This Brooklyn middle school develops master chess players

Schoolteacher Elizabeth Spiegel organizes groups of chess challengers from I.S. 318 in Brooklyn.

Sebastian Garcia, left, and Stefek Yurgel, students from I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, play chess during a Saturday morning class on Sept. 15

James Black, left, and Azeez Alade play fast and furious chess.

Spencer Ha from I.S. 318 in Brooklyn studies the chess board during class on Sept. 15.

Vincente Gomez and William Lawrence shake hands. Elizabeth Spiegel's players write out each move and review them afterward, drilling down to figure out why they made a mistake and how to fix it.

Children from I.S. 318 in during a Saturday morning chess class Sept. 15.

Spencer Ha, left, and James Black from I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, N.Y., during a Saturday morning chess class.

Schoolteacher Elizabeth Spiegel likens the process to psychotherapy, saying her players often make the same mistakes repeatedly. In the end, she says, they must find a way to separate themselves from their mistakes and losses. “I try to teach my students that losing is something you do, not something you are,” she says.