Sam Hambleton, 9, ponders how to proceed Saturday during the Cordley Elementary Chess Tournament at Kansas University's Kansas Union.

From left, Sam Beaulieu, 13, of Cordley School, and Owen McFadden, 12, of Wakarusa Valley School, consider their next moves.

Tap. Silence. Tap. Silence. Tap.

For more than 200 chess players, ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors, the sound of bishops, kings and queens moving across chessboards replaced any need for conversation at Saturday’s Cordley Elementary Chess Tournament at Kansas University’s Kansas Union.

Students from Lawrence, Kansas City and as far as Galesburg played in the tournament, which is in its third year. The union’s banquet rooms were lined with tables, but the players were silent as they contemplated their next move; speaking was barred by tournament rules.

Phil Wedge, a KU English professor and chess club sponsor at Cordley School, said chess is a popular game for students in Lawrence, with chess clubs at most schools.

“It’s a sport that’s different from most scholastic competitions,” Wedge said, comparing chess to athletic events where older, bigger students have an advantage. “The smaller person can be the better chess player because it’s a game of the mind.”

He also said that chess has been shown to improve the math and logic scores of students, and it’s a way for players to build confidence and improve concentration.

For 11-year-old Tom Frager, a Cordley student, confidence was not a problem.

“I’m here because I just want to play chess,” he said, brimming with excitement. He started playing a few years ago and even taught his father, Gary, to play. Tom openly boasted about how his father is often on the losing end of their matches.

“I had people try to teach me chess, but Tom taught me,” Gary said. “It’s fun to have that for when there’s no video games, the computer is shut off.”

And when Gary explained that chess is a game that can build other skills, his son interrupted. “My point,” he said, “is just to play chess, and have fun.”

Tom’s enthusiasm was mirrored by other players, including first-year player Sam Hambleton, 9, a member of the Quail Run team.

“Right now I’m really hoping to win another game, so I can make it to the state tournament,” he said.

The Kansas Scholastic Chess Association’s state tournament is March 8 at Blue Valley High School.