>> o'donnell: chess is a game of make-believe, kings and queens, pawns and rooks. so what does that have to do with real life? well it turns out, quite a bit. here's cbs' jamie yuccas. >> it's the most unique piece in the game. >> reporter: for 12-year-old andre, chess is more than just a game. >> i use a lot of stuff they learned on the chessboard in real life, like think before you move. think before i act out. >> reporter: he's just one of thousands of students from some of l.a.'s toughest neighborhoods learning to play. >> i learned to play chess at age 13. it was a pivotal, pivotal moment in my life. >> reporter: damen fletcher grew up in compton. after going away to college, he came home to find his childhood friends struggling. >> some of them had fallen into the prison system, gang life, and drugs. and i just wondered why did i have such a different outcome? and it was chess.