Two Games Collide At The Linc
by Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At Lincoln Financial Field, football took a back seat to the game of chess Tuesday. The 13th Annual Eagles Chess Tournament featured more than 200 of the top elementary, middle, and high school players in the area.
From a physical standpoint, Chess and football are polar opposites, but Eagles Community Relations Coordinator Cherisse Cavan says if you take a closer look:
"There's a lot of strategizing, a lot of elements that are similar to football. So for us we just like to have all those pieces together," she said.
And the young cerebral types who love chess say that, through their moves on the board, they learn how to stay a step or two ahead in life.
"it trains you, it just basically makes you know what you are gonna do. Like, you have to do an action that's in real life, you think about it 'cause the game tells you not to move your pieces crazily but to think before you move," said one of the students.
For the Eagles and their non-profit partner, After School Activities Partnerships, the day-long tournament gives youngsters a safe-haven to indulge in their favorite game and even take on some of the big, burly members of the team.
"I feel like beating the Eagles would be something fun," joked another student.
This year they got a chance to play safety Chris Maragos and defensive lineman Taylor Hart.