The best piece of advice Michael Calacouris has for the Rainbow Street Public School students he coaches in chess is “don’t panic”.

“Just because you’ve lost a piece doesn’t mean you’ve lost the game,” he said.

Mr Calacouris – “Mr Michael” to the students – has coached the chess club since becoming a fulltime teachers aide at the Randwick school last year.

He said the students find chess a very absorbing game.

“It tests their thinking, tests their intellect.

They’re always thinking of the next move,” he said.

Mr Calacouris, who introduced chess software to the school library and developed handouts of rules, tips and strategies, said the concentration required to play the game helps students with their school work.

“If they can concentrate on chess they can concentrate on spelling, maths and reading.” Rainbow Street Public principal Susanne Rosier said the game encourages problemsolving, decision-making, fair play and cooperation.

“It’s about accepting decisions, being able to lose – to understand that you weren’t ‘on’ that day,” Ms Rosier said.

So important is the Rainbow Street chess group to its members that when Ms Rosier started at the school last year, parents came to her and said “the chess is not going away”.

Not only has it not gone away, but the school has achieved success in the 2007 NSW Junior Chess League East Coast division tournament, where its B team beat private and public schools to win the East Coast rookie grade.

The school’s A team came second in the intermediate grade.

“They were so thrilled,” Mr Calacouris said of the confidenceboosting performances.

“They know they can mix it with the best.” The primary schools coordinator of the NSW Junior Chess League, Richard Gastineau-Hills, said studies have demonstrated that chess has educational and psychological benefits for children of all abilities.

Mr Gastineau-Hills said the game was popular because “kids like something a bit competitive”.

“They like the fact it’s a game, even if they don’t realise they are learning a lot of skills,” he said.

“It’s quite a social thing.

You don’t think of that.

It’s very encouraging to see the friendships that grow up between games.” Rainbow Street Public’s 2007 school captain and chess club member Richard L said chess makes you use your brain power.

“It helps you think a lot better and it makes you patient,” he said.

Richard said he used skills he learnt in chess when he appeared on the television game show Go Go Stop.

“I memorised the board as if it were a chess board, and I won.” Asked what he would do if his new high school, Randwick Boys High, did not have a chess club, Richard said: “I will set up my own.”