State Chess Champ, Again!
Under Coach Bill Moore, Bull Run Elementary wins K-5 division
By Petra Stark
April 6, 2007
It’s possible to sit in the Bull Run Elementary cafeteria packed with more than 100 students and not hear a single word. But the silence is not a result of students being disciplined. Rather, they are having fun. Sitting quietly between hand shakes, which start and end each game of chess, the 140 club members compete against each other every Thursday night between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
“COACH BILL MOORE volunteers his time every Thursday,” says Vicki Ruiter, the mother of three chess club members. “This is the only club that charges just $10 for the entire year. All of his work is truly a labor of love,” she says.With a passionate coach and a bright group of students, it is hardly surprising that Bull Run Elementary recently won the K-5 State Championship along with Greenbriar West Elementary School. With 21 members on the State Championship team, Bull Run has the largest team in Virginia. The tournament was held for two days in Richmond and each member played six games that progressively increased in time.
…Coach Moore agrees and believes that the game of chess has valuable life lessons. “Chess teaches you — take your time, make wise decisions, learn from your mistakes, be respectful,” he says. “If you make a bad move on the chess board you may get into a bind but you can play again.
But once you walk out those doors and make a bad decision, it’s harder to put the pieces back together again.”Therefore, thinking ahead and learning to consider the consequences of any action is a great lesson for students. Coach Moore also suggested that there seems to be a positive correlation between a good chess player and strong math skills.
“CHESS IS GREAT because you can play it your whole life,” says the coach. “You can play in any country regardless of language because the rules are the same.”
Ultimately, chess is about having fun. If students would rather participate in a different activity, that is perfectly OK and encouraged as well.
Here is the full story.
Well done Coach Moore!