The following transcript of the interview given by Mr. Cianfano to The Warrior Messengers Jaziel Disla about the Chess Club.
(The Warrior Messenger) Jaziel Disla, Host: What is your role at WMS?
MR. CIANFANO(6th grade math teacher and chess club advisor) : I’m a 6th grade math teacher and adviser for chess club
JD: What made you start a chess club?
Mr C: I think it is very educational and very fun and the more you play the more your IQ improves and I want kids to be able to experience chess too.
JD: How does chess help you develop critical thinking skills?
Mr C: Chess helps you develop critical thinking skills because in chess there is a touch move rule where if you touch a piece you have to move it no matter what so it forces you to think before you act just like everything in real life
JD:When did you get interested in chess?
Mr C: I got interested in chess at a young age I would say at probably about the age of 8 and played with my father. My father taught me chess and used to play with him once in a while and I’ve loved it ever since.
JD: Who taught you to play chess?
Mr C: My father taught me to play chess but I would also like to credit my best friend from elementary school throughout Middle school and High school and he was more into chess at that age so he taught me a few things as well.
JD:What do students do in the chess club? When does it meet? And how do students join?
Mr C: I usually like to open up with a puzzle, like a warm up sometimes I will open up like your playing as white against black and you have one move to make and get checkmate and then they have to analyze which move to make and sometimes I’ll teach a mini lesson like I will show them a mini video of how to castle or how to pin an opponent and then we practice that and let them play most of the time its letting them play and learn from their mistakes and I go around critiquing their moves. The Chess club usually meets on Wednesdays after school and I started it in November and runs probably through early May. They reach me to join the club and bring their parent permission slip and they can just show up after school on Wednesdays.
JD: How did it feel to beat up Mr. Malmstrom so much in chess?
Mr C: Well, first of all, before that ever happened he beat me quite a bit of times so I had to learn and I credit Mr. Malmstrom for teaching me how to get better so I had to lose to him several times before I started to pick up on his strategies.
JD: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Mr C: I encourage everybody to learn chess once you get to learn how the pieces move then you start to learn some good tactics and strategies and then if you stick with it Its definitely going to make your self esteem improve, your intelligence improve and critical thinking improved.
