Valley Vista brings chess into the classroom

Students at Valley Vista school are learning about life, one move at a time.

Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders are learning about planning, patience, overcoming mistakes, critical thinking and much more by playing chess.

It began with what Valley Vista Principal Catina Haugen calls a serendipitous meeting with Novato Chess Club member Chris Major, and has grown into a class that attracts more than 90 students from three grades. The educator invited the chess master to visit the school and the whole process just clicked.

“He has a way of enthralling the students,” Haugen said.

The key, Major said, is keeping it simple. He begins by introducing the pieces and their value. By the end of the first session, he is teaching the kids a game called the Pawn Game played only with pawns. Each week a new piece is introduced and the game starts building. “We call it scaffolding,” he noted. “The idea is to break it down so all the kids can learn.”

“By the third session, they are already playing chess,” said Haugen.

Fifth- and sixth-graders have finished their 6-week sessions, while the fourth-graders are in their second week. Major doesn’t want to stop there.

“I want them to learn so they can teach it to the younger kids,” he explained.

Listening to Major talk about chess in the classroom, it is impossible to determine whether he is more enthusiastic about playing the game or teaching it to students. He is passionate about both.

A former special education teacher, Major was honored with a Jefferson Award by KPIX TV for his work in founding the Novato Chess Club, the Hayward Youth Academy and bringing chess to youngsters in the Bay Area and now to Petaluma.

“I have always wanted to go into a school, and when Ms. Haugen invited me into her classroom I was thrilled,” Major said. “She opened up the doors for me.”

For Major, teaching chess is teaching life.

One of the first lessons he delivers, whether in a classroom or in conversation, is that chess is for everyone. “In our country, chess is perceived to be for the elite,” he explained. “Chess is for anyone on any level. Anyone can learn chess. If we meet four or five times, by the fourth time you can learn chess.”

Haugen is amazed at how high-energy elementary school students have been captivated by an intellectual game that requires concentration, planning and patience.

Major said there are many life lessons to be learned from the game and many of those – such as patience, sacrifice, reasoning, structure, discipline and focus – are also attractions for the young players.

The way Major teaches the game it becomes a team sport. During a match, classmates gather around the players and are invited to offer opinions on moves and strategy. It is a joy to watch,” Haugen said.

At Valley Vista, he is excited about the idea of having the older kids teach the game to their younger schoolmates and to expand the classes to other schools. He is also looking forward to the game spreading beyond the classroom. At Valley Vista, Ghilotti Brothers Inc. has provided each member of the class with a chess set of their own to take home, play with and even teach to their parents. After all, anyone can learn.