Chess Studio on the Hill

Chess Studio on the Hill is pleased to commence its fourth season on October 22, 2006! Co-sponsored by Chess Corps and Hebrew College, Chess Studio on the Hill is a unique program which provides an exciting and entertaining educational and social environment in chess to individuals of all ages, abilities, and skill

Photo by Laura H. Chan

This program is open to children and adults of all ages, abilities, experience levels, and skill levels. Chess Studio on the Hill, where parents and siblings can learn and play together, offers a wonderful opportunity to introduce the entire family to the culture of chess!

Chess has long been considered an engaging and challenging recreational sport for individuals of all ages, but only until relatively recently has it been recognized as an activity that can result in tremendous educational, social, rehabilitative, and personal development benefits. Inspired by the numerous benefits of chess, Chess Corps created Chess Studio on the Hill to meld a group of new and seasoned chess players of all ages, backgrounds, and interests into a community of chess scholars who will challenge, teach, and support one another on a weekly basis.

Hearkening back to the golden period of the European Chess Salon, the Studio on the Hill is a creative learning and social environment offering:

• Experienced expert training
• Chess lectures
• Team Teaching
• Both competitive and casual play
• An eclectic chess library
• Mobile chess computer kiosk
• Chess software and equipment
• Other multimedia learning tools
• Guest presentations
• Special chess events

The Studio on the Hill meets every Sunday in Newton Centre and runs from October to May. Students can register for either a full year of Studio on the Hill or for individual trimesters. Students interested in applying for scholarship opportunities in the Chess Studio should contact our coordinator at info@chesscorps.org


For a tentative syllabus, tuition information, schedule of events, and enrollment information, please click on the links below.

At each session of Chess Studio on the Hill from 5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, Chess Corps faculty and volunteers will offer "Chess Basics" during which they will teach the rules of chess at the beginner level to any interested family members, friends or visitors. This service is free and you do not need to be a Chess Corps member to participate.

Photo by Laura H. Chan

Chess Corps at the Carroll Center for the Blind

In an effort to ensure that chess education opportunities are made available to the blind and visually impaired population with an interest in chess, Chess Corps is offering "Introduction to Chess" to children and adults at the Carroll Center for the Blind, a private, non–profit agency located in Newton, Massachusetts which serves persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Founded in 1936, the Carroll Center has pioneered innovative methods for blind persons to gain independence in their home, classroom, and work settings. Through the use of new and evolving technologies, time-tested adaptive methods, individual attention, and personalized care and therapies the Carroll Center has provided the blind community with many opportunities for success and independent living.

For years, the game of chess has been taught to those who are visually impaired by training these individuals to learn to play chess through touch and through the use of a modified chess board which enables players to recognize the difference between black squares and white squares. As further evidence of the long history of teaching chess to the blind or visually impaired, FIDE has implemented several provisions in the FIDE rules for visually impaired chess players.

The Chess Corps program at the Carroll Center for the Blind aims to enable those who are blind or visually impaired to learn about and enjoy the culture and game of chess through the use of an innovative approach to teaching chess which capitalizes on the visually impaired population's ability to use of tactile sensation to understand and navigate the world around them. In this program, students are trained by Chess Corps faculty, led by International Chess Master, Satea Husari, in small instructional groups consisting of no more than four to six students each to ensure optimal learning and a high degree of individual attention. The program aims to improve their chess playing techniques and to strengthen their cognitive abilities and problem solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills. Another goal of the program is to build confidence in these students by providing them with opportunities to gain experience in mastering a complex, dynamic environment.

Chess Corps has been preparing for some time to establish an innovative technique for teaching chess to the visually impaired by building a modified chess board which encourage visually-impaired students to use tactile sensation to discern different areas of the chess board. Through this program, Chess Corps has piloted the use of this specialized board and has found that this innovative approach has significantly expedited the learning process for small group of visually impaired players. In addition, the new board has been met with great enthusiasm from the visually impaired students and teachers alike as an effective and comfortable approach to learning chess.

Chess Corps' mission is to enrich the lives of children and adults through the development and provision of innovative educational, rehabilitative, and therapeutic chess programs that foster the development of a community of lifelong learners who through knowledge and appreciation of chess demonstrate understanding, compassion, and respect for individual differences. This program is particularly reflective of Chess Corps' mission to use the power of chess to promote understanding and respect for individual differences.

Various projects are in progress at Chess Corps to provide more opportunities for visually impaired and differently-abled chess players to have access to chess equipment and environments that are conducive to optimal learning, enjoyment, and comfort. In addition to designing innovative modifications within the chess environment for these individuals, over time Chess Corps hopes to host international chess tournaments for blind and/or visually impaired players of all ages from around the world.

If you are interested in learning more about teaching chess to the blind, please contact Chess Corps Headquarters at info@chesscorps.org or (617) 879-9997.

MetroWest YMCA

Located in Framingham, MA, the MetroWest YMCA provides affordable and high quality programming for its members living and working in towns throughout MetroWest Massachusetts. The MetroWest YMCA recently received a Massachusetts Department of Education grant to support a rotating set of out-of-school time enrichment programs in five elementary schools in Framingham, MA, namely Barbieri, Dunning, Hemenway, McCarthy and Potter Road Elementary Schools.

As part of this out-of-school time enrichment program, the MetroWest YMCA in partnership with Chess Corps will offer approximately 330 elementary school students, including those of low-income, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners, the opportunity to learn more about chess and to improve their skill level by practicing under the guidance of expert instructors from Chess Corps, including International Master Satea Husari. Chess Corps is delighted to co-sponsor this chess enrichment program with the MetroWest YMCA. The chess curriculum will be aimed at helping these students to expand their critical thinking and problem solving skills, enhance their academic performance, improve their creativity, and develop social skills as well as an overarching respect for individual differences.

The program will meet once per week and will run from mid-January through the end of May 2007.

Please click on the links below to read more about the YMCA's out-of-school time enrichment program in which Chess Corps is participating:

The Newton Free Library

The Newton Free Library, in partnership with Chess Corps, has created a new monthly Chess Club for chess enthusiasts in the Newton community and neighboring areas. The Chess Club affords library patrons of all ages the opportunity to drop in and practice chess with Chess Corps teachers, led by International Chess Master, Satea Husari.

This year's Chess Club begins on January 17, 2007 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM, and meets once per month. Participation in the Chess Club is free and open to the public. While it may be helpful to review the rules of chess before attending, this educational program is open to chess scholars of any skill and experience level.

The  Newton Free Library is located at 330 Homer Street   Newton Centre, MA 02459. The Library is handicapped accessible. Individuals who require special assistance when attending programs should call (617) 796-1410 during business hours and (617) 796-1360 evenings and weekends. To learn more about the Newton Free Library and to view their Calendar of Events, please visit their web site at: http://newtonfreelibrary.net/  

Headquarters in the Village

Located at 1 Harvard Street, in Brookline Village Chess Corps is currently building its first headquarters and is looking forward to establishing its first learning labaratory for enhancing human potential using both traditional and state-of- the-art biofeedback learning technologies. Chess research, intensive training, and Chess Corps media production facilities will soon be located on site.

Watertown Boys and Girls Club

Surrounded by pine forests and meadows, in Watertown’s upscale quarter, the Boys and Girls Club is a full-service facility providing indoor and outdoor athletic venues, including basketball, baseball, and soccer as well as computer, art, and game room facilities. Consonant with the Boys and Girls Club’s mission of developing future responsible citizens, Chess Corps’ goal is to engage young people to achieve higher potential in educational, social and personal domains of their lives through chess education and participation. This year’s schedule and program will be available by mid-September, with a grand opening scheduled for the end of September.