At library, chess club helps teens hone skill
BY LESLIE RICHARDSON
STAFF WRITER
01/28/2008
FRACKVILLE — A 500-year old game has a group of teenagers planning its next move.
Up to 15 kids, ages 11 to 19, congregate in the back room of the Frackville Public Library each Thursday to play chess.
The group began about four years ago under the watchful eye of Dr. Frank Zarutskie, Frackville.
“I discovered there was a chess board back here one day and thought some of the kids that come into the library might be interested in playing,” Zarutskie said last week.
Aside from the social aspects of getting together as a group, Zarutskie said, the game hones math skills, teaches patience and to “look before you leap.”
“We teach them to think of the consequences before making a move,” he said. “And that doesn’t just apply to chess.”
Zarutskie also said the club provides the opportunity for the adults to talk with the teenagers about a variety of subjects.
“We talk about what they are doing in school, what their plans are, what is going on in their lives,” he said.
Zarutskie is assisted by Bill Buchin, Weatherly, an avid chess player and competitor who writes a weekly chess column.
Buchin volunteers his time each week to teach the players about the game.
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So many people are doing wonderful things for our kids. What has Mr. Goichberg done? Did he donate money to scholastic chess? Did he sponsor any event which did not bring a bucket full of cash to his pockets and CCA? Shame on you Mr. Goichberg. You were elected to help the uscf and not your friends.
That’s an unfair statement. Everyone knows that his first priority is CCA. The man has to eat. If people don’t like it, they don’t have to vote for him next time or go to his tournament. But it’s wrong to criticize him.