The cafeteria at one north central Florida elementary school was transformed with a sea of chess boards. Nearly four hundred kids took part in the 12th annual Chess Challenge at Lake Forest Elementary School.

Put on by the Gainesville Chess Club, over four months of practice lead up to the event.

"It's a game of pure logic," said Robert Kaplan-Stein, President of the Gainesville Chess Club, "it teaches the kids to organize their thoughts at an early age."

Studies have shown Chess improves students' concentration, reasoning and strategy skills, and math skills.

"The program has produced masters in the past, thats not the object, the object is for them to have fun, and to be able to play chess for the rest of their lives with their friends," he said.

All students took home a tournament-style chess set and a t-shirt.