Pojoaque Valley Middle School, Where Chess Nerds Are Cool

 Members of the Chess Club: Back row,  left to right: James Roybal, Yoselin Cordova, Denise Martinez, Joseph Reich. Middle row, left to right, Dylan Russell, Christina Chavez-Lincecum, Dayna Campbell. Front row, Chris Garcia. For a complete list of team members, see the last paragraph of this story.

Electricity was in the air in a Pojoaque Valley Middle School classroom where the Chess Team was having its after school practice.

It was the kind of feeling usually found in athletic events, except here in Joseph Reich’s classroom, the feeling was more focused, more cerebral.

The team members had paired off into matches in preparation for an upcoming tournament at St. Michael’s.

Two of the team’s top players James Roybal, a 7^th grader, and Yoselin Cordova, an 8^th grader, were matched up, intently staring into the intricacies of their game.

Roybal said his father, Ted Roybal, taught him to play. “I was about four when my Dad started teaching me,” he said. “I beat my Dad for the first time this year. It was great.”

Cordova’s brother Sergio Cordova got her started playing chess when she was in the third grade. “My brother is always encouraging me to get better. I finally beat him for the first time over Christmas vacation.”

The team’s success can be seen as a direct result of Reich, who is a second year math teacher at the Middle School and the Chess Team coach. Last year, he resurrected the team, starting on his first day as a teacher when he brought a chess board to the library during lunch hour.

“I want to give the students the opportunity to be successful,” Reich said. “It’s huge in a student’s development for them to find something they can be successful at.

“If they can’t find something where they can be successful, they’ll be successful at smoking pot, acting out or some other anti-social activity.”

It was wonderful to feel the enthusiasm at the Chess Team’s practice. It’s an enthusiasm and focus that has spread to the team and its 14 team members, the Chess class with 20 students and the Chess Club whose numbers are in flux.

Chess, to many students, is a nerd activity. But the Chess Club team relishes in being nerds. When the team was asked the definition of nerd, several students instantaneously responded with this definition, “Nerd means intelligent.”

Reich smiled at the students’ definition of nerd. He said, “Kids in the class feel chess is something smart people do.  As I said, my goal is to help make student feel successful.

“I’d like to see the day where Chess Team members wear letter jackets and have the same status as athletes. It’s about making nerds cool.”

The team, just in its second year, radiates intelligence, coolness and success. Last year, in their first tournament, they won 1-of-18 matches. This year, in their second tournament, they won 6-of-24 and in their third tournament at Wagon Mound the team won 19 ½ -of 36. And in their last tournament at St. Michal’s, they won 62% of their games.

Here’s a list of the Pojoaque Valley Middle School Chess Team members:

 James Roybal
 Yoselin Cordova
 Jason Quintana
 John Velarde
 Olivia Arellano
 Kyana Montoya
 Adriana Lopez
 Vidal Gonzales
 Chris Garcia
 Alejandro Martinez
 Denise Martinez
 Dayna Campbell
 Jonathan Sanchez
 Christina Chavez

Reich said the team is always looking for new players and people who want to get involved or possibly sponsor the chess team. Reich’s email address is jjr@pvs.k12.nm.us.