Learners Chess sharpens students' skills

For the 11th year, Learners Chess is hosting a chess club for students ages 6-16 in Rio Rancho.

The program started in Albuquerque in 2010 and expanded to Rio Rancho in 2012. It has continued every year with only one interruption — in 2020 due to COVID-19.

This year, it is hosting three week-long camps at the First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho Education Center and 17 total across New Mexico.

There is a fee to attend, but Learner's Chess offers need-based scholarships covering 25-75% of the cost.

"Our belief is that any kid should have the opportunity to learn chess, not just if your parents can afford it," said Victor Lopez, the founder and executive director of Learners Chess.

Around 150 students receive scholarships every year, and all the funds come from Learners Chess.

"I didn't want to have any funders. We're a fee-based program, and there's enough interest and demand for our program that we're able to be completely self-sufficient," Lopez said.

Throughout the week, students learn chess techniques through instruction, puzzle booklets, playing with one another in tournaments and in casual games.

Nine-year-old Luca Bearce has participated in the camp two years in a row and says the best part of the camp is getting to meet new people and playing different games.

Mila Soumpholphakdy, also 9 years old, along with her two siblings, have been part of the camp for two years.

"It's really fun and it's great practice," Mila said.

Mila's 10-year-old brother, Max Soumpholphakdy, says that it helps that he and his siblings are doing the camp together.

Although these students have only been part of the program for two years, once they get older and have participated for awhile, they can apply to be junior leaders. The junior leaders will have the opportunity to teach their younger peers basic techniques.

Lopez says it also helps them solidify their own understanding of the techniques. Some have even gone on to become regular coaches within the program or go abroad to teach chess in El Salvador and Mexico.

Aaron Estocin started as a student in third grade who volunteered for the program in high school and has been a coach for a year.

Estocin says that his favorite aspect of teaching is seeing the kids growing and "seeing that little light bulb turn on."

He said that he has also grown with chess. "I was very awkward, very scared," he said of starting to teach. "I started coming outside my shell and being open to talking and teaching."

Michael Goram, 16, has been a junior leader since 2022 and says he is still learning. "It's not just about chess; you also learn valuable skills, like how to talk to people, how to be respectful, how to just calm down when you're stressed out, just take a deep breath, relax. So you get to learn more about yourself as you go along and honestly, it's been very, very helpful to me, because I've learned a lot of skills along the way that I don't think I'd have learned as easily," Goram said.

Relaxing and breathing is worked into the camp as mindfulness practices.

"In the after-school program, that's how we start every club and during the camps; that's how we conclude every recess. And then also in tournaments — and sometimes we do tournaments in the camps — it's how we start every round. So before they shake hands and start their games, everyone closes their eyes, they take some breaths, they calm themselves down, they notice any distracting thoughts or feelings. They try to process through those so that they can focus on the chess," Lopez said.

"We're not trying to make the next Grandmaster, but we're teaching them how to take accountability for their own mistakes, the critical thinking, the being able to slow down, really think a few steps ahead," said Trevor Lasley, head coach and assistant director.

Lasley, who started teaching with Learners Chess right out of high school in 2016, says that the most important aspect of chess is the problem solving and critical thinking skills that can be integrated into everyday life.

Although there are only three camps this summer in Rio Rancho, and while the program is based in Albuquerque, Learners Chess does have plans for expansion with the hopes of having another permanent location. "We're hoping in the future to get one either in Rio Rancho or the Northeast Heights or both. And then potentially in Santa Fe and then potentially in other states," Lopez said.

"It would be really cool if we were able to do a camp every single week at every single location," said Lasley.

"Recruiting and training more coaches really is the key. Because for us, you know, it's not necessarily (that) we need a grandmaster coach to apply or anything like that. We just need people who care about kids who are competent enough in chess that they can pick up our curriculum and make it a fun, engaging program, an after-school program and a camp and tournament," Lopez explained.

During the school year, Learners Chess holds after-school programs. This upcoming school year, it will be working with approximately 50 schools in New Mexico.

In Rio Rancho alone, it plans to have after-school programs in seven elementary schools. In the past, Learners Chess working with all the Rio Rancho elementary schools at the same time, but that was interrupted with COVID.

Lopez says he would like to work with Rio Rancho middle schools, too, but it's tougher to fit in around the after-school sports programs and the differing school release times between middle schools and elementary schools.

"With the elementary schools, some get out really late, some get out really early. ... a coach could go to one early club, finish it up, go to one later club and do two in an afternoon. If we do a middle school club, they get out right in the middle of that."

There are other challenges Learners Chess has faced working in Rio Rancho.

"One thing that does make it hard in Rio Rancho is the school district actually charges the most fees for building usage of any school districts that we work with," Lopez said. "I'm hoping to engage with the school board and see if there's something they can do to make our program be more accessible."

In total, Learner's Chess works with approximately 600-700 students each summer across the state. In Rio Rancho, each camp hosts 15-30 students.

In the summer, Learners Chess not only offers camps for students to attend but has created Chess in the Parks, meeting twice a month at the Albuquerque Downtown Growers Market. Lopez says he would like to do Chess in the Parks in Rio Rancho as well, but it is a matter of finding a regular event to integrate with. For now, Lopez says they do "one-off events" in Rio Rancho.

The final Rio Rancho camp starts July 8 with registration closing the night before. After the final Rio Rancho camp, there will be seven more camps this summer, two each week in a different location. The last week, ending on Aug. 9, will only have one camp in Santa Fe.

More camps may be added at the end of the summer.