Chess in School for Everyone!

ChessKid is sharing the experience of guest contributor GM Elshan Moradiabadi

Meet GM Elshan

I come from Iran. I was born and raised there in my native languages, Farsi. Different dialects of it is spoken in parts of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The languages have a strong closeness to languages spoken in western part of India. We will see why this piece of information matters later.

I became a Grandmaster in 2005, way before many of you were even born. Then in 2012, I came to the United States, I made it my home. I became an ‘immigrant’. So, some become immigrants at a later age like me (I was a 27 years old adult) and some, like the students I taught virtually at the Stough Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina are in elementary school, some barely six. Whatever the reason, and where you go, chess is a fun thing to learn. Chess has a universal language, it is not English, or Farsi, or any other language per se. It is a game played within a checkered sixty-four squares with thirty-two pieces. All equal!

Stough Elementary ESL Chess Program

Now, the kids at Stough Elementary School, unlike me when I immigrated, do not speak as much English as an older person when they immigrate, because they are young and their education has been entirely in their native languages. In such cases, how do you find a way to train them the basics of chess? You find a person who happens to be a chess coach and speaks the same or close enough language!

When Carol Meyer, the Executive Director of US Chess Federation reached out to me about teaching Afghan and other immigrants kids (there was a second group who were here a longer time), I felt excited and nervous about it at the same time. Two reasons: first I have not taught the beginner level for a long time and second (this one surprises you) I have never taught beginner level chess in Farsi!

ESL class learning to play chess

The meetings took place on April 1, 2022. We covered the basics of chess, pieces, how they move, and we are just ready to take it to the next step where we learn about checkmate. Everyone was thrilled and excited.  Unfortunately, this time (as you can see in the photo) had to be online by me while Ms. Meyer was present at the school. I intend to go and meet them in person in the month of May. What do you think? Do you want to help me building a chess club at their school for these new members of our society?

Cindy Linton, ESL/English Literacy Teacher at Stough Elementary introducing Afghan students to GM Elshan