Chess Classes

You guys all study English and Maths and subjects like that at school. But should you all study chess as well? That's an idea from one economist who says chess could make a big difference to kids in all sorts of different areas. Eloise found out more.

HARRY POTTER FILM: Harry you take the empty bishop square, Hermoine you take the queenside castle, as for me I'll be a knight.

ELOISE FUSS, REPORTING: Sometimes chess is used to save the world from evil like in this Harry Potter film. But most of the time, it's just an exciting game of strategy, focus, and patience played by kids all over Australia.

CHESS TEACHER: The theme is smothered checkmate. Justice what would you do?

JUSTICE: Knight E4 to D6.

CHESS TEACHER: Is that a good move, yes it is a good move because it is checkmate.

This group of kids learn chess each week after school. And they love it.

BOY 2: What I most like about playing chess is the strategy involved in all the planning, and the different positions that you make up.

BOY 1: It's been around since the sixth century which is a very, very long time, and it's a very popular game as well.

But some people reckon chess shouldn't just be taught after school it should be taught in school as well.

JOHN ADAMS, ECONOMIST: Chess is seen to be very popular and where chess has been put into schools you do get a benefit.

So what benefit can kids get from playing an ancient board game? Well first you need to know how the game works. Historians think it originated in India a few thousand years ago and was created by Buddhist monks, as a way to battle, without injuring each another. And it's said to be one of the most strategic games on earth.

Each piece has a different move. Like the knight which can jump, the pawn which moves slowly forwards and the bishop which can travel diagonally. The point of the game is to use these pieces to checkmate your opponent.

BOY 2: You get in checkmate by making the king unable to move, and unable to go anywhere without being in check.

BOY 1: My strategy first is to bring my pawn out here to e5, which is the coordinates we use and my second move is always this which is called the bishop.

Chess requires lots of concentration and planning. And because of this studies have shown that learning it can help kids in all sorts of areas. It can improve your maths skills, boost your memory, teach you problem solving skills and make you more creative.

GIRL 1: I think it should be part of the national curriculum because it's a really fun game, but it's also a learning game, so you can take a break from English and Science and Maths by relaxing and concentrating on the board.

BOY 1: Well it's helped me in maths for coordinates as you can see on the board, and it’s helped me concentrate quite a lot, yeah it's really good game.

BOY 2: It gets you focussed, and you have strategies that you can also use in other subjects of school, and it's really helpful.

But is that enough for it to take the place of something else you learn at school like music, or drama, or sport?

Well there's only one way to find out.

• Eloise Fuss | Reporter
• Can you beat the Talminator?: Chess in SA Schools | game
• Canberra school embraces chess to complement education: ABC News | weblink
• National curriculum: Economist John Adams calls for chess to be taught in Australian Schools: ABC News | source
• Australia | Map
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