Simple as black and white

Remember what it's like to read a book, do arts and crafts or, heaven forbid, play a game of chess? In other words, use your brain on something besides computers and text messages?

Simone Liao

For Simone Liao of Agoura Hills, old-fashioned entertainment isn't so old-fashioned after all. Simone, who is a 9-year-old fourth-grader, recently won a chess competition in Dallas, Texas and was crowned best young girl player in the United States, giving the rest of us hope that not all children of the future will be addicted to laptops, video games and iPods.

We acknowledge that times have changed and that the lure of electronic entertainment is powerful, bit it's nice to see that at least some of our local youth are stimulating their minds with games that require deep thought, not just quick thumbs and eyeballs.

Simone is a gifted student at Willow Elementary who loves to use chess to stimulate her mind. She also enjoys tennis, soccer and swimming.

Smart students plays chess. Smart children also hang out on the computer, but our money is on the kid who can master a thousand-year-old game that demands an understanding of spatial algorithms and tactile play.

You have to admit that students who are able to sit quietly in front of a chess board for an hour or more have much more on the ball than those who get their kicks by crunching opponents and blowing things up on the video screen.

Stop the sensory overload; our children need to start developing a certain inner strength if they plan to go places.

Educators have long believed that students who participate in chess have better academic performance, maybe even a better track record in life. Isn't it time you weaned your child off the video games and introduced them to more thought-provoking endeavors?

Maybe your kids aren't gifted like Simone, but at least give them options. Next opportunity you have, turn off the computer, turn off the Play Station and open up the chess board. At least try some checkers. Remember those?