Wheatley Heights children find chess fun

Garrett Christian pointed to the felt chess board hanging from a closet door in the Wyandanch Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp.

"What are you going to do?" he asked the dozen youngsters.

Eight-year-old Trinity DeTiege hesitantly answered: "Bring the knight up?"

"Bring which knight up? Speak chess!" Christian said. The girl told him: "F5 to F7." He beamed. "Exactly! Checkmate!"

Christian was hired by the Wheatley Heights Concerned Fathers Association to give nine free weekly lessons to kids age 7 to 18. Each Saturday, beginners spend an hour learning moves while intermediate players square off on chessboards. Then, they swap.

The fathers group is made up of nearly two dozen men from the Wheatley Heights area who aim to provide children with positive male role models. "We're giving them a game to strengthen their minds instead of staying in the house playing video games," said Chris Black, 47, vice president of the 19-year-old nonprofit group.

Christian, 54, of Amityville, has played the game since fourth grade and has been teaching it for eight years. "It's helped me with focusing, memory and strengthened my mental abilities," he said.

Group member Oliver Akinrele, 50, spearheaded the lessons after watching his son learn the game at school. "Not every school has a program, and the majority of fathers may not be able to afford a regular chess school, which can cost $200," he said. "So this allows us to open that up."

More than 30 kids have been taking lessons since the program started in April, he said.

Akinrele said the game teaches life lessons. "Chess utilizes strategy, being able to see things five steps ahead instead of just what's in front of you," he said. And, he said, the many combinations and strategies available require players to hone their decision-making skills and "assess the consequences as far as your strengths and weaknesses."

Anita Rice is volunteering as a coach, monitoring the games, including one played by her daughter, Tsemaye, 6. "She's kind of proud of it," she said. "She tells people she can play chess now."

Bringing a game like chess to the minority children that make up a large portion of the community is important, she said. "I think chess has this veneer that only certain people play it," she said. "So there's that element of excitement that they can do it, too."

Paula DeTiege, 47, doesn't know how to play, but watches from the sidelines. "I don't want to seem like an overbearing mom, but I'm actually learning this," she said. "It's kind of cool."

DeTiege, Trinity's mom, watched her son Judah, 6, play. But the match deteriorated into an impromptu game of Star Wars for the boys, complete with colliding chess pieces and explosion sound effects.

Black came over and helped the boys get back into chess mode. Judah made a move that met with Black's approval, looked at his mom, smiled and pumped a fist into the air. "Yes!" he said. "I like this game."

As classes wind down, organizers said they hope to start again in the fall. Akinrele said they're considering having the kids compete in tournaments this summer. "It's so much more than just a game," he said. "What chess can do, the potential is so much more."

[CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly described a move made by a knight.]