Chess builds confidence at Cornerstone

Her coach, Kevin Fite, a math teacher at Cornerstone, said a moment of lost concentration may have cost Niani a gold medal.

“She promoted a pawn and asked for a rook but the kid gave her a queen and she didn’t say anything,” Fite said. “I think she was fatigued. She accepted the queen and it ended up being a stalemate.”

Niani won a silver with four and a half games out of five but walked away thinking that the draw was the most interesting game she played.

“I think I’m a competitive person,” she said. “I like winning, but when I lose I get something out of that, too. It goes both ways.”

That kind of maturity is at the heart of the Cornerstone chess program. At the state championships, Cornerstone won five gold medals (for winning five of five games), six silver (for winning four or four and a half games) and a bronze (for winning three and a half games). Draws are counted as half games. Last year, they won in the nonrated section of national junior high competition in Dallas, Texas, and took second in the elementary competition in Pittsburgh, Pa.

BUILDS SELF-ESTEEM

The club was started three years ago and began entering competitions two years ago. But it’s not about the medals and trophies.

“I had a chess club at my former school and I had success there, won at state and nationals, and saw what it did for kids, helping them with self-esteem, helping them with their grades, helping them with their critical thinking skills,” said Fite. “It’s endless. All those things help with the betterment of the child.”

Gold medal winner Marna Bridgewater, 12, a seventh-grader, has only been playing since September but already recognizes the benefits.

“It helps you with math, you have to think about problems,” she said. “I won my first gold medal. I had never felt what it was like to win.”

Fite was introduced to chess when he was 8 years old by his 12-year-old brother. He was fascinated by the endless patterns that repeat and play out in a chess game.

“You need good memorization skills, when you see those patterns,” he said. “But the main thing I see, and the best kept secret in education, is the self-esteem. When they beat someone mentally, that builds self-esteem. If your self-esteem is high that will help with grades, help with your social skills. Kids are going to come to school.”

Gabriel Colston, 13, a seventh-grader, is new to the game but enjoys the competition.

“It’s like war and competition but it’s also a calm game,” he said in a quiet voice. “I try to think of his next move and I study his eyes to see what he’s looking at and you see what they’re thinking. I like to think a couple moves ahead.”

At a recent practice, one group of club members was analyzing past games, another was going over basic moves and one group was playing speed games.

“We have one group in there now analyzing games and having discussions on why they did this move, is it a bad move, why is it a bad move. They have to constantly ask why,” Fite said.

PARENTAL SUPPORT

Fite coaches grades four-eight and Glenn Smith, who Fite calls his coaching mentor, coaches kindergarten through third. They receive a lot of support from parents.

“They go above and beyond,” Fite said. “They fund raise, go out and solicit, help other kids, they bring snacks. Whatever is needed they do it.”

And they attend the tournaments. At nationals for junior high in Dallas and elementary in Pittsburgh last year, 100 percent of the parents attended to watch their children compete.

Felicia Gibson thought it was “awesome” that daughter Carla wanted to play chess.

“It enhances her academic studies. Chess allows them to think more globally. You have to consider the next six or seven moves,” she said.

The goal this year is to attend the Supernationals in Nashville, Tenn., April 1-6. Fite said he hopes to take 60-70 Cornerstone students to the event that draws 5,000 to 6,000 students from throughout the country.

Brenae Smith, 9, a fourth-grader, looks forward to meeting people and going to new places.

“I think it feels good,” she said.

But Marna Bridgewater is looking a few moves ahead in the game.

“The nationals is six weeks from now and I’m doing a lot of studying,” she said. “There’s not a lot of girls playing chess, so I’m thinking about a scholarship.”

Source: http://www.hometownlife.com