Tuesday is chess day at La Brèche school in Chartres. For one hour a week, or 25 hours a year, CM1 and CM2 students learn techniques and strategic moves with Victor Stephan, International Master, member of C’Chartres Échecs.
This year, three new classes joined the “Chess at school” scheme, set up by the municipality in September 2018. “We went from eleven classes to fourteen, for an annual budget of €150,000. We will reach the limit when Victor’s agenda overflows”, explains Dominique Dutartre,deputy mayor in charge of schooling.
“It’s far from being a secret: the mayor is passionate about chess. This has greatly influenced the implementation of this device. »
Dominique Dutartre (Deputy Mayor in charge of education)
–
In total, 330 students are trained in chess this year, in seven Chartres schools: Rechèvres, Henri-IV, La Brèche, Maurice-Carême, Jacques-Prévert, Henry-Farman and Henri-Matisse, “who is our little pride. We must popularize chess and bring it to as many people as possible. »
–
Receive our leisure newsletter by email and find ideas for outings and activities in your region.
–
–
NL {“path”:”mini-registration”,”id”:”ER_Loisirs”,”accessCode”:”14108018″,”allowGCS”:”true”,”bodyClass”:”ripo_generic”,”contextLevel”:”KEEP_ALL “,”filterMotsCles”:”7|10|12|101|191″,”gabarit”:”generic”,”hasEssentiel”:”true”,”idArticle”:”4108018″,”idArticlesList”:”4108018″, “idDepartement”:”247″,”idZone”:”15257″,”motsCles”:”7|10|12|101|191″,”premium”:”true”,”pubs”:”banniere_haute|article”, “site”:”ER”,”sousDomain”:”www”,”urlTitle”:”330-students-are-part-of-the-chess-system-at-school-in-chartres”}
–
Each session begins with reviews of previous courses. This Tuesday, “we will see the technique of the fork”, explains the coach. After some tactical input, the game can begin. Thirty minutes of theory and thirty of practice: “That’s what the children prefer. »
premium François Gilles, president of C’Chartres Echecs, “the level of women is progressing”
“More than 90% of students have developed a real interest in chess”
The discipline promotes the development of “many skills, such as in mathematics”, recalls Dominique Dutartre. The classes participate in the scheme on the basis of the teachers’ volunteering, unanimous on the benefits. If the chess lessons are given on the usual class schedules, “we lose nothing”, explains Fabienne Naudin, teacher in CM2 at the school La Brèche.
“There are even some students that we discover thanks to chess. They gain self-confidence and see that we can succeed in something other than school subjects. We also learn to lose. It’s different than in sports competitions. »
Fabienne Naudin (CM2 teacher at La Brèche school.)
–
For the teacher, the biggest surprise is also “with students who have learning difficulties. We, teachers, it makes us change our perspective on the child, who surprises and surprises himself. »
David Lacan, 9 years old, from Chartres, French chess champion in his category
At school, chess is neither a hobby nor a subject in its own right, but students still get “good and bad points” at the end of each session. In one class, “more than 90% of students have developed a real interest in chess,” said the assistant.
In the longer term, these chess lessons should make it possible to “unearth the small seeds of talent”, and thus make it possible to dismiss some “of the very good students” at C’Chartres Échecs. The Jacques-Prévert school, one of the first to benefit from the system in 2018, has just qualified for the national school team championship and finished first in the Center-Val de Loire Academy.
Majority parties against the mayor of Chartres
The fourteen member classes of the device participate in the majority parties against the mayor of Chartres. The first blow was struck in February.
The goal is simple. At each session, once a week, a move is played “according to the one decided by the majority of the class”, explains Victor Stephan, chess coach. The majority vote is then sent by tablet to the mayor, who has one week to respond.
“Being able to play against the mayor challenges the children. They consult each other to decide which move to make. They learn to listen to each other, to discuss and argue. »
Victor Stephan (Chess Coach)
–
2022 objective for schoolchildren: take revenge on last year, “where the students lost on the 32nd move”, and win all fourteen games. The last pieces will be brought forward on June 24, directly opposite the mayor, at the Rigeard leisure center.
Chess at school: 300 students from Chartres compete in an inter-class tournament
For some apprentices, it is also an opportunity to take stock of the progress made throughout the year. Some, like Noé and Timéo, 10, had already played chess with their parents before playing at school, but remark that they are “more comfortable during games”. Others, like Amélia, are playing for the first time.
“What I like is to be strategic. We’re going to have to be even more so when we’re going to play against the mayor, for real. We can’t wait to see if he’s really good at chess. »
amelia (student in CM2)
–
Jade Saved
–
