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To have a chess club, it takes somebody who has a basic knowledge of chess and is interested in working with the kids, added the 69-year-old volunteer chess adviser at Perkins Local Schools.

The Milan Public Library will host a chess tournament featuring four area schools Jan. 25. The event starts at 10 a.m. in the community room and will run until about 4 p.m.

Its the first quad tournament for just four schools, said Balduff, who has coordinated tournaments for as many as 100 players.Perkins has had some tournaments that I have organized. Its been fun.

Students from Edison, Norwalk,Perkins and Western Reserve will be playing in Milan. Lisa Border, Western Reserve High School principal, said the chess club is new, but the students are enthusiastic and the game is popular in the district.

This (tournament) is just an opportunity for fun, Balduff said.There is no entrance fee; there are no awards. We will have three players from each junior high and each high school to play each other.

Chemistry teacher Jeremy Newton advises the Edison High School chess club, which has 25 players in its second year.

At Norwalk Middle School, social studies teacher Danny Helton is the chess club adviser. Balduff said Helton is known for working chess into his school lessons via stressing history, medieval lore and developing strategy.

Becky Molnar advises the NHS club.

In Perkins, the chess club at Meadowlawn Intermediate School started in 2018. There currently are about 20 fourth- and fifth-grade students who are participating. Balduff said the club has receivedgreat support from Principal Jeremy Hiser and his staff.

Briar Middle School started its chess club in 2017 and includes slightly more than 20 students.Balduff said he considers Principal Scott Matheny agreat supporter of chess.

The Perkins High School chess club also began in 2017. About 10 students meet during lunch periods in a room designated for the organization.Balduff said adviser Paul Sherwood has set up tournaments for Sandusky City Schools and the Huron Public Library and when he isnt playing chess,Paul is an avid bird-watcher.

While some of the various club members occasionally bring in chess pieces based on Disney characters and the Star Wars, Harry Potter,Pirates of the Caribbean andThe Simpsons universes, the students prefer using the Staunton style because they dont get the pieces confused,Balduff said.

The adviser was asked what life lessons the students can learn from playing chess. Balduff said they can learn about winning and losing obviously, but also developing strategy, fair trades, persistence andgood sportsmanship.

I encourage the kids not to quit, he added.

Balduff said its wonderful to see the players have ana-ha moment playing chess.

Its fun; its nice when things click for them, he said.

Excerpt from:

Chess teaches more than strategy - Norwalk Reflector