You feel like you re doing something good, he said, grinning. Not everyone can do what you do, so you feel kind of special. The program at MS 118 is sponsored by Chess in the Schools, a nonprofit organization that provides chess instruction in more than 160 schools around the city. MS 118 also won the national middle school championship in 1998, and three of this year s players, Brian, Evan and Lisa Baccus, were national champions in fourth and fifth grade. The educational emphasis of the Chess in the Schools program is twofold, said Fritz Gaspard, one of the team s coaches.
Students learn problem-solving, and they also get a taste of competition at a young age.
These kids are learning to compete, Gaspard said. Hopefully later on in life when they have to compete in different areas, they ll able to apply some of the things they learned playing chess.