Teens coach congressmen as they play chess to raise awareness of game’s educational benefits

WASHINGTON – It’s not every day that teenagers get to tell members of Congress how to think.

But that’s what four young chess champions did Wednesday on Capitol Hill. With as much patience as they could muster, the teens served as coaches as a team of Republicans played a team of Democrats for a single game.

The lawmakers were competing in the first Congressional Chess Tournament, designed to raise awareness of the game’s educational benefits and the importance of introducing chess to young people nationwide.

Joining the teen coaches — three 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old — was arguably the greatest chess player ever, Garry Kasparov.

The Republicans won the game, but both sides were quick to give credit to the teen coaches.

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