Need Help With Getting Kids SERIOUS About Chess

Chess Clubs
1

First, thanks for taking the time to read this!

I need help/advice.

I am a high school science teacher, and also coach the Science Olympiad team and run the Chess Club. I’m NOT a chess expert, and would not feel comfortable saying I’m a chess coach, as my knowledge of the game is still quite amateur.

The kind of chess club I envision running at my school is one where the students take the game seriously and want to improve their game. However, 90% of the students that show up only want to play the game and don’t seem to care much about learning (from their mistakes or otherwise). I occasionally get a student or two per year that are somewhat interested in improving, but even then, they don’t care much for loads of extra work (having plenty of homework already).

What recommendations might some of you have as to how to better spark their interest in learning more?

Do you know of any good books that perhaps have lessons that include some homework that could be given to the interested students?

I’ve tried giving chess puzzles, but the students tend to look at them for about 5 minutes tops, and then prefer to play a game than work out the puzzle solution.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Rich Lund

2

I hope those with experience with scholastic chess will chime in here. There are a few problems that come to mind to be overcome.

First, many (most?) of our children have been raised in the digital age. Flash-image (a la MTV) videos, quick-reaction first-person shooter games and other such activities have engendered short attention spans, a bane of youth under any conditions, but particularly insidious in today’s culture. Second, I think many lack perseverance and self-discipline to complete tasks. And third, I think we have to some degree abandoned the idea of accountability in our educational processes in academics by teaching to the mainstream and not segregating children by abilities.

Many kids we encounter locally cannot sit still long enough to play a game. Many become frustrated with always losing against stronger players and leave the game. Few are willing to spend the time necessary, along with school work, to study. Hopefully an optional Chess Club would attract those who do not have those characteristics. If you can find a small nucleus of serious players, your challenge is to keep it going with the revolving door of graduation. Good luck, and don’t quit trying.

3

I see what you are describing daily.

Thanks for the encouragement and the reply!

4

I would suggest setting up a team to do battle with other schools in your area with an overall championship tournament. Kids think less in the abstract (chess increases logic and critical thinking skills) and more in the pragmatic-real (chess gets me recognition and shiny prizes). Kids who want to “whip the other guys” have extrinsic motivation. As the kids learn more about the game, it stands a fair chance of gaining the patina of intrinsic motivation.

5

I’m not sure of your ratings spread or if you have a local interscholastic program. (We do here, but everything I write below may be impractical for you if you’re a lone school in a lone environment.)

First, you will always encounter players who simply want to play a game of chess and are not interested in improving their skills. It would be interesting if in both scholastic and adult populations it could somehow be measured how many chess players want to commit to learning, and how many simply want to pass a few hours playing a game with someone. My guess, strictly on an anecdotal basis, is that 50-66 percent minimum of scholastic players are this way. As someone who vacillates between the two positions (and as a dog who sometimes feels like I’m getting older,) I’d say that if you have the players actually playing you’re not doing bad.

That said, I can think of ideas: impractical, maybes, and good.

Impractical: Establish an ‘up or out’ system where players who do not demonstrate their improvement can no longer be there. Yeah, that would go over well. :wink: [Based on a suggestion from a friend and coach who would never be able to get it implemented at his school… They must accept all takers, despite all other sports having caps for their ‘team.’]

Maybe 1: Kids will only get so far with books. (If books alone could inspire and teach all students, schools would simply be libraries.) Do you have any budget? Could you manage to a) hire an experienced enough coach, b) pay for Think Like A King or similar, c) utilize Internet resources (Chess Tactics Server, Chess.com, etc.) and/or Chessbase over a projector?

Maybe 2: Any chance of your bringing guests in for a short visit and pep talks about what one can learn? I see you have a Fide Master in your chess club, and you aren’t a universe away from inviting a Grandmaster from Chicagoland - dunno if you can get one free or reduced budget, though.

Maybe 3: (Also thanks to the same friend above…) Establish a “Chess Team” separate from the Club. Anyone can be in Club and play. But to make the Team, you have to work in Club and off club. (Not win, work.)

Good: Establish a Club Ladder. Either challenge based or wins 3 point, draw 2, loss 1 (against unique players.) Have enough end-of-year prizes to reach down past your top 10%. Lean heavily on the ‘well, if you study as well as play, you’ll go up the ladder’ aspect.

Good 2: Offer ‘problem(s) of the day.’ Each solved correctly gets a gold star on the chart. Top number of Gold Stars gets __________.

Final possibility: Raise funds or otherwise achieve a field trip budget. Top X players (or the “Chess Team” above) get a field trip to a tournament, paid fee and membership, etc.

Just some thoughts… good luck!

6

The thing that sparked my interest in HS in more “serious” play was the existence of school chess teams. Qualifying for the team was a big deal. We then played against other schools. At that time there was regional non-USCF rated HS chess league with six sections and 36 teams. We played home and away against each school in our division. Division winners competed in a RR final. Were we serious about winning? YES! We studied our tails off, scoured any information we could find about the players from the other schools, had practice sessions, and a really intense qualification process. Team play brings out extra motivation to succeed. Players are committed to each other and the school. BTW, we were the only successful team in the school, as the football, basketball, and baseball teams were in the doldrums. Our club, by my senior year had around 50 players and three 5-player teams plus alternates competing.

7

Being the only successful team sometimes is not enough. In the '90s there was a HS team that won the Freshman/Sophomore state title and was thus a major contender for the overall state HS title. It was anchored by a first board that was also a pitcher on the sub-.500 baseball team. That player was told that if he missed a scrimmage game to go play in the state HS chess team championship then he would be benched. It took the intervention of the principal to allow the first board to go with the team, and he was still benched for one game (well, not a big penalty since he normally would have been benched that game anyway due to the pitching rotation - I always wondered whether or not that was done as a face-saving measure for the baseball coach). The team ended up tied for second in the state.

8

I have just started in a Christian School here in Texas a Chess Class 3 days a week( 1hr class) The School Principle said if it worked he would give the kids a 1/2 credit for the class.
I started with 22 children in the class, and finished the year with 20.
I found some children just wanted to learn how to play the game, and had no interest in becoming “good” or “advanced” players.
I held talks with some of the students to find out what was in competition with Chess. They replies were: Homework, sports, wifii, video games, etc.
I think what gained the most interest for me was setting a date for an end of the year team tournament. We chose two of the better players as captains. And we set to work to make themselves, their parents,and the School proud of them. I got awards( anyone entering the tournament recieved an award) and trophies for the winning team. And had very nicely printed(wife did them) certificates of 1st year compliction, and presented them at the tournament also. Now I am “NOT” a tournament director by any means. But it made a great change in the minds and views of the Children, and I have had 30 students sign up for next year already.What I am going to do as far as organized tournaments is a new problem. Because all of the children are Christians, it is a Christian School and they will not go to tournaments which play on sunday. I am working with some in dallas about Friday evening and/or Sat. Tournaments for next year possibly.
Hope something helped
Harry Payne.

9

Congratulations on forming a successful program with team spirit, and tangible rewards. Keep up the good work!

10

I second Darren’s ladder suggestion. The other thing I would suggest is to carve out a chess team inside the chess club and have that team compete actively. This will require more time and effort on your part, but if you’re willing to make sure that your team players can participate in frequent extramural events, particularly rated events, your club players will see (a) the recognition that the team players are earning and (b) how much better the team players are getting, and one by one, they’ll want to join the team. As William Stokes said, extrinsic motivation is the key: they have to decide for themselves that they want to be better players.

An afterthought: When the team players have taken part in enough rated events, they’ll earn ratings. The club players will ask, “How do I get a rating?” You’ll answer, “Play in rated events.” They’ll ask, “How do I get into those?” You’ll answer, “I’ll tell you where and when. You pay the entry fee. Unless you’re on the team – then your entry fee will be paid for you. But if you’re on the team, you attend practice and receive coaching. Does that sound fair to you?” They’ll take the deal because they’ll want the rating!

11

Thank you sir. If my heart will hold out I will continue on.

12

I have been the coach of dozens of school chess teams over the years. No matter how you divide the team in regard to instruction groups,
no matter the specific approach–ie, traditional classroom, small group over the table interactive (my choice), demo board lectures, etc,
there will always be those who attend because it is ma’s idea, and those who come because they begged ma. The latter is our primary
target. Passion cannot be taught. For the most part, either it is there, or it is not. When the coach asks for their properly notated games,
either they have these games or they do not. When the coach asks for their homework either they have it or they do not.

Having coached teams at each and every K-12 level, the dynamic for a fact changes. For the K-3, afterschool daycare of some type is very
often required. So, chess–why not, they have to pay for something anyhow. 4th-5th, not so much. By middle school, the kids generally
can keep care of themselves. Other activities start to become more important to them. By High School, many have to pay for more of their own discretionary expenses as well. And often a $ 15-25 scholastic or regular tournament EF is a big deal to a high school kid. I know,
I purchased dozens of them for my kids, as well as many of their annual memberships. Most coaches do. It tends to be a labor of love,
at least in the tournament side.

Now their was a system used that did create interest in coming to chess club that was used in a High School I coached. All students of the
subject that the teacher/sponsor taught were given an extra credit every time they came to class. As he was a fairly difficult teacher, we had
one of the largest HS chess clubs I have ever seen. And about a third of these translated to tournament play. Let us just say that such an
approach takes the tacit understanding of a principal. A good thing, perhaps, but perhaps extraordinary.

Have a great day,

Rob Jones

13

Does your club have chess clocks? If so, then you can do blitz and bughouse. I am not a big fan of bug, and know that blitz is not the way to chess improvement. However, both are extremely popular at the scholastic level. Do not forget that with clocks there is always a chance of a win on time. This might be a way to a win for someone who has never won a game before. To quote Larry Cohen “If you can’t play good, play fast; better yet play good and fast.”

The idea of using problems is also a good one. Just remember that the problems can be endgame, middlegame, or opening problems. The first two are plentiful, and for openings you should look at either Opening Traps, Zaps, & Pitfalls, or the book What’s the Best Move as both have opening traps that are good for beginning players to learn and know. Most people derive at least some satisfaction and a sense of achievement from the solving of a problem, I would hope that this would be true in the scholastic ranks as well.

I don’t remember playing in a ladder tournament, but I do remember years ago playing something similar at my local club. There were 5-8 tables playing 5 minute blitz. The tables were ranked from top to bottom. The winner moved up [except at the top table] and the loser move down a table. On the bottom table the loser either remained, or if there was an odd number of players the loser got up and the waiting player moved to that table.

Just some things that you could consider.

Best “Chess” Regards,
Larry S. Cohen

“I had a won game, but I failed to make the winning moves”

14
  1. What size school?
  2. Appx geography of your location?
  3. Does your school compete in a conference in other sports?
  4. Does your school compete in a chess conference?
  5. Is there a state championship in your state?

This is an issue – but one thing that helps is if you compete. Competition drives people wanting to improve.

15

Great info here.