BUSINESS CHESS

   
  A Business game based on classical chess in an Interactive cognitive scenario            
  Autor: Grachya Ovakimyan      
INTRODUCTION       NEWS       LITERATURE       THE GAME       MULTIMEDIA      CONTACTS    
                   

Script of the “Check and Mate” TV program

    

BASIC CONCEPT

The basic concept of the show is the competition between the children’s teams in solving chess problems. It makes it not only an entertaining intellectual sports show, but also an educational program stimulating the logical thinking with children as well as fostering the skills of constructive communication and social self-organization.

POTENTIAL AUDIENCE

The understanding and participation in the game requires the most basic knowledge of the chess which is easily acquired by children as early as at the age of 4. So the program is intended for the families and assumes active involvement of the audience into the game.

According to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) there are more than 500 million people in the world who play chess. The world leaders in the number of chess fans are Russia and other states such as FSR, China, India, Euro Union, USA and others.
At the same time current TV does not offer any chess game programs. The suggested program does not have any language or cultural barrier and is supposed to fill this gap.

PARTICIPANTS

Two or more children’s teams participate in the game, with no less than 2 people in each team (for instance 4 people, boys and at least 1 girl). Participation of children’s teams ensures the amateur level of the game available for anyone who has the basic chess skills.
Teams of students from regular or specialized schools can be involved in the game.

The host of the show is in charge of the process of the game and of the other activities provided by the script (see the content of the program).

Renowned Grand Masters, coaches, teachers and child psychologists can be invited as the guests of the program as an experts to discuss the issues of the chess world, school education and guidance (fostering of logical thinking, socialization, in particular development of the communication skills, group social psychological training etc.)

PROGRAM CONTENT

The concept of the program is the team solution of chess problems, the essence of which is to checkmate with the pieces of one color (white) the King of the other color (black) in a certain number of moves (2, 3 or more). The winning team is the one which is the first to find the correct solution.

In the beginning of the program and/or during the breaks between the tournaments the host or the guest expert can remind the audience of the basic chess rules required for the solution of the problem.

The breaks can be filled with the short coverage of the latest events in the chess world.

STAGE SETTING

On the stage there is a demonstration chess board (or its electronic analog) with magnet chess pieces for the demonstration of the position of the chess problem and its solution as well as the tables for each of the team.

Each table has a regular chess board and a set of chess pieces as well as the device with the help of which the team can announce its solution by pressing a button that lights the colored lamp.

If there are more than 2 teams (for instance 5) for the broadcasting convenience one table can be designated for the leading team -  the winner of the latest tournament. During the discussions the main TV cameras will be directed at this particular team. For example the tables can be positioned at a circle and the leading team table placed in the middle of the circle.

The game will require a clock (or its electronic analog) to time the process of the problem discussion. Since this is a children’s game, the additional brightening stage setting is advisable.
The game room can have the sitting area for the audience – relatives and friends of the participants or just the fans of the chess and intellectual shows.

GAME PROCEDURE

  1. At each tournament a chess problem is selected by the random draw and handed to the host.

  2. Only the host can see the entire position of the puzzle. He informs the participants and sets the pieces on the demonstration board one by one in order to keep the audience intrigued. For instance, first the location of the white and black pawns is announced, then the location of the minor pieces, then the major ones. And only then the location of the white and then the black Kings are announced.

    This procedure is designed for the audience so that they have time to set the pieces on the chess board at their homes.

  3. As soon as the location of the black King is announced the teams start the discussion of the problem, they are allowed to move the pieces and the team that solves the problem first shall press the button.

  4. The member of the team that claims to have the problem solved approaches the demonstration board and shows the solution. He/she is playing with white pieces and the host (or expert) with the black ones. If the solution is correct (check and mate) they move on to the next tournament. The winning team takes the seats at the central table. In case the solution is incorrect, the team would have to miss the current and possibly the following tournament (as a penalty for the interrupted game), while the game continues.

  5. For each separate tournament the winning team is the one that solves the problem first. The game is won by the team that gets the highest scores after a certain number of tournaments (for instance after 8)

 

TIMING

  1. The teams have a certain amount of time to solve a problem (1, 2 or 3 minutes). If the solution is not found within the set time, the host announces the correct solution and they move on to the next puzzle.
  2. The additional timing rules can be introduced to make the game more complicated.
    • If one of the teams finds the correct solution within the first minute it is granted 1 score.
    • If the solution is found within the second minute, the team is granted 2 scores.
    • If it is found within the third minute, the team gets 3 scores. In this case the audience already is able to see the right solution on the screen.
    • If the solution is not found within 3 minutes - the score will be transferred to the next problem.   

 

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

The audience can take part in the game trying to solve the same chess puzzle at home on a regular chessboard.
The more active participation is expected from the children of a proper age. For the feedback those children who would like to participate can SMS their name and age to be entered into the game database.
The solution found by the child himself should be sent via SMS, before one of the teams finds it during the discussion or shows it on the demonstration board. The audience can see the number of the people who found the solution on the TV screen during the discussions.

Children from the audience who were the most active during the game would be invited for the next TV game. The team made of such children can be placed during the first tournament at the central leading table.

The program editorial office and the audience can communicate through the website, which should be created for “Check and Mate”. All the additional material (informational and methodical)  should be placed on the website as well.

REWARDS

The scores each team wins can be exchanged for the money which should be transferred to the schools training the winning teams to support the chess promotion.

The winning team moves to a higher level competition and the team members get the rewards.
Also children from the audience who sent the correct solution get rewarded.

PROSPECTS

The “Check and Mate” program can host the competitions of various levels  - city, regional, state and even international, since the game does not have any language or cultural barrier.