Bahrain Chess Academy
Who We
Are ?
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The Bahrain Chess Academy was created in June 2012 with the purpose of introducing Chess as a teaching tool in the schools of Bahrain and to help the children develop their talents by creating an optimal environment for the improvement of students professional chess skills, as well as to publicize the game of chess throughout the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Our teachers are highly skilled Chess Masters that have a long experience in playing and coaching at the International Level (UK, France, Spain, Morocco, etc…).Read more...

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Why Chess in
Schools
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Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don't watch what is happening, they can't respond to it, no matter how smart they are.

Visualizing - Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens. We actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to shift the pieces in their mind, first one, then several moves ahead.

Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves "If I do this, what might happen then, and how can I respond?" Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness.

Weighing Options - Children are taught that they don't have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.

Analyzing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Does this sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse. Read more...

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Benefits of Playing Chess
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Concentration - With the increase of fast-paced modern forms of entertainment such as computer games, television and internet technology, many educational experts are concerned over decreasing concentration levels in students, to the detriment of classroom learning and exam performance. Chess games, on the other hand, demand precise logical thinking and can be long, arduous and require consistent intense concentration - any lapse may forfeit the game. Thus when tested by various educational researchers, some studies have shown that chess-playing students show increased aptitude for concentration, patience and perseverance than their non-chess playing counterparts.

Problem solving - Chess promotes efficient problem solving abilities, since success relies on the ability to quickly and completely assess a given game scenario, involving planning ahead (taking into account one's own and anticipated opponent moves), and drawing upon a pool of experience to find the correct strategy. Strong analytical and logical skills are thus also required.

Decision making - The ability to make thoughtfully considered, strategic decisions under pressure is crucial to success in chess. When a player feels he or she is losing, or the game is played under strict time restrictions, they must resist pressure to make a rash decision for ultimate success. Many people believe that this aptitude is essential for effective exam performance and studies have shown improved exam performance arising from learning chess. Additionally, advanced chess players demonstrate increased expertise in making difficult and abstract decisions, where there are many different factors to assess. (Seymour and Norwood 1993)Read more...

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