Chess classes for convicts in Brazil
Autor: Rodrigo Ribeiro | Publicado: 2011-11-03T12:12:00-02:00

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.02.11.2011                      – It is an inspiring story: a chess  trainer, Walter Ferreira Jr., has been working with the inmates of a  correctional facility in Itaúna-MG, Brazil, where he has installed a  library of chess books and the students play with sets they have  fashioned out of bottle caps. The lessons are keenly followed, as is the  lecture and simul of a visiting master. The project is drawing  international attention.Chess classes for convicts in Brazil By Walter Ferreira Junior     “I want to hear the pealing bells    Of distant churches sing    But most of all please free me    From this aching metal ring    And open out this cage towards the Sun”    Skyline Pigeon, Elton John  A chess teacher, ex-Brazilian college chess champion, ex-champion of the state,    Walter Ferreira Júnior, has been administering chess classes for the    rehabilitating convicts at APAC (Portuguese for "Association for Protection    and Assistance to the Condemned") in Itaúna-MG, Brazil, a project    which was created in early 2011. According to Ferreira “the proposed goals    have been largely achieved. Today we have proper chess books in our library,    while our own pieces and boards are made by the convicts, with plastic and bottle    caps”. He explains that the main idea is that through chess, with its    many advantages, the rehabilitees will be able to develop positive habits and    exercise their capacity for making decisions.   Library of APAC-Itaúna corrective facilities   Chess trainer Walter Ferreira Júnior   Attention and concentration of the students    Training and discipline   Pieces made from bottle caps   Full concentration during the classes   The chess trainer playing against his students  The classes are held in the APAC’s library for the closed and half-open    rehabilitees. The wardens support this kind of activity and encourage the men    to take part in it. APAC-Itaúna is both nationally and internationally    a reference when talking about rehabilitation of convicts. Almost every day    there are people from all over the country and also from other parts of the    world visiting the place, interested about taking the institution’s philosophy    worldwide. APAC of Itaúna is affiliated to the Prison Fellowship International    (PFI), consultative part of the ONU (Organization of United Nations) for penitentiary    subjects, and to the Brazilian Fraternity for Assistance of the Condemned (FBAC),    an entity that gathers, supervises and supports all APACs in Brazil.     “Turn me loose from your hands    Let me fly to distant lands    Over green fields, trees and mountains    Flowers and forest fountains    Home along the lanes of the skyway”    Skyline Pigeon, Elton John  What is APAC? The Association for Protection and Assistance    to the Condemned is a private rights civil entity, with its own juridical personality,    dedicated to the recovery and social reintegration of those condemned to sentences    without parole. Supported by the Federal Constitution to act inside prisons,    it has its Statute guarded by the Civil Code and by the Penal Execution Law.    APAC operates as an auxiliary entity for the Judiciary and Executive Powers,    executing sentences and administrating them with this kind of alternative work.   Goals: The APAC’s goals are to promote humanization    of the prison system without losing the first objective – to make the    sentenced learn from their mistakes. The proposal is to avoid relapses to crime    and offer alternative ways for the sentenced to recover. Method: The APAC’s work consists of valorizing human    kindness, offering to the condemned conditions to recover. It also looks, in    a wider perspective, for the protection of the society and promoting justice    and help to the victims. The main difference between the APAC and the common prison system is that at    APAC, the rehabilitees are co-responsible for their own recovery, and receive    spiritual, medical, psychological and juridical assistance from the city community.    Their discipline and safety are kept with their own cooperation, with volunteers,    employees and managers, without the presence of the police. They also have professional courses to avoid idleness and learn how to behave.    Methodology is based on a rigid discipline, respect, work and family. Another    difference is in the execution of the sentence is that it forces the condemned    to stay in his own hometown. First Chess Tournament APAC-Itaúna “Dr. Mário Ottoboni” The event, which took place on July, had four pre-selected chess players chosen    by the coordinator and referee Walter Ferreira, against four rehabilitees from    APAC. The Schuring System was used, and Humberto Lima finished with 7.0 points    from 7 games. The second and third places were decided by using the Amargeddon    6-5 tiebreak system. The current champion of the city was placed second. Tournament table           Participants      1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      Pts      D1      D2      D3      Place             1. Arthur Moreira      --      1      1      0      1      1      0      1      5      2      2      2      3º             2. Convict Higor      0      --      0      0      ½       0      0      0      ½       0      0      0      7º/8º             3. Convict Glauber      0      1      --      0      1      0      0      1      3      -      -      -      5º             4. Humberto Lima      1      1      1      --      1      1      1      1      7      -      -      -      1º             5. Convict José Márcio       0      ½       0      0      --      0      0      0      ½       0      0      0      7º/8º             6. Lucas Teixeira      0      1      1      0      1      --      1      1      5      2      2      3      4º             7. Márcio Lunardy      1      1      1      0      1      0      --      1      5      2      2      1      2º             8. Convict Itamar      0      1      0      0      1      0      0      --      2      -      -      -      6º       The tournament under way, with city champion Márcio Lunardy in the    foreground    The tournament champion Humberto Lima in action   In the background the administrative managers of APAC approve Lecture and simultaneous games with Osmar Miranda               In October an amazing teacher and chess player was at APAC-Itaúna,          where he held a lecture about “The Benefits of Chess for Life when          a Looking Forward to the Future”. He also 20 members of the audience          the chance to play against him in a simultaneous exhibition. He won 16          games, drawing 3 and losing one (to a Walter Ferreira’s student).       Osmar Miranda Silva Júnior is a psychologist with degrees in educational          psychology from the PUC (Catholic University of Minas Gerais). He is also          Brazilian Children's Chess Champion, Brazilian College Chess Champion          and Vice-champion of the State of Minas Gerais. He is nowadays in eighth          place in the Chess Federation of Minas Gerais raking.      Osmar Miranda touched on the following subjects in his lecture: First, chess must be taught as a healthy, sporting activity, exercising the    brain. it is an instrument for social inclusion and pedagogical tool. Chess    is        Sport      T he second most practiced sport in the world      There are competitions for all levels and ages      Chess is recognised as an Olympic sport by National and International Committees         A healthy activity      A game that delivers complete "immersion" in the world of pieces        and boards      Integrates families, approaching children, parents and siblings      You can enjoy it at very low costs         Exercises the brain      It is considered by experts in neurology, psychology and related sciences        as the best of all exercises for the brain      Chess develops logical and mathematical thinking, concentration, planning        ability, memory, methodology of scientific thinking, self-control, abstract        reasoning, decision making, etc.      Chess players, even at an advanced age (over 75 years), retain the clarity        factor, since the game prevents degenerative diseases of the mind.         An instrument for social inclusion      Players, by studying chess, realize that study can be a pleasure      It forms a series of positive character traits, such as humility, patience,        perseverance, discipline      It creates an aesthetic perception of the game – understanding chess        as an art         A pedagogical tool      Chess as a factor in increased self-esteem      Chess as a possible career      Chess as a possibility of pleasure in the midst of pain      The chess as job prospects and incoming chances       Chess is a sport, exercise for the brain, an instrument for social integration...   The audience at the penitentiary is enthralled   A blitz game between Osmar Miranda and trainer Walter Ferreira   A simultaneous exhibition in the prison library   Inmates showing full concentration   Budding young players in the prison environment   In the end Osmar Miranda won 16 games, drew three and lost one Relevant links TJMG:      rehabilitees take chess lessonsPrison Fellowship InternationalCBX – Brazilian Chess FederationFederação Mineira de XadrezWorld Youth Chess Championship 2011FBAC (APAC) About the Author    Walter Ferreira Junior was born in Itaúna, in the State of Minas Gerais,    Brazil, on February 16, 1958. Currently he is preparing to take part in the    World Amateur Chess Tournament in Greece, April 2012, maintaining a constant    training and practicing on the Playchess    server, in which he uses the nickname “Metamorfose” and has    collected 568 applauses.   Walter Ferreira is a member of FIDE and has been to various events in Brazil    and abroad:  Absolute Chess Champion of the State of Minas Gerais, 1980 Brazilian College Chess Champion, 1980Former Assistant Referee of the Brazilian Confederation of ChessInstructor certified in Chess Federation of the State of Minas Gerais since      1989Vice-President of the Chess Federation of the State of Minas Gerais 1992/1993      BienniumThree games by Walter FerreiraClick to download    the PGN  Contact: genesisxadrez@hotmail.com    / waltercomut@yahoo.com.br