5 Elementary divisional New JerseyState championships
3 primary divisional New JerseyState championships
5 individual State championships
1 high school individual New JerseyState championship
Hello,
You may or may not be aware, I have been promoting chess in Hoboken for many years now. I am proud to say I have taught over 6000 children how to play the greatest
of games.
In this
time we have been to over 100 tournaments, where I am very, very proud to say we have championed not only in a few, not
many, but in ALL of them! Including 9 titles as New Jersey State Champions
in a row.
The Hoboken Chess Club has been featured in numerous newspapers and have been covered on the local television networks
a few times for these outstanding successes. And just recently the City of Hoboken had a dedication
in my honor and dedicated 3 chess tables at ChurchSquarePark to myself and our program.
I have volunteered in this community in organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, The Hoboken Library,
The Hoboken Family Alliance, The Hoboken Housing authority, The Police department, National night out, The Hoboken Recreation
department, Coaching Baseball, Basketball and Soccer, to name a few and was given a special award At DeBaun auditorium in
front of a few hundred or so community members as A community hero, An honor I am most proud of.
However, my biggest joy is teaching children how to play for the first time, which I truly believe I excel more
so then in my outstanding tournament record!
Peter Croce
Dear Editor:
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I started learning chess from Pete Croce at the after-school program at Elysian Charter
School when I was in kindergarten. It was a blast. I learned a lot of things. I learned how to concentrate, how to focus my
mind and how to play chess, which I love. Because of Pete, I won my first tournament in second grade at the New Jersey State
Chess Tournament. I won three games and came in third place and got a big trophy, and it was one of the happiest times for
me, ever. Last year, in third grade, I won four games because Pete has been teaching me more things every day.
Pete's
Hoboken Chess Club is a great place to learn chess. I've been going there ever since I started with Pete. There's a lot of
nice kids in there, of all different ages. I hope more kids come to Pete's chess club, and I really wish chess was back in
school. I can't wait for chess to start again. It makes me smarter and happier, and my parents are really glad that I enjoy
it so much, too.
Sincerely, Max Tamarkin, 9 years old
These are some press and thank you letters from such groups such as the Police dept , National night out, Hoboken Public
Library, The Hoboken Boys and Girls club. The Hoboken Department of recreation and the Hoboken Family Alliiance. The Hoboken
Board of education, The Hoboken private schools and the Hoboken Catholic Schools.
In
the past decade, chess has seen a major resurgence in popularity for America's youth. This trend is readily evident in Hoboken,
where the five-year-old Hoboken Chess Club has evolved into one of the state's premier chess programs.
In an effort
to support this movement, the city dedicated three concrete chess tables Wednesday and held a Chess Festival at Church Square
Park. The new tables have been dedicated to Hoboken's own coach and teaching guru, Peter Croce, who founded the Hoboken Chess
Club.
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"Chess is gymnastics for the mind," said Croce Wednesday at the dedication. He added
that in the past five years, he has taught over 1,000 children how to play chess, and his students have competed in state
chess championships for the past four.
He added that the game improves critical thinking skills and concentration.
He also noted that interest in the game is growing dramatically. In the last year, the United States Chess Federation records
show that its membership has increased to 90,000 members, of which half are school aged children.
Even though the Chess
Club has a permanent location at 334 Park Ave., Croce said that having a table in the park is another opportunity to introduce
children to chess. He said that it is his plan to put chess pieces out every afternoon after school and allow students to
play for free. "They now know that if they want to play chess, then this is the place to come," said Croce.
Young champions
While the many of the Croce's students have had success at the state championships, three in particular have shown their
mettle.
James Arsenault, William Alston, and Liudmil Liudmilov have a combined record of 45 wins, 2 draws, and only
eight loses in the past four years. All three have placed in the top four of their grade each of the past four years.
Alston
has won the top spot once and placed second once. Beck has won the top spot in his grade three times, and Arsenault has played
at the final board for the championship four consecutive years.
Paid for by...
Two of the tables, which cost about $950 each, were paid for by the city. The third was paid for by City Council candidate
Terry LaBruno, according to the city's director of human services, Carmelo Garcia.
Mayor David Roberts said the Hoboken
Chess Club has been a major success in Hoboken. "The skills that chess teaches are ones that greatly benefit children, and
we as a city are happy to add these tables to Church Square Park," Roberts said.
The Hoboken Chess Club is located
at 334 Park Ave. The club offers classes, open play, tournaments and individual lessons, as well as a Chess Summer Camp. For
more information call (201) 232-6741.
