Elliot Temple
Elliot Temple, former BCS student, talks to us about how chess impacts his life.
Tell us how you got involved in chess?
My parents taught me chess when I was four or five. At first, we played with modified rules: if you attacked a queen or rook, you had to say queen-check or rook-check, which helped me out. I started going to BCS Friday Night tournaments when I was 7, where I met a lot of chess players, and I had fun and got more involved from there.
Which chess activities were you involved in?
I've been involved with chess and BCS a lot. I took after school classes in elementary and middle school. I was on the Berkeley Bishops and went to the BCS summer camp several times. I played in BCS's Friday Night tournaments regularly for something like 6 years. I also taught for BCS when I was in middle school, at the local elementary school. I've played in a lot of chess tournaments -- for the BCS club team when possible -- and won over 40 trophies. All of it was a wonderful experience and I made some great friends.
Were these with BCS, or some other scholastic chess organizations?
Almost all my chess training was from BCS. I aslo had lessons from Roger Poehlmann and Robert Haines, who were both BCS teachers, but loved chess so much they did extra teaching. BCS has so much to offer you don't really need anything else.
How long did you continue to participate in BCS activities?
Ages 7-16 or so.
Are you still playing?
Not much, I've been pursuing other interests, such as philosophy and computer programming.
Why do you think chess is important for kids to learn? What did it teach you?
From chess I learned to think logically and thoroughly, and to keep track of a lot of possibilities in my head at once. In chess, you have to look ahead at all the moves people could play, and it's important not to miss any. It's a lot to juggle mentally, but with practice anyone can get good at it.
I think studying chess benefited me because I learned to think rigorously; if you don't, then you get immediate feedback by losing games. It's important to have high standards in one's thinking. Chess also teaches optimism and perseverance, because there is always a best move, and it is possible for you to find it if you keep trying.