Make the Right Moves

By JONATHAN TURBIN

Here’s what some New York City kids say about the grand game of CHESS:

“I like chess because I love the way the queen moves. I like it when I focus. Chess is fun.” – DANIEL HONIKAN, 6

“I like chess because it helps you analyze things. And it’s not just on the board, but also in real life. My favorite pieces are the queen and the knights. The queen can move like a rook and a bishop combined. The knight is one of the best pieces to work with because of its odd movements.” – JEFFREY YIN, 11

“I was recently part of a team that won two trophies for my school in a citywide tournament. In the first game, my opponent put his king in check diagonally across from my pawn. His own pieces were blocking him so he had nowhere to go to escape checkmate. In the second game, I put the other player in check after he castled because he accidentally put his king in the wrong place. We were playing by the tournament rules of ‘touch move,’ so his mistake cost him. Whenever my opponent makes an error, I use quick thinking and good strategy to take advantage of it. I like chess because I always want a good challenge. If you challenge yourself at something, you’re going to achieve. There is no other game like chess that requires such intensive study and concentration.” – RAQUEL HOSEIN, 10