Schaakinitiatief 11.11.2024
From Friday 25 to Sunday 27 October 2024, Schaakinitiatief Vlaanderen vzw organized another Chess & Learn weekend. An educational chess weekend for (adult) chess players of all ages and levels in hotel Vayamundo on the Belgian coast.
In retrospect, participants feel the timing in particular was a hit. By changing the clock to winter time, we had an extra hour to enjoy the chess weekend. The goal of the weekend was the same as in past years: to learn and enjoy chess in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. To this end, a healthy mix of chess lessons, chess tournaments and peripheral activities was provided.
On Friday evening, the weekend began with a welcome speech by the organizers followed by the four-legged chess tournament. In this chess variant, you play 2 vs 2 on one chess board with each player taking turns to make a move. This way the participants could get to know each other better. The atmosphere was good right away!
The next morning the first chess lessons were scheduled under the guidance of a team of experienced and qualified chess trainers: IM Glen De Schampheleire, FM Jelle Sarrau, FM Roel Goossens and William Boudry. In addition to the lessons, everyone could participate in some chess tournaments. Participants always had the choice between a fast format (a blitz tournament) and a slower format (rapid tournament). Besides the chess activities, participants could enjoy delicious meals in the hotel restaurant and relaxing moments in the sports hall, swimming pool or bar. Something for everyone!
Saturday evening’s program included the lecture “shivering in Reykjavik.” Although Bobby Fischer was also briefly mentioned during this lecture, it was mainly a humorous lecture about a famous tournament. In a funny and incisive way Wessel gave a tournament report from the front row; all the brilliant moves, the rollercoasters of emotions, every twist a chess player experiences during a tournament we could follow as if we were playing ourselves in the Icelandic tundra.
Sunday again saw some chess lessons and tournaments. This time they were “Deep Dive sessions” where a lesson topic was explored a little deeper. Another tournament of your choice was followed by the final word. We thank all participants for their enthusiasm and commitment, and instructors for their professionalism and passion. We received a lot of positive feedback from the participants, who had learned a lot about chess, but also had a lot of fun and made new friends.
We are very pleased with the results of Chess & Learn 2024! Be sure to take a look at our photo page.