Chess for Change

How children can learn from chess

September 28, 2007 Edition 1

Robyn Cohen

Chess is a war game. “I crushed him; I demolished him, I destroyed him”. This is how players talk.

American chess guru, David MacEnulty pulls no punches. “Chess is always a battle but as a friend of mine – Lev Alburt who is a grandmaster in New York once said – it is a battle of beautiful ideas. That’s what I love about it; you don’t get a black eye. Your legs don’t get busted. You learn how to trust your mind. In life, you get much further with your mind, than your fist.”

MacEnulty is in South Africa, promoting Chess for Change. The long-term goal of CFC is to get chess included in the curriculum as a subject. As yet, MacEnulty and his team have not managed to get the nod from the Department of Education but for now, CFC is facilitating tournaments and events throughout the country.

This is MacEnulty’s third trip to South Africa. While here, he has been teaching children how to play the game. He has also been training teachers.

MacEnulty got involved with teaching chess when he began a chess project 15 years ago in a primary school in the South Bronx in New York.

The children were from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most were underperformers.

It wasn’t a dream gig but MacEnulty took up the challenge. Lives were transformed by chess. Children who had been written off as no-hopers excelled in schoolwork and went on to study at top colleges.

A film, Knights of the South Bronx (starring Ted Danson of TV sitcom Cheers fame) was made, based on his experiences.

CFC in South Africa was born three years ago when David Berman, a SA hedge fund manager who is based in New York, bumped into MacEnulty. Berman has seen the benefits of chess in his own life and was encouraging his own children to play. He brought MacEnulty to South Africa and began to lobby for chess to be introduced as a subject.

Get chess into schools and the economy will benefit in the long-term, is the ethos behind CFC. “The potential for promoting emotional intelligence and academic excellence is enormous. An emotionally intelligent person is optimistic, patient, caring, sympathetic and empathetic – and ultimately successful,” reflects MacEnulty. “Research shows that chess not only enhances emotional development but it also develops skills in maths and science. It teaches skills which help in the corporate world.”

MacEnulty is grateful to RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa for sponsoring CFC. But, CFC needs more corporates to come forward so that the programme can be taken further.

“If we can get chess into township schools – and make chess accessible for all – then the long-term benefit for South African society will be huge.”

This was sent to me by David Berman, the man who is behind this wonderful project. Thanks David B. and David M. for what you do for the kids!