‘Game of kings' takes off in Summit

FRISCO — Just when we think kids today aren't interested in anything other than the flashing blips of their PlayStations and GameBoys, along comes an ancient, decidedly analog board game to prove us wrong. Each week, students in Summit County elementary schools are gathering to learn and play chess — part of an initiative launched by parents and teachers with help from the Summit County Optimists Club.

On a recent Friday morning before school started, Frisco Elementary teacher Peder Hansen had some 50 students willing to beat the bell and learn chess. Running out of tables, some kids were sitting on the floor, playing off sets provided by the Optimists.

Hansen is just the kind of teacher to work young minds through the intricacies of chess. Fun but firm and infinitely patient, he kicked off the first day by having the kids draw a poster of each piece, then write rap poems to describe each one and how it moved. The following Friday, he broke out the boards and had the kids work with just a couple of different pieces while giving them some idea of what chess is all about.

“When you play, you are protecting your kingdom,” Hansen told the aspiring players. “It takes strategy — a great plan — to win. And no matter how good a chess player you are, you can always get better.”

Summit County Court Judge Ed Casias is the Optimist in charge of the chess program. He said it started eight or nine years ago when parents starting asking teachers about getting chess in the schools.

“It's just a great program,” Casias said. “It's one of those games you can play forever — your knees and back won't give out.”

In addition to providing the chess sets, the Optimists help organize a tournament every spring for the students who've been learning the game. Last year, Casias said about 150 students participated. The schools are first broken up into north (Silverthorne, Dillon and Summit Cove elementaries) and south (Breckenridge, Upper Blue and Frisco), with the Christian school kids playing in either group depending on where they live. Then, the north-south champs face off in a two-day tournament usually held at Frisco Elementary.

“It's amazing how quiet that room is,” Casias said. “Sixty kids, and you can hear a pin drop.”

At the end, everyone shakes hands and congratulates each other. Casias said it's just a great example of the students learning good sportsmanship.

The benefits

Look online and you can find many studies citing the benefits of playing chess for young people. Hansen said he sees first-hand how the students who get good at chess develop strong analytical skills. Perhaps more important to him, though, is the community aspect. When kids are playing that GameBoy or X-Box, they're often not interacting much with other people.

“They can certainly play a video game and win at it, but in the chess club, there's a real social aspect, a community where they're learning and growing with other kids,” Hansen said. “And it's not just about showing up to win.”

But chess and video games do have some things in common, he said. You can play the “easy” game and you can also develop skills to challenge better players.

“It's a lot like writing or math as well,” he said. “You can get the basics, but it's how you manipulate that knowledge and the challenges you can set out for yourself.”

As a teacher, Hansen said he loves watching the kids learning a new skill. Also, since he's currently the only fifth-grade teacher at Frisco, he gets to know students he'll have one day as early as first or second grade.

“I see them mature, so by the time they get to my class I know them personally and what kind of time they put into things,” he said. “Kids are fantastic — so full of energy and creativity. It's fun to watch them learn cooperatively.”