BY MATT HERSH

Tommy Stift, 10, likes to spend one afternoon every week planning how he’s going to beat his friend Brad Ratay, 9, at chess.

“I’m going to take his queen and then attack him with my pawns,” he said quietly as he stared at the board in front of him.

The two boys were among 20 students taking part in a weekly after-school chess class on Monday, Feb. 19, at North Salem School. The class has been part of the school’s activities for the past month.

Taught by Salem High School teacher Gary Duranko, the after-school classes for fourth- and fifth-grade students serve as an introduction to the game and have been widely popular.

Duranko and his team of high school chess club members have been running the classes for three years.

They give lessons on the rules and have students play games against each other to improve their skills. 

In past years, Duranko has taught chess at three of the district’s elementary schools, but North Salem School is the only one currently participating due to his increasingly busy schedule.

North Salem School has a strong history with chess, Duranko said. Even before he started his lessons, the school held its own in the past.

Despite Feb. 19 being Duranko’s last class at the school, the students have liked it so much that administrators have decided to extend the program for another three weeks with another leader.

The program has appealed to a variety of students, some more experienced than others. 

Stift and Ratay have both been playing for several years and aren’t shy in expressing their talents.

“We’re wicked good,” said Stift.  “Or so they say.”

Both boys said they were talented enough to beat their fathers at chess on occasion.

Others, like 10-year-old Katie Courtois who was attending her first class, weren’t as outspoken.

“I thought it would be interesting to learn how to play since they’re going to be having more classes,” she said.

Duranko, a lifelong chess  player, said his hour-long lessons are his way of sharing the game with younger generations.

“I want to introduce them to a game they’ll hopefully play for the rest of their lives,” he said.  “Studies have shown chess can improve self-esteem, math and reading scores. It’s a win-win all across the board.”

At 9, Ratay can already attest to the amount of brain power the game takes.

“It’s a very strategic game,” he said. “You really have to have a knowledge of how all the pieces move.”

One of Duranko’s chess students, Matthew Elkherj, 16, said this kind of logical thinking will be beneficial to the children in the future.

“It teaches you different thinking methods,” he said.  “That’s good for any career you want.”

The weekly classes will resume at the school after February vacation and will run until the end of March.