POWERGRAMS

EDUCATION Photos by Danny Kings Chess training leaves next move up to student tourney participants Tournament winners were Tucker Lovoy, Isaac Snow, Joshua Williams, Tyler McWilliams, Sreekiran Nataraj, Ravikiran Nataraj and Srija Vem. Chess enthusiasts will tell you that it's a game you can learn in a day, but take a lifetime to master. What they don't always tell you are the added benefits of learning your way around a chessboard. "Studies have shown that children who get involved in learning and playing chess do much better later on in math and disciplines involving logic," said Danny Kings, whose son Daniel has been taking after-school chess training. Originally chosen as just "something to do," Kings now takes his son around the state to tournaments. The Alabama Power engineer noticed a disparity in the competition. "There are some bright kids in the Birmingham City Schools, but they don't get out of the city for competitions. Students from outside of Birmingham regularly make it to Huntsville or Montgomery for regional tournaments, and they benefit from the better competition," Kings said. Lacking the means to drive those young people around the Southeast, Kings did the next best thing and pledged to bring the competition to Birmingham. Kings reached out to area chess instructors such as Caesar Lawrence and Michael Ciamarra to put together the Back-2School Scholastic Chess Tournament. At Kings' request, the company made extra staff and security available to host the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 17. Alabama Power picked up the tab for pizza for the volunteers and 46 participants. Students came from as far away as Madison to the north and Andalusia to the south. With the site and expenses pledged, the tournament was one of few that operate without an entrance fee, which is a barrier for children with limited resources. By Ike Pigott Nearly 50 students traveled to Corporate Headquarters for chess tournament. PAGE55

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