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 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, math, reading and goal setting. Chess stimulates intellectual creativity and improves problem-solving ability while raising self-esteem in children; and

WHEREAS, Alabama scholastic chess activities, and the Alabama Chess in Schools Initiative 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. Educators who encourage all schools and community centers in the United States to engage in chess programs to promote problem-solving and critical thinking should be commended; and

WHEREAS, research is showing how chess as part of a brain healthy lifestyle may be a way to strengthen cognitive performance in older adults and as an intervention to slow 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 brain game that transcends all cultures:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2015, as

Chess Day

in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the  Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 11th day of September 2015.