What’s the number one rule of chess? Sportsmanship.
“Look your opponent in the eye and say ‘Good luck,’ and shake hands. At the end, say ‘Good game’ and shake hands again,” says a young chess player at Bracher Elementary School’s Inaugural Chess Club Invitational sponsored jointly with Sutter Elementary School on Nov. 9. More than 50 1st- 5th grade students paired off in the multi-purpose room of Bracher.
“The goal is fun!” says parent volunteer Carmela Guizar-Sanchez, who organized Bracher’s chess club in January 2015. The students agree.
“It’s fun to learn how to play chess and go against people,” says Sutter fifth grader Jessica Good. “Sometimes it’s hard to strategize what your move should be.”
“Chess teaches kids to have strategy and future planning skills. They can’t just react. They must think of the goal before they start. It’s applicable to life,” says Sutter parent volunteer Brandon Chun, who started Sutter’s chess club in 2013.
“You don’t know how hard something is for kids until you give them a shot at it. Children of all ages surprise me. You always want to give them the chance,” says Chun. “The goal is to get multiple schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District involved and build a chess community.”