Tam Has Kids Competing in Chess Tournament

April 26, 2006 -- Thursday, hundreds of children will be heading to Lincoln Financial Field to compete, but not on the football field. It's the Eagles Chess Tournament.

At Ellwood Elementary, the most passionate school sport is played on the boards, as in chess boards. And the would-be chessmasters are as young as first grade. Joel Grubman/Chess Teacher: "Forget a couple of years. I pride myself that in about a month, they can play a game of chess." School superintendent and chess fanatic Paul Vallas has pushed for the game of kings as part of school curriculum. Paul Vallas/ Superintendent: "I mean look at how quiet and relaxed and focused and social the kids are interacting on the chess boards." In 2004, the school district decided to make Philadelphia a "chess city for kids." And in 2 years they've gone from 28 chess clubs in schools to 206 and over 5000 kids playing, many of them girls. That is major since only six percent of the top players worldwide are women. Male domination trickles down, even to the school. The best player is 12-year-old Samone. She loves taking on the boys. Samone Williams: "It's great to beat 'em and tell 'em like girls can, girls can do the same things boys do." "Okay since you're that confident, let's see how you play." In fact, almost a third of the new chess club players in Philadelphia school are girls, a very different environment than the one Jennifer Shahade found in the early 90s. Jennifer Shahade/Chessmaster: "I actually gave up chess for about three years, two years because I didn't like being the only girl and being made fun of by the boys." But at Philadelphia's Masterman High School, Shahade got back in the game. She is now a two-time U.S. Women's champion, the rare female chessmaster. "Now I have checkmate. You see it?" In her new book Shahade urges girls to be more confident and aggressive players. That's not a problem for the young ladies. Maya Holliday: "What makes me a good player is my focus and that I'm determined to win all the time. And when I don't win I just try again. I don't give up." Fourth grader Maya is not kidding. Ask her how the game with Paul Vallas turned out. "Well he forfeited, so I won."

(Copyright 2006 by Action News. All Rights Reserved.)

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