Fort McMurray Chess Club(CAN)

Alberta Club Chess gets a boost:
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Johnny Burn and Benjamin Farrington, both 11, play a game of chess at the Fort McMurray Chess Club at the YMCA last year.


'More women play chess in Fort McMurray than in any other part of Alberta. This unique fact about the Fort McMurray Chess Club has gained them the privilege of hosting the 2013 Alberta Chess Championship in July, parallel with the Fort McMurray Open Tournament.

The club’s success can be seen as a result of the many hours long-time chess player Jina Burn has volunteered to advocate for the game. Recently nominated to join the board of directors for the Alberta Chess Association, she says she is “very excited” about what is happening with chess locally, and shares her dream to have chess as part of the school curriculum across Alberta and Canada.

Originally from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where chess is part of the culture, Burn started playing at the age of eight. She taught her son Johnny to play chess when he was eight and wanted him to have the opportunity to play with other children. Burn approached Principal Mme. Rushdy at Ecole Dickinsfield School in 2010 to start a school-based chess club....(more)'

Jina Burn, left, and Nicka Kalaydina compete in the 2012 Alberta Women's Chess Championship...

Burn returned to Fort McMurray with second place

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