“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.