Holobaugh often goes to the club with friends on Mondays right after school, picks up a bag of chess pieces and just sits down to play. Frequently, Moreno shows certain strategies or moves or explains the way a player won a match at a recent meet. Moreno aims to create a chess club in every Blair cluster school. Currently, eight of the 13 schools have chess clubs. The club, which Moreno started three years ago with merely two members, now has 150 participants.
Membership is free.
The older students pair with four to ten year-olds to whom they teach the game of chess. The young teachers receive community service credits for their successful efforts. Senior ESOL student Luis Pedraza, who cannot go to the club on Mondays after school because he takes care of his younger brother, enjoys the experience on Thursdays. I like it because it makes you think. In all his efforts to introduce chess into schools and the community, Moreno trusts that learning about making the right moves on the chess board contributes to making the right moves in life.