July 3, 2004 ~ Section: Life ~ Page: 01

Checkmate!
Emily Simnitt Staff Treasure Valley kids are getting hooked on chess.

Emily Simnitt Staff Alex Marshall, 6, sits cross-legged on the floor at the Meridian library, his eyes glued to a giant chessboard. Daniel Vellotti is using the board with its supersized pawns, queens and kings to demonstrate how an enormous computer dubbed Deep Blue toppled reigning Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. Its a lot for a young kid to take in, but Marshalls attention never waivers. Neither does the interest of the 25 other 6- to 11-year-olds and their parents gathered around Vellotti for weekly chess instruction at the Meridian Public Library. "Who do you think wins the game?" Vellotti asks. "Ill show you." And he begins moving the pawns, replaying the famous game that lost the champ hundreds of thousands of dollars. "Holy cow!" one boy shouts out. Thats exactly the response Vellotti is looking for. Chess has a solid history in the Treasure Valley, and the checkmating contingent is growing. Vellotti, along with others, is bent on nurturing it. Hes teaching kids the game at the Meridian and Boise public libraries once a week, and hes got a couple

of chess camps set up in July and August through the Boise Parks and Recreation Department. Chess is making a weekly appearance at the Garden City Public Library, too, and chess clubs are popping up at elementary schools across the valley. "Kids love chess," Vellotti says. He does, too. Vellotti, 19, began his own chess career at age 9 and soon was checkmating across the country. Now he cant stop smiling as he details his methods for engaging kids in the centuries-old game. A quick match At a chess camp sponsored by the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, Vellotti tells another of his chess tales. This ones about 19th century American chess champ Paul Morphy and his famous European face-off with a duke and a count. It has drama; it has intrigue. Most importantly, Morphys game has teaching potential, Vellotti says. "A chess game is only made up of a series of decisions, just like in your life," he tells his students. After the lecture, Kaleb Eslinger, 12, and Marshall Jean, 12, play their own game. Its quick, just under two minutes, and quiet. Eslinger rubs his fingers before each move, and both players keep one hand on the timer. Theres not a second to waste. "You have to think really hard," Eslinger says. "It gives you a real challenge." Earlier Velotti matched off with the students, racing against them and the clock. The students had a total of five minutes to make all of their moves. Vellotti had 1.9 seconds. "I somehow got him in a checkmate and he was like, Whoa," says Vellotti about one of his matches. At 19, Vellottis closer in age to his students than many instructors, and hes always looking to make chess fun. He first fell in love with the game when he discovered a chessboard in his grandmothers closet. He spent hours practicing, started winning tournaments and decided to spread his enthusiasm to other kids. About five years ago, he began teaching using methods he developed with his chess coach. He still uses many of those techniques today. He squares off against students blindfolded; he plays all students in a class at once; he airs clips from "Searching for Bobby Fischer" -- anything to wow kids into taking up the game. At the Meridian chess-fest, the floor is littered with in-progress chess games the kids will return to after hearing how Kasparov exacted his revenge on Deep Blue via a Pepsi commercial aired during a Super Bowl. When chess starts sharing air time with beer ads, you know its gaining cultural cache. Its not just for grizzled old men reminiscing in a park.

"I love the idea that chess is branching out from the smart, nerd-kid-only activity to a thinking sport," said Susie Saad, who helped start a chess club at Highlands Elementary School a couple of years ago so her son Charlie, now 8, would have a chance to play. "Its something he can do outside the home," says Alex Marshalls grandmother Pam Ellway about why shes brought him to the library to learn the game. "Its something he can do for himself, something special." Marshall is a methodical kid, and hell soon be matching off against his grandpa. The room is filled mostly with boys, but that doesnt intimidate Katie Abderhalden, 8, who tells you flat out its a girls game, too. "I rarely play chess at home, but I like playing here," Katie says. Mitch Richmond, 9, and Austin Snodgrass, 7, have already dueled to the end over their gameboard and are ready to go again. "Other people dont think its cool, but I think its cool," Mitch says. Food for thought: Its good for you, too. Chess exercises memory, concentration and logical thinking, and kids who play increase all those skills, studies show. Thats why Sacred Heart School parent Steve Taylor sponsors the chess club at his kids school. Students at the Catholic school for kindergarten through eighth grade fill up about 40 chess boards during Friday lunches. Thats about half the student body playing chess once a week. "They look forward to an activity that I hope helps them learn," Taylor says. "Even the casual player is exercising parts of the brain thats enabling them to do better in school." They pick it up quick. "The kindergartners will come in having never played before," Taylor says. "By the end of the year, they can really keep up with people whove been playing for awhile. Ellway is hoping that will happen for her grandson. "This is something hell always have," Ellway says. "Hell never forget." The master saysOnce you know the rules of the game, its time to get strategic. Here are some tips from chess guru Daniel Vellotti: Pay attention. Treat opponents moves as sneak attacks. That way, if theres a hidden plot to squash your king, you uncover it early and can fight back.

Dont panic. Mistakes are fixable and panic only leads to silly moves. Keep smiling. As Vellotti says, "Generally this makes your challenger uneasy, like you know something that he doesnt." Read up. In between games, read "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" by Murray Chandler (Gambit Publications, $14.95) and play Chessmaster 9000. Also, check out Vellottis web site at www.vellottischesskids.com. Get game Why play chess? 1. You can play as a 5-year-old or an 85-year-old. 2. Its as good as the crossword to keep your brain active and memory sharp. 3. Logic, creativity, imagination. Yep, chess gives you those. 4. Want to be more scientific? Chess develops those skills, too. 5. Chess tests sportsmanship and patience. To keep your child mentally sharp with chess this summer, check out these chessplaying opportunities: Chess camp. The Boise Parks and Recreation Department is offering chess camps for kids 5 to 17 July 12-16 and Aug. 2-6 at Fort Boise Community Center, 700 Robbins Road. Camps go from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and cost Boise residents $62 and non-residents $93. To register, call 384-4486 or visit the parks web site at www.cityofboise.org/parks. Chess at the library. Kids 7 and older can catch a little chess at the Meridian Public Library, 1326 W. Cherry Lane, from 6:30 p.m. 8 p.m. Wednesdays this summer; at the Boise Public Library, 715 S. Capitol Blvd, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays; and at the Garden City Library, 9115 Chinden, Suite 104, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Free. To offer story ideas or comments, contact reporter Emily Simnitt at esimnittidahostatesman.com or 377-6429. Cutline: Austin Snodgrass, 7, right, and Mitch Richmond, 9, play chess recently at the Meridian Public Library. Snodgrass won the match. Cutline: Kaleb Eslinger, 12, ponders his next move at a Fort Boise chess class. "You have to think real hard," Kaleb says. "It gives you a challenge." Cutline: Chess instructor Daniel Vellotti tells stories of historic chess matches like movies with cliffhanger endings, encouraging young chess devotees to think about what they would have done and gleefully showing them how the worlds finest dug themselves out of near-miss checkmates. Or not.