Students call checkmate on winter boredom
By MICHELLE BOSWORTH
Staff writer
The clock says 3:45 on a Wednesday afternoon at Hillsboro Elementary School. Walking into a kindergarten classroom, someone might expect to find maybe a janitor or a teacher staying late to finish up some work. Instead, six youngsters huddle around a long table. No, they aren't in trouble. No, they don't have to stay late to finish some homework. Every week they choose to meet here to challenge themselves and each other.
The Chess Club offers students in grades four through 12 the opportunity to mentally challenge each other, learn new strategic skills, and relieve a little winter boredom. Mike Moran, elementary school counselor, began the club to fill a gap for certain children. He says it definitely meets a need for some students who might not normally become involved in other clubs or activities.
Beginning four years ago, the Chess Club was first taught by a couple of Tabor students. Leadership has changed hands over the years, but the focus remains the same. The current leader, Ben Bosworth, a freshman at Hillsboro High School, says chess stimulates the mind and builds lots of patience. He thrives on the strategic challenge of the game.
Usually the club meets during the winter months when the cold weather offers a good excuse to stay inside and perform mental workouts. Although the club has dwindled in numbers over the past two years, Moran believes the kids presently involved are more serious about learning to play chess well.
Location may come into play concerning the number of students who come to meetings. Ben recalls that when Chess Club met at the Middle School Commons, more people participated.
Disregarding history, numbers and location, those members who show up each week quickly get down to business. Last Wednesday, even before a short lesson and demonstration, four boys were already locked in competition. Eventually, three chess boards were manned by six students ranging in age from 7 to 14. Caleb Halsted, Carter Pankratz, and Erin Winter are members who weren't present that day.
Zach Carey, a dark-haired 10-year-old, said he had never played chess before coming to the club, so he came to learn something new. He and 7-year-old Ryan Kleinsasser traded strategic moves and counter-moves as Ryan shared that he has played with his dad before, but he comes to Chess Club to learn more about the game.
Ben and Branden Bringhurst, 11, were the quietest ones in the group as they dueled for supremacy of the chess board. They both took their game seriously as they studied each piece and thought deeply about each move. Branden's dad and grandpa taught him to play chess.
"I like that it takes a lot of thinking," he said as he deliberately moved a pawn. "I also want to see how good I am." Branden enjoys playing whenever he can.
Luke Fischer, 10, and Grant Knoll, 7, are not your stereotypical chess players. Their end of the table is alive with activity and back-and-forth banter as they progress in their mental aerobic workout. Luke's dad taught him to play chess, and he, like Branden comes to Chess Club to see how good he is at the game. He grins as he tells how chess is one of his hobbies. Luke's dark eyes see everything on the board, and he is not shy in reminding Grant that it is his turn or that he can't make that move because he is endangering his king, etc.
Grant moves — not just chess pieces but himself. He stands. He sits. He walks around. Everything about him is animated, as he willingly shares his chess knowledge. At home, he plays chess on the computer a lot. He says he taught himself to play chess at the age of 4. How? He grabs an information sheet; one that comes with the game, points to the diagrams, and grins widely.
Several members mentioned how they tried to teach their mothers to play chess with debatable results. Softly laughing and shaking their heads, the boys quietly revel in their brotherhood of elitism. They just cannot fathom how anyone could not love and excel at chess the way they do. Several of the guys have resorted to playing chess on the computer because their opponents at home got tired of hearing "check" soon followed by "checkmate!"
Chess club is important, even if it is a small group, because it gives members the opportunity to challenge each other, learn, and grow. Although they each have their own style, be it loud, studious, wiggling in a chair, controlled, or cautious, Chess Club members view 3:45 on Wednesdays as a time for fun. And whether they win or lose, they walk away triumphant.
