Herndon, Va. - Why would Herndon Elementary School students choose to spend their lunch period or recess away from friends in the cafeteria or on the playground?  They have been learning the ancient game of chess with the help of Minerals Management Service employees. 

Each fall every third through sixth-grade student is given the opportunity to join the Chess Club., which is part of the Herndon Elementary Enrichment Program, coordinated by resource specialist Susan Von Schaack. The club is so popular it has had more than 75 members and a waiting list, due to space limitations.

“The best thing is the continued interest of the students for the entire year and their enthusiasm,” said Von Schaack. “They are always asking me if it is their week for chess club.”

Students meet in half hour sessions on alternating weeks to develop chess skills, such as  thinking logically and efficiently, selecting the best move from a large number of options, and flexibility when moves don’t work as planned.

Started in the fall of 2004, the chess club is part of the MMS-HES partnership. David Zinzer, a geophysicist at MMS, leads the pool of six MMS volunteer chess instructors consisting of Jarvis Abbott, Van Jenkins, Kevin Kunkel, Robert Smith, and Kevin Spaner. Three to four instructors on average teach chess to HES students during the lunch hour.

According to Zinzer, the chess game allows students the opportunity to learn how to think logically, and to make the best choices from a number of options during a game. “Chess can also enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities,” Zinzer said. “It improves their self confidence and enhances good sportsmanship, attitudes, and behaviors. The children are also increasing their abilities to work with other students of different skill levels.”

The instructors teach the students how to arrange the chess board, how the pieces move, how to capture their opponent’s pieces, special moves, tactics, strategy, and how to think beyond their next move. After these fundamentals are mastered, students play one another, an instructor, or against a computer. The students are encouraged to play a different opponent each session and to play at home with family members and friends.

As skill levels progress, the instructors advise students why certain moves were not the best choice, how to adjust to the consequences of each move, and to always pay attention to what their opponent is doing. Patience and perseverance are also emphasized. Saif, a fifth-grader, said chess helps him to solve math word problems as he ponders a series of moves to make. Third grade chess club members Mark and Hiong said they love the opportunity to “take a break from class and play a game that's fun and challenging,” while Noel likes the surprises chess brings.

Semi-annual tournaments in each grade provide practice in making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, a skill that can help improve student’s exam scores. Sixth-grader Mujtaba said he “likes the fast paced moves required in the tournament” because it’s a change from the typical school day.

MMS instructors present award medals and participation certificates to the students at the end of the school year.

Chess is just one of the many partnerships between HES and MMS. MMS volunteers also serve as mentors, math and language instructors, and participate in the annual Read Across America Day, the school fall book fair, geography bee, math/science tech night, and the student art show.