The Chess Club Committee has released an updated guide.
new.uschess.org/news/guide-succ … b-updated/
The Guide can be downloaded here:
new.uschess.org/news/guide-succ … b-updated/
Whilst it is nice that the committee has done this, it apparently has done nothing to address ways US Chess can support and develop adult over the board chess clubs. Guides for starting and running chess clubs are hardly new. The earliest such guide that I have can be found in the book Official Handbook of Chess (Approved by the United States Chess Federation), Kenneth Harkness (McKay and Co. 1958, reprinted under this title 1967).
Two years ago, I sent to Carol Meyer and the then US Chess president the following list of suggests for ways that US Chess might help adult over the board chess clubs develop and grow in the United States. The list was well received by them with the assurance that the Executive board would actively consider several of them with an eye toward possible implementation. Two years on, nothing new of substance has been done to support and develop local adult over the board chess clubs.
Here’s the list sent two years ago:
[b]1. Provide assistance creating local club banners/flags for promotional purposes. This might be done by cutting a discount deal with a national online banner producer like Build a Sign to produce a basic, standard template design with the local club’s logo and contact information along with the US Chess logo. Our club has used this company for banners. The full retail cost to us has been around $35 for a 3’x 5’ banner with grommets. If, based on potential volume, US Chess could get agreement to produce banners for $20 to $25, this would benefit local clubs and US Chess.
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Provide web based chess instructional materials for new players and intermediate players. This could take different forms. Pdf versions of seminal books on general chess, openings, middlegames and endgames come to mind. Dan Heisman has several books that would be appropriate. There are also ebooks published by Everyman Chess and Gambit that might be provided via a deal with the publishers for use by US Chess members or affiliates. The advantage to this format is that variations can be worked through on the computer/tablet screen without having to set and reset an actual chess board. A few basic books like these could be used as a marketing strategy by both US Chess and the publishers with discounts on other materials subsequently purchased. -
Work a deal for instructional chess media materials to be provided online to individual members and affiliates. Chessbase, among others, has numerous basic media in the areas mentioned above that could also be used by Chessbase to market their full range of instructional materials at regular pricing. -
Many of the folks I meet don’t have a great deal of discretionary income. It would cost nothing for US Chess to list open source material for chess players to use for recording, storing and analyzing their chess games. Arena Chess is an open source chess data and playing interface that is free for download. There are many chess engines like Stockfish that are free, and which can be easily plugged into the Arena GUI. -
Work a deal with a domain provider such as GoDaddy to host a basic web site for local chess clubs. Many local clubs have a presence on Facebook, but there is more functionality with a web site. An example of an excellent local club web site can be found with the Knights Chess Club based in Keene, NH. Their web address is [knightschessclub.org/](http://www.knightschessclub.org/) -
Templates for publicity flyers and a sample press kit with instructions on how to get local shess news in local and regional newspapers and online media. I have had success getting virtually every event I’ve been involved in here in Northern Vermont for the past three years covered by the Caledonian-Record, our regional newspaper. They want a local tie-in which is easy to do once you get the hang of it. -
Us Chess Sales/House of Staunton might be induced to provide affiliates with a startup “kit” of chess boards, chessmen and basic chess clocks like the dgt 2001 at cost or perhaps 15% over cost. If a club could purchase five such packages every two to three years, this would greatly help new clubs get up and running and help maintain more established clubs. -
Allow an affiliate to direct it’s subscriptions to Chess Life and Kids Chess to their local public library as a way of building chess awareness in the community. The copies could be marked as being donated by the local chess club with contact information.[/b]