Written by Julian Spearman, Student Activities Department
The Dallas ISD chess program is one of the most popular in Dallas ISD, with about 6,000 students participating in all grade levels across 200 campuses. 
The Student Activities Department hosted 10 competitive tournaments this year to accommodate the high interest in chess.
Michelle Read, student activity coordinator, said participation has doubled for kindergarten through second grade students since its addition to Dallas ISD programs last year.
“This is a clear sign of growing interest in chess amongst our youngest students,” she said. “It has been interesting to watch young chess players challenge themselves in unexpected ways and have fun at our districtwide tournaments.”
Jose Delgado, a Dallas ISD teacher and parent, said his daughter’s campus embraced the chess program at all grade levels.
“She started playing in second grade and it helped her build a community, learn to slow down, and think through a problem,” he said. “Students who get involved build stronger communities in their school, and it gives them a sense of pride when they get a chance to compete and show what they learned all year.”
On tournament days, gyms are filled with hundreds of tables, chairs, and chessboards at multiple campuses simultaneously. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to qualifying individuals. In addition, the schools each receive team trophies based on their cumulative scores.
At secondary level tournaments, students play five rounds of chess to determine the winners at each grade level. Each progressive round pairs students based on their wins and losses.
Chess promotes problem-solving and critical thinking for students. Playing chess can also correlate with high academic performance, especially in math. Student Activities enables campuses to take advantage of these benefits by providing each participating campus with chessboards and pieces to support their chess programs.
