Season 1 | Her Move Next 3
Game Night Recap
BY Chloe cohen - GRADE 8 - the chapin school - HMN COACH
Friday, March 29, 2019
On March 29, 2019, 44 girls took part in the third chess tournament of Her Move Next. Her Move Next is an organization that provides a fun and welcoming environment for young girls to compete in the rising game of chess. The organization seeks to keep girls interested and involved in a game that has long been labeled as a male-dominated sport.
Girls who partook in the tournament were split into four teams of 11 - the Red Team, Yellow Team, Green Team, and Blue Team. In these teams, the girls not only fostered a sense of friendship and teamwork with their peers, but enjoyed working and bonding with their coaches, who were there to coach players, analyze games, and ensure the event's smooth run. Players competed for both individual and team prizes, reinforcing each girl's endeavor for their team's benefit in addition to their own.
Her Move Next also expands upon the popular idea of quads with the added element of camaraderie and teamwork. Players of similar ratings were grouped together to form a quad. Each team numbered its players from one through 11. Across all four teams, the four number ones played each other, the four number twos played each other, and so on down the line to form the eleven quads.
"I had a lot of fun playing and learning how to fix my mistakes, and I really liked playing other people and seeing how it would turn out," one participant said of the event. Upon finishing their match, each girl studied with their coach, reviewing their notation to highlight any good moves or possible places for improvement.
"My favorite part was doing my best," another player said. While everyone loves to win, coaches focused less on conspicuous victory, and more on improving for the next game and having a good time. Players learned that success is not only defined by winning the game - success can range anywhere from having fun with friends to enjoying a slice of pizza to learning something new - all of which were a part of the evening.
The Saint Louis Chess Club reported that in 2016, FIDE composed a list of 1,530 chess players that have claimed the Grandmaster title [1]. Only 33 of those 1,530 were women, a somber statistic that Her Move Next looks to change. By creating an environment for girls to compete against other girls, Her Move Next shows its participants a rarely-seen world where women are empowered to play chess.
Sources:
CCSCSL Staff. "A Call for Research on the Gender Gap in Chess." Saint Louis Chess Club, 12 Dec. 2016, saintlouischessclub.org/blog/call-research-gender-gap-chess. Accessed 31 Mar. 2019.
BY Chloe cohen - GRADE 8 - the chapin school - HMN COACH
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