Cameron Heinisch, left, an Evan Brower are finishing up a spirited game of chess at a recent Milford Chess Club meeting.

“We thought it was a fluke and numbers would dwindle, but it’s stayed steady,” says Ann Schlabach. Schlabach coaches the chess team at Milford School, which has experienced record attendance during the 2013 school year.

“We had about 25 students who came regularly last year,” she says. “We’ve been averaging 60 kids per week [this year].”

“I think it’s just been word of mouth that this is a cool place to be,” says Schlabach. Schlabach and Laurie Donahoe, the other chess team coach, have come up with some incentives to get kids to the club.

“We offered brownies and lemonade the first day,” says Schlabach. Also students who challenge Schlabach and win receive a candy bar.

Students offered up a variety of reasons why they come to chess club. “My mom made me sign up, but I started to like it,” says third grader Evan Brower. “[A friend] told me about it, and I thought it sounded interesting,” says Luke Wilkinson.

Whatever the reason, attendance has skyrocketed, and it’s the students who will benefit most. In a paper published by John Hopkins School of Education in 2006, a landmark study conducted in 2000 found that students who received chess instruction scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including math, spatial analysis and non-verbal reasoning ability.

The chess club also puts together teams that compete in tournaments throughout the state. This past weekend the Scholastic Chess of Indiana Grade Level Championship was held in Fort Wayne. Fourth grader Brian Schlabach won fourth place.

Dylan Schlabach, a second grader, came in eleventh in his section, and third grader Evan Brower placed fourteenth. Several weeks ago Cameron Heinisch won a trophy at another tournament.

Schlabach has hopes to take several teams to the Scholastic Chess of Indiana State Finals in Terra Haute on March 22. Given the explosion in attendance, Milford School should be well-represented.