Not in every competitive sport does the path to success necessarily lead through sweat and pain. Chess is a perfect example of this. But regular, systematic training is also part of the game. That's why the youngsters of the Biebertaler Schachfreunde meet once a week to hone their skills with the 16 pieces. "We have set up various training sessions for the children and young people aged between five and 18 to ensure that players of a similar calibre always meet," explains Philipp Risius, coach and youth director of the club.
Tactical thinking and anticipation - the ability to recognise what your opponent is up to - make the difference between victory and defeat in chess. That's why it's important to train these skills. "Computers with modern chess software offer ideal opportunities for this," says Philipp Risius. He adds: "With the computer, we can set our young players very specific tasks that are tailored to their individual level, which they have to solve."
Electronic trainer
A laptop equipped for the needs of Biebertaler Schachfreunde costs 890 euros. Too much for the club's tight budget. "That's why I applied to 'Spiel' Dein Spiel' with this club request," recalls Philipp Risius. Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) supports clubs and institutions in their youth work with this campaign. "Admittedly - at first glance, the enquiry didn't quite fit in with our scheme," says Stephanie Orlik, responsible for sponsorship at SWG. This is because SWG actually promotes exercise programmes with "Spiel' Dein Spiel". "Ultimately, however, the committed youth work of the Biebertal chess friends convinced us to make an exception," she adds.
"The new laptop takes our training to a whole new level," says Philipp Risius happily. In fact, the stronger players aged 13 and up really enjoy practising with the machine. It helps them to prepare for upcoming competitions. These include the club's internal game series, the winners of which are crowned at the annual Christmas party. More experienced youth players are already proving themselves regularly in league play. Some of them take part in Hessian and German individual and team championships. In addition, the Biebertaler Schachfreunde are represented at numerous youth and open rapid chess tournaments. Last but not least, the club sends representatives to various smaller, sometimes international, open tournaments for young players and adults.
Further information on the SWG "Play your game" campaign and applications:
www.swg-spieldeinspiel.de