- by Kiran Randhawa, Our Town
March 8, 2001

Chess whiz-kids from a school on the East Side are celebrating the latest in a string of achievements after winning the New York state chess championships last month.

The chess team for grades K-3 at PS116 on East 33rd Street has won both city and state championships. The students are now looking forward to the United States Chess Federation super-nationals in Kansas City next month.

Chess has been a part of the curriculum at the school for seven years and was introduced at the request of the school's Parent Teacher Association.

"The students are taught chess once a week and those that are really interested come after school," said Bonnie Waitzkin, chess coordinator at the school and mother of Josh Waitzkin, an international chess master. She started the program seven years ago and now 14 classes from kindergarten through third grade are taught as part of the curriculum.

In December, the team won the city championships and last month, the third-grade team netted first place in the North American Chess Challenge held in Boston, Mass. Star player, third-grader MarcAnthony Parrino, 8, took the title of the New York City and New York State co-champion in two of the major championships.

"Sometimes the game can be extremely difficult," said MarcAnthony. "But I take it seriously just like any other sport. I especially like it when someone makes a move that you're not expecting."

MarcAnthony is ranked 27th in the United States for the 8-year-old and under category, according to the US Chess Federation.

"I'm so proud of him," said his mother, Mary Parrino. "He takes it all in stride and doesn't;t get upset about losing."

Parrino explained that this is the second time that MarcAnthony has won the state championships, in which over 100 kids participated and four, including MarcAnthony, shared first place. "MarcAnthony is undaunted by it all," said Parrino. "He treats it like a game."

In November, the team was invited to play the world's top-rated player, Gary Kasparov, at a Mentor Foundation charity at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Kasparov played 25 boards simultaneously and won all 25 games. In most tournaments the children play up to 90 minutes per game, but some of the games can typically last up to three hours.

"Age has nothing to do with chess ability," said Waitzkin. "It's all about logical, spatial, intuitive and visual skills, and these can be seen at a very young age with astonishing clarity." Waitzkin explained that chess ability is almost an innate skill.

"Certain things like pattern recognition, which are essential for the game, some kids will grasp immediately, but there are some kids that will never get the pattern," Waitzkin said. "By teaching the children at a young age you are enabling them to utilize certain parts of the brain, which can leads to flexibility of the mind and the ability to visualize."

International chess master Saudin Robovic , from Bosnia, coaches the children. "He has done a wonderful job with the children," said Waitzkin.

In January, the team also placed second in the US Junior Chess Congress held in Ohio, and the third-grade team won third place in the National Scholastic K-12 championship in Florida this past December.

The team is now looking into competing in European tournaments next year.