Not much has been heard of the Central American nation of Belize. The small nation was mentioned earlier this year when protagonists made the argument that small federations like Belize should not have a vote equal to Russia and that the vote should be determined by the federation's "importance." That argument was nixed and Belize continues to grow as a federation. Back in August, there was a summer chess camp where Tournament Director Glen Reneau conducted the sessions. He stated,

"Even though other sports develop and build self-esteem and self confidence, there's a striking difference with chess. Chess helps to develop the mind and with the thinking that applies to chess--once it's transferred to other disciplines--it helps in concentration, in focus, in problem solving skills and in these are the areas that chess focuses on. It taps into a child's creativity."

We have heard this many times before. In order to put show the importance of chess, this weekend the Belize Association of Chess Players are holding a Youth Chess Championship at the Belize Elementary School. Dante Reneau is the grandson of Mr. Reneau and will be participating also. Reneau, who is a tournament director, was interviewed by Kendra Griffith of Channel 5 in Belize. In the interview, Reneau discussed the tournament, common myths of chess and reaffirmed the importance of chess as a character-building activity.

The Children's Chess Extravaganza starts at eight Saturday morning with an opening ceremony at the Belize Elementary Auditorium. Entrance is free. Reneau says the Belize Association of Chess Players plans to go into schools, train teachers, and start chess clubs. If you are interested in learning chess, you can contact Glen Reneau at (501) 207-6066 or (501) 604-9520. The transcript of the interview can read at channel5belize.com.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 17 December 2006