Success through Chess

Artwork by Mike Magnan

Checkmate
After-school chess clubs help elementary students in Beaverton make a move
By Elena Boryczka

Seated at a table in the cafeteria at William Walker Elementary School with a chessboard between them, two third-grade girls were engaged in a conversation about their favorite elements of the game.

“I like the horses. I like how the pieces move – how some move diagonal, some of the jump over, some of them can move anywhere,” said Molly McGukin.

Taylor McKercher agreed, adding, “I kind of like the white horse, too.”

Just behind them at another table, a couple of boys conferred about whether a specific move was permitted under the set of rules they had been introduced to just weeks before. A little farther over on another table, Latrell Wiggins was dominating against his fourth-grade opponent, taking most of her pieces hostage while protecting his king and queen. This was the scene during a Wednesday afternoon meeting of the school’s beginner-level chess club, which is coached by William Walker ESL teacher Mike Humphreys and run through the nonprofit organization Chess for Success.

With about 50 students making up the beginning and advanced groups that meet twice-weekly in the afterschool program for third- through fifth-graders, Humphreys said the chess club is one of the more popular options to keep children entertained after the final bell rings.

“Chess is an interesting game, and the idea behind the game is to teach kids thinking skills,” he said. “That’s one of the things that is missing with kids; personally I think they watch too much TV and (play too many) video games.”

He said something he notices in the classroom is children no longer want to think for themselves and are content to wait for their teachers to give them the answers. By learning chess, he said, they are taught reasoning skills and how to think critically to come up with a solution.

“As a teacher you see that. I don’t think you see enough lightbulbs going off in their heads,” he said. “ . . . I think it’s been very worthwhile for the kids. I think it’s really beneficial to them to learn this game.”

Trey Patton, 9, said he likes to play chess “because it’s all about battling.” His game against 8-year-old Alescia Howard was nearing an end, and though she was on the verge of defeat, Howard was still positive about the chess club experience.

“It’s fun because you get to win and see who plays the winner,” she said.

Patton said he would tell his friends to join the program “because it would be fun and would make you understand chess more.”

He said he started playing when he was 7, and he continues because “it’s a good game to play, and you get to battle and it’s fun.”

Here is the full article.