Kevin Wu - Chess in the Library

Not-So Fair Weather

noreply@blogger.com (k w) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 04:18:00 +0000

Well, it's certainly a busy time for CITL. Unfortunately, though, the fair has been cancelled. We spent long hours during weekends and after other responsibilities on weekends working the details out, but the one big factor that prevented the fair from happening was the venue - or lack thereof. We needed an arena or large gymnasium for our event, which was originally to be supplied by an (unnamed) community centre in Scarborough that backed out. Other locations were simply unavailable on such short notice.

CITL has a LOT planned out for the next while, though. Our next tournament will be in early December, in the West region of Toronto and our branches. Keep an eye out for tournament postings on our website, and flyers in your neighborhood program!

We are also in the process of updating our website to make it easier to maintain and read. Our scheduled launch date is early to mid-November. Now, the website isn't too shabby as of now, but be prepared for something even better. Jesse Wang, our webmaster, and Zelin Liu, his Junior executive, are hard at work preparing the site.

Additionally, we've received a HUGE donation in the past while - 6 boxes chock full of sets, clocks and books! It's donations like these that keep this wonderful program chugging along. Thank you!

Roaming About and Getting Ready for the Fair

noreply@blogger.com (k w) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Over the summer, I had an amazing chess-related experience - I went to Greece to play in the World Junior Chess Championships! I roomed with one of my good friends, and a former CITL executive, Michael Kleinman. We played good chess and had a blast touring the area.

In recent weeks, Vivek (CITL president) and I (Vice President) have been busy with planning out the Chess fair we plan to have in October. We're still in the early stages. Activities have been decided - we will have the big chess set out, simul games, book sales, chess cookies (!) and many other fun stations. The venue, however, has not been set yet. There have been a few problems finding a suitable, affordable venue.

That's all for now, folks!

The Third Annual CITL Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (k w) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 02:46:00 +0000

So. Today was a big day for Chess In the Library. Today was our Third Annual Festival - can you believe it? It's been three years from the time that Yuanling started this amazing program, it's been almost three years since I started volunteering, three unforgettable years.

In preparation for the tournament, my personal roles were to purchase trophies and certificates. It sounds easy. It isn't. Ordering trophies and staying under a budget is nearly an exercise in futility if you want the best of everything. Eventually, we couldn't buy exactly the things we wanted, but it all worked out in the end.

During the tournament, I was tasked with the role of TD, the Tournament Director. The TD organizes the players, the pairings, and wallcharts - essentially the main person behind the logistics of a tournament.

We had 82 pre-registrations. How many showed up? Just around 70. It's always hard to prepare for situations such as this but thankfully the pairings software I was using had an easy option to withdraw or delete players from a tournament. From start to finish the pairings went relatively smoothly after that - one or two snags caused by players from the same library not being able to play each other, but those were resolved by only pairing non medal-contenders.

Photos and results will be coming soon - it's been a very long day and I'm headed off to UBC tomorrow. Ratings will be uploaded as well!

Exploring new possibilities!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:54:00 +0000

Burrows Hall and Agincourt are the libraries that I've been corresponding with for a while. But there are others!

Currently, CITL has locations all across the TPL system...or does it?

Looking at the map of our Toronto locations, however, there does seem to be a gap - a sort of unfilled space in the South-east region of the city. Why, you might ask? Well I've struggled to find any good reason why CITL hasn't expanded to that area yet. Down in the heart of Scarborough, there are quite a few low-income neighbourhoods and plenty of libraries that could play host to our great program!

So, this past weekend I looked around the TPL website and researched the program room sizes for various libraries in the area. Victoria Village, Cedarbrae, and Albert Campbell branches were prime locations - large program rooms and in highly populated areas. I prepared a few materials and contact information...

...and today I was on my way. The librarians at each location were extremely pleasant to talk to, not that there are many librarians at all who are unpleasant to talk to. I suppose an advantage of working with a library system is that almost everybody is nice by default! I'd like to extend special thanks to Beverly at Cedarbrae, Winona at Victoria Village, and Susan at Albert Campbell for making my efforts just a little bit easier.

It'll be a long wait seeing which libraries will confirm!

CITL 2012 East Region Swiss - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:43:00 +0000

This is Part Two of a two-part post. Part one is the previous entry.

On the day of the tournament, I arrived at Fairview Library at 11:45 with my mom - car loaded with chess sets, clocks, forms, and all the other materials we'd need throughout the day. I walked in, and soon our team started showing up. The first ones who arrived were Stefan and Vivek, and they helped me unload everything and get it up to the fourth floor.

Eventually, after dropping everything off, we found Paula, who opened the 4th floor door for us. We poured into the room (by then, Yuanling, and later Yang and Yolanda) and started placing the tables. Everybody helped, and I was busy setting up the computer and printer.

It was after we had started the check-in, and finished getting all the names down, that we hit a snag - the only big setback of the day, but it was enormous. It was 12:30 and we should have been starting the tournament. However, some of the registration forms - those that had been dropped off at Fairview - weren't there! Of the 34 kids who showed up, we had only 28 forms!

We (I!) had forgotten to ask for them from Paula earlier! I scrambled frantically downstairs and looked for her. Eventually, I hit upon a librarian who helped me get her location - alas, she was on her lunch break. That meant that were running a tournament without the information of 6 kids - kids whose parents might have left. Without those forms, we couldn't get started.

That was when the team spirit of CITL showed its face. I called back to the volunteers to tell them the bad news, but Vivek told me to get up there as soon as possible. There was an idea. When I got upstairs, Yuanling and Vivek told me that we should ask every kid who sat down so that we could find the kids whom we didn't have forms for and see if their parents were still present.

Luckily, of the 6 missing-paperwork-casualties all 6 had parents who were still present. We were able to get their names, grades, and ratings down, and the tournament could finally begin, thanks to some quick thinking from my fellow volunteers. I had been truly scared for a moment about the tournament even going on, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Bravo!

The info went in, the pairings were made and printed. With a quick intro from myself (we were rather pressed for time by this point), the tournament began!

Myself, working out the pairings. We used a Swiss pairing system to maximize fairness and make sure all the kids could play 4 rounds, intead of a knockout format where some would have to leave early.

A young boy, deeply concentrated on his game

A young girl. Evidently deeply concentrated as well!

Yuanling and Yang helped to set up most of the Puzzles Section on the wall outside our playing room. Kids were very, very eager to compete for a chance to win one of the three book prizes we had for this competition!

The first round in progress, with our tall, tall volunteer Stefan in the middle of the photo. The rounds progressed smoothly enough, but by the end of the tournament we had a 2-way tie for 2nd/3rd in all three sections of the tournament!

CITL director of communications Vivek presides over the Grade 7 and up playoff, consisting of Joshua Pavusthy (left) and Cassidy Wang. Cassidy eventually won.

CITL president Yuanling stares intently at the Grade 3 and under playoff, consisting of Mia Dong (left) and Wing Li. Wing eventually won. In the background, the grade 4-6 playoff is being played between Pirathapan Ahilan (left) and Richard Zhang. Richard eventually won.

At the end of a long 4 1/2 hours, 4 rounds and playoff, the results were announced.

In the Grade 3 and under section, left to right - 2nd Wing Li, 1st Hazel Guo, 3rd Mia Dong!

Volunteers from left to right: Yolanda, Vivek, Yuanling, Stefan, and myself.

In the Grade 4 to 6 section, left to right - 2nd Richard Zhang, 1st Erkhes Bayan-Altai, 3rd Pirathapan Ahilan!

Back row, second from right: volunteer Yang.

In the Grade 7 and up section, left to right - 3rd Joshua Pavusthy, 2nd Cassidy Wang, 1st Jonathan Chan.

Our gold medal winners, together along with their book prizes! As well, book prizes were awarded to the kids in each section who did the most puzzles correctly in our puzzle competition.

All through the tournament, we had a donations box sitting out on the main table. Our CITL president, Yuanling, took the effort to bring the box around and make some personal appeals. In the end, we raised nearly $140 - That's more than our annual festival! About $45 of that is going to rating fees and medals. That means we've put almost $100 into our fund for future tournaments and materials.

At the end of the day, all this wouldn't have been possible without the help of all the volunteers and Paula, our resident benevolent Librarian. A big shout out to all those who helped! Even the CITL volunteers who couldn't make it, this tournament was for them too. Together, we're united towards a common goal - the furthering of chess and fun across Canada. I believe that we've certainly inched a bit further in pursuit of that goal, and I'm proud to have contributed as a tournament organizer.

CITL 2012 East Region Swiss - Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:55:00 +0000

This is Part One of a two-part post. Pictures are coming in soon, and the second post will be up by the end of this week.

Almost three years ago, my good friend Yuanling started Chess In the Library. I was asked to join soon after it started,in the summer of 2009. We didn't have too many volunteers at first - perhaps a dozen kids working towards a common goal.

Eventually, though, CITL became something big - something huge. Locations sprung up all across Toronto, then all across Ontario, then all across Canada. There is even a branch in Washington, DC!

For the past two years, CITL has run an annual Festival at North York Central branch, and a winter tournament at Humberwood branch. This year, however, the executive asked me, in my capacity as the current Scarborough director of expansion, to run a tournament in the East region. Naturally, I had to accept. Here was a chance to do something new, something innovative! I had been part of the tournaments at Humberwood and NYCL, helping to organize them. Now it was time to take charge of fun-having and chess-playing among the kids of the area.

I met with the CITL executive (Yuanling, Gal, Vivek, Aaron, and Linda) during the weekend of Feb 25. Together we discussed the location, time, size, and general scope of the tournament. What we walked away with was a tournament at Fairview Library, during one of the weekends in the March break.

The next weekend consisted of running around to Fairview, Brookbanks, and Malvern, dropping off forms and confirming the time and date. (Fairview Branch, 12-4PM on March 10) The weekdays of March 5-9 were hectic too - medals to buy, forms to pick up, registrations to confirm.

A special thanks here must go to Paula Costa, Youth Services Librarian at Fairview. She has been overseeing CITL at Fairview for years now, and she was also the librarian who was able to find a room for us. A tournament isn't a tournament without a place to run it, and Paula is the one who made this possible.

On the day leading up to the tournament, Friday March 9, I loaded pairings software onto my laptop, looked over my whiteboard checklist one last time, and went to sleep at 12. It was going to be a long day, and I looked forward to seeing both my fellow volunteers and all the kids who would come.

Upcoming East Region Tournament!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:12:00 +0000

As you might now, CITL has a Regional tournament every now and then. This year, next week in fact, there will be a regional tournament at Fairview Library!

It's a great honour that the executive has allowed me to organize this event. The invited libraries: Brookbanks, Malvern, Bridlewood, and (obviously) Fairview. We expect an attendance of more than 40 kids, and come out next week if you'd like to join in!

The tournament will be held in Room A, on the fourth floor of Fairview Library from 12-4 PM on Saturday, March 10.

New Prospects?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 03:23:00 +0000

Hey all,

I've been volunteering at Malvern every other week for the past while, with just Peggy (Aaron has left), and it's been great. We have a dozen or so kids coming in every session. Many of them are returning from previous sessions, but we always get a few that are new drop-ins. Some of the kids are getting significantly better. We have young children who didn't know how to play at all. Not a single rule. Now they're playing full games with each other. I think that's the goal of CITL, to foster the development of skills among these wonderful kids.

Recently however, I've also been going around to various libraries in the Scarborough area in an effort to get some more programs running in various branches. Agincourt, Woodside Square, Steeles... all the staff have been wonderful to talk to, but scheduling and space are always the key to a new program, and not all libraries can accommodate our program. I'm hopeful that we will have a program at one of these libraries soon!

Times at Malvern

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Hey everyone! I haven't posted here in quite a long time! Currently I'm volunteering at Malvern Branch, a CITL program that was opened this past summer. We meet every two weeks at 10:30-12 on Saturdays.

We've gotten a regular attendance of more than a dozen kids every week, and it's a real joy working with them. Some of the kids that Peggy, Aaron, and I have taught the beginning rules to during the summer are coming back as school starts playing solid games with each other! My sister came to play a few weeks ago and she's now very into chess as well... she wants to play a game with me every day! Just another bit of proof CITL is worth the effort we've all invested into it.

Some info about our program at Malvern:

Malvern Library

30 Sewells Road
Toronto, ON
M1B 3G5
416-396-8969

Open from 10:30am-12pm every other week

My statement for CITL Vice President

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Greetings fellow volunteers,

Thank you for an amazing year! As your current executive director, I have absolutely enjoyed the experience, which was quite a lot of work but in the end very gratifying. You’re probably itching to get on with your doings, but take a minute to read what I have to say.

We have come a long way from the small organization it was when I first joined. Back in the summer of 2009, it was but at a few libraries scattered around North-eastern Toronto. Through the efforts of the executive board, but more importantly, through the efforts of all of our volunteers, CITL has been able to grow into nationwide effort.

Personally, I have been ushering new programs in at libraries across the city, sometimes alone and sometimes with my executive-mates Yuanling and Michael. Meetings with TPL officials were also a regular occurrence, where we discussed the future of our program in various aspects, including regulations, expansion, and police checks. Our CITL handbook to be handed to every new volunteer has been polished throughout the year.

Nearing that time of the year again when all get together, the annual festival at North York Central Library, I believe firmly in doing everything but stand still. Trophies and certificates, letters to the mayor, press releases, all the little bits and pieces that complete a celebration on the scale of ours, not a single piece has been left untouched. You, as the volunteers, as well as the patrons of our program, deserve as much.

This coming year, I believe it is time for me to take a step forward and become the Vice President of CITL. My experience will certainly be an invaluable asset to CITL in dealing with the librarians that we must maintain contact with as well as the everyday issues that the executive board has worked through this year.

It’s often said that every chess master was once a beginner. Likewise, our organization was once barely walking on its feet, but we are now on the road to greater things. I believe that together, with our collective, organized efforts, CITL has many bright days to come, and I hope that, by serving CITL as Vice President, I will continue to be graced with amazing experiences and good times with the wonderful people in this organization.

Yours Sincerely,

Kevin Wu

Oh Dear, Deer Park!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:54:00 +0000

Just this Saturday, CITL now has yet another branch!

Where, you might ask? - at Deer Park library downtown, and this happens to be our first location for specifically seniors.

Heading in with my fellow volunteer Xiaohan Du in the absence of comrades Yuanling and Michael (both busy that weekend), I was greeted with about a dozen senior citizens eager to play some chess. The majority had just started out at the game, but it's nice working with older learners who may grasp concepts a little slower but make much more of a conscious effort to remember.

Here's some more info on Deer Park:

40 St. Clair Ave E
Toronto, ON
M4V 1M9
416-393-7658

Open from 10:30am - 12pm on Saturdays

Drop by if you have the time!

Volunteer Party Coming Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:02:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

A lot of stuff has passed since I last posted. PV has been shut down due to the unavailability of staff who can supervise us, so I've been taking more of a behind-the-scenes role as the Executive Director (that's not ruling out a return to a library sometime though).

Brookbanks has been a center of attention for Yuanling and I for a while... first the news coverage by the North York Mirror there two weeks ago and then tomorrow, our volunteer appreciation event! We're going to hold a vote on three volunteer of the year awards and pick a winner out of those three during our annual festival. Meanwhile, I'm busy writing up a speech and drawing up ballots, so that's that!

Back In School

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Well, it's been a while since my last post.

In about mid-August, our numbers went up again, and we had 15-18 kids each week with several parents playing too. We were able to hold tournaments with full pairings as even when kids left, we could substitute another child who had just come.

Some sad news though: Tony has left! He's gone over to Fairview library to volunteer at the newly opened Fairview program (or more succinctly, newly "reopened" program). So right now, it's Yuan, Harry (a new volunteer) and I. The Fairview opening seems to have taken a toll on our branch numbers a little too; we only had 10 or so last week.

Thanks for reading!

Summer play!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:11:00 +0000

Well, it's been a quick 2 months that have gone by at Pleasantview Library, with lots of fun and learning in chess. This program sure is great!

As summer has come, our attendance has cooled down a bit overall, with about 12 or so kids coming in every Saturday to get their weekly fix of chess. We tend to not hold too many swiss tournaments anymore, as the kids often come and leave at erratic times.

Instead, we hold loosely-organized round robin type games and often let the kids play double chess as a fun tactics-strengthening experience and/or explore books on chess by themselves or with others. It's great for the kids and they seem to like it.

Thanks for reading!

I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:48:00 +0000

I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:48:00 +0000

It's been a long time! I haven't updated the blog for about 4 months now, having just about totally forgotten about it. Still at Pleasantview presently, with a few volunteers having gone and left, and a new one, Tony Tang, about to come this weekend.

Attendance here has been good, as we have at least 15 and usually about 18-20 people coming every week. It's been great for the kids- maybe even better for the library, getting many extra people coming in to borrow books after they're done with chess.

Moving to another library!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:26:00 +0000

Well, this week I had to say my goodbyes to Brookbanks library, as Yualing Yuan (the leader of the program) has asked me to head over to Pleasantview library. The former leader of that library has moved, and so there is currently a need for a new leader there. I am both sad to leave, and happy to take a new position (as well as only having to walk 10 minutes to get there).

Through the wind and the rain

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:26:00 +0000

This week, at Brookbanks Library, we went back to our regular routine of the kids' tournament. I had not been present the previous week due to having a bad cold, and was worried at last week's disappointing turnout of only 9 kids.

But alas, this week we fared slightly better, having a grand total of 10, with one additional kid just coming to watch. Dragos, Magas, and myself organized the tournament and played a few games with the parents who had come to watch.

Still though, it would be nice to bring back the buzz of dozens of kids that was present in the summer, though to reach that full capacity again would be unlikely due to the setting in of Saturday language schools for many. We plan to spread the word by asking the kids to bring their friends, and by sticking a few more flyers around the library.

Thanks for reading!

Halloween Simul!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Wu) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:54:00 +0000

This past Saturday, at Brookbanks Library, we held a simul. I was there, along with adult volunteer Dragos. We had 12 kids in total, who played us and gave us quite a challenge. In one or two of the games, the kids almost held us to draws, but in the end we beat all of them. The kids had a lot of fun!

EDIT: I had forgotten to mention, there was a not unspooky Halloween preparation in the room downstairs where we usually played, and some of the little guys and girls got quite a few scares!