The volunteer corps reaches 1,800 to 2,000 fifth and sixth graders in 12 to 14 Reno schools each year. They become better sports too. Joe Sanford, a physics teacher at Manogue High School in Reno, recently visited the chess center with his son Paul and Paul's friend Ryan. Sanford has seen a difference in Paul's participation in all areas of sports and school since he began playing chess. The kids love the program.
Many students keep in touch with their instructors long after they've left school.
Dixon-Darnell talks regularly with one of her original students, who is now attending Stanford University. The project reaches students in regular and special education classes. Dixon-Darnell says she often sees great improvement in special students' abilities to focus and concentrate for more than a few minutes a time after they have learned the game. Many students continue to participate in the program after they have finished school and gone on to college, Dixon-Darnell added. The tables and the new chess center in the Park Lane Mall are just two of the places where graduates from the project can play and continue building their skills.