Masters of chess put their know-how to the test at annual tournament
By PAUL LOCHER
Staff Writer
WOOSTER — Even though there were more than 80 high school and middle school students locked in heavy-duty competition Saturday in the library of Wooster High School, you could have heard a pawn drop.
Those students, and more than 120 others from throughout 10 schools in a multi-county area, were competing in the Canton Scholastic Chess League’s quarterly tournament.
The event brought together chess players from middle and high schools throughout the region to compete for trophies and prestige. Stark County had the largest representation in the organization.
The dozen-member Wooster contingent is advised by Dr. Dennis Helmuth, a private practice physician in Wooster who started working with the club as a parent volunteer 16 years ago, and found the experience rewarding far beyond his expectations.
Helmuth said the club started at Parkview School, but soon spread to include students from all the schools in the district. The club meets every Tuesday at the high school at 7:30 p.m. and is open to any student wanting to participate.
According to Helmuth, Wooster teams have won the CSCL championships several times over the years, and this year is fielding what he characterized as a group of “promising middle school players.” In 2008, the Wooster team placed second in state competition.
On Saturday, at the year’s second of four tournaments, Wooster had a team of 10 players.
Helmuth said he has enjoyed coaching chess, in large part because of the many ways he sees students benefiting.
“I think it teaches a lot of good cognition skills, especially as it pertains to attention span and memory,” said Helmuth. “It’s better than playing video games. It teaches kids to be less impulsive, to think things through and to slow down. It also helps them to be more analytical in their thinking.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes the ways it helps kids with their cognitive skills. And the best part is, it’s a fun and wholesome activity.”
Helmuth, who said he has played “serious chess” since high school, believes “what kids can learn from it is almost limitless.”
In Saturday’s competition, the high school library was the venue for top players, and silence was strictly enforced, with conversation confined to low, non-distracting whispers.
Students play on league-owned, standardized, tournament-style chess sets and use league-owned chess clocks to time and record their moves. The competition encompasses four rounds. In the first three rounds each player has 30 minutes to make their moves, making those games one hour each. In the final round players have 45 minutes each to make their moves, making that game 90 minutes.
Between matches, students have 15 minutes they use to study their moves and consider strategies.
During the matches, there is little sound, other than an occasional cough or perhaps a dropped chess piece, and the noise of players tapping their clocks. Advisers and volunteers supervise the matches and write new pairings with equal silence.
Full article here.
Fantastic!