Children across the world have accepted the new norm in education: online learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has hijacked our traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling into a new wave of e-learning. If there is a sector that’s among the worst affected, it is education. The outbreak has enormously affected the structure of schooling, including teaching, learning and evaluation methodologies.
What comes to your mind whenever you think of Chess? Probably a few geeky minds and a game that has got to do with intelligent and strategic moves. Well you are almost right, since about 80% of Chess players relate the game like you do, but people generally have a misconception on how this essential cognitive skill is taught.
Chess surely requires wise tactics to win. But what if tactics were loaded with superstitions and craziness?
Today the game holds the throne as one of the most dignified and intellectual games in the world. But the Gentleman’s Game wasn’t exactly so in the early centuries of its evolution. The history of Chess is amusingly dotted with, and at times scarred by, weird antics, foul play and vengeance.
The Chessmasters in the early centuries came up with strange methods laced with superstitions and cheap tricks to ensure their victory. From cigars and cats to sunlight and amulets, many went overboard with berserk attempts to distract and defeat their opponents.
As COVID-19 grounded us for months, one of the games that thrived and beat the odds would be chess! Chess enthusiasts happily teleported to the web enjoying the game online. Parents too gratefully let the restless kids explore the net and encouraged online chess coaching. If children need to play online, what better game than chess? Their mind, brain, and body would stay engaged for a few hours; that too, in a disciplined way. Online chess is a good bargain.
The outbreak of a pandemic has given us a generous scoop of home-based e-learning. Thanks to the ever-evolving technologies and access to high-speed internet, online learning is flourishing and could soon be a substitute to traditional classroom teaching. But does e-learning facilitate the overall progress of a child?
With the restricted interaction and physical activity of e-platforms, how far can they modulate cognitive skills in children? Can brain stimulators like mind games that develop cognitive capabilities in children be taught effectively online?
Chess is a sport that dates back to the 14th century. When the world’s first light bulb wasn’t even invented, chess captured the minds of people who took the sport with utmost seriousness. The sport became prominent for a long time and grandmasters have been revered across generations. Since then multiple training centres, chess coaching circles and schools have been formed to train and mould the next generation of grandmasters who compete in grand, fierce and glorious tournaments. As the sport enters a new decade — lets’ take a look at the Top 10 chess tournaments that ever happened in history.
We are dealing with a young generation that is hooked to the internet. Social media defines and determines their lives. Apps and chats keep them breathing! And as the world is in the grip of a virus, they are enjoying their ‘viral’ fevers on whatsapp, facebook and more! You must have spent a significant amount of time convincing your kids to reduce their screen time, and in vain!
The crisis consuming the world is a talk of every household. The worried confused faces peeping through balconies and windows is tragic to see and the theories floating in the air is only adding to the miseries of all. Amongst this, the little spare moments of fun and laughter are life saviours. Recreational activities like chess, robotics etc, are proving to be an oasis in a desert, making people feel fulfilled and engaging them rationally. Though played for leisure, what about those who are learning these games? Is discontinuation the answer to this?
Sounds as interesting as it is. While the Rubik Cube was invented in 1974, people still believe it is a genius thought captured in a box. Though the interesting part is, the inventor Erno Rubik took almost a month to solve it for the first time.
Rewind to the 90’s and the nostalgia rushes back to your mind. The Jetsons and transformers promised us a very different picture, and we thought robots would rule the world. Either as friends or foes. Well, we can’t see that happening anytime soon, though the prominence of robots have increased since the past decade. It is the nature of the idea that entrusted the ideas of robots and humans in our head and we started developing such earthly companions for ourselves.
While some brands tend to take it slow, post climbing up to catch their initial goal, it is not always true for others. Some names emerge out of passion and it is the passion that drives them to traverse through crossroads and decisions that are dense. Mind Mentorz is one such name which never stopped, or even paused upon meeting their immediate goals. The now-well -known chess coaching institute in Bangalore believes in the proliferation of cognitive skills in kids through consistent stimulation, has come a long way.
“It took three years to reach where we are, but the journey started when I was just seven” Praveen Sagar, Co-founder of Mind Mentorz, remembers being introduced to chess. He is an AGM (Arena Grandmaster) and shares the love for chess that drove him to be an integral part of the institution. He also believes in the relentless effort that Mind Mentorz puts to guide each child to find her/his passion. “We need to strengthen the cognitive abilities in children, so they receive every opportunity and mould them to help themselves. This is crucial in the developing stages.”
You can never have enough knowledge, there is always something that you do not know. Mind Mentorz enriches kids with ‘Edutainment’ - spreading knowledge through the medium of entertainment - a simple idea that has accelerated with time and picked up the pace. And now, after three years of focused efforts, the seed has sprouted and grown and is swaying to a different wind of change. Mind Mentorz is all set to franchise and explore further frontiers.
According to the founders and brothers, Praveen and Pradeep, Mind Mentorz has come a long way. The idea of franchising came much later, once the academy succeeded in establishing its name in and around Bangalore. And the idea of spreading out and reaching a wider segment did not happen in a day but took sheer dedication and a bunch of like-minded people who share the same passion and purpose.
Not only chess, but the academy also stresses on other cognitive development programs like Robotics, Rubik’s Cube, Scratch Coding etc, that train the mind to deal with and respond to situations and circumstances in a balanced manner.
Kids absorb such complex recreational activities much more actively than the youth or the adults, making it easier to train them. The new-gen parents are also as much aware of the health benefits of mind gym as the founder brothers who believe that learning surpasses age limit. They are also very particular about both the physical and the mental health of developing kids. Mind Mentorz serves a medium that provides activities to engage children through recreational schemes and simultaneously develops their mental, emotional and behavioural patterns.
Mind Mentorz is the true definition of passion turning to profession. The trust, conviction and support of the parents and the kids, have always been the strengthening pillars of the academy and still serves as the wind beneath the wings that are aiming to spread out and soar high.
It is often believed, chess is a game of trial and error. It is not defined by any single pathway that would lead you success. Although, these are true, chess also means learning from others’ mistakes. So, do people having greater IQ score, are successful in chess than others? That’s not true. Chess is a game that improves both IQ and EQ, simultaneously. You need not be clever but act smart, learning tricks in chess could help your win those games that gives you a hinge.
Chess is like knowledge. You can’t grasp it all. You don’t find any grandmaster declaring that they know all about chess. Your opponent might surprise you with a new opening or a strategic move that you didn’t know about. So, you need to be open to learning whenever there is an opportunity. What makes you a better player is your ability to comprehend your own game. Scrutinize, analyse and then practise. Everyone does that after a tournament or even a game. If you don’t start doing it to get better results. But how do you analyse your game? This blog will walk you through the complete process of Analysing your game. Let’s get started.
Whether it’s chess or any other game/sports, you need to improve your game with time. Though we are not saying it is easy, however, if you don’t try to rank up your game you will be left behind. You are responsible for your performance, good or bad. If you lose a match, there is no need to be heartbroken, just that you need to have the spirit to find out where you missed the chance to win the game. So, without further ado, let’s find out how can you improve your present game and take it to the next level?
You might have observed several grandmasters playing the French Defence as their opening game that it brings about the question why do they prefer it? The best part is The French Defence is a great opening game for amateurs too. Although there is a clear debate that arises in the mind of every player, what makes French Defence so popular among all? Before getting into it, let us understand what is French Defence?
Openings play a decisive part in the game of chess. You know how to play a great game but your initiation can change the path of the game. A strong opening is a sign of a smart player moving strategically. Though you need to plan your game and then decide for an appropriate opening, it is practical to learn as many openings as possible. These fancy opening names like The Italian, French Defense etc are some of the best openings that would add significant value to the entire game.
Chess can be a complex game if you don’t get the strategies right. It takes absolute commitment and interest to learn the tiny tricks that could place you in the list of finest players. Also, you can’t learn everything on your own. You borrow or even steal your opponent’s or mentor’s tactics to put up a strong competition. Even though you got everything right, there are certain moves that would keep your opponent pondering early in the game. Castling is one special move that could change the course of the game. However, you could only do it once in the game.
