ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 27, 1997 TAG: 9701270081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE, really: Mickey Owens likes to see what chess does for children.
Mickey Owens sometimes feels like he has three jobs, but he's not complaining - it's a labor of love.
He teaches physical science to eighth-graders at Addison Middle School in Roanoke.
He's the chess coordinator for city schools, overseeing chess clubs at schools, selecting club sponsors and chess instructors, organizing tournaments, and handling dozens of administrative details.
And he's the sponsor of the chess club at Addison, where he meets weekly with a group of players to discuss and play the game, share tips and arrange school tournaments.
Owens does most of the work on the chess program after he finishes his daily teaching chores. He stays busy with his chess duties many nights and on the weekends when tournaments are held.
He works long hours because he believes chess can help change students. It can be more than just a game that provides entertainment, he said.
"I see disruptive kids who cause discipline problems sit quietly at a chessboard for one to two hours," he said. "I see kids from special education classes come in and beat gifted children."
Chess can also help teach children analytical and geometry skills, he said. "It helps them learn to think ahead and plan."
Owens has played chess since he was a boy and has competed in many tournaments.
He was a teacher at Virginia Heights Elementary when the city began the chess program during the mid-1980s, and he became the first sponsor of the school's chess club.
Owens, a teacher in Roanoke for 17 years with a master's degree in school administration, agreed to run the citywide program 2 1/2 years ago when it was restructured and expanded after participation had dwindled.
"When we used to have tournaments, sometimes we would hardly have enough entries to hold them," he said. "Now chess is growing and there is more interest."
Fifty-five students competed in the recent city individual championships. The number of entries is higher in tournaments with school competition, he said.
Roanoke has some talented young players who do well in national tournaments, he said. "They're getting better, and we're getting more of them."
At the recent city tournament, an excited student playing in her first tournament rushed into the tournament director's room to tell Owens that she had won her first match.
``That's what it's all about,'' he said. ``I like to see what chess can do for children.''
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Owens. color.by CNB