Ko'ko' Chess Club teaches middle schoolers problem solving techniques beneath the guise of a game

A busy Barrigada public school hosted an event fit for a king. And a queen. And a bishop. And...well, you get the idea. The Ko'ko' Chess Club at Untalan Middle School held a tournament that tested some core skills that are critical to developing minds: patience. Strategy. Focus. Adaptation. And much more.

Behind the guise of a game, bringing peers together in the spirit of competition, the club teaches larger lessons these youngsters will take with them far after they game is done.  

7th grader Tobias Borja, who's been playing chess now for about three months, said it's become not an assignment, but a hobby he works at every day. He told KUAM Sports, "It's a game of intellect, and you really have to think about what you have to do and make moves. It's a really fun game to play."

Tobias plays with his classmates and online, and he's gotten quite good. "The fastest I've ever beaten someone was in four moves, he said.

Advisor Jose Gallego, Jr. is a science teacher and not too shabby of a player himself, who already sees his students take to the game immediately, and become quick learners.

Ken San Nicolas from the Guam Chess Federation was on hand to lend some pro-level tips to the young minds to add to their own games. He shared some proven tactics about moves at the onset of a game in order to position yourself for future success.

Norly Cabrera-Balbin, who oversees the logistics of the club, hopes other schools will follow suit and create chess groups of their own for interscholastic events. She said they'd welcome an islandwide tournament wherein chess players would compete and meet peers from other programs. Additionally, she very happily reports, chess is serving as a positive vehicle for much broader educational ambitions, noting that the game is an application of STEM education, teaching problem solving and prioritization.

As for the caliber of the members of the club? Gallego says proudly, "Some of our kids were able to defeat me already after just a couple months of playing!"