As a New York City firefighter, Joe Miccio has saved scores of city residents.
BY THOMAS TRACY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, November 21, 2016, 4:00 AM
Now, he’s saving children from getting checkmated.
The retired cop turned firefighter is bringing the centuries-old game of chess to a new generation of children by digitizing QuickChess, a variation he created that teaches people how to play within 10 minutes.
Miccio, 57, created QuickChess when he was a firefighter at Ladder 127 in Jamaica, Queens, and a friend asked him if he would teach their kids how to play chess.
“I’m not a chess expert, but I am pretty good at teaching and have a knack with working with young kids,” said Miccio.
In order to teach the children, he designed a game with a smaller board and fewer pieces. It didn’t take them long to master the game and want to try the bigger board.
“The kids don’t even realize they’re learning to play chess as they play this game,” Miccio said.
Joe Miccio’s QuickChess game uses a smaller board and fewer pieces.
His fellow smoke-eaters took notice — and also give QuickChess a whirl.
“Soon word got around all over the (fire)house,” Miccio said. “They teased me a bit and had some nicknames for me, but if they don’t tease you, they don’t like you. They were the ones who kept asking me to bring the game with me.”
Miccio created QuickChess as a board game in 1991. The new digital version will have the same rules, as well as a host of new challenges created by Grandmaster Susan Polgar, the first woman to earn the coveted chess title.
The two have put together a KickStarter campaign to raise $55,000 to produce the computer version.
To make it even easier to learn, children will be able to customize their chess pieces, Miccio said.
About 605 million people play the game of kings across the globe, according to the World Chess Federation.
Joe Miccio was a firefighter at Ladder 127 in Jamaica, Queens. He’s also a former cop.
Scores of those players are already in New York attending the 2016 World Chess Championship, which is being held at the South Street Seaport until Nov. 30. It’s the first time the championship has been in New York since 1995.
It’s a game mired in strategy, critical thinking and concentration, but it also teaches kids something few games do today — patience, Miccio said.
“At a time when most people are playing zombie-shooting video games, these kids are learning not to pounce on a play,” Miccio said. “Because if they do, they will probably lose the game a few moves down the line.”
There’s also something about chess that always rings true with firefighters — never giving up.
“It’s about never running away,” he said. “It’s about strategy, hanging tough and getting to the other side.”
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com