STARTING A SCHOOL CHESS CLUB

 

Chess is a great game that can be enjoyed for an entire lifetime. Although playing chess will not magically turn a child into a mega-brain, it will build social relationships, teach good sportsmanship, get a person to consider what someone else may be thinking, and provide a lot of pleasure. Here is how to go about starting a chess club.

 

(1) Decide how often and where you want the club to meet, and when to start the club. A lot of school clubs in colder climates start their meetings around the end of October and go until about the end of March. At the start, holding chess club meetings once a week on a designated day for an hour right after dismissal is reasonable.

 

(2) Arrange for a person who is a skilled chess teacher to come the first couple of times the club meets, to instruct those children who do not yet know how to play. You will probably get more children that already know how to play than children that need to start from scratch. At the first meeting, let the ones who know how to play listen to a few words about the club, then begin playing in an area to the back away from the speaker.

 

(3) Circulate a sign-up sheet to see how many children would be interested in chess club participation. For an elementary school, this will typically be ten to twenty percent of the student body. Children in the first grade or higher should be allowed participate. A child in kindergarten that already knows how to play can also be given permission to join the chess club, especially if an older brother or sister is a club member.

 

(4) Adult supervision for the club is needed. It is helpful if there is someone on the school faculty that is willing to do this, but not necessary. One or a group of parents may also be used. If parents will be running the chess club, you do not need to have already designated ahead of time which parents will assist. Encourage interested parents to accompany their children to the first meeting, and then see who is willing to help. Adults who run a chess club do not have to know how to play chess. There will be older children in the club who know enough about chess to help with anything connected with the rules of the game. The main thing an adult does is keep order and provide supervision.

 

(5) If you ask all the signed-up children to bring a board to the first club meeting, you will probably have enough sets to get started. If and when you get serious with your club, the following equipment is desirable, with possible approximate prices.

A) Ten chess sets; includes a vinyl type board and plastic pieces ($100 total). You can use zippered plastic bags to store the pieces.

B)  A demonstration board to use for giving instruction ($50).

C)  Instructional booklets ($2 each).

D) Storage containers for the club equipment. One container for the pieces and another for the boards is often a good idea, so the boards can be stored flat and not wrinkle.