Child’s game

Children engage in a battle of wits
By Linda Harkcom
Published: Thursday, June 28, 2012, 12:34 a.m.

On Saturday mornings at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library, children engage in a baffle of wits as they face off against one another in a game of chess.

The Chess Club is back at the library for the summer and all children ages 5 and older who wish to learn to play or better their skills are welcome to attend the free class.

Adam Warburton, 20, of Mt. Pleasant Township is the instructor for the group which meets at 10 a.m. each Saturday.

“They do not have to know how to learn chess to come. It is not a classroom setting. Students will learn by doing with guidance on the side. Older, more advanced, students will get help with strategy,” Warburton said.

Warburton is no stranger to chess.

He began playing at the age of 5 and was a member of the Greensburg Public Library Chess Club for almost five years.

As a student at Mt. Pleasant Area High School, Warburton started the chess club at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library during the 2009-10 school year. He also taught chess at the library while on winter break from St. Vincent College where he is studying physics and education. In addition, he taught a chess class to a group of high school-age students through the college this past school year.

Warburton said he is hopeful that more teens and even adults will come out for the club.

“If we would get enough, I would like to have two groups — a younger and an older group,” he said.

Cameron Baird, 8, of Mt. Pleasant attended the club once last year and has come back again this summer.

“I like chess and my mom wanted me to join the club,” Baird said.

His mother Melissa Baird said she brings Cameron, who also plays ice hockey to the class to expose him to many different things.

“I just want him to be well-rounded,” she said.

Library Director May Lou Shick said there are many benefits to children learning chess.

“It teaches them to make quick decisions, which can be very beneficial when they take tests,” Shick said.

Source: http://triblive.com