BY DARRELL HALEN

Nick Ramalho moved a bishop on a chess board and then pressed a button on a timer.

His opponent, equally quiet, studied the board for a minute and shifted one of his knights.

He probably regretted the move. Nick then moved the bishop to capture the piece.

Nick, 13, eventually won the game, one of many board battles of the 2007 Scholastic New Hampshire Team Chess Championships.

The Saturday, April 14, event was hosted by the Pelham Memorial School’s chess club and drew about 100 students.

About half of the club’s 42 members, who gather every Friday to play, came to compete.

“I think chess makes you think,” said Gabe Ramos, 13. “The whole strategy is to think and don’t make stupid moves.”

“It can be challenging and fun at the same time,” added Don Mitchell, 13, another Pelham player.

Nick won the four games he played that day. He, along with Ryan Fyfe, Cameron Costello and Cody Decker – a team known as the “Royal Assassins” – took the second-place trophy in the tournament’s junior high division.

Another team, known as the “Triple KJ Team” received honorable mention, finishing in sixth place in the same division.

“I think chess helps them with their problem-solving techniques in life and their logical reasoning,” said teacher Jay Palmieri, the club’s advisor. “I think they enjoy playing, representing their school. It’s local pride.”

During the tournament, held at Pelham Elementary School, high school students each had up to 60 minutes per game. Junior high competitors were each allowed up to 45 minutes per game while younger students were given less time.

Competitors, who tap a button on a timer after each move, lose if they run out of time.

Students wrote down their moves, which they can review after the game. Palmieri said students who lose are usually too embarrassed to share their moves with him, while the winners like to show off.

Students played in teams of four. The other Pelham teams were “Tiny Terminators,”  “Hong Kong Penguinz” and “The All Powerful and Mighty Georges.”

Constantinos Papadimoulis, 12, said he likes the Memorial School club meetings because it’s about “having fun and being able to see my friends.”

“I like it because you have to use your wits,” he said.

Kids learn how to become better players. Palmieri gives them pointers and students help each other.

“If they make a bad move, you tell them the right one,” said Nick. “You learn from your mistakes.”

Palmieri said the club brings kids together who might not otherwise socialize in school.

“Students you never see in the hallway together will play chess together,” he said. “I’ve always been tremendously impressed by that.”

Some players refine their skill by playing outside of school. Nick plays against his father, Mike, about once a week.

“It can’t hurt,” said Mike who attended the tournament. “Like throwing a ball. Practice is practice.”