West Patent Students Work on Strategy and Problem Solving While Learning from Chess Experts

West Patent Elementary School students’ faces were scrunched in concentration as they huddled over chessboards, pondering their next moves. Playing in teams of two, they strategized out loud, working through what the best play might be.

“Should we let the queen move?” a second grader asked her partner.

“No, if you move there, they can take ours!” another shouted in concern.

The experience was part of an enrichment opportunity that brought two highly respected chess instructors, Benjamin Gershenov (a National Master and five-time National Champion) and Felix Lopez (a United States Chess Federation Rated Chess Expert with more than 30 years of experience teaching players of all ages), to the school to teach students about chess. The pair will be returning in the spring to lead enrichment clubs.

During three sessions, the chess experts taught students about how the pieces are set up, moved, and played as well as a special move called castling, which allows you to move the king and rook at once. Older students also got a strategy lesson.

“We are thrilled to bring this enriching experience to our students,” said Principal Inas Morsi-Hogans. “We thought this was a good opportunity to introduce a potential new hobby that is screen-free.”

Denise Connolly, the school’s elementary coordinator added, “It’s creating this old-fashioned energy that I love.”

The students seem to love it as well. During the last session, Lopez guided them through the rules of castling and added a bit of strategy for fourth graders before sending students off to play. They were fully engaged, asking and answering questions throughout.

“In chess, in the beginning of the game, the most important part is the middle of the board,” he told the older students. “If you can control that, you can control the game.”

Once they started playing, most of the teams moved their center pawns, knights and bishops toward the middle to start off strong.

Students noted that they like chess for a variety of reasons, from its competitive nature to the thinking skills it requires.

“I like how chess is complex and takes smarts,” fourth grader Layla Sullivan said.

One of her opponents, Zehra Ferlengez, agreed.

“It makes us smarter. It challenges me. I play against myself sometimes,” said Zehra.

Students in another group raved about the game as they played.

“I really like it,” Madison Delacruz said. “It’s entertaining, and usually adults learn this and not kids. My mom says it’s one of the hardest games on earth.”

“I feel like this is my new favorite game,” said Eileen Hernandez Baquedano.