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Curriculum Classes with Premier Chess

Premier Chess is proud to offer curriculum classes to schools and programs within the New York City area! Our offerings cater flexibly to your classes’ time constraints, and are an extremely productive and fun way for your students to spend their class time. 
Curriculum classes are comprised of our very own instructors coming in at any time during the day to teach chess for 40-60 minutes. These classes can be available to any level of chess players and are open to any age group. Premier Chess currently has curriculum classes set up in 4th and 5th grade classrooms with X14, and at Summit Middle School where we teach students between 6th and 8th grade.
These classes are organized comprehensively and efficiently to maximize our time with your students. We will consult teachers preemptively about any special concerns that they may have, along with any special circumstances that we may need to cater to for each student. This includes but is not limited to working with students with learning disabilities, shortening or lengthening the class sessions, and providing materials that the school may not have readily available.
Here’s why you should bring a chess class to your school:
– Students can represent your school in leagues, improving teamwork skills & your school’s reputation
– We strengthen your students’ critical thinking and memory by studying opening, middle game, and endgame strategies
– Chess helps with analytical thinking and foresight
– Students can make friends with and establish connections with fellow chess players in their classroom and all over the nation!
The following is what a sample schedule of a curriculum class looks like:
20 Minutes: Chess Lesson
20 Minutes: Chess Exercises/Free Play
5 Minutes: Clean Up and Discussion
Check out our latest testimonial from a satisfied Premier Chess customer:
“Premier Chess was a hit in the classroom for both students and teachers.  In fact, it was so successful in our school that we had to expand our after school program due to such a high demand. The lessons are engaging and informative, and the aspect of competition really gets the students excited to learn more and improve their skills.” – Carly Ayala, Community School Director of PS14
Please contact CEO Evan Rabin at evan@premierchess.com or (917) 776-1306 to set up a curriculum class, and check out www.premierchess.com for more information!
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The Four Pillars of a Successful School Program!

“The Whole is Greater than the sum of its parts“- Aristotle

There are four pillars that need to come together in order for a school program to be successful: 
1) Administration 
2) Faculty Advisor 
3) Parent 
4) Student Ambassador
A program can start with the buy-in of one or two, but without the blessing of all four, it won’t truly kick off and get sufficient student participation to get members ready to represent school at tournaments. 
Administration
It is important for principal and other administrators to be aware of program and present it to greater student body. In one of the schools in which we run Middle School and High School electives, there was an Elementary School after-school club for many years but the Headmaster didn’t even know about it when we first inquired about whether or not there was chess in the school!
If a faculty advisor or PTA approves of program, that is Okay in the beginning, but its important for the principal to be involved. In one school in Manhattan, we started with an after-school club after working with their Operations Manager but now we are talking about starting curriculum classes after being close with the principal. 
Faculty Advisor

The faculty advisor can be anyone in the school not on the administration- after-school director, teacher, college counselor, etc. At the Grace Church School, for example, there is a science teacher who talks up our high school club as he used to run an informal one himself.   

Parent 
Many of programs have originated because parents have requested us to administration. Sometimes they are on PTA; other times, they are not. 
In addition to helping getting programs started, parents are important to help each encourage their parent friends to sign up their kids and take them to tournaments. 
Student Ambassador 

Students will listen to their fellow classmates more than anyone! If their peers are doing “it”, they want to do to the same! That’s why its important to find a student ambassador, who can help get other students to become involved in club and tournaments. At Torah Academy of Bergen County, we quickly expanded our club from 4-6 regular participants to 15+ weekly, once we got the chess team captain to spread the word about how our expert instructor could help them win their Yeshiva league competitions. 
With all of these 4 fundamental assets, like the four sons on the Passover table, you can start a successful chess program. Within 2-3 months after starting one, students will generally know the rules and basic strategy to be able start playing in tournaments. After a year or two, the students will start and bringing back city, state and national titles for the school!
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Advice from Bobby Fischer’s Second Bill Lombardy- Go Over Full Games!Advice from Bobby Fischer’s Second Bill Lombardy- Go Over Full Games!


by Premier Chess CEO National Master Evan Rabin 

How many times have you caught yourself at a tournament bookstore or in your home searching online looking for that latest opening book to learn about some tricky side lines?

Chances are you one of the 95% of class players that spend an exorbitant amount of time learning the opening. If not, you likely spend too much time practicing tactics or endgames and not enough about positional understanding. To quickly become a well-rounded chess player, one should listen to the advice the late Grandmaster Bill Lombardy taught me- “Go over whole games!”
Image result for bill lombardy bobby fischer
A Young Bill Lombardy and Bobby Fischer 

Bill was Bobby Fischer’s second. Before that, he was a prodigy, winning 12-0 in the World Junior Championship. As portrayed in Pawn Sacrifice, Bill left the chess world to become a priest. After his priesthood years, he turned to his roots and taught chess in New York City. While I never the privilege of formally studying with him, we became friends over the years, spending time at the Marshall Chess Club, Washington Square Park, Union Square Park The Chess Forum the Washington Square Diner and other places.

One late night or early morning, depending how you want to put it, around 2:00 AM Bill gave me one of the most influential pointers I ever received at the Chess Forum: “Find a grandmaster that matches your style and go over all of his games; that way you could learn a lot of about the opening, middlegame and endgame all at once.”

I went home and immediately started brainstorming about who that special player could be. I looked at my bookshelf and saw British Grandmaster’s Michael (Mickey) Adams’ autobiography. My father Keith bought it for me several years prior but I never spent time to actually read it. After taking a quick glance at the games, I realized Mickey had a similar style to myself, often playing 1.e4, preventing counter-play and initiating an attack on around move 18-20.
Image result for mickey adams chess
Mickey Adams
Ever since then, I’ve been following Mickey’s games closely to develop opening ideas, attacking motifs, endgame transitions and more. This way I’ve been able to not just understand opening lines, but also the ways in which they lead to middlegames and endgames.
One thing to note, is your influential player should be a grandmaster but does not necessarily have to be a World Champion or Super Grandmaster Recently I recommended a student pick GM Varuzhian Akobian as she is also a d4 and French player.

Here’s one game of Adams that I went over recently; my notes are in red:

 [Event “2nd London Chess Classic”]

[Site “London ENG”]
[Date “2010.12.08”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Adams, Michael”]
[Black “Howell, David W L”]
[Result “1-0”]
[Black Elo “2611”]
[ECO “C67”]
[Event Date “2010.12.06”]
[Event Rounds “7”]
[Source “Mark Crowther”]
[White Elo “2723”]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 The Ruy Lopez is one opening I began to play inspired by Mickey.Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Be7 6.Qe2 Nd6 7.Bxc6 Mickey gave up the bishop pair but Howell has development issues and less space. bxc6 8.dxe5 Nb7 9.c4 A helpful prophylactic  O-O 10.Nc3 f6 11.Re1 fxe5 12.Qxe5 Bf6 13.Qg3 Nc5 14.Bg5 Nd3 15.Re3 Nxb2 16.Rae1 Bxg5?( 16… Ba6, Ne4, Bxg5, Nexg5, Qf6 += 17.Nxg5 Qf6 18.Rf3 Qd8 19.Nce4 Ba6 20.Nxh7 Launching an attack right in that Move 18-20 range!  Rxf3 21.gxf3 Kxh7 22.Ng5+ Kg8 23.Qh4 Bxc4 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Re5 Be6 26.Qh8+ Ke7 and now Mate- in 2…27.Qxg7+ Kd6 28.Ne4# 1-0
In many of Mickey’s game’s as in the one above, he will appear to have only a slightly better position and then all of a sudden find a tactical blow.
I am sad Bill unfortunately passed away last year but I am happy to carry on his legacy and share his teachings to Premier Chess students and others through articles like this. Now, go ahead and find a player that matches your style and go over all of his games!

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Premier Chess Classes at NYC Fun Zone

Premier Chess Classes at NYC Fun Zone

Where: NYC FunZone, 1571 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10028

When: Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Oct 10- Dec 19 (No class on 11/21)

Why:

  • It can raise your IQ by improving your critical thinking skills!
  • By developing the right side of your brain, you could increase your creativity!
  • As we learn opening, middle game and endgame strategies, your memory will be improved.
  • Benjamin Franklin once said “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.” Chess will help you think 
strategically!
  • Prepare for local chess tournaments, City Championships, State Championships and National 
Championships (tournaments are not required but are encouraged)
  • Chess is also great way to meet new friends, both in school and out. Premier Chess CEO’s 
National Master Evan Rabin has played chess in 9 different countries and has connections literally around the world through the game

Cost: $400 for 10-week Session by 9/22, $450 by October 1, $500 after 

Learn More about NYC FunZone: See www.nycfunzone.com. 
Questions: Reach out to Evan Rabin, CEO of Premier Chess at erabin66@gmail.com or (917) 776- 1306 or Sarit Triger, Founder of NYC Fun Zone at nycfunzone@gmail.com or (347) Register Here!

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What Makes Chess and Psychologists a Winning Combination?


by Dr. Eric Padol, Licensed Psychologist at On-Site Psychological Services

Dr. Eric Padol is an articulate and reliable health-care professional with nine years of experience meeting clients’ needs through interpersonal contacts and thorough, well-researched written communications. He has a BA in Psychology from Binghamton University and a MS and Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. 
I can utilize my years of experience as a therapist, tournament chess player, and spiritual chess player to help people learn life lessons from the game of chess, and to enjoy the dance, win, lose or draw! 

Specific life lessons include:

n  Plan, work hard, and absolute miracles will happen!
n  Don’t force things – forcing can lead to a losing result, while simply letting the situation unfold can create opportunities.
n  Don’t worry about results- Enjoy the process, get out of your comfort zone, and find you are stronger than you ever knew!
n  Love your opponent – he or she is a life teacher, not an adversary.
And much, much more!

I look forward to sharing with you, and receiving the gifts and lessons you have for me!
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To learn more about Dr. Eric Padol, see https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-padol-1221a826/.