Challenging Heads

Introducing Robotics

Challenging Heads now offers chess and robotics!

Our exciting lesson plans and projects develops interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

We offer an interactive learning experience that teaches important skills such as:

• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Teamwork
• Mathematics

These skills transfer to every field of interest from the liberal arts to the sciences.

Visit us today

Video and Media Page added

I’ve added a video and media page to the website.

Videos will be separated by tactics, openings, and game analysis.  All videos are edited by US Advanced Life Master Glenn Bady.  Enjoy our video page and subscribe, rate and comment on our youtube channel.

Natan Luerhmann Cowen Memorial Chess Tournament

Mission:

Our purpose is to bring chess players together to compete in the spirit of Natan. This tournament will acquaint the chess public, parents, and educators on the edifying, cerebral and gregarious game of chess. Natan’s thirst for knowledge may be use as a splendid example for currents students. His dedication, and drive to attain mastery in chess can serve as an example for young and old. We will donate to the Natan Scholarship Fund at Temple University, Philadelphia. We will also implement chess programs to help children improve on their critical thinking skills. Even though, Natan is no longer with us, his spirit lives on.

Tournament Info

Natan Memorial Chess Tournament will be held in October 2011. This will be an open tournament with different sections for skill level chess players from beginner to grandmaster. We will honor Natan, and his family (Father Ben, Mother Mia and brother Aron). All chess sets will be provide (tournament regulated) inscribed on one side Natan Memorial Chess Tournament and the Date of tournament. Trophies will be awarded to unrated chess players. Cash prizes will be awarded to all rating levels, i.e, Section 800 to 1000. 1100 to 1300, 1400 to 1600, 1700 to 1900, 2000 to 2199, last section is the Open Section Rated players over 2200. United States Chess Federation rating will be used. April Supplement for rating. Section may be combined if not enough players attend the tournament. We will hold a Bug House Tournament at Natan’s tournament. Continental breakfast will be available at a cost. All tables will be covered with white table clothes. All boards will be number with the top board designated at 1 board. Tournament location: not determined. A United Stated Chess Federation rated tournament (USCF). Tournament directors will be USCF certified tournament directors. Time control: not determined. Length of tournament 2 days. Number of rounds not determined. Complete information will follow shortly.  Check back soon.Join the tournament’s facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natan-Memorial-Chess-Tournament/128074403921321

Happy Mother’s Day

How Chess improves Reading and Math scores

MathMath provides the foundation that children will need throughout their lives.The amount of information doubles at a rate less than every two years.  The basic skills needed to function in the workplace are decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to make good judgments.  All things that are taught and reinforced through chess.Studies have shown that students playing chess have increased problem solving skills over their non-playing peers.  While students playing chess learn concepts through physical and visual stimuli and associate these concepts to cognitive patterns.  Mathematics in the classroom usally involve symbolic manipulation.  Chess acts as a bridge connecting the symbolic and cognitive patterns.ReadingIn a 1991 study entitled “The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores” by Dr. Stuart Marguiles, has demonstrated that students in the chess group showed significant gains on standardized tests.  The gains were even more pronounced in students who initially scored really low.ConclusionChess Works!Why do the chess kids outperform the non chess kids?Chess provides a higher number of problems for practice.  Mathematicians estimate that a chess game has 10^50 possible moves.  No two games are alike.Chess offers immediate punishment and rewards for problem solving.Chess kids are used to looking for more than one answer to a problem.Competition fosters interest, challenges students, and promotes mental alertness.Chess can change the way students view learning.  Learning based on games has a positive effect on students, motivating them to become willing problem solvers and logical thinkers.

How Chess improves Creative and Critical Thinking

Critical and Creative thinking are both vital to leading a successful life.The ability to understand a problem, create a logical argument, figure out an answer and focus on the correct one is critical thinking.Creative thinking involves focusing on ideas, generalizing possibilities, looking for many correct answers instead of one.When we engage in problem solving we alternate between critical and creative thinking.  The two are intertwined.What is creativity?Simply put creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new. Not the ability to create something out of nothing.  Being creative entails generating new ideas by combing, changing, or reapplying existing ideas. Like all skills creativity is a product of hard work and practice.  Creative persons constantly upon their ideas by making gradual changes until the desired result is achieved.Creative ThinkingDuring a chess game a player must develop a plan and execute it. The development of the game plan means that the player must reflect on how similar problems are solved but must also check a number of possible combinations then arrive at the correct one. Watson-Glaser praised the value of chess as a learning tool for it’s ability to “improve critical thinking skills more than the other methods of enrichment.”Read part 3

How Chess increases a child’s cognitive abilities

Cognitive Abilities

Beginning Students learn chess

1. Central Processing Speed- It takes time for the human brain to convert, categorize and understand what has been observed
2. Conceptual Reasoning-  This includes the ability to analyze the relationships between objects, the ability to think abstractly, and logic
3. Attention-  The ability to stay focused on the task at hand
4. Working Memory- The ability to encode and hold information, apply it to the task at hand, and respond accurately

Daniel writes the answer to a tactical puzzle. Tactical puzzle challenges students to use their chess knowledge to come up with creative answers to a problem

PA Scholastic State Chess Champions 2010

1 st Place K-3 Pennsylvania Scholastic 2010 State Champions: Ben Halpern, Brett Lehman, Ryan Cohen, Frankie Petkunas, Mathew Schwartz , Sam Handel and Brandon Curran.

The Pennsylvania Scholastic State Championships were held on the 6th and 7th of March 2010.  There were over 600 of the best young chess players in the State.  This did not deter our students as they went on to win, 1st Place K-3 Open, 2nd Place K-6 Under 800 as a team.  But Charlie Van Orden refused to accept 2nd place and went undefeated, 5 -0, to become Co Champion K-6 under 800.   Great job team, amazing result Charlie.

Charlie Van Orden, 5 wins- 0 loses. PA K-6 State Champion!

Big Ben Halpern, 4 wins of 5 games. Tied for fourth place

African American Chess Masters. Pass, Present, and Future

In celebration of Black History Month Challenging Heads will highlight some of the accomplishments of Black chess players in the world.

Charles Covington

Charles Covington, U.S. Chess Master.  World class pianist, master magician, former champion body builder, and black belt in karate.

James McCune Smith(1813-1865)

Born on April 18, 1813, he was the son of an enslaved mother and developed into one of the most brilliant minds of his day. He attended school in New York city but was barred from entering U.S universities, so he traveled to Scotland where he earned three degrees.  After a years internship Paris, France Dr. Smith returned to New York where he became the first black physician.Dr. Smith became an abolitionist and an essayist.  He wrote the introduction to Frederick Douglass’ autobiography “My Bondage and My Freedom.”  An important essay written by Dr. Smith was on his ideas about the game of chess in which he wrote:

“Yet chess-playing is an amusement worthy of cultivation, especially for the young. It is better in-door entertainment than cards, or dice, or lager-bier; it has been well said that it does not lead to gambling. It has the positive merit of improving the tone of manners and of cultivating the power of attention.”

Dr. Smith died November 17, 1865, one year after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln.More information can be foundhere, here and his essay on chess can be read in it’s entirety here.

Ray Charles

(1930-2004)

Ray Charles lost his vision when he was a child.  Ray learned chess in 1965 after a stint in rehab.  Because of his blindness, Ray had to play using a special board.  Half of the squares on the board are raised (this corresponds to one of the colors) and pieces with a type of Braille are used.  The blind person can then feel the chessboard and the pieces, using the height of the squares to differentiate them, and can feel the location of the pieces.Ray Charles was an avid chess player and he appeared on the 2002 cover of Chess Life & Review.More on Ray Charleshere.

Future Chess Masters!!

Justus Williams, Josh Colas, Jehron Bryant, Nigel Bryant in action at the 2010 U.S. Amateur Team Championship.  Photo by Elizabeth Vicary.  These young chess players are between the USCF rating of 2000 and 2100.  The are from New York.  Their ages range between 11 and 12.

Medina Parrilla

??New York native, Medina Parrilla won the All-Girls invitational sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation.  She won a scholarship to University of Texas at Dallas.  The scholarship is valued at over $65,000.00.  Very well done Medina!

Halpern and Schwartz perform at the National Congress

The 2009 National Chess Congress was held at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, from November 27-29, 2009.This year, Ben Halpern and Matthew Schwartz graced the Sheraton with their stellar playing and were rewarded with much needed playing experience and a national title.Both Ben and Matt played in the Under 600 section of the tournament.  After six hard fought rounds, Matt finished the tournament 3-3.  Matt played with tenacity and finished the tournament with a win.Ben won his first National title!  Ben finished the tournament with a score of 5-1, tied for first.  Good job Ben.  Hard work and great playing pulled Ben to the top of the playing field.  Ben gained an impressive 164 rating points.  That is almost two classes.