It's been almost 1 year since our organization has been established so on behalf of my team, I want to give a big thank you to everyone for their support! Without all of our supporters (volunteers, librarians, donors, sponsors, others who gave us words of encouragement) the Chess in the Library program wouldn't have gone as far as it is today. It's not just our chess program that you sponsored, it's a hope. A hope that chess in Canada would not die off (it seems to get worse), or even a hope that this game will become very popular one day.
We currently have 9 libraries hosting this program and 4 more are in contact. The program is growing at a very quick pace. Our goal by the end of this year is 15 locations in total, as I mentioned in my new year resolution!
During the past year, we've been receiving requests from librarians wanting a cross-library chess match. Thus, we've decided to celebrate our 1 year anniversary (by the end of June) by hosting a grand tournament in which the top 10 participants from each library will come together and compete to see which library does the best. The tournament information is listed on our website (the Events page) at www.chessinthelibrary.com.
We've been receiving many donations of chess-related materials (trophies, books, magazines, etc) so we'll be giving out a lot of prizes at this tournament. Also, it will be CMA rated because many of our kids only have that rating. The entry fee, as stated in the flyer, is technically free, but we will be accepting donations. Perhaps this is the first large-scale rated tournament that doesn't force the participants to pay at all! Are we making history or what?
Also, we really really want to get a permanent trophy for the top library to keep and bring back to this tournament every year. You know the ones that are big and you can keep sticking plates on it? Although both individual and team prizes will be given out, the tournament emphasizes the team spirit. Teamwork is an important factor in everyday life, no matter what you do, it's impossible to accomplish something big without teamwork. Just like the Chess in the Library organization. You might always see me posting on chesstalk, but in reality, theres are tons of people working for our organization behind the scenes. You don't see them, but they are there, and without them, CITL would be nothing. Thus, my team and I would really appreciate it if someone kind could help us out with this permanent trophy!
Other than the main event, we also plan to get some media coverage (if anyone of you have media contacts, please help me out) and host a few side events. That would include activities with our giant chess set, a puzzle competition and someone to teach the rules of chess to the waiting parents so that they don't get too bored!
If you know anyone that wants to play in this tournament (gr12 and under), it is important that they become a member of the chess club at a library first! We welcome everyone to come out and celebrate our 1 year anniversary with us on June 26th, 2010 from 1-5pm at the North York Central Library (stated on flyer).
Again, thank you all for your support during the past year! We've certainly gained lots of experience and enjoyed this journey so far. If you'll like to make a donation,email me at yuanling_1@yahoo.com!
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