Chess Cafe Needs Your Donation

      The really excellent site Chess Café which includes NM Dan Heisman’s Novice Nook (some of the best instruction around) plus tons of other fascinating and useful chess material is asking for donations to, well…let them explain:

      To create a freely accessible online chess curriculum that focuses on using chess as a tool for teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills. A curriculum that can be used in classrooms, home-schooling, libraries, institutions, etc. with complete course work, exercises, and activities available to print out as worksheets and lessons. One that gives someone with little or no chess knowledge the means and materials to run a successful chess program. Along with a freely accessible online playing interface that offers real-time play, correspondence play, and various training features. Be sure to checkout our contributor rewards!  View request.

      They are accepting donations in the amount of $25, $65, $150, $300, $500 and $1000 in an effort to raise $65,000 to accomplish the task. They will also supply you with a gift of set and board, etc. depending on the size of your gift. I’m not sure why they need $65,000 for this project unless they are planning on paying GMs et al to put together the material and/or need to pay for a website and/or server.

      This is a great site that has been around a long time and I am sure their request for donations for this project is legitimate but what if I donated $1000 and they end up short of their goal?  Have I ended up paying $1000 for a folding chess table, wooden set w/box for a project that’s stillborn, or what? 

      One thing I have always noticed about requests for donations relating to chess for any reason…I have rarely, if ever, seen any masters or GMs donating anything.  It always seems to be us average players.  Why is that?