Chess Teaching Materials Arrived

I finally got my new chess teaching materials courtesy of my sister based in New York.  Last night I finally had time and energy to go through the stuff and while I was at it, I can't help but wonder and ask myself "Why can't Filipinos produce wonderful tutorial and guide materials like these?

Let me tell you what I got.

Learn Chess in 30 Minutes DVD by GM Susan Polgar. This one is a superb production meant for absolute beginners. Talk about teaching chess to those who need it most. I've read and heard chess scholars, experts, masters and even bloggers talk and write about chess teaching and chess coaching. Some say you have to be rated 2000+ to even think about chess coaching. Some say all you need is a good communication skills. Some weirdos even question other coaches for getting into the thing called chess coaching.

But this work by Susan Polgar on Learn Chess in 30 Minutes clearly tells us that to have chess students for your profession called chess coaching, you must have people interested in chess and one way to grow this sector of the society is to make sure they at least know the basics of the game and those are all in the DVD.

So if you ask me why I teach or coach chess probably you have an idea why. First, I am a teacher by nature and I just can't help but share something I truly believed is worth my student's time. Second, I believe in the power of chess as a source of academic skills like concentration and logical thinking. Chess as an academic tool is something the educational system should really go into.

So my rating for this DVD, with 5 stars as the highest I give 5!

Aside from the DVD of Susan Polgar, I also have with me now the 3 volume book Teaching Chess Step by Step. A foreword from Garry Kasparov at the beginning of the book, one realizes that the former world chess champion also believes in the developmental aspect of teaching and learning.

People from the academe and chess combined to create a concise but well-thought out work, Teaching Chess Step by Step is one teacher's guide that everyone should have working with children. People from the Garry Kasparov Foundation did their work.

Now let me go offline and say thank you to my sister!