Cameron Hunt's been teaching the game to Trenton's youth through the Capital City Chess Collaboration for two years.
TRENTON -- Cameron Hunt sits in a park just off Fillmore Street in East Trenton.
The 73-year-old veteran with 28 years of military experience stares down at a chess board, but his mind is far away - it's on the battlefield.
"Check," his opponent says.
The retired master sergeant deftly maneuvers his pawn to block.
The game goes on.
Hunt has been playing chess since the 1950s -- before he was U.S. Marine and a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
For the past two years he's been teaching the game to Trenton's youth through the Capital City Chess Collaboration, a program he founded that counts five city schools as participants.
The idea came to him, he says, "like everything comes to me -- out of the clear blue."
"It was one of those days when you wake up and you say 'this could probably work and this is going to do some good for kids,'" he said.
The program is active in Joyce Kilmer Elementary, Dunn Middle School, 9th Grade Academy, Trenton Central High School West and Rivera Middle School.
The collaboration pairs groups of students with mentors from the schools and community. They have practices and hold tournaments in various locations throughout the city and county.
Their last tournament in June of last year drew upwards of 30 children, Hunt says.
"Chess is a game that teaches... all the elements that a young man (or) young woman would need once they get out of college or... high school to.. be successful."
Hunt says the program is growing with some aid from various organizations.
"I recognized that we couldn't do it all by ourselves so we recruited the Children's Future nonprofit and the NAACP... and the Urban Mental Health Alliance," he said. "We have a good nucleus of partners that have been very very interested in working with us to make this an even better success."
Samuel Brown, special inclusions teacher at Joyce Kilmer Elementary and program mentor, says he's seen the program do wonders for children, both in and out of the classroom.
"I've had kids in the past improve math skills, communications skills and language skills -- you have to learn manners and etiquette," said Brown.
"In chess the first thing you do when you sit down with an opponent is shake their hand," said Hunt. "If you win or lose you shake their hand again -- that's a sign of respect," said Hunt.
"There's a lot of positive indicators that we need to continue this effort," he said.
Hunt is trying to expand his program even further, just like he's playing a match -- by planning ahead and taking it one move at a time.
He's also currently working toward obtaining official nonprofit status.
"Our overall goal is to organize all the (Trenton) schools and develop a league," he said.
Hunt says he owes his roots in community organization to his time in the service.
"I've always been involved with trying to do something in the community," he said.
"It wasn't until I went into special forces that I really got into community building," he said. "That was the mission in special forces."
"That has never left me because I always thought that that should be something that people should be willing to do -- help thy neighbor," he said.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the program can contact Hunt at sfmaster.8@hotmail.com.
Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.