On a recent day at the Lancaster Recreation Center, anxious teenagers hurriedly put together chess boards and pieces at a table while some of their parents moved chairs into place.

REX C. CURRY/Special Contributor

Jonathan Fields, 15, and Genina Burns, 16, practice playing chess in Lancaster during lessons mandated by Justice of the Peace Thomas Jones to improve the attitude of teens who've come before him in court.

But the young players weren't members of a school chess club.

Many were truants, ordered to be there by Justice of the Peace Thomas Jones.

Judge Jones, justice of the peace in Dallas County Precinct 1, opts to place many young offenders with court-appointed mentors.

The youths learn how to play chess or perform community service to reduce their fines.

The mentors work not only with the truants but their parents as well.

"What chess does is make them think of the next move," Judge Jones said.

"In life, you have to do that, too. They have to think about skipping school and what their next move will be."

It helps that many of the kids seem to buy into the program.

"It's a very challenging game," said Shelby White, a Lancaster High School sophomore who skipped school several times.

"My mom signed me up. It's cool learning how to play."

Parents like Gaylene Mabry see the benefit of the program as well.

Ms. Mabry has two sons in the program: Darian, who was truant, and another who just wanted to learn to play chess.

"Darian was out of school a number of times," she said.

"I think this has helped him."

Darian landed a job at Minyard a couple of weeks ago, she said.

He also had to assemble a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle for Judge Jones, who put it on his office wall.

Ms. Mabry said Darian also had to go to Inspiring Body of Christ Church to join a mentoring program for men only.

Billie Arbuckle, one of the mentors Judge Jones assigns to the families, said she makes the kids go to church if they aren't attending already.

"It's important for these children to own up to what they did," she said.

"I make them go before their church and tell them."

Ms. Arbuckle said she and the other mentors use chess, puzzles and other tools to get the children back in the classroom.

She even approached a senior living facility to see if there was work for them to do.

"They were more than happy to oblige," Ms. Arbuckle said.

"We have them go to the library and do book reports, things like that, things that make them use their minds."

But none of the efforts has been as successful as chess.

"It's really helped," Ms. Arbuckle said. "They need to learn other avenues of release instead of just rap music, talking on cellphones or watching TV."

Ms. Arbuckle, who mentors along with LaKerrie Owens and James Garner, said she had heard about a woman in the area who taught chess at recreation centers.

That was Cardelia Smith, who ran into Ms. Arbuckle in Judge Jones' courtroom.

Her son, Vincent, a Cedar Hill High School senior, was a truant.

Ms. Smith said she would help teach truant kids the ins and outs of chess.

"I played as a young girl in a male-dominated game," Ms. Smith said. "I teach chess at the Cedar Hill recreation center to neighborhood people, but this is great, too. They have fun competing."

Occasionally, the youngsters beat their parents in chess matches.

Vincent said he helps his mom teach chess to the other kids.

"The judge told me that if I didn't straighten up, I wouldn't be able to play football," said Vincent, a middle linebacker for the Cedar Hill Longhorns.

"That got my attention."

Herb Booth is a Grand Prairie-based freelance writer.

herbviv@sbcglobal.net