CHESS-FIT UNIT

Chess is everything: art,

science and sport.
- Anatoly Karpov
TASK 1: Decide which title suits best each paragraph:

A. Builds Confidence

B. Develops Problem-Solving Skills

C. Chess Helps You To Remain Calm Under Pressure

D. Brings People Together

E. Chess Is An Educational Tool

F. Develops Creativity

G. Helps Children Realize The Consequences Of Their Actions

H. Teaches You How To Win And Lose

I. Exercises The Brain

J. Can Help You Focus

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Chess is one of the oldest games in the world dating back over 1500 years. The game of chess
has evolved as it spread around the globe to the game we play today. As a result, this journey has
brought people together from different cultures, ages, and backgrounds over a common bond and
passion for the game.

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Of course, everyone likes to win, but it is just important to learn how to accept losing. As the
saying goes—sometimes you give the lesson, and sometimes you receive the lesson! Most
importantly, try to learn from those losses and come back as a better player. Just as in life, we
need to get back up when confronted with failure and come back stronger and wiser. Winning
with grace is an important character trait that chess can teach a person.

———————————————
The scholastic chess boom around the world has been on a steady rise over the last decade.
More important than these children becoming great chess players or getting high ratings is that
chess teaches children from an early age that their choices have consequences—both good and
bad. Thinking your moves through and trying to play the best move that you can is rewarding
while playing too quickly and rushing your decisions can have negative repercussions.

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As Bobby Fischer said, "Chess demands total concentration." A chess player can make moves
like a grandmaster for 30 moves and then get distracted on move 31 and make an elementary
blunder that loses the game! This intense focus is useful in everyday life when confronted with
school assignments, daily tasks, and deadlines.
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Before, during, and after-school programs are extremely popular, and for good reason. Chess is a
low-cost activity for children to become involved with right at their own school. Children of
different ages, backgrounds, and special needs can all take part in a chess class or club.

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They say a persons' personality comes out in their chess game. A shy and passive person might
play more reservedly while an outgoing and social person might be a bold attacker. The wonderful
part of chess is that there is room for everyone's styles and personalities. In your own personal
way, you can show your creativity in the type of moves, plans, and tactics that you come up with
on the board.

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Chess is all you—you put in the time studying, you put in the time competing in tournaments, you
spend the time analyzing your losses and finding your weaknesses. With all this work a sense of
confidence is developed. Even working through a tough period where you plateau in your chess
development can help you build resilience and confidence.

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In every chess game, you are faced with challenges and problems that you have to solve in order
to play your best game. Chess can help you to think ahead, not rush your decisions, and weigh
the pluses and minuses of your choices. This correlates to challenges we face in everyday life,
and just as in chess, we try to make the best choices to develop positive outcomes for our lives.

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When playing chess, your brain will be challenged to exercise logic, develop pattern recognition,
make decisions both visually and analytically, and test your memory. Chess can be enjoyed by
any age—as a result, these brain exercises can be part of the health of your brain for your entire
life! An active brain is a healthy brain!

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An intense game of chess where you have given everything, your time is running low, and you still
have to make critical decisions to bring the point home teaches us to remain calm under pressure.
You have to be intensely focused, while at the same time remaining calm so that your brain can
work to its maximum. We are all faced with deadlines, presentations, interviews, and tests
throughout our life. Just as in a chess game, we have to remain confident and calm to perform our
best.
TASK 2: Create your own cards. You can choose other sports to do it or propose fit
challenges or skills contest. Look at the examples provided below.

ChessFit - Basketball

1 vs 1 2 points
basketball game Throwing
contest
3’
3’

3 points 2 vs 2
Throwing basketball game
contest
3’
3’
ChessFit - Racket sports, juggling, S&C, rythm skills…

3’
3’

3’
3’
 ChessFit - Volley

Setting
Digging
3’
3’

Serving Wall drill

3’ 3’
 ChessFit - Fitness

Jumping rope Jogging

3’ 3’

Lateral Planks
Sprinting 3’
3’
 ChessFit - Football

Crossbar
Challenge
Free style
3’
3’

Dribbling contest
Protecting the ball
3’
3’
TASK 3: A brief history of chess… (video)

1) At the beginning chess was a…

a) tool of military strategy

b) a metaphor for human affairs
c) a benchmark of genius
d) All the answers are true

2) What was the name of the game that is considered the origin of chess?

3) A Sanskrit word for “four divisions” refers to ….

4) Where was the Gupta Empire located?

5) Diplomats and courtiers used chess terms to describe _________ power.

6) _____________ along the Silk Road carried the game to East and Southeast Asia.

7) Where were chess pieces placed at intersections of board squares?

8) In which game, captured pieces could be used by the opposing player?

9) What was the opinion of the Church about the chess game?

10) In which century could we see chess as we know it today?

11) With the rise of international competition, chess took on a new _________________
importance.

12) What did the Soviet Union do during the Cold War?

13) Who was the first opponent to break down the Russian dominance in Chess competitions?

14) The videos says that human beings are nowadays better than computers at playing chess.
True or false.

Translate this sentences into Spanish or valencian:

1. The king tries to retreat, but enemy cavalry flanks him from the rear.

2. A new game emerged with two key features: different rules for moving different types of pieces,
and a single king piece whose fate determined the outcome.

3. The relatively weak piece of advisor was recast as the more powerful queen -perhaps inspired
by the recent surge of strong female leaders.

4. With the Enlightment era, the game moved from royal courts to coffehouses.
TASK 4. Read ONE of the following articles about chess and write your own reflection
(not a summary!) using 150-200 words.

Check mates: how chess saved my mental

wellbeing

Excluding trans women in women’s chess makes

you a pawn of the patriarchy

Effectiveness of a chess-training program for

improving cognition, mood, and quality of life in
older adults: A pilot study

Chess champion to miss Saudi Arabia tournament

over women's rights
TASK 5. Do you agree with these statements? Give reasons to support it or to reject it
(Use a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 200)

“Chess is a very frustrating game. You are continually confronted with your mistakes and
shortcomings and there is nobody to blame except yourself.
Many times I have asked myself why do I bother to play this game? But I always come back for
more.”

“Chess can be harmful to mental health if you get too emotional about it. I have an occasional
problem with that. In fact, for several months, I kept getting angry, throwing childish tantrums, and
my game just got worse. I had to stay away from the game for a while and come back with a calm
mind.”
TASK 6. After watching this TED Talk, what would you highlight about it? What are the “core”
messages Valentina wants to deliver? Did you like it? Why? Why not?

The Life-Saving Game of Chess

Valentina Trujillo, Aprill 2022
TASK 7. Play online with at least FOUR DIFFERENT CLASSMATES and analyze briefly
your game at the end. Write your main mistakes or great decisions you made during the
game.

GAME 1 GAME 2
Rival: Rival:
Mode: 7 days/10min Mode:
Result: Result:
Comments: Comments:

GAME 3 GAME 4
Rival: Rival:
Mode: Mode:
Result: Result:
Comments: Comments: