"You Can't Take A King!" and other lessons learned at IMPACT's Chess Club

Written by Stephanie Kluck

 

Think that Chess Clubs are only for geeks?  Think again!  IMPACT has partnered with The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis to provide a twice-weekly chess program for the students of Nance and Wallbridge Elementary Schools.

And geeks wouldn't stand a chance in this chess club!  I visited Nance Elementary on a recent Tuesday afternoon to find the kids of Miss Collins' class fully engrossed in all things chess.  And these kids are very serious.  Everyone grabs a partner and a board and immediately the normally rambunctious fifth-graders quiet down into intense concentration.  The only occasional outburst you will hear is when a player accidentally makes an illegal move.  If they dare.  These chess club-bers are very serious about the rules and will have heated debates about piece placement or checkmate-status; often ending in a more advanced player formally announcing the official rule, like "You can't take a King!!"

The kids love the chess program because it allows them to take a break from the the three R's and have some fun in the middle of the school day.  But the benefits of Chess as a compliment to academics are great and well-documented.  Players are learning communication and social skills, developing their higher-level analytical thinking skills, concentration, patience, self-esteem, and channeling their youthful energy into something positive.  But I'm pretty sure none of these 11-year old chess masters would tell you that.  They would just make sure you don't take their King.

 

To read more about the benefits of chess in academics, visit the Chess Club's Website at www.stlouischessclub.org. To see more pictures of the kids playing chess, visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Impact-St-Louis/177323785620544

 

-Stephanie

 

Welcome to our New Blog!

Written by Stephanie Kluck

Two Girls

 

Ever wonder what is happening at IMPACT?  Well here's the place to find out!

We are starting a brand-new blog, to keep all of our fans, students, supporters, volunteers, and the community up-to-date.  Here you will be able to find information about our programs, information about upcoming events, relevant news articles, and maybe even some special guest-bloggers!

First things first:  If you are here you probably can already tell, but we have re-vamped our website.  It should be easier to find information about IMPACT and it's partners.  And look for upcoming improvements as needed.

We will also be making improvements to our Facebook page (including much more program photos) and we are going to be tweeting on Twitter @IMPACTStLouis.  So, if you like the blog, make sure to "Like" us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for continued updates!

 

Final note:  Who is "We?"  I'm glad you asked.  "We" are Stephanie and Julie, IMPACT's marketing interns.  We will be reporting first-hand all Spring.  If you have any comments, questions, or ideas for us, we would love to hear from you!