Wisconsin Chess News

From Sheboyganpress.com Posted January 27, 2008 Chess players show their indoor moves 70 kids forego sledding and skating to march their men into battle By Janet Ortegon Sheboygan Press staff On a snowy Saturday morning, with sledding hills beckoning and ice skating rinks waiting, what could be better than huddling silently around small tables and moving plastic pieces on a checkered board? Although the day was ripe for outdoor winter fun, about 70 kids from kindergarten through 12th grade and their parents crowded into Sheboygan Christian School on Saturday morning for the Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation chess tournament. "I like how the pieces move and I like how you can capture 'em," said Carson Kaiser, 8, a third-grader at Sheboygan Christian, who won three of his six games Saturday. Children from all over the region, including Sheboygan County, the Milwaukee area and elsewhere, signed up to play in the six-round, all-day tournament. T.J. Johnson, 8, Carson's friend and classmate, learned the game from an instructional DVD, and won four of his six games Saturday morning. "(I like) the strategies, some of the special moves you can do," he said. Scott and Sherryl Sager of the chess federation organized the tournament at Sheboygan Christian and do the same in dozens of schools and communities throughout the region. Players pay an entry fee of $10 and are divided into three groups — kindergarten through third grade; kindergarten through sixth grade and kindergarten through 12th grade. "It really is what you think you can do," said Scott Sager of Whitefish Bay. "There are some young players who are very strong chess players and can defeat a teenager." There are many benefits for children in the game of chess, Sager said. "I see, in today's case, 70 kids who aren't sitting in front of a TV all day Saturday, who are not sitting in front of a video game all day Saturday," he said. "They're sitting across from a live person. It's a social thing … quiet concentration." The increased focus and critical thinking required for chess help kids out in many other areas, said Sherryl Sager. "It teaches kids to take their time and concentrate on what they're doing," she said. "It helps kids with their school work." That's the reason Nancy Wright of Kohler sat in the "skittles area" — chess-speak for the waiting area — all day long while her 11-year-old son, Logan, advanced through his six rounds. "He's involved in physical things, too — he plays ice hockey — I think this is good for his mind," she said. "He did very well for a first tournament, I think. He had fun." After all six of his games were over, Logan was happy with his performance. "I did good," he said. "After round 5, I was in eighth place, but then I lost in round 6, so I'm not sure where I'm gonna be now. I did my best." This was the second year the tournament has been held at Sheboygan Christian, said school administrator Corey Navis. "This year, there's been a lot more local interest," he said. "Last year there were about 10 local kids, excluding our school. This year, we had about 25." The idea, he said, is twofold: provide a venue for kids who love the game and learn from healthy competition, and give the school a way to reach out to the community. Sam Pagenkopf, 11, came all the way from Shorewood to participate in the tournament at Christian. The fifth-grader said he really likes playing chess even when it gets intense. "It's, personally, one of the best one-on-one games you can play," Pagenkopf said. "Sometimes I can just feel the blood rushing through me when I accidentally make a blunder and and I hope nobody noticed." Kim Burge of Plymouth brought her two sons, Logan and Wilson, to the tournament to join about nine other kids from their school, St. John the Baptist. "I don't know the first thing about chess so I'm very impressed that they do," she said. "This is their first tournament. They love it. Even losing, they are proud they've learned something, gone on to the next step and really seemed to enjoy it. It's definitely something I think we're going to keep doing, and find more tournaments and things to go to."