CheckMate Chess has worked with pupils from 16 local schools and has had weekly sessions with five of these...

• Running their lunchtime and after school chess clubs
  
  
• Coaching beginners and intermediates alike with
  
  
• Large wall hanging Demo boards
  
  
• Arranging competitions and matches
  
  
• Helping to bring chess onto the main curriculum as we have done with one Cheltenham school
  
  
• Linking with the lively Glos Primary Schools Chess Association of which Ivan Hatvany is a former Secretary

ADVICE FOR SCHOOLS ON STARTING A CHESS CLUB
Lunchtime and after-school clubs are usually popular in primary schools and do not necessarily require a skilled chess player to run them.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR A SCHOOL CHESS CLUB

• Chess sets and boards, ideally boards with letters and numbers on the edge.
  
• A quiet classroom
  
• A wall-hanging Demonstration Board
  
• A teacher or parent keen on the game
  

..and that’s enough to get you started but as the club develops our equipment page on this site can offer you a range of other useful equipment. Also please note that FREE chess sets are being sent to ALL schools across the country over the next few months as part of a remarkable act of philanthropy, these sets being produced by a firm called Holloid Plastics. Give us a call if you need more details.

ADVICE ON CHESS CLUB IMPROVEMENTS
Pupils will want to compete so get them going on tournaments and matches against other local schools as soon as possible. Further details about this elsewhere on this site. Insist on hand-shakes before and after games and insist kids remain seated throughout each game. When their game ends they should put a hand up for the teacher to check it really is checkmate. With younger children it is unnecessary to insist on silence; they will enjoy coming to chess club much more if allowed to chat quietly with their opponents. Unlike adults, children seem mostly unaffected by subdued chatter on a neighbouring table. They love trying to solve chess puzzles and trying out chess variants, both of which can be found on hundreds of websites.