Students learn by making the right moves
Chess captures young imaginations
by Kristina Gawrgy
Staff Writer
Second-grader Yasmine Sebbti clenched her fists with frustration as she thought about what her next chess move should be.
‘‘I’m just going to do it,” she said as she moved her pawn into capture position. Her opponent, second-grader Fakhri Aditya, didn’t boast or cheer but made his move.
For the entire championship game, played on chess set featuring characters from the television show ‘‘The Simpsons,” 8-year-old Evan Bearman, also a second-grader, coached his two peers.
The serious yet friendly game is part of Bel Pre Elementary School’s Chess Club, an after-school activity partly funded by the Parent Teacher Association to teach students about strategy, making good decisions and good sportsmanship.
‘‘We knew it was something for high-order thinking skills,” said Kristin O’Neil, one of the teachers in charge of the club. ‘‘I think that they definitely do grow as thinkers and become more self-confident.”
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chess is great for kids.