Outdoor chess game stimulates students

KRYSTI WETTONkrysti.wetton@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Thursday, 24 May 2007

BOYS at Merrilands School have taken to a new outdoor chessboard like knights to a battle.
They work out strategies to outsmart their opponents and have support close by.
Students, particularly boys, love the new playground feature.
They use the 2.4m square paved chessboard, flanked by seats for spectators, before school and at lunchtimes.
Principal Graham Wilson built an outdoor chessboard at Eltham Primary School when he was there.
He saw the benefits and decided Merrilands should have one too.
"The caretaker and I built it over the last week of the holidays."
He says a few girls have shown interest in the game, but it's mainly the boys who take up the challenge.
"It was the same at Eltham."
He says chess is an excellent teaching tool because it stimulates children's minds while they have fun.
"We believe chess helps kids become more critical thinkers, better problem solvers and they are more independent decision-makers."
They also learn how to win and lose gracefully, he says.
Mr Wilson is a keen chess player and plans to set up a club for the students.
He says other Taranaki schools are thinking about adding an outdoor chess area to their grounds.
Jaz Simpson (10) didn't know how to play chess so he got a book out of the library and learned the rules.
Now he claims to know more than the principal. He says he knows how many points one of the pieces are worth when Mr Wilson did not.
"I made him do lines," Jaz says.