The game of chess has been a teaching tool for centuries and was once used to train Medieval knights in the art of strategy. These days, chess has found a new home in the juvenile detention facilities of New Jersey, where instructors say the game encourages students to think ahead, evaluate threats, and avoid traps.

When Brad Koller, a teacher with New Jersey's Juvenile Justice Commission, began organizing chess teams at the Voorhees and Warren residential facilities, he said he recognized the value of the game as an educational device capable of teaching valuable life lessons.

"The kids are very focused on the game when they play," he said. "When I play one-on-one with a student [and they are] planning their moves very carefully, I say 'You got locked up for what? Didn't you think about that two moves ahead?' They learn that if you plan, you won't make those mistakes again."

Thanks in part to Koller's efforts, there are now chess programs at several JJC facilities where instructors put together teams to compete in three annual JJC chess tournaments.

"It is starting to be recognized more and more [as a teaching tool]," said Koller. "It started out as a more casual program and has just grown."

The most recent contest, the JJC Invitational Chess Tournament, held on July 20, welcomed 25 participants from various juvenile residential and secure facilities in New Jersey. Robert Terrell of Voorhees Residential Home went undefeated and received a gold medal.

"He is a natural," said Koller, who coached Terrell.

Terrell said he started playing two years ago because it was "something to do." But ever since he began practicing with Koller and competing in tournaments, Terrell said he has been playing chess every day and is no longer nervous when playing in front of his peers.

"A lot more people want to play me lately," he said. "I teach other students how to play all the time."

Because chess is played by upper-crust aristocrats and street hustlers alike, Koller said many students are familiar with the game and have seen it played in their neighborhoods.

"There is a street variation to the game," he said. "It is an aggressive, high-risk style of play. If an opponent is intimidated, it works. If they're not intimidated, it doesn't work."

Koller said he discourages this style and tries to reinforce good decision making by teaching students to plan each move carefully and evaluate every opportunity and threat.

However, some students, like Terrell, are simply gifted and can play at a much faster pace, according to Koller.    
 
"We have some students who are well beyond even my own abilities," he said. "I have naturals and kids who practice all the time."

Howard Beyer, the Executive Director of JJC, said he is sometimes amazed at the skill and speed with which games are played.

"It is a sophisticated game," he said. "It's fascinating when you see the kids do that kind of stuff."

Beyer, who said that several students could easily checkmate him, is mindful of the valuable lessons juveniles receive from the chess program.

"I think the chess program reinforces all the things we work on in education," he said. "It's the same kids playing who were convinced they couldn't read, convinced they couldn't learn and its incredible to see the progress they make. They can play a sophisticated game that takes mental skills and makes them feel good about themselves. That's really what it's all about."