Starting a Youth Chess Program

Transcription

1 Starting a Youth Chess Program Introduction... 3 Planning the Basics... 3 Type of club: recreational or competitive?... 3 Will beginners be welcome?... 4 Will there be advanced instruction?... 4 Which kids should be included?... 4 What type of space will I need?... 4 Equipment, costs, budgets and funding... 5 How much help will I need?... 6 Recruiting volunteers Dividing the work... 7 Will I need to hire anyone?... 8 What will you need from your principal?... 8 When and how long should my club meet?... 9 Should I run my club all year?... 9 Should attendance be required? (and the Babysitting Conundrum)... 9 Contact your school principal Room(s) and schedule School, faculty or PTA/PTO oversight or support School equipment and supplies Publicity and communication Transportation School or district rules Start and end dates Summarize Talk to your PTO or PTA Talk to your district Publicity (including a flyer) Managing memberships Running your club Separating kids into skill groups Rules and guidelines Sign-in / sign-out sheet Name tags Club calendar Other paperwork Choosing a Service Provider Introduction Safety first Decide who to interview Anticipate your needs... 16

2 Meet your teacher(s) Curriculum Lesson length Scholarships Competition Get it in writing: Special Issues Taking notation (recording moves) Kids not being picked up Disruptive Kids Kids not playing chess Snacks and cleanup Competition Chess Ladder Competition within your club Competition against other clubs Local and regional tournaments State and National tournaments A word on teams Other club activities Specialty games Simuls Blindfold chess Instruction Summary

3 Introduction If you are thinking about starting a chess club, or looking for ideas to improve an existing club, this guide should help. Much has been written on this subject, including a lengthy guide by the U. S. Chess Federation, 1 another one by a nationally-renowned educator, 2 and an excellent manual prepared by the Illinois Chess Coaches Association. 3 We cover some of the same subjects covered in those materials, but try to do so with a particular focus on nuts and bolts the all-important details we are asked about most often. We have done our best to include practical tips, best practices, and links to useful forms. Youth chess programs are run in schools, libraries, community centers, park district facilities and elsewhere. Because the majority of clubs are in schools, this guide is written primarily for that setting. Much of what is here should nonetheless be helpful to organizers of clubs in other settings, as most of the issues are the same. Similarly, while we hope this guide will be of use to clubs serving kids of all ages, some sections are oriented primarily toward elementary and middle school clubs. The report is thus sprinkled with references to kids in the lower grades. If your club serves older kids, feel free to skip those sections. A note of reassurance before we get into the details,. Starting a club is not rocket science. No previous experience is required. All you need are some kids, some space, some sets, and a motivated adult, and you can have a thriving chess club. Some club directors are more ambitious, and build strong competitive programs. We will talk about that, too, but that can come later. Most of us started small. So read on. 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: Type of club: recreational or competitive? 1 A Guide to Scholastic Chess, (10th Edition 2009). 2 Heisman, A Parent s Guide to Chess, books. 3 Essentials Concerning Chess Competition: An Informational Manual for Developing Scholastic Chess Programs, (Version 3.0, 2009). 3

4 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. Will beginners be welcome? 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. Will there be advanced instruction? 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. Which kids should be included? 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 will be pleased to see these kids included in your club. Likewise, educators and parents may welcome the opportunity to offer chess to kids who participate in after school day care programs. What type of space will I need? 4

5 You may be surprised how many kids will show up, so large spaces are best. Many of us have started programs anticipating 10 or 20 kids, but 60 or 80 show up. Cafeterias or multi-purpose rooms are ideal, but many clubs meet in school libraries, art rooms, or classrooms. Rectangular tables are highly recommended. They can hold chess boards and short arms can usually reach across. Round tables are generally not suitable for chess play, but they can work in a pinch. Most school desks are too small to accommodate the regulation sized boards used by most clubs. If you plan to use chess clocks, additional space is required to keep clocks a safe distance from the edges of tables or desks. If no large space is available, a classroom may be your only option. Sometimes desks can be rearranged to accommodate chess sets. We recommend, as your club develops and if your resources permit, that you break your kids into groups based on ability and teach them in separate groups to minimize noise and distraction. Teaching groups do not require table space, so virtually any unused space will usually work. Be sure you have space to store your equipment. Chess sets are heavy, and you ll appreciate having your equipment as close to your playing space as possible, especially if you have a large club. Plastic storage bins or suitcases with wheels can be a convenience. A secure place for storage between meetings is essential. Even better is a lockable storage cabinet in your playing room. No space in your school? Some clubs are given space in universities, community colleges, libraries, community centers, bookstores, and even coffee shops and restaurants. Be creative, and ask around. You will be pleasantly surprised to discover how many resources are available. Equipment, costs, budgets and funding. If the club is run by volunteers, start-up costs may be minimal. All you really need are chess pieces, sometimes referred to as sets, and chess boards. We recommend tournament-sized sets and boards. All chess suppliers have them, and they can cost as little as $7 per set when bought in bulk. These sets contain large solid plastic playing pieces and roll-up chess boards. Usually these sets come with sturdy vinyl or cloth bags, which we believe are a necessity. (Some clubs use plastic or wooden boxes, but they take up more space.) Make sure your boards have algebraic notation on the sides. We recommend that you avoid sets with small hollow pieces, which break easily and are much less satisfying to play with. Have a box of extra pieces, as pieces disappear and reappear on a regular basis, especially in clubs with younger kids. Many chess clubs run for years with no additional funding after acquiring sets. As your club develops, you may incur additional expenses, in which event you ll probably need to prepare a budget. If you anticipate needing to hire one or more outside coaches, this will almost certainly be your biggest expense. (See our Instruction section below). You 5

6 may also want one or more demonstration boards, a few chess clocks (essential if you re training your players to compete in tournaments), and (although not essential) some chess books, videos, or software. These items are often least expensive if purchased online. There are many good chess suppliers. Some that we have worked with and can recommend are USCF Sales ( American Chess Equipment ( Cajun Chess ( and Wholesale Chess ( Some schools have discretionary funds to support clubs or PTA s or PTO s which may be willing to help. Even a few hundred dollars can go a long way. Some may be able to pay more. A little time spent educating parents, PTA/PTO leaders and school administrators about the benefits of chess can go a long way. (See The Value of Chess above.) If you have no such funding, parents may need to pay dues or you may need to do some fund-raising. If you decide to charge dues, many clubs offer scholarships (free memberships) to kids whose families cannot afford them. Some clubs, to keep things simple, offer free memberships for kids who qualify for the school s free lunch program. Some clubs also offer partial or complete waivers of dues if parents volunteer to help in the club for a specified number of hours. If you decide to solicit funds from outside sources, including local businesses, here [Link to Rockford$Solicitation.pdf ] is a sample handout used in some clubs showing what contributions at various levels will buy. In any case, don't let a lack of funds be an obstacle to getting started. How much help will I need? Most scholastic chess clubs are run by volunteers, who are often parents of club members. The number of volunteers needed depends on the size of the club. Many school districts specify a ratio of adults to children in after-school activities. If you have a small club, you may be able to run it yourself. If it s bigger, you ll need help. Recruiting volunteers. Recruiting volunteers can be challenging, and some club directors find it difficult to ask for help. The best candidates are parents. Although most will work or have other obligations and will therefore be unable to help, most clubs need only a few helpers, and it s worth the effort to find them. Generally, the more enthusiastic the child is about chess, the more likely it is that a parent or other relative will help out. Parents of your youngest club members, if they have time, may want to be with their kids at your club in any event, and should be able to help out while they are there. Grandparents or other relatives may also be good candidates. Some clubs have been able to recruit teachers, assistant teachers or others in their communities who already enjoy chess such as retirees or members of adult chess clubs. 6

7 Some clubs which charge dues waive or reduce them for kids whose parents make a commitment to helping their club. Here s [Link to ColleyRegistration(stay&play).pdf ) a form used in some clubs. Many clubs use registration flyers or sign-up forms as a first step in volunteer recruitment. We ve included examples. [Link to ColleyRegistration and to IndianTrailFlyer2009 ] Some clubs solicit volunteers by sending group s to parents. But the more personal you make the request, the more likely you are to succeed. In general, though, ing or talking to people individually is more likely to succeed than an appeal to a group. If you don t know your parent group, talk to someone who does, and try to identify parents with a record of commitment to your school. If you re concerned that people may be too busy, keep in mind the adage that if you want to get a job done, give it to a busy person. Having trouble finding parents to help? There are other places to look, including local adult chess clubs, senior centers, or civic groups. These sources may also be willing to make donations and/or provide fund-raising opportunities. A common misconception is that volunteers need to be chess players. Although you may need one or more instructors (see our Instruction section below), what most clubs need the most are simply responsible adults. Some clubs have a handout for parents designed to tell them what is expected of them and to put them at their ease. Click here [Link to IndianTrailMonitors ] for an example. It s also a good idea, when working with volunteers, to start small. Ask them to perform a specific task such as helping out on a particular day, sitting in on a lesson to see how a new coach is doing, or picking up snacks for an upcoming club event. See how they do. Often, once they take the first step, they ll commit to doing more. Recruiting volunteers is an ongoing task, and most of us who run clubs keep a continual eye out for good prospects. A good time to recruit is when someone pays you or your club a compliment or signals their appreciation of what you re doing. If they can t help, they may know someone who can. Not surprisingly, some volunteers will be better than others. Some will offer to help but won t follow through. Some will attend more reliably than others. And some will be more trouble than they re worth. You ll figure it out. But most of us have found it possible to find enough committed and reliable helpers to make our clubs work. Situation getting dire? If your club cannot continue without more help if it s grown in size, for example, or there is a change in your own availability -- don t hesitate to say so. If your club is successful, and people know its continued existence is threatened, most of the time someone will step up, even if only at the last minute. Dividing the work Although some of your volunteers may be willing to assume some of the responsibility for the overall management of your club, most will be more comfortable if you develop specific roles for them with defined functions. We recommend that you ask your 7

8 volunteers either to donate specific chunks of time or to undertake tasks they may be able to do on their own schedules, often at home. Here are some jobs you may need to fill: Coaches. Some club directors teach chess, but many do not. You may have chessplaying parents or others in the community who will help teach as volunteers, especially if you can provide them with a curriculum. Examples of curricula, some of which are free, are in our Resources for Learning section. Club Monitors oversee and supervise kids during club meetings. This may involve taking attendance, keeping kids busy (e.g., pairing them against each other if they need help), dealing with discipline problems, and answering questions from kids and parents. Monitors should have a fixed schedule, such as covering a club session once every week or two. The fewer people on your schedule, the easier it will be to manage, but some flexibility will be required to cover situations when a parent or child is ill or something unexpected comes up. It s best to have a few volunteers in reserve. Administrative tasks can often be divided. Someone else can maintain your roster and manage your memberships (see Managing Memberships below). If you keep track of wins and losses and have a system of club ratings (see Chess Ladder below), someone can do that. If you need a treasurer, you may be able to find one. If you d like to provide T-shirts to your club members, or if you provide snacks or pizza for special occasions, these jobs, too, are often easy to delegate. Tournament directors and coordinators. If club members attend matches and outside tournaments, someone can help you plan which events to attend and help with logistics (parent questions, registration, transportation, team rooms, and so on). We ve attached an example [Link to ColleyCommitteeDuties.pdf ] of one form used to keep track of who s doing what. Will I need to hire anyone? Many clubs, especially those that compete or offer instruction at more than one skill level, need outside coaches. Maybe you ll be lucky and know someone who will coach on a volunteer basis; an hour a week may be all that s required. If you need to hire a coach, this will usually be your club s biggest expense. If you re not sure where to start, we suggest you network with other club directors you may know, or find out if there is an adult club nearby. In some parts of the state, especially the Chicago area, there are also professional service providers set up as either for-profit or not-forprofit companies. Some will work alongside parent volunteers, and others run turnkey operations (no help required). Most charge a fee per student per club session, often in the $10-$15 range, which may limit participation. If you are considering this option, see Choosing a Service Provider below. What will you need from your principal? 8

9 Having support from your school will be important to your club s success. A good relationship with your school principal is key. Many school clubs also work with a designated sponsor who is a teacher or representative of the PTA or PTO. They may help run the club and/or act as a go-between to the administrator(s) in charge. We lay out below what you will want to discuss when you meet with your principal. See Contact your school principal. When and how long should my club meet? Scholastic chess clubs typically meet once a week, although some meet twice and a few meet even more frequently. If you meet more than once a week and offer instruction, you may wish to offer it only on certain days, and leave the other days open for recreational play or special events. Club meetings typically run one or two hours. Longer sessions make it easier to have instruction and play on the same day. Many kids, including very young players, do better than you d think in longer sessions, especially if the time period is divided into segments (e.g., instruction, free play, or structured play such as quads or simuls). Older, more experienced players often play longer games and therefore prefer longer sessions. Most clubs meet after school, but many meet in the morning and some meet during lunch hour. This will depend on practical factors such as your schedule, whether the school has early or late activity buses, and when space is available. A small but growing number of schools allow chess to be taught during the school day as part of the curriculum. America s Foundation for Chess ( runs a program in some Chicago-area schools aimed at second and third graders. Should I run my club all year? Some schools have chess year-round. Some run their programs for only a few months in the fall and/or winter. Most year-round clubs see a decline in membership in the spring, but if you run a year-end tournament, even as late as May or June, you may be surprised at the number of kids who will return (especially if you serve pizza and give out trophies). The length or your season will depend in part on the willingness and availability of your volunteers and the level of interest among your kids. Some clubs take breaks during exam periods (e.g., Illinois State Achievement Test). Should attendance be required? (and the Babysitting Conundrum) Clubs rarely require that kids attend every session. Many kids are engaged in other activities. Most of us who run clubs try to foster an atmosphere in which kids attend when they want to, not because they are required to be there. Steady attendance may, of course, be to a child s advantage, either because the child will benefit by not missing lessons or because you may make it a prerequisite for membership on your club s competitive team. 9

10 Some kids drift in and out of their chess clubs depending on their interest and their other activities. In our experience, this is to be encouraged. Very few kids will turn pro at chess, and having a well-rounded child should be encouraged. Therefore, the kids should attend chess club because they want to be there not because they are forced to attend. You will need to have a method of taking attendance, although this is an easily delegable task. Some school systems or administrators require it. Some clubs print stickers with the children's names. When the children arrive, they take their sticker and put it on their shirt. This kills two birds with one stone. New volunteers have a way of identifying children and any names left on the sticker sheet are marked absent. You should also have clear rules about pickup, especially if someone other than a parent is authorized to do so. Many clubs require a note, or phone call in these situations. Every club director is confronted with the Babysitting Conundrum. Especially if your club is free or inexpensive, you may find kids attending who are not interested in chess. They are more likely than others to be inattentive and to pose discipline problems. Our advice here is to GET RID OF THEM. This may sound harsh, but it will be to everyone s advantage. Talk politely with these kids parents and explain that it s not a good fit ( Maybe next year ). 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 above.) 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 [Link to ColleyIntroLetter.pdf ] of an introductory letter to your principal. We suggest you cover the following subjects in your initial meeting: Room(s) and schedule. As discussed above, a large central meeting room is best, with separate rooms as needed for instruction. School, faculty or PTA/PTO oversight or support. 10

11 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 [Link to RequestForReimbursement.pdf ] a form used in some clubs to request reimbursement. School equipment and supplies. Think out what you will need. Will you be allowed access to school equipment? Access to a copier is a great convenience. Most clubs generate at least a modest amount of paperwork such as club rules or handbooks, tournament flyers, notation forms and newspaper articles. Some of these items can be distributed through , but you ll be glad to have paper copies on hand. Some schools charge a small fee for copies, which may still be your best option. Access to computers, usually in the school s computer lab, is important if you use computer-based instruction or you plan to participate in online matches against other schools. A growing number of coaches use computers as aids to teaching, including computers connected to smart boards, which convert specialized white boards into touch screens and facilitate interactive instruction. See Resources for Learning above. Publicity and communication. Will you be allowed to use the school newsletter, web site, and/or system to publicize events? These may be issues which will need to be decided at the district level. Parents, teachers or administrators may wish to communicate with you in writing. If you can arrange to have a mailbox in the school office, do so. If not, consider making something on your own to leave in the office. Even a shoebox marked Chess Club will suffice. Transportation. 11

12 Are there after-school activity buses your kids can use to get home? Or will parents be responsible for pick up? School or district rules. There will almost certainly be rules that you will need to adhere to. Such rules normally cover some or all of the following: Background checks for coaches and volunteers. Attendance policy. Will you need to take attendance? Will you be required to contact a parent or caregiver if a child you expect on a particular day does not show up? (This can be a significant burden.) Paperwork. What will be required of parents? At a minimum, you should require parents to give written permission for their kids to attend and emergency contact information. Some clubs ask parents to sign liability waivers. As mentioned above, you may need a procedure if anyone other than a parent will be picking up the child. Funding and financial control. Discuss your funding plan. If funds are potentially available from the school, the district, or a PTO or PTA, find out if you may be eligible. Will the club handle its own finances? Or will they be handled through the school, or a PTO/PTA? Transportation. Many clubs play matches against other schools, and club members attend off-site tournaments. For such events, clarify whether parents will be allowed to arrange transportation by themselves, including by car-pooling. Some districts require busing, which can be prohibitively costly. Start and end dates. Many clubs start a few weeks into the school year, to let kids settle into their routines and to give club organizers time to publicize, finish their registration, and organize. Wellestablished clubs may start earlier, especially if there is a good mechanism for registration in place before school starts (such as online registration). Talk this out with your principal. Summarize. Before leaving the meeting, summarize what was agreed to. Afterwards, consider sending a note of thanks which reiterates important points. 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 12

13 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, 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 address and phone number). If you can, add reminders to the school newsletter or web site. We ve included some sample flyers. [Link to ColleyRegistration and to IndianTrailFlyer2009 ] 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). 13

14 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 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, s 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 s within a club or program, some of us use listservs, sets of addresses which allow the sender to send one and reach everyone on the list. Examples include Google Groups and Yahoo Groups. Running your club Separating kids into skill groups. 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 14

15 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 [Link to QuickSkillTest.pdf ] which can quickly help you sort them out. Rules and guidelines. 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 below) and guidelines for volunteers. We ve included some examples of written material [Link to ColleyStudentGuidelines.pdf, IndianTrailHandbook.pdf, and RockfordClubRules.pdf] from several clubs:. Sign-in / sign-out sheet 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. [Link to RockfordSignin-outSheet.pdf ] Name tags 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. Club calendar 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 15

16 handouts are always helpful; here s an example [Link to RockfordCalendar.pdf ] of a form used in one club. Most club directors also circulate important dates by . Other paperwork Some clubs have other paperwork and handouts available for kids and parents. Examples include 46 Tips, [Link to 46Tips.pdf ] a compilation of other such lists you may have seen; scoring sheets for Bughouse games [Link to BughouseScoringSheet.pdf ] and Bonus Points [Link to BonusPointsChart.pdf ]; tips for outside chess mentors, [Link to ChessMentors.pdf ] should you be lucky enough to have some; Do Not Disturb signs [Link to DoNotDisturb.pdf ] in the event games are interrupted (for lessons, etc.); notation forms [Link to NotationSheet.pdf ] and crib sheets [Link to NotationAbbrevs.pdf ]; a simple form for manual pairing [Link to PairingSheet.pdf ] in small Swiss tournaments; questions [Link to QuestionsToAsk.pdf ] beginners should ask before every move; and tournament advice [Link to TournamentAdvice.pdf ] for players. Choosing a Service Provider Introduction. 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 perperson 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. Safety first. 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. Decide who to interview. 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. Anticipate your needs. 16

17 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. Meet your teacher(s). 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. Curriculum. 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. Lesson length. 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). Scholarships. 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. Competition. 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 17

18 tournaments in your area appropriate for your club members. If this is important to you, get the details. Get it in writing: 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 Taking notation (recording moves). 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). Kids not being picked up 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. 18

19 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. Disruptive Kids 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. Kids not playing chess 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). You have a range of options. 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 19

20 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. Snacks and cleanup 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 [Link to RockfordSnacksSign.pdf ] used in one club. Competition 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. Chess Ladder. 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 [Link to RockfordLadderRules.pdf ] 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 ( 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 20