Chess Day

WHEREAS, chess has been played for centuries by millions of people around the world and is one the greatest of mind sports; and

WHEREAS, the game of chess was a favorite pastime of several of America’s Founding Fathers such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington; and

WHEREAS, learning chess is a great intellectual joy and playing and studying chess can lead to a lifetime of learning, challenge and adventure; and

WHEREAS, through chess, one can learn how to use important thinking skills to devise creative solutions and put a plan into action; and

WHEREAS, chess for children is of great benefit as it is an exercise of infinite possibilities for their mind; chess increases strategic thinking, spatial awareness and goal setting; chess stimulates intellectual creativity and improves problem-solving ability while raising self-esteem in children; and

WHEREAS, Alabama scholastic chess activities provide students in K-12 with a unique opportunity to develop their skills and build lasting friendships; and

WHEREAS, Alabama’s school chess coaches are to be commended for their promotion of chess to children; and we are to commend educators who encourage all schools and community centers in the United States to engage in chess programs to promote problem-solving and critical thinking; and

WHEREAS, chess has been affirmed by research as a way to improve cognitive performance in older adults and as a way to slow or stop the onset of Alzheimer’s; moreover, chess is a memorable and unique recreational therapy for individuals with traumatic brain injuries, the blind and the elderly; and

WHEREAS, chess is a universal mind sport that transcends all cultures:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim October 12, 2013, as

Chess Day

in the state of Alabama.