Chess is a game of make-believe kings and queens, pawns and rooks. For 12-year-old Andre, chess is more just a game.
He uses what he learned on the chessboard in real life, like, think before you move. He's just one of the students from some of Los Angeles' toughest neighborhoods (learn) to play.
Damen Fletcher, learned how to play chess at age 13, grew up in Compton. After leaving the city (attend) college, he came home to find his (child) friends struggling.
"Some of (they) had even fallen into prison (牢狱). I just wondered, 'Why did I have such a different result?' And it was chess," he said.
He started Train of Thought to help kids of all (age) find their inner king or queen.
"Every game of chess is 75 to 100 moves, and every single move that your opponent (对手) makes presents new problem for you to solve," he said.
So, how does Fletcher teach a 5-year-old how to play chess?
"We have a really (interest) story that we use to help kids － that age set up a chessboard for the first time," Fletcher said. "It goes: the king and the queen got married. They (ride) on horses to their castle (城堡) and had eight children."
