First Executive Meeting in 2011

Yesterday, the CITL executives gathered at the NYCL for the first meeting of the new year. There were many things to be discussed so we had to get straight down to business the moment we arrived. One of the most important items on our agenda was our new year resolution. What will our goals be in 2011? How do we plan to achieve that goal?

From left to right: VP Michael, Executive Director Kevin & me

Below are the minutes for this meeting:

1) Expansion
- current situation: 12 locations in Toronto, 2 in Ottawa & 1 in Victoria
- regional goal: 20 locations in Toronto by the end of 2011, which is 20% of all TPL branches
- national goal: start-up in two new provinces, namely Quebec and Alberta by the end of 2011

2) Volunteer Training Package & Handbook
- contract & basic handbook are already completed
- volunteer selection & training procedures are to be added

3) Website
- our Webmaster Yutong Luo, who has been with us since the beginning of this project will soon retire from this position
- our Executive Director Kevin Wu will temporary undertake this position until a new Webmaster is found
- google maps are to be integrated on our home page

4) Volunteer Banquet
- planned for sometime during March Break
- location, budget are to be confirmed
- invitations will be sent out no later than Feb 26th, 2011
- possible "Volunteer of the Year" award will be given (method of selection has yet to be determined)

5) CITL 2nd Annual Festival
- a few possible locations are considered, will be confirmed soon
- date will be Saturday, June 25th, 2011
- annual trophy (sponsored by the Southam family) will be purchased
- media will be contacted well in advance this year
- invitations to players & special guests will be sent out no later than March Break
- 2011-2012 CITL executive election details will be announced soon

CITL Promotional Sessions: Learning How to Become a Salesperson

My mid-terms are finally over (*cheers!*) but when it comes to Chess in the Library, promoting chess is never over.

For the past two weekends, I helped to conduct 2 promotional sessions for the program - one at Fairview, another at North York Central. These promotions are conducted on a frequent basis, for the purpose of enlarging the Chess in the Library club at a given branch. As the president of this organization, it was my responsibility to be present at these important events, especially if it meant bringing more Canadian citizens into the world of this wonderful game.

However, I was inclined to be there for another purpose- teaching my fellow teammates the most efficient way of selling a product. In this case, that would be peoples' registration for the program. We would set up a table around the entrance of the library along with a few chess sets. Next to the sets were a stack of flyers and a registration sheet with a pen lying on its side anticipating a chess enthusiast or two to pick it up and scribble their names. When conditions allow, we have the luxury of using a large poster or demo board to attract the public's attention.

I did not take any pictures for the Fairview promotion but luckily I remembered to bring my camera along for the one at NYCL.

The lobby of NYCL with people flowing in and out on both sides - perfect place to situate a chess table here!

Actually we only had chairs on the other side of the table, where volunteers sat and handed out flyers. But then all of the sudden two guys came along and challenged our volunteers to two serious games of chess! As a result, they got themselves two chairs from the Teen Zone and blocked the public's view of the demo board (you can see only half of it here).

The What's On heading is a must for all Toronto Public Library flyers. With a stand to hold the flyer up, it does look pretty neat, eh?

I still clearly remember the very first time that I did this kind of thing. It was for the opening of our very first location - the one at the Brookbanks branch. I was walking around handing out flyers outside of the library and I was honestly scared to death. Never in my life had I felt so little confidence in myself. Each time I gave a flyer to a stranger, it took a great deal of self-reassurance and courage. And rejection was the most embarrassing thing yet. However, after a year and a half, I have practised, practised and practised countless times. Now I feel like a decent salesperson who is confident and not afraid of the word "no". It was Chess in the Library's numerous promotional sessions that gave me the opportunity to overcome this psychological disorder, of which I believe many people possess.

So I know exactly how the volunteers feel when they are introducing the program to strangers. The timidness and shakiness in their voice says it all. However, having a buddy beside them for mere encouragement is simply not enough. They also need a mentor who can help them become a great salesperson. That's the role I perform at CITL's promotional sessions nowadays. I truly believe that my fellow teammates, the ones who have conducted promotional sessions in the past will one day completely overcome the fear that was once inside them through this program. Secretly watching their entire learning process, I inevitably feel the joy that teachers do when their students improve.

New Year Present

On behalf of the Chess in the Library team, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for supporting Chess in the Library in 2010 and may the new year bring us all good fortune!

CITL received a big present a few days ago - something that means a lot to us all. Want to take a guess? :)

Well, our story has now expanded to Italy! How exciting is that, right? :) Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the program has physically expanded to Italy itself, haha (I wish...). An Itaty based chess blogger Giovanni Ornaghi has made 2 posts about Chess in the Library, a brief introduction and another full length interview. Below are the links:

http://blogchess.blogosfere.it/2010/12/yuanling-yuan-porta-gli-scacchi-in-biblioteca-1.html

http://blogchess.blogosfere.it/2010/12/yuanling-yuan-intervistata-da-blogchess-sul-suo-programma-chess-in-the-library.html

If you understand Italian, then you're in luck! You get to read the article without any problem, unlike me, who has to use Google Translate. :)

Well, if you don't have time to use Google Translate and would like to read the interview, Giovanni has uploaded an original English PDF version of the interview for your convenience! Here is the link: http://blogchess.blogosfere.it/images/Blogchess%20-%20Yuanling.pdf

This has to be the best New Year present ever! Thank you so much Giovanni for spreading the word about Chess in the Library in Italy! I sincerely hope that people can be inspired by our organization and perhaps start doing something similar for their country. Now if you're hesitant about it, feel free to email us at info@chessinthelibrary.com and we'll do our best assist your project in any way we can! My oh my, this is starting to become the promotion of chess worldwide and not just in Canada!

Happy New Year everyone~

Just the Kind of Spirit

When you hear the words "chess spirit", what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, it would be the good sportsmanships in the game itself or even the perseverance in achieving a master title. Others might believe that chess spirit is about the amount of people who play chess in a given community or show up at a certain tournament. The list goes on as the true definition of "chess spirit" cannot be defined - everyone has his own perspective when it comes to vague terms like this one.

Recently, I encountered a few people that demonstrated two unique chess spirits. The former is more of a group effect as it was the entire family that participated in this "chess spirit". I was able to take a picture with the daughter and mother but not the father. Take a look at the picture below:

Left to right: little girl's mother, little girl and me!

Now take a look at the shirts we are wearing. Mine isn't any special at all but if you pay close attention to the red and white one, you'll be amazed at the words written on it! The little girl's shirt said "Grand Master in Training" and her mom's shirt said "Chess Mom" (yes, it's a little covered up)! As I mentioned earlier, I didn't get the chance to take a photo with the father but his shirt said "Chess Dad". Isn't it adorable? :) Oh and I forgot to mention that this photo was taken at a chess tournament where the little was playing in. So the entire family wore chess T-shirts to support their daughter! AWESOME chess spirit!!

The second person that I'm going to introduce is John Granger, a chess enthusiast living in one of the best cities to play chess in Canada - Toronto. In Toronto, we have the greatest number of local tournaments plus the largest turnout rates. Wouldn't it be natural for chess devotees to play in a local tournament or a club at the very least?

me and John

Well, the truth is, before I met John, I thought that the amount of people who are really passionate about chess is limited to this little chess community that we've established in Toronto long ago. Those who play in clubs, tournaments and other chess events are the same people and after a while, every face will seem familiar. However, John's story is very much different from the people in this so-called"chess community".

A few weeks ago, I received an email from John regarding donations for Chess in the Library. He had read the article that was published in the Toronto Star and offered to donate a few boxes of chess books to our organization. I was undoubtedly delighted to hear this great news but after sending a few emails back and forth, I realized that his donation was beyond what appeared on the surface.

It was his chess spirit that touched me deeply. John had a collection of about a hundred chess books but never played in a single rated tournament or club match! Being a curious cat, I sought for an explanation. Below is what I received as reply:

"Truth is I much more enjoy walking through great games, and reading about great players, than studying theory. I did learn enough theory to avoid basic mistakes but I tended to avoid deep learning of opening lines. That way almost all my games were new and exciting (for me at least). (But it also meant that I would likely never develop into a high level player! :)

And yes - I only played for fun - never got a ranking.. I think I got so much enjoyment out of playing with friends and studying the game that I didn't look for more."

I read these lines over and over, staring at them in awe for quite some time. His passion for chess is so great that simply enjoying the game itself could be so self-satisfying. Many people play chess for the rating and the titles that they can achieve once their rating gets to a certain point. However, in John, I saw a true appreciation of the game and nothing, absolutely nothing else could become a factor of his penchant for chess. I truly admire John's chess spirit; although the spirit he processes is not something physical (like the first one above), not many people are able to see it, but once you do, the effects are so much greater than those who show it physically.

So thank you John, for generously donating your trove of chess books to Chess in the Library and for unconsciously reminding us all the reason to why we love this game so much.

New Year Resolution Completed 1 Month in Advance!

"Our new year resolution for the program is to build the team larger, perhaps we will form an executive board and expand the program to 15 different locations in total (10 more than what we have now). I personally have lots of faith in my team and I believe this goal is definitely achievable."

Does this quote sound familiar? Well, to all those supports that reads my blog often, I'm sure it does! I wrote this in a post in January this year called "2010 - New Year, New Changes". At that time, CITL had only 5 locations in Toronto since the establishment of this organization in June 2009. Thus, I gave myself and the rest of my teammates a goal, and that was to build an executive board along with the expansion of this program to a total of 15 locations by the end of December 2010.

Our executive board was elected at the end of August, as I mentioned in an earlier poster. If you don't remember, then here are the board members:

President - Yuanling Yuan
Vice-President - Michael Kleinman
Executive Director - Kevin Wu

Our VP is current organizing a volunteer banquet that will be held next weekend and our Executive Director is currently contacting a new location in Scarborough - the Woodside Square branch. And I'm just doing what I always do, the usual management stuff. As the organization grows, the three of us will just get busier and busier...

One by one, my teammates and I worked hard to introduce the Chess in the Library program to new public libraries. Each and every one of them took effort as planning, promotion and operation were essential to the program in each location. From 5 locations to 6, from 6 to 7, 7 to 8...slowly, we were closer and closer to our goal - 15 locations. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we finally confirmed our 15th location - the North Gloucester Library in Ottawa! Here's some info about the CITL program there:

North Gloucester Library

2036 Ogilvie Rd.
Ottawa, ON
K1J 7N8
613-748-4208

Open from 1:30pm to 3:00pm on Saturdays, starting from January 22nd, 2011

I'm sure that by now, you all know who is our project leader in Ottawa. That person is none other than one of Canada's young masters - Joey Qin. He was the one who discussed the details of this new location with the local librarians and make sure that everything was going go smoothly. Joey has even made a complete training plan for the program there! He showed me a list of the materials he will be covering during the session and on specific dates too! I won't be giving anything out because I'm sure that Joey would like to share this awesome plan with you on his own blog. :)

Another person that I must thank is Gerry Litchfield from CFC. The librarians first contacted him about the possibility of having a chess program at the North Gloucestor branch and he was the one who forwarded us the information. Without both Gerry and Joey's involvement in this, our new year resolution would've still been incomplete.

Actually, my original plan for this year was to expand the program to 10 more locations in Toronto, and focus of the rest of the country next year. However, we already have 3 locations outside of the city that makes us officially a nation wide program (2 in Ottawa & 1 in Victoria, which was completely unexpected! Thus, with the help of Brian Raymer & the Victoria Chess Society, Joey Qin and all the other volunteers invovled in this program outside of Toronto, we haven't just completed our goal for 2010, but exceed expectations!

Our next step is to expand the program to at least 1 library in each province in Canada. So if you live outside of Toronto and would like to lead the Chess in the Library project at your local library (like Joey and Brian), please do contact us! I know that in our beloved country, there are so many people out there that are very passionate about the game and would like to see chess in Canada become super popular one day. I understand that the current situtation doesn't look very appealing but I believe that one day, dreams do come true. Nothing is impossible - keep that in mind! CITL's 15 locations will become 16, 16 becomes 17, 17 becomes 18...and one day, we might even reach 100! By then, think about how many extra chess players we'll have in the country! These kids will eventually go on to play in CMA or CFC tournaments (many do at the moment), which will contribute to everything chess related here. We need your help! Email us at info@chessinthelibrary if you want to help make Canada a better place for those that love chess. Thanks!

Opening of the CITL program at Bloor/Gladstone & North York Central

The last two Saturdays in October were big days for the CITL executive team, which comprises of me, Michael Kleinman and Kevin Wu. Now why were those Saturdays so important to us? Well, it was the opening of the Chess in the Library program in two new locations! What makes them even more special is they are two of the largest branches in Toronto. We've been trying to introduce the CITL program to them for a really really long time now and finally it's come true! Here they are:

1) Bloor/Gladstone Branch in downtown Toronto

The brown and glass building in the background would be the Bloor/Galdstone branch. It's so gorgeous inside! Never in my life seen a library so beautifully constructed. No wonder it took 3 years to renovate!

There is a long story of CITL and this branch. When I first founded the program last summer, it became so successful that we've received requests from people regarding the startup of such a program in other libraries. Bloor/Gladstone was one of them. So I called the branch and told them about this request, hoping that the program would be accepted. Who knew that the branch just finished a three year renovation and it's rooms bookings are as popular as ever! With no rooms available to run the program, the librarians had no choice but to reject us. It was completely understandable too. At that time, I just moved on to seeking other libraries that might be interested in having the program there. I've always had a very strong faith in the program so thanks to that, being rejected by the Bloor/Gladstone librarians didn't kill my confidence. I was just a little disappointed, that's all...

Sometimes fate is just fate and things that are meant to be are just meant to be. A few months ago I received an email from a Bloor/Gladstone librarian (a different one compared to the one that I first contacted), Raymond, who was very keen on getting the chess club started at Bloor/Gladstone. Interesting how it comes to a full circle, eh? Well, here I want to give a big thank you to Raymond for making CITL possible at one of the most beautiful and high-tech libraries in Toronto! Although I've never met him in person, I can tell that he is surely one of the nicest guys out there! Another library staff to thank is Alice, the lady that took care of the volunteers and helped out with the club on Saturdays. :)

For the opening week, about 15 excited participants showed up at the program. Michael, Kevin and I were there to train the new volunteers Yeo-Jeong Kim and her brother John Kim. Welcome to the team guys!


2) North York Central Library on Yonge St. , Toronto.
This library is officially the second largest one in Toronto, ranked behind the Reference Library in downtown. It has 5 main floors in total excluding an underground one as the public study area. They are one of the branches that currently uses the self check-out system. Very user friendly, I must say! These self-serve machines are getting more and more popular that perhaps in 10 years, everything that we buy will be self-serve.

Like the Bloor/Gladstone branch, CITL and this branch has some history as well! I started contacting the youth service specialist Elsa since the beginning of this year and finally we were able to get it started! Thanks again to Elsa for all of hard work in this!

I'd also like to welcome a few new volunteers to our crew: Mike Ivanov, who will be representing Canada at the U16 Olympiad very soon and Stephanie who was retruited on the library's behalf. Of course we cannot forget about the returning ones : Stanley Su and Gal Gross. Thank you all for supporting CITL in North York Central! :)

Here are two pictures of the volunteers playing chess along with Michael and Kevin.



Although not many people showed up the first week of the program, I can happily announce that the proceeding weeks after that one were much better once we did some more promotion. Keep up the great work guys!

Toronto Star Features an Article on Chess in the Library!

Two Saturdays ago, the a Toronto Star photographer Rene J. came to the Brookbanks Library to take some pictures of the Chess in the Library program and the newly elected executive members - me (President), Michael Kleinman (Vice-President) and Kevin Wu (Executive Director). It was a completely democratic election as we have 20 of our active volunteers vote for who they believe is the best candidate for each position. About 8 people in total were running for the 3 positions and it came down to the 3 of us.

When the Toronto Star journalist Dan R. called me one day about the article, I was extremely excited! Not only because it's Chess in the Library's first major publicity, but also because the media is finally talking about chess! He asked me which library the photographer should go to for the pictures and without even thinking, I said: "Brookbanks." The Brookbanks branch was our very first location and it had always been our headquarters. When I go to that library now, it doesn't feel much different from home. The branch head Denise had been extremely supportive of us so both her and the Brookbanks location are major components of the CITL program.

Before we take a look at the article, I just want to thank ALL of our past and present volunteers, ALL of our library liaisons as well as ALL of our donors and sponsors for making CITL possible. A special shout out goes to Yutong Luo, our hardworking Webmaster, Mr.Usprech, my IB guidance counsellor and finally my fellow executives Michael and Kevin. Without each and every one of your support, we couldn't have done it. The article is dedicated to you all and I strongly believe that you all deserve credit for this article!

I hope that this article will help us with expansion and finding corporate sponsors and other funds. Long live Chess in the Library!

Chess champ spreads her passion for the game

Published On Sun Oct 24 2010

Dan Robson Staff Reporter

Yuanling Yuan, 16, is a world-class chess player who has set up chess clubs in libraries across Toronto.

RENE JOHNSTON/TORONTO STAR

Yuanling Yuan, 16, centre, with Kevin Wu, 15, left, and Michael Kleinman, 16, at her library chess club.

RENE JOHNSTON/TORONTO STAR

Yuanling Yuan is a relentless chess champion.

The precocious 16-year-old from Victoria Park Collegiate Institute recently spent a couple weeks in Russia as a member of Canada’s team at the World Chess Olympiad.

She ranked 27th out of 564 female players — the highest a Canadian has ever finished. And when she’s not busy being a remarkable chess whiz on the board, she’s busy championing the game off of it.

In today’s digital world, chess may as well be lawn-bowling to many young people. At least that’s what some people think.

Yuan, however, is set on proving those people wrong.

Two years ago she founded Chess in the Library — a smart-sounding club for smart-sounding people. The kind of people who travel to the library (that ancient bastion of knowledge) to play chess (that game that old, wise people play).

“I just wanted to do something to promote chess in Canada,” she said of the day in spring 2009 when she walked into Brookbank Library and told head librarian Denise Drabkin that she wanted to start a chess club.

“She came in here and she said, ‘Hi! I'm really, really keen on starting a chess in the library program’ and I said ‘Wow, lets talk,’ ” recalls Drabkin, who admits she was skeptical at first. “The rest is history.”

Less than two years in, Yuan’s idea has turned into a weekly ritual for people young and old across Toronto. Chess in the Library now operates in 12 Toronto libraries, and has more than 40 volunteers.

The program also operates in a library in Ottawa, and recently expanded to a library in Victoria B.C.

Each library has between 20 to 30 participants coming to learn and play chess every week — that’s more than 250 people.

Most are teens, but some are as young as 5, while others are senior citizens. Experienced players face off against each other, while beginners can get lessons and tips.

“I think chess is a game for people of all ages,” says Yuan, who started playing with her father when she was 7. “As long as they can sit at the table and move the pieces, they should be allowed to play.”

Chess in the Library is not a pawn of an operation. It has a website, an elected executive, and a budget — which, Yuan notes, can use some donations.

“One person can’t really achieve much,” she says of the volunteers who’ve helped make the program a success. “It takes teamwork.”

Yuan enlisted the help of Sheldon Usprech, a teacher who coordinates the International Baccalaureate program at Victoria Park, to get students at the school involved. They are able to complete their community services requirements for graduation by volunteering with the program.

“For a kid her age, what an astounding accomplishment,” said Usprech. “What an incredible program she's created. It's something that people much older would be very proud to put on their resumé.”

And, no doubt it will be on Yuan’s resumé as she applies for business school in a few years. One day she hopes to master commerce the way she’s mastered chess.

Even then, she’ll continue to champion the game she loves.

That’s because, for Yuan, Chess in the Library is more than just a game on Saturday mornings.

“It’s become a group gathering event. It’s beyond chess,” she says. “They make friends there. They talk about — well — I don’t know what they talk about.

“But it’s more than just chess.”