Pondering his next move, Samuel Grant (left), is one of about 16 students who signed up for Ikego Elementary School’s Chess Club open for students in the first through third grades. (Chris Fowler / S&S)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — It’s more than a game, says Larry Taylor. It’s a way for children to think through and solve problems — one move at a time.
Each Monday afternoon, a handful of students participating in Ikego Elementary School’s chess club meet with Taylor to learn a game that for centuries has been referred to as the sport of kings.
Their ages range from 6 to 9.
Some are talking, most are fidgeting, and all are gathered around a mismatched series of chess sets that have been donated to the school.
“Everybody listen up!” Taylor, the school’s art and physical education teacher, says over the din. “In the game of chess it’s all about threat and counter-threat.”
Taylor has been playing chess for almost 50 years. Some might say he is a bit of an enthusiast.
“I’m trying to develop little thinkers,” Taylor says. “Music, math, art, they all use patterns. So does chess.”
Taylor, sitting at a table gluing bottoms that had fallen off chess pieces, says children are naturals at learning the game because their brains are programmed to recognize patterns.
“Patterns are the first things infants see,” he says. “By learning how patterns interact, children learn to think. It is something they can apply in their everyday life.”
Taylor, who taught both of his sons to play — one at age 4 — isn’t alone in the belief that chess can help a child’s education.
For years researchers have drawn correlations between higher academic achievement and exposure to chess.
Stuart Margulies, an educational psychologist, conducted studies indicating that children who learn chess enhance their ability to analyze, think and decode — all processes involved in reading.
His study showed chess-playing students generally outperformed those who didn’t play — the greatest improvement shown among students who initially displayed relatively low or average initial reading scores.
Samuel Grant says he likes the game — even if he doesn’t win all the time.
“It makes your brain smarter,” says the 7-year-old.
His favorite piece is the all-powerful queen. He has never heard of Bobby Fischer, but it really doesn’t matter. He just likes playing.
Another student, Ahijah Marseille, says his favorite sport is basketball, but he likes chess, too.
“It’s a quiet game,” says Marseille. “It’s like a war, except there are no real soldiers. Instead there are pawns.”
He didn’t take much time to talk, though.
“I have to concentrate so I can move.”
