ENext Sunday, December 1, within the framework of the fifth edition of EL LLOBREGAT OPEN CHESS, we organize the traditional school championship, in collaboration with the entity “Drac Artcai”. This year we have increased contacts with entities interested in promoting chess as a pedagogical tool. As a result of these efforts, the project organizers “Little Giants” They invited EL LLOBREGAT to the final of their tournament that was held this Saturday, November 23 in the city of León. We attended and witnessed an event of great social relevance: children between 6 and 12 years old participate in a “Little Giants” chess tournament that is played throughout the year, in the squares of the participating towns, by teams, throughout the year. of a full day, playing on giant boards made with rubber from recycled tires.
Chess as an educational tool is the key to this tournament. Through play, children develop critical thinking, concentration and creative problem solving. In addition, the tournament promotes values such as equality, team decision-making and the ability to work under pressure.
The teams, mixed and made up of between 3 and 6 players, compete in a “liguilla” system. Each game lasts 20 minutes, following the official FIDE rules. During games, a maximum of 4 players are on the board, allowing for rotation and ensuring that all children actively participate. This tournament is an opportunity for children to discover chess as a powerful learning tool. Through play, they improve their academic and personal skills, all in an environment of respect, equality and inclusion.
A championship for children 'on a large scale'
This Saturday at the León Conference Center, the final phase was played, with the participation of teams from Santander, Valladolid, Zamora, Oviedo, Stavanger (Norway), Katowice (Poland) and León. Given what we have seen, the fact that the Norwegian team won, beating Oviedo in a very balanced game in which the Asturians lost due to time in a favorable position, is the least relevant thing about the tournament. We are left with the concentration and debates of the minors, the company of the families and the passion of the promoter and commentator of the event, Nicolas González (vice president of the RMD Foundation). As the prestigious journalist Leontxo García said during the day: “It's exciting to see kids under 12 years old, enjoying something other than computer or phone screens.”
The RMD Foundationorganizer of the event, aims to promote the educational, recreational, social and cultural aspects associated with the practice of sport from childhood. In particular, the promotion of chess as an educational, integrative and therapeutic tool. The aim is to improve educational and personal development thanks to the improvement of cognitive and social skills. It aims to promote awareness and training on the importance of sustainable development and defense of the environment. Promoting recycling and reuse of waste to give them a second life.
Preach and give wheat
The RMD Foundation was established at the initiative of the Leonese company recuperación materiales diversos SA. A company dedicated to the recycling of materials; an important company: it is the sixth in the recycling sector in Spain, with an international presence.
In these times when all large corporations preach about concepts such as circular economy, sustainability and social commitment, it is gratifying to find one that puts those words into practice: RMD has created a line of products (NEUSUS), urban decoration elements, and large chess pieces; all built from rubber obtained from recycling tires, 25,000 tons per year, reused to make giant chess pieces. Material put at the service of social initiatives such as the aforementioned “Little Giants”. A school chess championship without parallel in Spain: provided by RMD with material, personnel and logistical means to enable thousands of schoolchildren to enjoy, discover and benefit from the benefits that chess offers.
