Mind Games


	At home in Brooklyn, New York, chess master Maurice Ashley ponders his next move. (Photograph by Andy Levin)

t's a typical inner-city picture: Yvette LeWinter's third-grade class at the Valerio Street School in Van Nuys, California, includes a few kids who are really bright, some who are struggling, and some who'd rather do anything else -- from picking fights to throwing tantrums -- than learn to read. For many, English is a second language, and Spanish is spoken at home. Gangs, drugs, and violence mark their lives.

For some the way out is with a modem.

These third graders are participating in a Los Angeles area program called Chess in the Schools. The American Chess Foundation supports the program by sending schools chessboards, books, and software. Last year, the class also got a computer.


	The games children play: Yvette LeWinter's third-grade class at the Valerio Street School in Van Nuys, California, participates in the Chess in the Schools program. According to Yvette, the students are honing their powers of logic and strategy while they play. (Photograph by Douglas Kirkland)


	The barriers between teacher and student dissolve over the chessboard, as teacher Harold Milner talks strategy with his fellow players. (Photograph by Douglas Kirkland)

With so many other needs to address, Yvette LaWinter was at first dubious about the chances of chess catching on. But her students surprised her. Soon they were playing games and reading books not only during class, but during recess and lunch. Impromptu matches sprang up, pairing kids with kids and even teachers. "The lunch benches began to look like Central Park," Yvette laughs.

But it wasn't until Intel Corporation donated a new computer and modem that things really took off. The class was suddenly connected to the Internet -- and to Maurice Ashley, a 29-year-old chess master who grew up in a rough section of Brooklyn, New York, and now coaches children around the country online. Yvette's class also discovered other chess venues on the Web -- as well as online challengers.

Thanks to Maurice, Yvette's third graders are developing their powers of logic and strategy. Even those who don't excel at chess are learning new ways of thinking. Still others are building social skills. "The program has been a savior for kids with discipline problems," Yvette says. "They're learning to play fairly and to get along with others."

Third-grader Diana Noud already knows what her next move will be. "I will teach my children all about chess," she says. "And I will be a chess master."

http://www.symbolic.com/chess/acfchess.htm