Chess is taking off in Texas

In Dallas-area schools, chess is taking off as classmates become checkmates
By ERIC AASEN
Staff Writer
Published: 26 November 2011 10:04 PM

LUCAS — The school day was over at Hart Elementary School, but dozens of kids barged into an empty classroom — to play chess.

They darted to the whiteboard and checked out pairing sheets to see whom they’d be playing.

They sat down at desks and sorted out their kings and queens, rooks and bishops.

Soon, whoops of “checkmate!” pierced the air.

Another weekly chess club gathering was under way at Lovejoy ISD in Collin County, where chess is thriving.

Chess is shedding its dorky reputation. In some schools, chess is cool. Thanks to games on computers and smartphones, kids are learning chess younger than ever.

School chess clubs have taken off in North Texas and across the country in recent years. Chess supporters say the game can improve problem-solving abilities, strengthen math skills and boost confidence.

At Hart Elementary, Tricia Dobson, president of the Lovejoy Leopard Chess booster club, scanned the room filled with chess players, smiling like a proud mom.

“I’m feeding them spinach,” she said, “and they love it.”

A kid handed Dobson a check for the upcoming chess session.

“You’re coming back!” she said, giving a high-five. “All right!”

Dobson got involved in the Lovejoy ISD chess program because her son wanted to play. Eventually, she helped expand the chess clubs to the middle school and high school.

Dobson played chess as a kid and passed along that love to her children. When her kids waited for swimming lessons, she’d play chess with them.

She dreams of buying an old firehouse in Allen and transforming it into a chess center, where tournaments would be held every weekend.

“Happy checkmating,” Dobson ends her emails.

She loves seeing other kids get hooked on chess. One child was so proud of his performance at a recent chess tournament that he wanted to sleep with his trophy.

“Chess brings success to kids,” Dobson said. “Parents love when their kids are successful, and this is such an avenue for success.”

Kids are becoming strong chess players because they’re being introduced to chess so early in life, said Keaton Kiewra, a chess instructor who helps out with the Lovejoy chess clubs.

“Chess is a lot of things,” he said. “It’s a sport. There’s definitely an art to it.”

Playing chess, Kiewra said, is like conducting a symphony.

“A lot of instruments are coming together to produce something,” he said. “In a chess game, you use your pieces together to achieve a common goal.”

One of the Hart Elementary chess players, Amber Liu, 7, wants to eventually be a grandmaster, the highest title a chess player can earn.

She started playing after she saw her dad play chess. It seemed like fun, she said.

“It feels really exciting when I win,” she said.

When she’s not playing chess at school, she’s playing with her dad.

“He goes kind of easy on me,” she said.

Elsewhere in the classroom, Riley McGowan sat with Jay Hendrix. The second-graders faced a sea of black and white pawns, knights, queens and kings.

Jay, what’s your strategy?

He shook his head. He didn’t want to give anything away.

Then he leaned over and cupped his hand over a visitor’s ear.

“Get the queen,” he whispered. “It’s worth nine points.”

Jay moved a black knight and got a white pawn. Then, Riley moved a white king and got a black knight.

Soon, Jay’s king was under attack.

“This,” Jay declared, “is a good game!”

As Jay pondered his next move, Riley pondered his interest in chess.

“It’s just better than checkers,” he said, “because there are a lot more moves. With checkers, all you can do is move diagonally.”

Soon, chess club was over, and kids were leaving the room. But Jay and Riley stayed in their seats.

But then one of Riley’s friends announced that his mom was there to pick them up.

“Oh darn,” Riley said, getting up from his seat. “Good game, Jay.”

Another classmate slid into Riley’s chair, and he and Jay kept playing.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com