Starting a Chess Program

Planning the Basics

If possible, put together a small planning group. You’ll benefit from other perspectives, and can divide up the work. The group can include anyone who might be in a position to help, such as parents, teachers, administrators, after-school coordinators, and retired chess players in your community. As you begin to plan your club, these are some questions you should consider:

Most successful clubs cater to all levels of interest and skill. Some start off as recreational, and add instruction and competition after the club has matured.

We hope so. Introducing new players to the game should be a core function of any chess club. You don't need a grandmaster to teach the basics. In fact, being a good teacher and communicating well with kids is more important to getting them started than being a great chess player.

At some point, you will probably find this to be desirable or necessary. Finding qualified advanced chess instructors may take time. You may wish to wait until the club is up-and-running to make this decision, by which time you’ll have a better sense of your club members and their ambition. By then, you may have identified parents or others in your community who are willing and able to help coach. There are more strong chess players out there than you might think. You can also use your startup period to compare notes with other club directors who may be able to recommend local coaches, or may have experience with professional service providers. As skill levels begin to improve, some club directors also recommend chess books, videos, and software to their stronger and more motivated players.

Age level. Kids are almost all ready to learn chess by second grade, but many are ready earlier. Most youth clubs therefore open their doors to all school-age kids, and virtually all major state and national tournaments have sections beginning at the kindergarten level. K’s and 1’s can become very strong players. Our advice is to include all grades. Some clubs allow young siblings of club members to participate, especially when their parents are volunteer helpers. In our experience, some 4-year olds are old enough to learn, and even the occasional 3-year old. Younger children require more adult supervision. In addition, you may have higher dropout rates among your youngest players. There is nothing wrong if this happens. If a child is struggling, encourage the child’s parents to withdraw the child and wait a year. Many clubs also allow kids to visit before deciding whether to join. Kids in special programs. Virtually all clubs include kids in special programs who may have learning, developmental, or physical challenges, as well as kids in gifted programs. All can benefit from your club and become strong players, and parents and school administrators

Contact your school principal

Your principal or district administrators will almost certainly welcome your effort to start a club, especially if you offer to do the work. But it’s important to sit down with them and lay out your plan. Take this opportunity to be sure you’ll get the support you will need

Be prepared to lay out the case for having a club at your school. Mention the research showing the academic benefits resulting from a good program. (See “The Value of Chess” elsewhere on this site.) Consider putting together a packet of written information that you can leave with them after your meeting. If you plan to compete in local or state chess tournaments, mention the positive press that can flow to the school when the kids do well. The children will also benefit from the new people they meet and new ideas they encounter through the world of competitive chess.

We’ve attached an example of an introductory letter to your principal.

We suggest you cover the following subjects in your initial meeting:

As discussed above, a large central meeting room is best, with separate rooms as needed for instruction.

Your school may have discretionary funds available for new clubs or a system of stipends for coaches. You’ll want to find out. If you’re not a teacher at the school, and especially if you and the principal do not know each other well, your principal may wish to designate a school employee to act as a sponsor or liaison to your club to coordinate issues such as communication and use of school space and resources. PTA or PTO sponsorship should also be explored. Beyond potentially providing financial support, such sponsorship may have other advantages such as facilitating registration, conferring insurance coverage, or giving you access to lower fees if you plan to use your school on weekends for tournaments or special events.

Occasionally, official school support, or even the offer of a school employee to help out, may come with strings attached. In one school, accepting such help meant the only option for transportation was use of school buses (car pooling was prohibited), which was inflexible and prohibitively expensive. If your principal is willing to help but is bound by a collective bargaining agreement, he or she may be required to offer the position to any school employee who is interested. Be careful that you don’t end up with someone who’s more trouble than they may be worth, or who may be more interested in a stipend than in helping you run the club. Thankfully these issues are rare.

If you have a source of financial support, keep track of your expenses. Here’s a form used in some clubs to request reimbursement.

Talk to your PTO or PTA

We’ve mentioned the potential roles your PTO or PTA can play. Talk to them early if you will need financial or other support and they may be able to provide it. Have a budget prepared showing your anticipated expenses. (See “Costs, budgets and funding” above.) Consider asking to get on the agenda of an upcoming PTO/PTA meeting so they know what you are planning. Use the opportunity to publicize your club and let parents know what to expect.

Talk to your district

You may need or want to talk directly with officials in your school district or on your school board. If possible, meet with your superintendent. You may wish or need to speak with staff members with specific responsibilities such as security screening, payroll, facility usage, or public relations. Some superintendents will designate a staffer to act as liaison with your chess program, which can make things simpler.

Publicity (including a flyer)

OK, you have a commitment from the school, a startup plan that seems sensible, and some volunteer helpers. Time to tell the parents and kids!

At least two weeks before your planned start date, create a flyer to send home to parents. Post it on a website, too, if one is available (your own, your school’s, your PTO’s or PTA’s, or your district’s). Include the basics, including your start date, when the club will meet (days and hours), pick-up times, dues (if any), and volunteer expectations. Include an attractive chess picture or graphic -- on-line clip art is a great resource for chess related graphics. If you decide to have a cutoff date for registration, include it. We recommend leaving registration open, as many kids will learn about the club from their friends and may want to join later. If you offer instruction, it makes sense to encourage sign-up by a specific date so kids won’t miss lessons.

Some clubs find it useful to break the year into sessions, such as Fall, Winter and Spring Sessions and to have separate registration for each session. Especially if your club charges fees, this allows kids to sign up and pay only for the sessions when they are free.

Your flyer should include a registration form which should include the child’s name and grade, the parents’ names and contact information (phone, email address, and emergency contacts), and whatever written consents you decide on. If you use written registration forms, make plain where and when they should be turned in. The flyer should also make clear who parents should contact if they have questions, and how to do so (ideally with both an email address and phone number). If you can, add reminders to the school newsletter or web site.

We’ve included some sample flyers here and here.

There are other steps you can take to publicize your club, including starting a website (or asking for space on a school or district site), issuing press releases (local papers may be interested), and getting information about your club into school newsletters and yearbooks. Many club directors promote their clubs during lunch periods (putting out a few boards may be all you need), at parent meetings, and at special events such as simultaneous exhibitions (see “Other Club Activities” below).

The “Publicity” section of USCF’s “Guide to Scholastic Chess” mentioned in our Introduction has other useful suggestions on how to publicize your club.

Managing memberships

When the registration forms start coming in, it’s best to enter the data into a computerized system. You’ll need to communicate with parents of club members by email and phone, both individually and in groups, and the time taken to set up a system with search capacity will pay dividends. The key data to record are child’s name and grade and parents’ names, emails and phone numbers (including emergency contact numbers). If your club members pay dues, keep track of who’s paid. Some clubs also collect teacher’s names and keep track of kids’ skill levels.

We’ve had success with three types of systems. All are easy to use. If you don’t know how, you should be able to find someone such as a club parent to teach you in a short time (or to do this job themselves):

A standalone spreadsheet program like MS Excel or OpenOffice Calc. Most of you have seen or used these, and they are probably the most popular way to organize club information. They are easy-to-read and intuitive, with columns and rows. All have good search tools, so it’s unnecessary to alphabetize your lists.

A web hosted spreadsheet like Google Docs or MS Office Live. These sites provide the ability to enter data and maintain spreadsheets online and share them with others. They are particularly well suited to clubs with multiple administrators who may each enter or need access to data. They also work well in programs involving multiple clubs. Clubs can maintain their own sections, yet program administrators (or whoever you designate) can access the entire sheet. These programs have settings allowing either editing or mere viewing. If you take this route, it may be wise to establish a privacy policy. Some parents may not want to share their child’s contact information with multiple adults.

A simple data base management product like MS Access or OpenOffice Base. These programs may make it easier to enter, organize and retrieve data after it is entered. Some new users find them less intuitive than spreadsheets, with a steeper learning curve.

To facilitate emails within a club or program, some of us use “listservs,” sets of email addresses which allow the sender to send one email and reach everyone on the list. Examples include Google Groups and Yahoo Groups.

Running your club

Most schools have kids who can already play, and some might already be strong players. Many kids will say they know how to play, but in fact may know little except how the pieces move. You’ll need to know which kids fall into which groups, as this will affect whether and how you structure whatever instructional and competitive programs you decide to adopt.

Depending on the size of your club and how many helpers you have, sorting kids into skill groups can take a while. One club uses a simple four-question test which can quickly help you sort them out.

Some clubs have websites or handbooks which explain how they are organized, what the expectations and rules are, how lessons and club sessions are structured, how tournaments are selected and run, and so on. These can save a lot of time in the long run, but are not necessary to get a club up and running.

We strongly recommend, though, that you get some basics into writing. These should include your club start and end times, pickup procedures, snack policy (strongly recommended), and basic rules of behavior (such as no running around, leaving the room, using bad language, or interfering in other people’s games). Some clubs specify the consequences of rule violations (warnings, time outs, calling parents, suspensions, and so on). Many clubs include written information on sportsmanship (see “Sportsmanship and Etiquette” elsewhere on the site) and guidelines for volunteers.

We’ve included some examples of written material (sample one, sample two, sample three) from several clubs:.

Keeping track of your kids is essential. Most clubs have sign-in and sign-out procedures, and your school may require it. An adult should be in charge, and it’s especially important to keep track of who picks up kids when they leave. If it’s not a parent, most clubs require a note or direct communication from a parent making clear who is authorized to pick up their child. We’ve included an example.

Name tags help club members and adults learn each others’ names, and most clubs use them. They may not be necessary after people get to know each other, especially in smaller clubs. Some clubs use adhesive paper labels. If you use reusable tags, set up a system to make them easy to find as kids arrive. Some clubs let kids use their nicknames or decorate their own tags, and some use colors or icons to indicate members’ skill levels.

Your parents will want to know your club schedules, including days off and the dates of tournaments and special events. We recommend you post these dates on a club or school website if possible, or post them in a regular place in your club meeting room. Written handouts are always helpful; here’s an example of a form used in one club. Most club directors also circulate important dates by email.

Some clubs have other paperwork and handouts available for kids and parents. Examples include:

• 46 Tips, a compilation of other such lists you may have seen
• scoring sheets for Bughouse games and Bonus Points
• tips for outside chess mentors, should you be lucky enough to have some
• “Do Not Disturb” signs in the event games are interrupted (for lessons, etc.)
• notation forms and crib sheets on how to take chess notation
• a simple form for manual pairingfor small Swiss tournaments
• questions beginners should ask before every move
• tournament advice for players.

Choosing a Service Provider

As we have discussed, running a program on your own requires dedicated volunteers, strong coaches and financial support. Where these are in short supply, another option is to choose a private service provider able to run a largely “turnkey” operation needing much less support. Many such providers require minimum enrollments and charge per-person fees; others may charge “by the classroom.” In some parts of the state, there are multiple service providers to choose from. Some are for-profit companies, and others are non-profits. In either case, we suggest you evaluate your choices carefully.

It is wise to have background checks performed on whoever will be working with your children. Keep in mind that some providers have large rosters of coaches and may sometimes need to supply a substitute. Make clear that substitutes will also need to be checked. It is also advisable when beginning a new relationship with a company or individual that a school staff member or parent sit in on classes from time to time. Some companies or individuals welcome this practice. It is important to ensure that lessons are being properly taught and that club or school rules are being enforced.

Talking with people can be one of the best ways to bring a quality chess program to your school. Ask around and make some calls before you start interviewing providers. Get recommendations from other parents, club directors and educators you trust. It’s best to interview more than one provider.

If your players have roughly similar skills (e.g., they are mostly beginners), you may find it sufficient to have a single coach and lesson plan. If you have players at significantly different levels you may prefer a multi-tiered approach, with lessons offered at more than one skill level. You should also discuss the size of your teaching groups. As a rule of thumb, only very experienced coaches can handle groups larger than 10 or 15. You may also want your provider to keep track of kids’ won-loss records and post “club ratings,” generally using specialized software. If that is important to you, be specific. In any event, have a plan with your provider which suits your needs.

To make sure you have a good fit, meet the teacher(s) who will be working with your children. Get their backgrounds, in writing if you wish, and don’t hesitate to ask for references. Be clear that in the event the provider cannot provide the teacher you have been promised you are free to terminate the relationship (no “bait and switch”). Also work out what will happen in the event a substitute is required for a particular day.

There are many good chess curricula. Most are in written form, but an increasing number of coaches use computer or video-assisted instruction. See our “Resources for Learning” section for our thoughts on some of the available curricula. Many service providers have curricula of their own which may be just as good. Feel free to ask your provider what curriculum they use, and ask to see it if that is important to you. Be aware that some curricula are proprietary, and providers may therefore be reluctant to lend them to you for review. Decide, as well, if you want your lessons to include the history of the game and profiles of major players.

Providers vary in the length of the lessons they teach. If your focus is on instruction, rather than simply giving kids an opportunity to play, be specific about what you want. A good general rule is that half of each club session should be devoted to instruction. Feel free to discuss with your provider how the instruction time will be divided (e.g., “puzzles” vs. more structured lessons).

ICA believes all kids should have the opportunity to learn and play chess. Some companies offer scholarships to low-income families or have pricing plans for clubs open to all kids regardless of need. If this is important to you, ask about it.

Most kids love competition at matches (school vs. school) or at tournaments. Most scholastic tournaments in Illinois are listed on this website, and others may be available in your area. Service providers vary in the degree to which they themselves provide opportunities to compete, or promote outside tournaments. For example, your service provider may only promote tournaments that they sponsor, even if there are other tournaments in your area appropriate for your club members. If this is important to you, get the details.

Make sure that your agreement with a company or individual is in writing. If someone is uncomfortable having a written contract, they are not likely to be someone you want to do business with or entrust your children to. Besides the basics of class dates, times, and pricing, we recommend you get in writing any specific agreements on the issues discussed above. Be aware that if payments are made by parents directly to your provider, in advance, you may have less leverage with your provider in the event of a dispute.

Special Issues

Virtually all coaches and instructors stress the importance of reviewing and critiquing games which their students have played, which is generally regarded (resources permitting) as the single best way to teach. This is normally done by having players record the moves of their games in “chess notation,” a topic explored in our “Guide to Scholastic Chess Tournaments.”

Although the technique is not difficult to learn, coaches are virtually unanimous in lamenting the difficulty of getting kids to notate their games. Young kids may have poor motor skills, so writing out their moves can be painfully slow. Others may find it not worth the effort, especially if their club is not set up to enable routine game review or they know (as is common) that their notations contain errors.

There is no right answer here. Some clubs offer Bonus Points or some other incentive to take notation on the assumption that kids need to practice to satisfy the notation requirement at some tournaments. Others encourage kids to use handheld electronic devices from companies such as MonRoi which simplify the process (but are expensive).

This can be anything from an occasional irritant to a chronic problem. How you deal with it will depend on the circumstances, including its cause, how frequently the problem occurs, and your relationship with the parent or guardian.

For starters, be sure to get cell phone and emergency contact information for parents and caregivers, and call them as soon as it’s apparent they are late. If the problem is isolated and the parent is only a few minutes late, you may wish to let it slide. If it happens more than once or a parent is very late, don’t hesitate letting the parent know you are being inconvenienced. If your school has an after-school care program, one option may be to take the child there until the parent arrives, but arrangements with the program should be made by the parent.

For repeat offenders, parents may need to consider other options, such as carpooling or changing their pickup procedure. Some clubs use other options such as asking parents who have been late to volunteer at the club for a fixed number of hours. Others tell the parents their child will not be able to attend unless a parent or a caregiver attends with them. Others simply tell the parents to withdraw their child from the club, temporarily or permanently. Our advice, in any event, is to handle these situations fairly but firmly. Don’t be an enabler.

Decide in advance what you will do if a child cannot follow the club rules or is otherwise disruptive in club meetings. Acting out and being disruptive may occur because a child is placed in an incorrect ability section (recall that groups should be based on ability, not age). Assuming the child is properly placed, you should consider an escalating series of sanctions. Most club directors start with a warning to the child. If your club has a point system which includes behavior, consider taking points off. If the problem persists, tell the child you will talk to his parents, and do so. If the disruption continues, call the parent and ask them to pick up their child. Some clubs give disruptive kids “time outs” in a designated location, usually for a few minutes. The vast majority of parents will support you.

If none of this works, you will need to consider other options. One is to require that a parent or caregiver be with the child when he or she is at your club. Another is to suspend the child temporarily (often a week or two is sufficient) or drop them permanently from the club. Disruptive kids are a drain on the club, on you, and your coaches and volunteers. Do everyone a favor by demonstrating that negative actions have consequences.

This is at least an occasional problem in almost all clubs, and tends to be more serious in clubs with longer hours and larger numbers of young kids. It’s also certain to be worse when parents want their children to play chess more than the kids do (see “The Babysitting Conundrum” above).

Some clubs allow kids to do homework, draw, or play other games, sometimes only after a designated hour or in a designated space, and only if the child’s activity does not become disruptive to kids still playing chess. Other clubs bar such activity completely.

Most clubs have periods of free play and allow kids to choose their own opponents. If they fail to do so on their own, some prompting or cajolery may be all that’s required. If that doesn’t work, consider pairing these kids up yourself. That may also not work, as some kids will just resign promptly from their game and take the loss. Some club directors discourage or prohibit early resignations, but this too may have little effect.

Many kids don’t play because they are losing most of their games and are discouraged. If so, find them an easy opponent or arrange an ad hoc over-the-board lesson from a more experienced player. You might be surprised at how many kids enjoy teaching. If you have a point system, reward the experienced player with a few bonus points.

You may have no choice but to take stronger action such as taking points off (if you have such a system), talking to their parents, or considering suspension or expulsion. Some club directors are more tolerant than others. Most of us make our judgments based on whether the child is otherwise well-behaved and how much time the child is taking from you or other volunteers. If you have others helping you run your club, compare notes with them and make the decision together.

Most kids want or need after-school snacks, and we recommend that you allow them. You may want a separate snack area to confine the messes. Kids should be told to clean up their messes. Tell your parents ahead of time that dry foods are preferred over sticky snacks that tend get all over the place. If snacks are allowed at the chess boards, some clubs prohibit red drinks, which are particularly likely to stain the boards. Keep a roll of paper towels handy, and find out where your school keeps its mops and buckets.

Want to keep the snacks in one area? Here’s a tent sign used in one club.

Competitions

You might be surprised at how introducing structured competition into your club can stimulate interest. There are many choices, beginning with things you can do within your club, and then branching out.

Many clubs keep track of wins and losses within their clubs, and convert game results into a ranking or rating system commonly called a club “ladder.” Most kids enjoy watching their ratings go up and down.

Some clubs use a rudimentary scoring system, in which wins or losses count for a fixed number of points up or down. Others use variations, an example of which is included.

We prefer a more sophisticated system, modeled after the USCF rating system, that takes into account the strength of a player’s opponents. Many clubs use a software program called Chess Club Manager made by Think Like a King (www.schoolchess.com). It costs approximately $100. It has an easy-to-use “point and click” system allowing you to enter game results and calculates ratings with a single click. It also includes tools to manage your club roster and contact information, but you may prefer to do that separately (see “Managing Memberships” above).

The downside of having a club ladder is that some kids will of course end up on the bottom, and may be embarrassed. Some clubs make manual adjustments to these kids’ ratings (allowed by Chess Club Manager) so they don’t fall below a fixed floor. Having a few kids bunched together at the bottom prevents anyone from being labeled “lowest rated.” In any event, in our experience the pleasure enjoyed by kids whose ratings rise outweighs the surprisingly rare disappointment others show when they go down.

Most clubs organize competitions of some sort among club members.

Tournaments. There are many possible tournament formats including single-elimination, double-elimination and single or double round-robin (everyone plays everyone else once or twice, which only works in smaller clubs). You can also run Quads, which are mini Round-Robins: club members are divided into groups of four of similar playing strength, and each plays the other three. Quads may be easier to run if you maintain a club ladder and can group kids by their ratings.

Want something really simple, especially for your youngest players? Tell them to choose a fixed number of opponents of their own choosing, and keep track of their wins and losses. One club calls these “Me-Vs” tournaments (see attached form). Whatever the system may lack in measuring true playing strength it makes up in ease of administration.

The tournament format regarded as the most fair in large groups is called “Swiss-Style” (or just “Swiss”), which is the method employed in most professionally organized tournaments. We describe the Swiss in our “Guide to Scholastic Tournaments” below. It’s easiest to run a Swisstournament if you havespecialized tournament software such as WinTD or SwissSys, but it’s not hard to run a Swiss-style tournament manually. Among the advantages of Swiss-style tournaments are that no players are eliminated (fewer kids running around between games!) and they produce a smaller number of mismatches. Especially as the tournament progresses, kids are likely to play others of similar strength.

Blitz games are played with chess clocks, with only five minutes allowed per player. Lots of kids enjoy blitz because of its speed, especially if they have played slower games the same day and want to switch to something requiring less sustained attention. For this precise reason, many chess instructors disapprove of blitz play and consider it “not real chess.”

Bughouse is a popular four-player, two-board variation where captured pieces can re-enter the game on the partner’s board. In bughouse, one teammate plays with white pieces while the other teammate plays with black pieces. Whichever pieces are captured in one game may be passed to the player’s teammate to be dropped into his own game. Thus, if the player playing white captures black’s queen, he may pass it to his partner who is playing black and the captured queen can become part of his partner’s chess army. Like Blitz, Bughouse is played with chess clocks and allows only five minutes per player. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bughouse_chess.

Prizes. The prospect of winning a competition is enough to motivate many kids. If your club maintains a ladder or point system, you could also consider awarding “bonus points” at your competitions. (Chess Club Manager has such a system built-in.) But don’t underestimate the value of material prizes, even if they are small and inexpensive. What you do will depend in part on your budget. Some clubs maintain a supply of candy or food treats for minor events. Others give out trinkets such as key chains with chess pieces, and others award chess books, travel sets or software. Many clubs award trophies, especially at year-end events.

Playing against other clubs can be particularly exciting for your club members. These events are generally referred to as “matches” rather than “tournaments.” They can take various forms. Some clubs, most commonly at the high school level, are organized into conferences or leagues, which have their own rules. Conference matches involve the same number of players on each team playing one or more games against members of another team. Other clubs organize matches informally, on an ad hoc basis, in which event you’ll have to agree on rules. In some matches, kids are paired continuously as soon as their games are over, and the winning team is the one with the most overall wins. This may not provide a perfectly fair result, as some kids will play more games than others, but it has the advantage of keeping kids busy.

Arranging transportation can be difficult or time-consuming. The closer the other club is geographically, the easier it will be to arrange live matches. Some clubs car pool, but this is prohibited in some districts. Other clubs have access to school buses. There are efforts underway to design a system of organized online competitions, which may be available as early as September 2010. We’ll get word out when this happens.

If you are considering arranging matches on your own, contact the other club director and talk about objectives, rules, and skill levels. The last thing either side wants is a totally one-sided affair. Some clubs have friendly rivalries and play each other once or more each year.

USCF’s Guide to Scholastic Chess has additional advice on setting up matches against other schools.

As kids gain in playing strength, many will enjoy playing in local or regional tournaments. Tournaments are described in detail in our “Guide to Scholastic Tournaments,” but we provide an overview here.

Most such events are open to anyone wishing to participate and award both team and individual prizes. Most are listed on ICA’s Events Page on this website, but others may be listed on sites maintained by local organizers. If you’re getting started, talk to other club directors to get an overview of what’s happening in your area. If there are no tournaments nearby, you might consider either starting one on your own or bringing in a professional organizer to do so.

Our advice is to ease kids into tournament play. Almost all of them will enjoy tournaments but some will be anxious when they start. Remind your kids that they will likely lose games in tournament play, but are likely, because of the way tournaments are structured, to win at least a game or two before they go home. Especially in early tournaments, the goal is to ensure that your child has a good experience. We include some advice on this subject in our section below called “How to be a Good Chess Parent.”

Many kids start by attending tournaments which are not rated by the U.S. Chess Federation. These events tend to be more relaxed since they tend to attract more beginner players – as opposed to players who have an established USCF “rating.” These tournaments are a great place to start because they tend to create less pressure. They introduce kids to tournament essentials such as pairing sheets, tie-breakers, the touch-move rule and using chess clocks, but do so in a friendly environment.

The next step is tournaments rated by the USCF, which tend to attract stronger players. Many rated tournaments have special sections for unrated (generally less experienced) players, and other sections for players in various rating groups such as Under 600, Under 1000, and “Open.”

Regional tournaments are usually rated and attract yet stronger competition. They provide a taste of what kids will experience if they are thinking about competing at State and National events.

Although most State and National tournaments are open to players of all strengths, these events attract the largest number of very strong players, including the best of the best. They are usually the most stimulating and exciting, but less experienced players may also find them intimidating, at least at the beginning. The true benefit in attending a national event is to meet players from all over the country, and share in the spirit of competition. Many times kids make friends at nationals who they will see year after year. These events are listed on both our own Events Page and that of the U.S. Chess Federation.

Transportation and overnight stays will often be required, so parents need to commit substantial time, and the cost of these events may be prohibitive. Some clubs organize fund-raising campaigns to help cover expenses. In general, our advice is to encourage your top players to consider playing national events, while encouraging weaker players to continue to work on improving their game until they too are ready to take on the challenges that a national event offers.

Most youth tournaments award both individual and team prizes (usually trophies). Generally speaking, “teams” are defined as particular schools, which excludes teams based in libraries, park districts, community centers, and so on. Some tournaments, however, allow “clubs” to participate as teams, which are more broadly defined, usually to include members who play regularly at a particular site. Many organizers follow the definitions of teams and clubs used by the USCF. See sections 13 and 14 of http://main.uschess.org/images/stories/scholastic_chess_resources/NationalScholasticTournamentRegulations.revSept2009.red.pdf.

Other club activities

There are many other ways to add variety to your club. Here are a few:

Specialty games. There are an increasing number of specialty chess games, some of which require special boards or pieces. While some coaches and club directors consider these games gimmicky, kids often like them and they can add variety to your club routine. A few examples are TagTeam Chess, a game for four players in which members of two-person teams take turns making moves; Quick Chess, in which two players use fewer pieces on a 5x6 board; “StarDo,” in which four players play on the corners of a conventional board with a small number of pieces; Four-Sided Chess, in which four players play simultaneously on an oversized board), and Millenium Chess, played onan oversized board with extra pieces (see www.millenniumchess.com).

“Simuls” (simultaneous exhibitions) involve one player of superior strength playing multiple games at the same time against other players. At the adult level, the superior player is often a Master or Grandmaster. In your club, the superior player can be a coach or even a top youth player. Some clubs award points or prizes to participants who win or draw their games, or hold out the longest. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_exhibition.).

Blindfold chess s another option if you have access to a top-level player. A superior player wears a blindfold, often against several players at once, usually with his back to his opponents, who play their games on demonstration boards. Some clubs have simplified systems which some kids enjoy. Here’s an example. ).

Instruction

Chess can be a complex game, especially for young children. Experience has shown, however, that kids can learn the game when they are still very young. Many clubs have large numbers of players in kindergarten and first grade, some of whom learn the game as quickly as older players. Some clubs allow pre-schoolers to participate. In general, you should anticipate higher dropout rates among your youngest kids, but most experienced coaches have worked with very young kids who have become very strong players. Some coaches believe the younger kids start, the more likely they will get good at the game and enjoy it later in life.

We’ve devoted an entire section to teaching resources and curricula (see “Resources for Learning” elsewhere on this site.) You do not need a chess expert to teach beginners. For beginning players, what you need is a good teacher who knows the basic game, is good with kids, and can explain things simply.

It goes without saying that the more you teach, the better your kids will get. In our view, the ideal lesson runs from 30 to 45 minutes, but the length of your lessons will depend on how many coaches you have, how long your club meets, how many teaching groups you have, and how much space is available.

Most coaches teach “classroom-style,” with a demonstration (“demo”) board hanging against a blackboard or wall which has slots for easy-to-see oversized flat plastic pieces. As noted above, these boards can be found online for under $20. Groups are commonly comprised of up to 15 or 20 players. Lessons should be as interactive as possible, with kids being encouraged to volunteer answers and being occasionally called to the board, where they will have the opportunity to handle the pieces.

Some potential coaches know the game but have not managed a classroom before. If you have the opportunity to break them in, preparation and training can go a long way. Before they start teaching on their own, have them first observe an experienced coach, paying particular attention to the coach’s communication style. Then invite them to teach short segments of your class, and critique them afterward. Don’t underestimate the importance of simplicity, clarity and eye contact. Coaches should also call kids by their names.

Coaches should also be encouraged to follow their instincts and develop their own styles. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another. One club’s advice to new coaches is attached.

Being able to manage and control your class is critical. Lessons should ideally be taught in separate rooms to minimize distractions. There’s been a vast amount written about classroom management. One of our favorite books, not specific to chess, is Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones. It’s full of practical tips and an easy read. It’s also funny, with many sections written from the perspective of a student preferring to not pay attention and looking to skirt the rules. Some very young kids (eg pre-K through 1st grade) have trouble visualizing the game on a demo board, or may be intimidated by being in a group of mostly older kids. Some coaches therefore teach these kids in small groups (six or fewer) using actual chess boards. This makes it easier for kids to handle pieces and feel involved. One key to teaching young children is to reduce concepts and explanations to their simplest elements. Keep it light and entertaining. Don’t try to teach the entire game at once. Short on adult coaches? Some clubs recruit high school or even middle-school players to help teach and mentor their youngest members. Keep an eye peeled for kids who are mature and would enjoy this experience. They are out there. Parents of these young coaches often comment on how rare and valuable it is for their kids to be given real responsibility and to work in an environment where expectations are high that they will be steady and reliable. Teach the pieces one at a time starting with the least complex. A common sequence is rook, bishop, queen (which combines the moves of the rook and bishop), king, knight, and pawn. Introduce the idea of checkmate early, so they know what the game is about, but leave the details about specific mates to later. Then go methodically through the rules and teach the common tactics. By the end of the year, the more advanced K-1’s and all those in grades 2 and up should also know basic principles of the opening, middle and end games. They should also have a sense of the flow of the game by having seen some games replayed and analyzed. Every group has kids of differing abilities. It is commonly said that coaches should aim “above the middle.” Our advice is to aim parts of each lesson to kids at each level of ability within your group. Repeat the fundamentals for your weaker players. Make sure your middle-strength players are exposed to new material. And have some challenging exercises for your top kids. As your kids progress, you’ll need stronger coaches. Introducing advanced instruction may present new challenges and costs. Most cities have adult chess clubs and some will have experienced players who might enjoy the opportunity to work with eager young chess players. Some may prefer not teach in a group setting but can nonetheless make major contributions by attending your club sessions regularly and teaching kids individually or in small groups. Some may be interested in picking up private tutoring on the side. Experienced coaches who have taught advanced kids are likely to have their own ideas about teaching and their own curricula. Our experience is that it’s often best, as long as they communicate and interact well with kids, is to give them as much leeway as possible. While you will want to monitor the progress of all your coaches, experienced coaches are normally skilled at assessing groups of students and knowing how to help them advance. In addition to independent coaches you may find on your own, some parts of the state have private companies, either for-profit or not-for-profit, that can provide instruction. Cost is often a factor here. See our section on “Choosing a Service Provider.”

Summary

Starting a scholastic chess club can be enormously rewarding, and you may be surprised at the response. Many of us have had the experience of starting our first club, expecting just a few players, and finding within a few weeks that we have 50 or 100. This can be both gratifying and terrifying, but the good news is that if your club is that popular, you’ll likely have parents step forward to help you run it.

Running a club can be as simple as just providing a place for kids to play, or as complex as having multi-tiered instruction and sponsoring teams at state and national tournaments. Your club can be whatever you, your school, and your kids want it to be.

http://main.uschess.org/images/stories/scholastic_chess_resources/guide_to_scholastic_chess_rev_3-09_final.pdf (10th Edition 2009).

http://danheisman.home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/book_descriptions.html#autographedbooks.

http://www.iesa.org/documents/activities/IESA-CHS_NewCoachInformation.pdf (Version 3.0, 2009).