10/23/2006
Chess players move to new level
Maria Garriga , Register Staff
NEW HAVEN — Howard Nero, a math and science teacher at Microsociety Magnet School, turned to chess several years ago to help students understand math coordinates. He realized he was onto something and started a chess club four years ago, then formalized it and called it “Checkmate! Chess for Champions” two years ago. Members began working toward tournaments. This year, he brought in the Yale Chess Club to take his 50 players to a new level.
Club members play one another and are paired with players around the world in on-line matches.
“The kids now see math has a purpose behind it. They learn strategy, patience and problem-solving. Problem-solving is the hardest thing for our kids,” he said.
Nero said that students in the club improved their math scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test by 30 percent between fifth and sixth grade.
“I would say that 80 percent of our kids are proficient in math now, they are among the highest math scores in the district.”
ING, the Dutch insurance conglomerate, selected Nero this year as an ING Unsung Hero, its awards program for teachers, and donated $2,000 to Microsociety to expand the club Friday.
Nero will put the money toward paying for more chess games, timers, chess software, transportation and tournament fees.
He will take his top five players to a tournament next month in Orange, but his students will need to compete to be among the five.
Rakeam Durant, 11, a sixth-grader and Microsociety’s reigning chess champ, has been playing chess under Nero since first grade.
“It’s tough because everybody keeps getting better and better,” Rakeam said. “Now my dad wants me to teach him how to play.”
His classmates, Ethan Godfrey, Danjuan Oliver and Lezlie McEarchern, all 11 and in the sixth grade, are eager to challenge him as champion.
“Fool’s mate! You use that (strategy) on everybody,” Lezlie huffed. Rakeam smiled quietly, as if to say, ‘But it works.’
They have already competed in several tournaments, but these students don’t forget why they’re learning chess.”
In chess, you learn math better. You learn eight times eight is 64 because there are 64 squares on the grid,” Ethan said.
“It has something to do with math even though its a fun game,” Danjuan added. 
Excellent article!
Since I started studying Math my Elorating increased 200 points.
This is wonderful! Thanks for posting this Susan. This is what it’s all about…the future and making the next generation brighter and chess enthusiasts!
Dear Susan,
I don’t want to abuse your kindness to let people write email to you directly, so I will write here, since it seems that this is not a popular topic.
In your opinion, how much does chess really relate to math ability or other intellectual endeavors?
For me this was always a huge mystery. Although your father made the claim that he raised you and your sisters as chess players, and he believes that it is all training and no genetic component, it is very difficult to accept. Mostly because other child chess super talents are not known to be raised as chess players. In fact, most of the typical stories are that X.Y. learned how to play chess at age 5-6-7-8, and became noticed to beat everybody around them (adults too). Then got into chess, but they usually shined on a high level, much before they would have had time to really study THAT MUCH. On the other hand, less talented people are trying very hard for many years, yet they never can pass a certain level.
Yet, I took a “chance”, following your father’s footsteps, and I taught chess to my wife’s grandson at age 6. I did, because he seemed very bright, at age 6 he already read fluently, did all math functions without paper, could add, substract, divide, multiply, large numbers, understood the concept of numbers on nth power, basic physics and other science (he is now 13, attends a school for ultra-gifted).
Yet, after learning the basics of chess, he could never take off the ground, I can still beat him easily, and believe me, I am a very lousy chess player (I just love chess, but that’s a different story). So, here is this ultra-bright kid (proven by all tests (including IQ tests), performance and everything, not only the opinion of partial (elfogult) grandparents) and his chess ability is nearly equal to zero.
So, what is the real secret of chess? Do YOU believe that it is learning? Or do you think that it is something you were born with and your dad just happened to pick the activity you already had talent for?
Am I correct that most high level chess players can play blind chess?
What has that got to do with logic or math? I tried, and after a few moves I have no idea what is where on the board. Yet, high level chess players can play blind with more than one people. That is why I think (I assume) that chess talent must be some super-ability of mental visualization, combined of course with logic, but the primary requirement is a type of visualization ability. There can be no “chess genes” since chess is an artificial invention of humans and in no way it can get into any evolutionary process. But there could be some genes for that visualization ability I am talking about (and of course logic at the same time).
Did anyone do any in depth research about this subject?
Gabor
(docobgyn@yahoo.com)
Gabor,
Just because someone learns the rules of chess, does not mean that they will succeed in it, however intelligent they are.
I am sure if you had him study with a qualified chess teacher, he would very quickly overcome your chess ability.
Chess is so complicated however, that it is like sailing on an ocean with no direction without some kind of guidance. You may be very intelligent, but you may be making all kinds of formulas about chess that are just incorrect.
It seemed from your post that you were the one teaching him, in that case it is difficult to see how he would quickly surpass you in skill, considering by your own admition you have very little understand of chess. How can you teach someone to be better or even equal to yourself if you have little understanding of the game?
I find this post to be highly amusing however. I do not believe there is more than a tiny correlation between chess and math. Both subjects will increase the neurons that fire in the brain so they may compliment each other, but the statement that a student learns math from chess because he learns that 8×8 = 64 is in my opinion completely ridiculous.