Dr. Kirshner their national Volunteer
of the Month in March 1997. In April of 2000, the Chess
Education Association honored Dr. Kirshner as the Chess Coach of
the Year. He recently joined the Advisory
Committee for the nationally renowned chess education program at
the University of Texas, Dallas.
BELA EVANS
Mr. Evans, our President, took over the direction of Success
Chess on August 1, 2005 when Dr. Kirshner retired. A national and
FIDE Master, Bela Evans has had a US Chess Federation rating of
2375. This ranks him as one of the highest rated players in Northern
California. He has been playing competitive chess for 17 years. FM
Evans loves sharing his chess knowledge with children at all levels
and is presently teaching beginners and advanced players at SCS
schools. In the late Fall of 2003 Dr. Kirshner appointed Bela
District Manager for South San Jose through to Morgan Hill. D.
Kirshner recommended Bela to the Board as the perfect candidate to
replace him. FM Evans philosopy in his own words: "I think
chess is not only great for teaching young people to think,
concentrate, and reason, but also for learning good sportsmanship
and how to make lifetime friends."
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WHY
CHESS?
*Chess
involves critical thinking
*Chess cultivates visualization
skills
*Chess improves problem solving skills
*Chess
teaches concentration and self-discipline
*Chess
rewards determination and perseverance
*Chess
raises self-esteem
*Chess
promotes good sportsmanship
*Chess encourages socialization skills that extend across
cultures and generations
*Chess
is fun!
From the National Scholastic Chess
Foundation
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WHY
SCS?
*SCS
trains their instructors and coaches to work with young
children
*SCS instructors use a hands on approach to
learning
*SCS
instructors guide learning and play through rewards and positive
reinforcement
*SCS
believes in peer interaction within their teaching
program
*SCS
encourages. parent involvement in their program
*SCS programs
are designed for children to have fun while learning
*SCS
provides a club and/or team approach to chess education
*SCS
clubs and teams can meet continuously, if the school
desires.
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AND?
*SCS carries two million dollars of liability insurance.
*All our instructors are fingerprinted and insured.
*Schools need provide only the classrooms with flat desks for our
chess sets and enable us to leave a supply chest in the room.
*We do ask that schools distribute information to the students to
enable us to obtain the minimal 15 students to conduct the
program.
*The cost per semester for each member will
generally range between $130 and $180 (13 to 18 sessions in a
semester, depending on holidays). Discounts are given for multichildren
families and we can provide scholarships for special circumstances.
Our rates are calculated at an average of $10 per child per meeting.
This cost may be increased depending on the cost for the use of the
facilities and the ratio of instructors to students. Each session
last from one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes. However, a few
of our Team instructors often ask that the children remain longer.
If you want more information or want to set up a meeting with
your school authorities, contact SCS at
510-657-1586 or e-mail us at info@SuccessChess.com
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<LINKS
The
Program
Some of our
Instructors
A
Few Comments from Parents and School Administrators about
SCS
Recommended Chess
Books & CD-Roms
WAITING/MAILING
LISTS:
If space permits we will
take children into our programs anytime during the year, but only if
they already know how to play chess. We teach beginners only at the
beginning of the school year.
For
information on all school or club programs or to get on the email
list to receive info for a specific program, please e-mail us at info@SuccessChess.com
and let us know which program you are interested in. We will answer as soon as we receive
your e-mail. Thanks for your interest!
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