Follow The Yellow Brick Road
Excerpt I just wrote for Chess Juniors and beginners for smartdolphins.net
Follow The Yellow Brick Road-Article 3 for Juniors /beginners
by FM John Curtis
The Wizard of Oz movie (1939) is a cinematic classic full of vitality which has been adored by both children and adults for decades. It features an adorable little girl Dorothy on her epic journey/adventure along her imaginary Yellow Brick Road, with her friends, Lion and Tinman and Scarecrow. www.youtube.com/watch?v=THbY7EL8k5w (46seconds) , for those that have not seen it.
It was this image that came to me as I sat here at my computer and recalled my own Chess experiences as a young child/teenager. How I did, and how I envisage our Dolphins young inquiring Chessminds might be open to all type of extra-sensory experiences as you devour information, which can, at times, supercharge, exhilarate and fascinate you as you lay the building blocks of your chess future.
In Chess we are most successfull if we 'stick to the tried and tested 'mainlines' on our own personal developmental journey. You 'could' call the Chessmainlines your own Yellow Brick Road. It was important for Dorothy to stay on the Yellow Brick Road as she sung and danced her way towards achieving her own personal goals.
Yellow Bricks are another name for Gold Bullion Bars , hence one hidden message is that if you are focused and stay on track (on your own Yellow Brick Road) success wealth and personal happiness are more likely to be achievable in Chess and more importantly in life!
Chess is such a wonderful activity and I can give you my personal guarantee that if you choose to continue to enjoy and play chess, you will meet some wonderful friends to take with you as you grow and learn.
Which of you young Dolphins has experienced (for the first time) walking into the Tournament Hall of an Australian Masters Championship? What an absolute delight. Your eyes want to be in every place at the same time. Personally, I am still thrilled to bits, yes exhilarated, every time I experience it. I cannot wait to walk in and watch the next Australian Championship that comes to Sydney! All part of that journey Dolphins.
So much fun, walking into your first Chess Club, playing in your first tournament, playing chess online.
What about all the great Chess variants that you can play? Im sure your Dolphins Chess Coach has introduced you to, to name a few, Chess Problems,Transfer Chess (Replacement Chess), Progressive Chess and one of my favourites Kriegspiel.
Are we stepping off our Yellow Brick Road with these distractions? Well, in short, the answer is a firm no. Having Chess Fun, whether it be a little Chess Blitz (Lightning Chess) or similar activity is actually very beneficial to your improvement. Don't you find learning easier if you are learning something you like to do?