A Guide to Scholastic Chess

1A GUIDE TO SCHOLASTIC CHESS

PREFACEDear Administrator/Teacher,

This guide was created to help teachers and scholastic chess organizers who wish to begin,improve, or strengthen their school chess program. It covers how to organize a school chess club,run tournaments, keep interest high, and generate parental and public support.

I would like to thank the United States Chess Federation Club Development Committee, espe-cially former Chairman Randy Siebert, for allowing us to use the framework of The Guide to aSuccessful Chess Club (1985) as a basis for this booklet.

In addition, I want to thank Tom Brownscombe, Scholastic Director of the U.S. Chess Federation(USCF), and the USCF for their continuing help in the preparation of this publication. Scholasticchess, under the USCFs guidance, has greatly expanded and made it possible for the wide distri-bution of this guide. I look forward to working with them on many projects in the future.

The following scholastic organizers reviewed this work and made many suggestions, which havebeen included. Thanks go to Jay Blem (CA), Leo Cotter (CA), Stephan Dann (MA), Bob Fischer(IN), Doug Meux (NM), Andy Nowak (NM), Andrew Smith (CA), Robert Snyder (CA), Brian Bugbee (NY), Beatriz Marinello (NY), and many others too numerous to mention.

Finally, a special thanks to my wife, Susan, who has been patient and understanding.

Dewain R. BarberA.C.E.

This publication is provided free to all schoolsand scholastic organizers. It is not to be sold forprofit.

Contents copyright 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994,1995, 1997, 1998, 2001 American Chess Equip-ment, 524 S. Avenida Faro, Anaheim, CA 92807;Telephone (714) 998-5508; Fax (714) 998-1160. E-mail [email protected]/

TEACHERS AND COACHES MAY MAKESAMPLE COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION.

However, republication or widespread copyingof all other portions of this publication withoutthe written consent of American Chess Equip-ment is forbidden.

ON THE COVERPhotographs by Jami L. AnsonDesign by Kathleen Merz

PRODUCTION STAFFJami L. Anson, Anne Ashton, Dewain Barber,

Jean Bernice, Tom Brownscombe, JoAnneFatherly, Paula Helmeset, Kathleen Merz, PeterKurzdorfer, Diane Reese, Debi Sherry, MicheleStowe.

This publication is produced withthe assistance of:

The U.S. Chess Federation, 3054 US Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553. Telephone (845) 562-8350; Fax (845) 561-2437.

E-mail [email protected] www.uschess.org/

I. WHAT IS A SCHOOL CHESS CLUB?Chess Clubs and Chessplayers 1

Should YOU Start a Chess Club? 1

II. GETTING READY TO START A CHESS CLUB

Who? What? When and How Often? 2

Where? Why? 2

How? 3

III. GETTING OFF TO A GOOD STARTThe First Few Meetings 3

Equipment & Supplies 3

Publicity 5

Club Officers 6

IV. KEEPING THE CLUB GOINGBuilding A Base: The First Few Months 7

Formalities, District/School Support 7

News Releases:

School Bulletin & Local Newspapers 7

Sample News Release & Commentary 8Club Newsletter 8

Instruction 9

Lesson Plan Ideas 10

Summer Chess Camps 10

On-line Play 10Club Ladder 10

Club Ratings 11

Harkness System 11

Mandatory Opening, Gambit, Minor Piece Tournaments and Chess Problems 12

Try Team Play! 12

V. YOUR CLUB AS A TOURNAMENTSPONSOR

What About Format? 13

The Club Tournament 14

The Tournament Director 14

The Weekend Scholastic Tournament 14

Placing Ads in School Mates Magazine 15

Important School Mates TLA Revision Information 15

Registration 15

TDs Checklist 16Tournament Software 17

VI. CLUB FINANCESFunding, Banking 17

Taxes 18

VII. LARGER CHESSORGANIZATIONS

Benefits of State Association 18

USCF Club Affiliation 18

Scholastic Chess Programs in the USCF 19

USCFRated Tournaments 19

USCFs Certified Chess Coach Program 19

Coaching at Tournaments 20National Programs 21

Yes, U.S. Chess has a Website 22

APPENDIX

Suggested Books and Software forScholastic Chess 23

Chess Club Membership Application 24

Round-Robin Results 25An Intro to USCF-Rated Tournaments 26

TLA Form 28

Tournament Accounting Sheet 29

Tournament Entry Form 30

Sample Pairing Card 30

Sample Pairing Sheet 31

Swiss Results 32

Official Rating Report Form 33

Out-of-State Travel Permission Form 34

A GLOSSARY OF TERMS 35

INDEX 37

CONTENTS

1Chess Clubs andChessplayers

The scholastic chess club combines educationaland social activities. Members come to play, tolearn, to teach, and to get together with oldfriends and make new ones. The players nomatter what their level of skill, experience, or age speak a common language, and one that isoften not understood in other areas of a personslife. The rivalries are friendly; the friendships arecompetitive. A club can offer a wide variety ofactivities. There can be speed chess or rated games,or both. Club activities can include simultaneousexhibitions, lectures, andeven formal classestaught by chess Mastersand Experts. Someplayers who regularlycome to a club wontever try weekendscholastic tournaments.These avid club playersmay get their fill ofserious chess by com-peting in a club ladder orone-game-a-lunch-peri-od club tourneys.Ideally, the club willcater to all types ofplayers recreationalas well as the serious tournament players.EVERY member is important to the success of theclub.

Should Start aScholastic Chess Club?Should you become involved in starting a club

in your school? Yes! Its not at all necessary foryou to be an expert player, or even to knowhow the pieces move!

Every school in the country has kids whoalready know how to play chess, and more whowould like to learn. No one at our school playschess is not an acceptable excuse. Most of the

time kids are interested in learning and only needsomeone to organize and supervise them.

This guidebook will help you overcome manyof the problems you will face in starting a club. Ifyou have not already done so, you may want tofind out the location of the nearest chess club orscholastic/school club. The United States ChessFederation (abbreviated USCF) and your statechapter are the best sources of information onofficially affiliated club locations, scholasticorganizers and coaches in your area. These con-tacts can help direct you further in your efforts toorganize a club or locate other active scholasticchess programs within your area. Other informa-

tion sources includelocal schools, schooldistrict offices, news-papers, libraries, chessand game stores, andyour local recreationaloffice. You might alsoconsider contacting thecounty Department ofEducation.

By all means, youshould start a club ifyou have some sup-port from students andthe willingness toexpend the moderateamount of energy andleadership it will take

to make your club a success. Gain support fromthe school board, parents, your principal, andother teachers as soon as possible. Their aid willbe useful later as the club becomes more active.

The fact that the National Association ofSecondary School Principals regularly includesthe National High School Chess Championshipand the National Scholastic K-12 Grade ChessChampionships on its National Advisory List ofContests and Activities may be of value in gain-ing official support for your club.

What is a School Chess Club?

2Reporters know that their stories have toanswer the basic questions who? what? when?where? why? and how? These are the right ques-tions for other projects too including schoolchess clubs.

Who?Probably youre not alone in your hopes you

have a number of students who are behind yourdesire to have a successful school club. Its timeto decide what other students you want toattract, because many of your future plans will bebased on this decision. Consider involvingyoungsters at your school who are in special pro-grams people with learning, developmental,or physical challenges, as well as the gifted.Personal growth has no limit. Your school admin-istration will be pleased to see these youngsterstaking an active role in your school-sponsoredactivity. As noted in Chess Clubs and Chess-players (see page 1), the school chess club is bothan educational and social activity. It providesthose who know how to play and those interest-ed in learning the game a place to meet, play,learn, teach, and develop friendships. However,a club should not be a place to hang out, killtime, or avoid academic work. The chess club ata school can and should be fun, but it is a learn-ing experience above all else.

What?Your students will help you bring in others and

assist you in deciding what kinds of activitiesyou should have, but it will be useful for you tohave a plan for the first several meetings. Also,set goals with your students; decide what youand the players wish to accomplish by the end ofthe school year. Before announcing the get-acquainted organizational meeting in the studentbulletin and posted fliers, plan a specific agenda.Dont forget to play some chess too! Most stu-dents attracted to chess have a need for structureand rules. Experiment with various activities todetermine what is successful in your club.

When and How Often?The answer(s) to this apparently simple ques-

tion can have a major effect on the success ofyour school club. Some school clubs have thequestion answered by outside forces, such asclassroom or library availability. If early bussesare available, your club may be able to meetbefore school. Otherwise, after school may bebetter, though some students have after-schooljobs or chores and may not be able to attend inthe afternoon. Keep in mind the other activitiesof your potential members, as well as the schoolbus schedule, when planning your meeting time.You might be surprised to learn that lunch peri-od is a good time for a meeting. The administra-tion will appreciate seeing students using theirlunch period in a supervised, productive manner.And because students can bring a sack lunchwith them, they can have more time to play.

In any case, you probably want to allow at least30 minutes at lunch for a club session, or up toone hour after school. Meet at least once a week(and daily if your schedule permits).

Where?Find a room with chairs and tables. Your class-

room may be big enough for your first organiza-tional meeting and may become the clubs per-manent meeting place. If the room is not suitable,see if the library is available at the time your clubmeets. For example, the library may be busy withother students during lunch, so check things out.Keep storage needs in mind as you scout for asite at the school. Youll need a place to keepequipment, tournament stationery, club records,and so forth. A secure closet or the possibility ofa locked cabinet is a definite advantage.

Why?One of your reasons for starting a chess club is

to have a place for students to play chess or tocreate an alternative to the existing clubs atschool. In addition, you recognize the education-al value (critical and abstract thinking, planning,logic, and analysis) that comes from chess. Yourstudents will improve their ability to concentrate,

Getting Ready to Start a Chess Club

3and you can teach the values of good sportsman-ship. Also, studies have shown that chess canhelp kids improve their school grades. Whateverother reason there may be for a club, the excite-ment in the eyes of your students when they wintheir first game or team match may be reasonenough.

How?Most of the rest of this book is devoted to how

to do things in a chess club. The best way todescribe the non-technical side of how isfriendly. Treat your club members as you

would guests in your home. Greet them, intro-duce them around, make sure they feel that thisis their club too. One concrete way to get off to agood start with a newcomer is to make sure youhave some extra sets and boards handy. Thatway, no visitor will be disappointed. Almost anyset will do, but consider standardizing as soon aspossible. Other very important parts of howare club structure and funding. These areas are soimportant that they are treated in separate sec-tions elsewhere in this publication. Youre nowready to get started with your club. It will bework, but well worth it!

Getting Off to a Good StartThe First Few MeetingsEveryone is nervous at the beginning of some-

thing, and your new members are apt to be asapprehensive as you are! Be as friendly andrelaxed as you can. Adopt just a page of clubguidelines (prepared by you in advance) something that will state the clubs goals. It maybe too early to elect officers, but not too early toinstill the idea that there should be a division ofauthority. Next, be sure to get some basic infor-mation about everyone name, grade, phonenumber, and chess experience. You may wantparticipants to fill out a simple survey or mem-bership form (see p. 24) before they begin to play.You can make copies of this sample or designyour own. For the first time or two, its probablyenough to pair up people randomly. If youreplaying, you might want to abandon your seatand game to make room for the next student whowalks in the door.

You may have some experienced players whowant to get serious right away. Dont keep themwaiting too many weeks! As soon as possible,determine if you will need two or more groups(Division A, Division B, Division C, etc.). Your topdivision will be composed of those players withsome tournament experience or those who haveplayed in the club at school last year. You mighthave to keep everyone together if you lackenough experienced players to form a Division A.

One of the best early activities is a round-robintournament, in which everyone plays each other.Players should toss for colors. You might givethis event an interesting name like Pawn PushersSpecial. Division or section sizes should be from 8to 12 players. (If the size of the division is inexcess of 12, the tournament takes too long to fin-ish. You want the tournament to last about threeweeks.) After all players in each section play eachother to determine the best two or three playersin each section, you can organize the next tour-nament (the Bishops Bash), in which youll pair inDivision A the top three from each section of theprevious tournament. As you find new students,simply add to the bottom division and allowthem to work their way up. If by chance youencounter a new student at mid-year who al-ready has some experience, you may wish toinsert him or her in the appropriate section.

Equipment & SuppliesMost clubs will provide equipment for mem-

bers. Club-owned equipment makes the clubseem more real and it can lend a desirablesense of uniformity and unity to the chess activi-ties. If you havent done so already, now is thetime to contact USCFs Scholastic Director for ascholastic packet. Its free, and it contains help-ful information on scholastic chess. Right fromthe start, there are a few inexpensive items thatare virtually essential:

4t Chess SetsGo for a standard size (3 to 4 King), solid

plastic set in the traditional Staunton design. Forthis purpose the Club Special set fits the bill.Stay away from cheap, hollow plastic pieces ifpossible they tend to break and are simply lesspleasant to handle than solid plastic pieces. Kidscan sometimes be rough on equipment, so itsimportant to have sets which are as kid proofas possible. You can further protect chess piecesby placing them in a wood box or vinyl bag.Perhaps your schools home economics class canprepare cloth bags with drawstrings to save theclub money. Perhaps your schools home eco-nomics class can prepare cloth bags with draw-strings or the shop class can make wooden boxesto save the club money.t BoardsUse boards proportioned to your pieces or

get tournament-sized boards (2 to 2 squares).Cardboard boards may wear out too fast. Vinylroll-up boards are excellent. Be sure to get theones with the algebraic notation on the sides soyou can teach notation faster to your students. Ifstudent desks are too small for the vinyl roll-upboard, you will want to use rigid material underthe roll-up board so that it can be placed on thedesk or reduce the size of the board from a 20 (21/4 squares) to a 17 (1 7/8 squares). If there isan experienced chess teacher available or a largenumber of students who wish to learn, a demon-stration board or overhead projector system isvery handy. If you wish to purchase a demon-stration chessboard for your classroom, checkwith the U.S. Chess Federation. Or, you can makeone using felt and magnets or Velcro.t ScoresheetsMany club players like to keep a record of casu-

al games. You will, of course, have to teach yourstudents how to keep score, but after one lessonthey will probably be ready to use any scoresheetor scorebook that is available. You can make yourown. USCF is also an inexpensive and reliablesource. From this bare minimum, the skys thelimit on equipment and supplies. Your particularneeds will determine exactly what you shouldget and what kind of revenue or school fund-ing program you will need to develop.t ScorebooksA scorebook is absolutely essential for any seri-

ous player of the game. You should encourage

each of your students to purchase one in which tokeep a complete record of their games. They willthen be able to go back over past games to seeerrors and find improvements. The scorebookshould contain at least one diagram on the backof each page for adjournments, with ample spacefor notes. Its also helpful to keep on hand someblank diagrams, in case the bell rings during thechess period. Then the students can quicklyrecord the position of a game and be able toresume it the next day or the next time the clubmeets.t NotebookSize and style dont matter much, but you need

some place to write down organizational notes,any financial affairs, and so forth. Its an excellentidea to keep a written record of all club proceed-ings, because its easy to forget things later.t Index cardsYou can keep the club roster in your notebook,

but a card file is even handier because it allowseasy expansion and revision. Cards also give youa place to note expanded information about yourstudents like all-important telephone numbersand addresses. (Phone numbers and addressesmust remain confidential.)t SoftwareThere are two types of software that you may

wish to acquire, management software andinstructional software. A good software packageis a valuable tool that can help you run yourchess club more effectively. A complete softwarepackage includes templates for a variety of formsand certificates that you will wish to use. Yourmanagement software can also help you estab-lish a club rating system. Interactive instruction-al software is an excellent teaching tool thatallows kids to learn at their own pace. Your stu-dents may resist suggestions to read chess books,but they will jump at the opportunity to useinstructional software!t ClocksThese are not absolutely essential, but should

be considered when your club is ready to entertournament competition or league play, wheretime is controlled. If you decide to supply themfor student use, mark them with the school nameor initials and take good care of them. Sadly,these are the items most likely to grow legs andwalk. Caution students that clocks are delicatemechanical instruments which should NOT be

5pounded upon, especially during speed chessgames. That fact should be emphasized or youwill soon be replacing or repairing them.

tReference books and magazinesA few inexpensive beginners books will pro-

vide new members with a way to get betterbetween club meetings. Work with your schoollibrarian and student council to get a series ofchess books for the school. Give the librarian alist of both beginner and advanced chess booktitles that cover openings, middlegames, end-games, and chess tactics. The list provided onpage 23 is a recommended reading list. In addi-tion, your club should have a copy of USCFsOfficial Rules of Chess. This book will reduce argu-ments about the rules. If your school club affili-ates with USCF, it will automatically receive amonthly club copy of Chess Life, quarterly copiesof School Mates, the bimonthly national RatingLists, and one or more issues a year of the ChessCoach Newsletter. Affiliation offers many benefitsfor schools. Write or call USCF for more informa-tion. However, you need not affiliate in order toreceive the Chess Coach Newsletter. This publica-tion and many other materials are available fromUSCF free upon request to interested scholas-tic chess coaches and organizers.t VideosMany instructional chess videos are available

for players of all ages. As your library of instruc-tional chess materials grows, dont forget toinclude some chess videos.t Tournament stationery (for later on)Eventually, youll be running tournaments, so

youll need supplies such as pairing cards, wallcharts, pairing sheets, scoresheets, etc. One easyway to start is with USCFs TD kit, whichincludes these items.

PublicityPublicity is important to your clubs success

from the very start. You want your club at schoolto be popular, so you have to let the studentsknow about it. Also, word of mouth is one of thebest forms of publicity. Encourage students tobring a friend. Publicity is where you find it.Look everywhere!t FliersThese are usually the keystone of a publicity

campaign. Make as many as you can possibly

use. Include an attractive chess picture (like a sil-houette of a knight or other piece) that shoutsChess! to a viewer. Use readable lettering anddont be afraid of white space. Post fliers on bul-letin boards, ask other teachers to put them up,and leave some at the library and the main office.To simplify your life, USCF offers 11 x 17posters and 8 x 11 colored fliers that show offa promotional chess design. Both sizes leave youwith space to advertise your club.tWebsiteA website is a great way to promote your clubs

activities and your players achievements. Yourwebsite can be updated after every meeting. Noinformation is too trivial to be included on yourwebsite. A list of players who won their game (orsimply attended the last meeting) can serve as amotivational tool. Many schools already have awebsite, and your club website should be a partof the school website. If possible, assign one ormore students to maintain your club website.These students will receive valuable computerexperience while promoting your club.t News releasesWrite a simple statement on school stationery or

club stationery describing whats going to happenat your school. Type it! Try for a local angle andstress the open door nature of your school club.Especially emphasize the fact that girls as well asboys are welcome and that students may joinhalfway through the school year or even later.Deliver the releases in person (if possible) to yourlocal newspapers and school publication. It willmake them harder to throw away. After deliver-ing your news releases, call the recipients to see ifthey will use it and when. Then, follow up witha thank-you note or call. It will help them remem-ber you! Local and school newspapers always liketo receive news releases about kids, so dont beshy about writing them.t School AnnualsSchool annuals (yearbooks) are a good source

of publicity. Contact the yearbook advisor or edi-tor and arrange at least one page showing theclub. Try to have your team pictured competingagainst another school, playing a club tourna-ment, posing for a group photo, or playing in asimultaneous exhibition against a master.t Special eventsOne of the most effective special events is a

simultaneous exhibition perhaps during lunch

6period, after school, or at a shopping mall. Itdoesnt have to be huge eight or a dozenboards will do just fine, with a new player takingover when someone else is through. You maywant to do it yourself you dont have to be agreat player (but you should move quickly).Remember that your opponents like to win, andtheyll be more apt to come to your school club(excepting adults at the mall) if they dont thinkthe point is for you to clobber them. If you are nota strong enough player, then have your strongestplayer do it, or rotate this activity among theplayers. Its also a good idea for the person doingthe simultaneous to dress up on that day. It lendsan air of class to the activity. Dont forget to tellthe newspaper about your event both beforeand after. And put your school simul in a veryvisible place at lunch. Then, stand back andwatch the crowd form. Hand out some inexpen-sive prizes (posters, chess bumper stickers, pock-et magnetic sets, copies of Chess Life or SchoolMates) for those who win or draw. Students whoare the last to stay in the game attract crowds, sothey should be eligible to win something too!Write to USCF for free materials for your specialpromotions.

Club OfficersOfficers might not be necessary for the first

couple of meetings, but a club of even 10-12 stu-dents probably needs some sort of leadershipstructure or assignment of duties. The club offi-cers exist for two reasons: They represent the clubat student council meetings or other activitiesand serve the interests and goals of the members.Some school clubs depend on one or two stu-dents to do everything, and thats not a good sit-uation. As club advisor, you should be spreadingthe work around. Then, every student will feelthat he or she is a part of the club. In secondaryprograms, student club members as well as clubofficers should be involved in the decision-mak-ing process of club activities. The following arethe minimum functions for club officers, thoughtwo or more are sometimes performed by oneperson:t PresidentOversees smooth functioning of the club,

resolves disputes with the aid of the advisor, andis ready to take over for any other officer who isabsent or negligent. This person could also be in

charge of keeping contact with the student coun-cil and school activities director.t Vice-PresidentHelps the president and assumes the job of

president if the president is absent from school.This person could also work with the publicity orphone committee, or deal with the standingssheet.t Secretary/TreasurerProcesses the clubs bills through the required

school channels and keeps financial recordswhere appropriate. Keeps club roster unless thisduty is assigned to a separate secretary andwarns when the club is low on funds. Works withthe student council in planning projected schoolclub budgets. Depending on the age of the stu-dents, it might be necessary to omit this positionand do it yourself.t Activities/Tournament DirectorPlans events in consultation with the advisor

and sees to it that they run smoothly. This stu-dent can be in charge of the club ladder and theclub rating system (see glossary).t Publicity DirectorInforms members of upcoming events and

issues news releases concerning club news. Somekids have always wanted to be journalists. This istheir chance to be your contact with the schoolnewspaper. The school newspaper may also bewilling to accept a chess column by a student.Dont forget to put a chess problem in each issue.The publicity director can also write a clubnewsletter which could include tournamentresults.t Team CaptainWorks with the advisor to help prepare the

team for upcoming matches.tWebmasterMaintains the club website and updates it reg-

ularly. This can be a big job for young players, soyou may want to assign this job to a group of stu-dents rather than just one individual. Even ifyour students are young, resist the urge to do thiswork yourself. The experience and skills thatyour webmasters gain will be of value to themthroughout their lives.t GreetersOne or two students who welcome new stu-

dents to the club, introduce them to other clubmembers, answer questions, and get them into agame as soon as possible. No one is more crucial

6

to a club than its greeters. They should be friend-ly and not just after a new chess scalp! Select onefor September and October and another forNovember and December. After December, youmight want to handle it yourself unless you stillhave a large influx of new students. As advisor,you must obtain the proper information (name,address, grade) from newcomers so you can stayin touch with them and encourage them to re

turn. If you wish, you can get their phone num-ber when they first register. Otherwise, pick upthat information from their school emergencycard after they have established themselves as aregular member of the club. Caution: All studentinformation is confidential!

t Parent Booster Club (later on)You will want to consider forming a parent

booster club, which can be your best friend andally in advancing the school chess club. The par-ent booster club can lend support whenever yousponsor an event at your school, if you need helpwith transportation to other schools for matches(when permitted by the district), and whenfundraising. Boosters can take registration, bringand serve refreshments, record results, assist inpassing out awards, and help in countless otherways. The parent booster club can also influencethe school board, your principal, other principals,and the activities director as to the importance ofthe club and district chess programs. Establishthis group as soon as you can. Parents will beglad to support a positive activity for their son ordaughter.

Building a Base:The First Few Months

Youve gathered your first members and heldyour ice-breaker event. Now what? Keep itrolling!

FormalitiesSome clubs start early with electing officers,drafting and approving bylaws and constitu-tions, and other such organizational matters.Your students probably just want to play chess.Many students are apt to be bored with these for-malities. But do try to find volunteer helpers assoon as you can. Get them to be greeters, or what-ever you need.

District/School SupportThe district and principal are likely to supportyou when they see you adding a new activity totheir extracurricular or after-school program.Consult your principal and teachers representa-tive about supplementary pay for the time youspend on chess team activities. The chess teamcoach should receive supplementary pay for timespent on chess team activities, just as other coach-es or yearbook advisors. All coaches work hard

and get paid for their time, and so should chesscoaches!

News Releasest School BulletinPrepare brief releases directed at your schools

daily bulletin from time to time. Announce thesuccessful organizational meeting, accentuatingthe positive (Sixteen chess players attended thefirst meeting.) Announce your champion(s).Announce your elections. Announce your teamchallenges and results, including award winners.Announce your affiliation with your state organ-ization and USCF. Keep repeating the room num-ber, time, and the advisors name to remindeveryone that its never too late to join!t Local NewspapersYou may want to get an article in your city

newspaper. If you have a small-to-moderatesized club, news release might seem like toofancy a term for what you want to do. But its theterm your newspaper uses, so its the one youshould use too. Prepare this information onschool or chess club stationery so that the news-paper will know the source. This makes therelease more credible and enhances its effective-ness. A release tells the school or local newspa-per, radio or TV station that you have news and

Keeping the Club Going

7

8that they have permission to excerpt or rewriteyour presentation of that news although yourgoal is to get your news presented exactly theway you want. The tactics are to write it so wellthat a rewrite would be a waste of time. For fun-damental strategy, there is nothing better thanthe old ABCs of good writing: Accuracy, Brevity,Clarity.t AccuracyIt goes without saying that you should get your

facts straight. You should also provide a nameand telephone number for the paper to use if anyfurther information is needed. You should checkout your papers particular style of reportinglocal news. For example, do they like to includeages and grades for almost all students who areprominently named? How many sentences dothey typically use in a paragraph? These ques-tions may stretch accuracy, but they do empha-size your conformity to what this paper consid-ers good writing. Of course, your spelling shouldbe accurate.t BrevityGet to the point and stay there. Newspapers do

not have the time, the space, nor the inclinationto cope with lots of background and theory. Theywant news. Sometimes they print features,longer pieces that do explore the stories behindthe facts, but these are most often researched andwritten by their own staff. (These writers willmake some mistakes in chess stories, but begrateful for the ink you do get rather than frus-trated by errors.) Remember that newspaperstypically cut from the bottom, so put your mostcritical facts and points near the beginning ofyour piece.t ClarityRemember the difference between English and

chess terminology, and avoid words and conceptsthat require explanation to those who are notfamiliar with chess and tournaments. Write rela-tively short and simple sentences, being especial-ly careful that your pronouns are not confusing.

A Sample News ReleaseRook Elected Chess Club

PresidentJoe Rook, an 11th-grade student from Madison

H.S., has been elected president of his schoolchess club. Rook joined the chess club two yearsago.

Im not a great chessplayer, said Rook, butmy goal is to show other students how much funchess can be. Of course, winning is more fun thanlosing.

The election was at the weekly club meetinglast Wednesday after school in Madisons library.

Other officers include Sam King, 10th grade,vice president, and John Bishop, 9th grade, secre-tary-treasurer. The outgoing president was PaulPawn, 12th grade.

The Madison High School Chess Club is opento all students and welcomes both beginners andexperienced players.

CommentaryThe lead (the first sentence) is pretty bland, but

its difficult to write a great hook for such astory. Some newspapers are fanatical aboutattribution, meaning they want to cite a sourcefor every fact they print. Check your papersstyle.

A brief quotation can spark up a flat report andmake the piece seem more like a professionalnews story. You can often sneak in some promo-tional material through a quotation.

The club meeting time and location on campusmight not make it past the editors red pen. But itdoesnt hurt to try. If you put this information atthe very end, its odds for survival are even less.

Names sell papers is an old saying worthremembering. Take every opportunity to use thenames of more students, stopping short of turn-ing your release into a telephone directory.Welcoming newcomers is always a good idea;sometimes a paper will have room for such aplug.

Club NewsletterThis simple device can be a key to your clubs

success. Remember, names sell papers. In aclub newsletter, names make happy members. Inits simplest form, your newsletter or bulletin ismerely a listing of coming events a chessschedule for your students. You may want toinclude items such as team match and weekendtournament activities.

Make sure that all students and potentialmembers get a copy. Of course, they shouldtake it home and show their parents. Rememberthat putting a stack on the table in the roommight not be enough, because some students will

9be absent that day. Consider leaving them withthe teacher who has them just before morningbreak or lunch. Then, they might bring thenewsletter with them to the club. Other studentswill see how special your club members are andmight even ask to see the information. Dont for-get to leave some in the library and front office.

Beyond the schedule, you can also report onthe recent events from tournaments and lad-der standings to someones new rating. Findways to include as many names as possible in apositive light. Joe didnt win any games, but hereally scared Jim with some combinations beforehe lost on time. Last months visitors includedTom Knight and Jim Chessman. Both of them arevery interested in speed chess. Pete Wilson hasplayed the most club ladder games this year keep it up, Pete! Bob Johnson is second in activi-ty. There are a lot of good ways to use names.

The next step might be to include some gamesfrom the students. Brief annotations should bepermitted. Other games of an instructive natureshould be printed. Also, dont forget to includeanecdotes about chess history or the local scene,news from around the country and the world,chess problems, photos and cartoons, or any-thing else your imagination and energy suggest.

InstructionEvery chess club needs to consider the chal-

lenge of helping its members improve. This isparticularly crucial if your club has hopes ofkeeping beginners and novices in your club.Without encouragement, players below 1000strength often become frustrated and lose interest and thats something no club wants to happen.

Note: The above reference to player strength(1000 strength) refers to a national rating thatplayers receive after they have played in theirfirst national tournament. This number can varyfrom beginning players (500-1200) to more ad-vanced players (1300 and above).

It should be stressed to all students that only bycompeting against stronger players will theyimprove their game. The loser at chess nearlyalways learns more than the winner. The losergains knowledge and even some satisfaction.Encourage younger students that patience will berewarded. The older students will graduate and,if the younger students continue to practice, theycan become one of the schools top players.

Patience is a virtue.Absolute beginners can be taught by almost

any player who is willing and interested.(Emphasize that your club plays touch move. Itis an important rule to follow from the begin-ning.) Choose a good beginners book and sim-ply present the material to the students. Youdont have to be original make use of what hasalready been proven to work. USCF sells anexcellent package of teaching materials, which itdeveloped for young beginners. Its called Pawn& Queen.

Be sure that the students are made aware thatgood chess books do exist. They can be read andunderstood by anyone who wants to learn. A listis included in the Appendix of this publication.You may also seek out a Master, Expert, or expe-rienced teacher of chess to ask for book recom-mendations.

You should also use the computers at yourschool to add another learning opportunity. Anumber of chess software programs are availablefrom the USCF.

Players in the 1300-1700 strength range can alsobe excellent teachers not only of beginners, butalso of those who have played for years withoutever learning the basic strategies and concepts ofthe opening and endgame. The latter are oftenthe most frustrated of all club players becausethey lose so frequently. But they can greatlyimprove their playing strength after taking just afew friendly, basic lessons. They will often go onto become some of the most avid supporters ofyour club.

Instruction need not be limited to inexperi-enced players. If you are blessed with one ormore 1700+ players, you should be able to pro-vide valuable assistance and guidance to thosesub-1500 players who are teaching your begin-ners. Not surprisingly, these veteran players areoften far better teachers for other tournamentplayers than they are for beginners, because theycan express their ideas in chess jargon betterthan they can in non-chess terms. But dont beafraid to ask a Master or Expert to assist in yourbasic instructional efforts. They might surpriseyou with their willingness to help.

Dont overlook one of the simplest of allinstructional tools, the post-mortem analysis.When you first meet a new student who claims tobe a beginner, pair the visitor with a player who

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will be willing to go over the game after it isdone. Imagine how much more welcome he willfeel if he is given some tips by the player who hasjust played him. Finally, you should suggest toevery player who plays rated games to go overevery one of those games. Your students got intochess to have fun and win a few games, so givethem one of the best tools for improvement:analysis. In addition, try to avoid small cliques inyour club. Sometimes the more experienced play-ers tend to exclude new and novice players. Breakthese groups up and keep mixing the players.

Lesson Plan IdeasBelow you will find a checklist for pupils that

should be reviewed with all newcomers andthose who lack knowledge in certain areas of thegame:

1. How to checkmate: (Have them try todo this on you without advice first they may already know it, or part of it ...then talk if necessary. Explain what stale-mate is, giving examples.)a. With Queen & King vs. Kingb. With two Rooks & King vs. Kingc. With one Rook & King vs. Kingd. Contest: Checkmate in the fewest

moves (any of above).2. Play two or three at a time discuss

weak moves (dont say bad moves) andgood moves praise them as often as pos-sible.

3. Teach scorekeeping:a. Name some squares, then point to

others for them to name. b. Place a Knight on the board have

them name all possible squares for it to move to.

c. Have an experienced student show a beginner how to record a game.

4. Set up special situations such as:a. Pawn & King vs. King how to

defend; how to advance the pawn.b. Back-rank mates.c. Forks and Skewers.

5. Teach them how to castle and why.6. Teach general opening theory:

a. Importance of controlling the center.b. Avoid moving the same piece over

and over again.c. Dont bring out the Queen too early.

d. Castle early in the game.e. Dont make too many pawn moves

early in the game.f. Develop Knights and Bishops quickly.g. Dont make pointless moves just to

put your opponent in check.Try these in any order review the previous

weeks lesson, but generally try to concentrate onone of these per week.

Summer Chess CampsOne way for students to keep in shape over the

summer is to attend a chess camp. Most campsprovide high-quality instruction, tournaments,and other chess-related activities. Some campsalso permit teachers and coaches to attend. Anational list of chess camps can be found at www.uschess.org/org/sources.html#Camps/

On-line PlaySome of your students will want to play chess

more often than your club meeting schedule per-mits. Using the Internet, these students will beable to find willing opponents from all aroundthe world. There are many Internet sites that offeryour students the opportunity to play chess on-line, including U.S. ChessLive, the official USCFon-line chessplaying service, which can be foundat www.uschesslive.org/

Club LadderThe club ladder is a true mainstay of many

chess clubs. It takes many different forms, but allare similar in the following respects: They contin-ue through the school year; involve some type ofranking of the students; and allow players tomove up the ladder by defeating players whomthey challenge. To avoid mismatches, allow chal-lenges only within a certain number of availablespots (3, 5, or 8) of the player being challenged.

Some ladders are USCF-rated, while other lad-ders have only some or perhaps none of thegames rated. Some clubs calculate their ownclub ratings for ranking their players. Whethera club uses its own rating system or USCFs, arating system will allow players to prove them-selves, find their skill level, and identify worthyopponents. Medals, trophies, or ribbons could beawarded at the end of the school year based onthe rating improvement of each player.

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Club RatingsA suggested club rating system can be organ-

ized in the following manner:1. If you are just starting at the beginning of

the year, and no one has a club rating, everyone starts at 900 points.

2. In your first school tournament, a player receives 15 points for every win and loses 15 points for every loss.

3. In future tournaments, higher-rated players receive 10 points for every win in their sec-tion and lose 15 points for every loss. Lower-rated players receive 15 points for every win against a higher-rated player in their section, but only lose 5 points for a loss.

4. In the case of draws or stalemates, the high-er-rated player loses 10 points and the lower-rated player gains 10 points.

5. When a tournament ends, bonus points can be awarded to the top three players in each section. The first-place finisher could receive 25 points, second place 15, and third place 10. Bonus points are usually awarded in the first few months of the

chess club year, to help players find their level more quickly.

EXAMPLE: Jim is rated 1250 and loses a gameto Bill, who is rated 1100. To calculate the new rat-ing, subtract 15 points from Jims club rating(because he was the higher-rated player and helost). Bill receives 15 points (he was the lower-ratedplayer and he won). Therefore, Jims new club rat-ing is 1235 and Bills new club rating is 1115.

This is a very simple system that takes littletime to calculate new ratings for the students.Consider giving bonus points for games won at alocal tournament. This rewards them for theirparticipation. However, restrict points to no morethan 10 points per won game. Never subtractbonus points for losses at an outside school tour-nament.

A variation of this is to let all players start at900 as before, but for each game won add 25points plus or minus 10% of the difference in rat-ings, with a maximum of 50 points.

The Harkness System is another method of cal-culating club ratings. It is more accurate than theother rating systems mentioned, but the calcula-tions take more time.

The method is as follows:

There are many benefits to establishing a clubrating system, but doing the calculations by handcan be quite tedious. You may wish to set up aspreadsheet to help you with the calculations, or

you may choose to purchase chess club manage-ment software from the USCF. Dont become soengrossed in the details of your rating systemthat you spend hours on rating updates. The

HARKNESS SYSTEM*

Opponent If High Wins If Low Wins If a DrawRating Add to Winner and Add to Winner and Add to LowDifference Deduct from Loser Deduct from Loser Deduct High

0 to 24 16 16 025 to 49 15 17 150 to 74 14 18 275 to 99 13 19 3100 to 124 12 20 4125 to 149 11 21 5150 to 174 10 22 6175 to 199 9 23 7200 to 224 8 24 8225 to 249 7 25 9250 to 274 6 26 10275 to 299 5 27 11300 or more 6 28 12

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three important features that your club ratingsystem must have are:

Players gain rating points when they wingames.

Players lose rating points when they losegames.

Rating calculations can be completed in a reasonable amount of time.

There are potential problems in any club lad-der. What happens when players refuse chal-lenges or dont attend? Youll have to make thatdecision when the time comes. So, although theremight be some minor problems, a new and grow-ing club would do well to plan having a club lad-der. It provides a safe, easy-to-run activity thatis always available, especially on those dayswhen illness or a special school activity causeslow attendance. It can work for advanced play-ers, newcomers, club regulars, and occasionalplayers.

Mandatory Opening,Gambit, Minor Piece

Tournaments andChess Problems

Non-rated theme tournaments require onlyone day to complete, and they provide a goodchange of pace. In each game, the players arerequired to play a certain gambit or other open-ing sequence with each competitor once withWhite and once with Black. In minor piece tour-naments, Knights or Bishops are used, with a fewpawns added. A fast time control of 10-15 min-utes per side can be used to ensure that all gamesare completed in one club meeting. This type ofcontest is designed for fun. Often, the opening isannounced in advance so that players can pre-pare for the tournament, but sometimes theopening is drawn from a hat at the start of theevent.

The reason to choose a gambit is to force play-ers into a type of game different from what theynormally play. Gambits tend to produce veryexciting positions where imagination and naturalskill can be exercised. You might precede thecompetition with a short lecture on the openingto make sure the event becomes not only fun, buteducational, too. Caution: Be certain to chooseopenings that are not totally unsound; nobody

enjoys playing with a position that is a forcedloss.

As for the minor piece tournaments, you canhave fun with pawns only plus King, pawns andKnight(s) plus King, or no-Queen tournaments,etc. This gives students more practice with theendgame and minor pieces and reminds themthat the game is more than a Queen move.These types of tournaments should be consid-ered for mid-year after the students have someknowledge of the game.

Another possibility is a problem-solving con-test, with mate-in-two problems from chessbooks. Ten problems would be an appropriatenumber. The object is to solve the problems cor-rectly in the shortest amount of time. For yourinstructional purposes, the patterns found inactual games and chess problems are generallybetter for developing pattern recognition. Avoidabnormal variations on chess, as they tend tointerfere with the development of normal patternrecognition. An example of an abnormal varia-tion would be bughouse chess (see glossary).

Be certain that the ladder or other activities areavailable for those who do not want to play intheme tournaments. Unfortunately, not all chess-players enjoy trying a totally new and unpre-pared opening, even if it is just for fun.

Try Team Play!One way to pull a club closer together is team

play. Arrange matches with other schools in yourtown or in a nearby town. You can have the chessteam ride with one of the other sports teams (i.e.,football, baseball or tennis) when competingagainst a nearby school. Try to establish leagueteams in your area. There are probably otherchess clubs that want to play. If you do not knowother nearby schools that are active in chess,check with your state association or the USCF.The USCF maintains a list of affiliated chess clubson the USCF website www.uschess.org.

Matches can be played with varying numbersof players, from as few as three boards to asmany as can fit into the playing site. In team playthe principle the more the merrier truly doesapply! Try to arrange a 10 to 15 board match withanother school or schools, so that every clubmember can play. Remember that the playersfrom the two schools are to be ranked in descend-ing order, strongest player first. Matches can give

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your club a real boost. Playing with a commongoal and traveling together to a match can reallybuild club morale. Whenever possible, use schoolbus transportation. Note: Each player needs a per-mission slip.

Remember, you can find match opponents any-where. You may be able to use match play to getmore publicity for your club, especially if youwin against a school from a rival city or town. Besure to let your school and local newspapersknow. Newspapers love stories and pictures ofyoungsters who can hold their own in competi-tion.

One club member can be designated as teamcaptain and take responsibility for some of thedetails concerning matches. The advisor should:

1. contact the other school;2. arrange a mutually agreeable place, time,

and time limits;3. make sure that all the necessary equipment

is taken;4. contact the students and their parents and

assign the order in which the players will play.

If you are traveling to the other school, theadvisor must make transportation arrangements,plus make sure that no one is left behind by mis-take!

Sometimes a concern about team strength pre-vents some schools from being active in teamplay. Schools that are not blessed with a quantityof strong players tend to shy away from teamcompetition. This is unnecessary. Team play canbe designed as an enjoyable form of chess. Workwith the coaches of neighboring schools to setsome team competition events that maintain a

balance between teams.For instance, each team could agree in advance

to have no more than two players rated over1400, no more than four over 1200, and at leasttwo unrated players. This type of format allowsteams to be more evenly matched. It also pro-motes more interschool competition for the teampositions. Novice players are still important tothe success of the team in fact, they are just asimportant as the top two boards!

Before forming your team, decide how youchoose its members. Being on the team should bean honor that can be earned by anyone. En-courage club members to try to make the team.Perhaps the most improved player on the clubladder or some of the best players can be auto-matically awarded a spot. This will increaseinterest not only in the team but also in the gen-eral club activities. A students-versus-facultymatch or one in which the students choose upsides would work well.

If there are a good number of school clubs inthe area, consider setting up a league with a reg-ular schedule. Some leagues feature rated com-petition; others are open to non-USCF members.The latter makes it possible to get other schoolsinvolved which have very few or no rated play-ers. Make sure that you get a responsible personas league director and that all the club advisorsunderstand their duties.

As you progress, think about club jackets or T-shirts with the school logo on them. High-schoolstudents should be eligible for a chess letter to beworn on a collegiate-style sweater or vest. Ifother teams use school equipment and have clubjackets, then so should your team.

Chess tournaments come in all sizes andshapes. Your experience will lead you to what isbest for your students, and almost all chessplay-ers enjoy some kind of formal competition. Youwill find detailed instructions for pairing players,assigning colors, and so forth in USCFs OfficialRules of Chess, which can be obtained from theUnited States Chess Federation, 3054 US Rte. 9W,New Windsor, NY 12553. In this chapter, we are

concerned with what happens before and afterthe games themselves.

What About Format?You can play round robins among any number

of players. Quads are traditional favorites,matching four players of about the same strengthin a three-round event. Note: USCF does notpublish ratings based on fewer than four games.

Your Club as a Tournament Sponsor

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Therefore, you would have to run two quads inorder to get new players rated.

If you can handle the Swiss system (see glos-sary), you might start with a one-section Swiss,involving everyone in the same competition. Ifyou have fewer than a dozen players, a three-rounder is probably enough. For 10 to 20 stu-dents, you probably want four or five rounds. Formore than 20 players, five rounds might be best.Keep in mind that if all players are to start around at the same time, a number of studentswill finish early. There should be an activity tooccupy them that is quiet enough so as to not dis-turb the tournament games in progress.

You can also have two or more Swiss sectionsof any length. Three rounds guarantees no morethan one perfect score among eight players, fourrounds for 16 players.

Youll have to decide what to do about ties. Youcan have co-champions with equal awards, co-champions with a trophy awarded on tie-break-ers, or a winner-take-all match. Its a good idea toaward something to anyone tying for first place.

While its possible to have a tournament withonly one prize, you will be more popular if yougive everyone some chance at an award. Youmight, for example, offer a first prize and a small-er one for the best score by someone rated under1200. A prize for the best score by a newcomer orunrated player or an upset prize to the studentwho scores the biggest rating upset of the tour-nament is a good promotion. Remember thatyour students joined your club to have fun and towin, so the more prize categories, the better.

One popular feature is to give your tourna-ments creative titles based on holidays, movies,local geography or history, or whatever else tick-les you or your students.

Example: The Snowflake Special.Remember that there will be students that do

not want to play in any tournaments, so respecttheir wishes. Stay loose, experiment, listen toyour students, and have fun.

The Club TournamentMany clubs find that regular tournaments form

the backbone of their activities. The typical struc-ture is one round a week for a specified time andthen a brand new tournament. These are easyevents to run and are fun for everybody, but youmight have to experiment before you find the

best format for your students. Two major wordsof advice: inexpensive and relaxed.t InexpensiveEntry fees should be affordable, and while

prizes are not typically a big deal in school clubtournaments, one or more small trophies,medals, ribbons, certificates, or book prizes maybe appropriate. A prize could even be as minimalas a free entry into a future local tournament.Caution: To maintain your scholastic standing inthe eyes of many Interscholastic State Federa-tions, you should not offer cash prizes of anytype. Thus, you can get sanctioned just like thedebate club, the football team, and the math club.This could come in handy later.tRelaxedDont run a military boot camp. The atmosphere

in a school club tournament should be friendly.Relax and let the kids enjoy it within the rules ofthe game. You will find that some students cantshow up for a scheduled round (game). Often theycan get together with their opponents someevening or over the weekend. If its okay with theplayers involved, it should be okay with you.Also, be flexible about letting students join thetournament after the event has started.

The TournamentDirector

You need someone to be in charge, whether ornot your event is to be rated by USCF. In practice,the tournament director (TD) usually does every-thing connected with a tournament, but its bet-ter to have at least a small team that divides theactual directing chores from the organizing ones.Be sure that the TD has a copy of USCFs OfficialRules of Chess.

If your event is to be USCF-rated (definitely agood idea!), your TD can be a certified chess coachand sign a form stating that he or she has readUSCFs Official Rules of Chess, has access to a copyof these rules, understands them, and promisesto uphold them fairly.

Please contact the USCF Scholastic Director forapplications and information concerning USCF-rated tournaments.

The Weekend ScholasticTournament

There are many rated and unrated weekend

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and scholastic events on the calendar. Look themup in Chess Life or School Mates or on the web atwww.uschess.org/tla, or contact your localscholastic organizer. Sponsoring such an event isnot difficult, as nearly everything that is true ofclub tournaments applies to weekend events thatare open to other students as well as your own.These events, whether one day or two days inlength, take more advance planning, but most ofyour concerns will be similar to those youencounter in planning a school club tournament.

One of the essential differences is finances. Forclub events, you can probably remain flexible anddetermine your prizes. For an open scholasticevent, you should either guarantee the trophies,medals, and ribbons (ideal) or offer a realistic esti-mate of these based on the number of entries.

Your tournament site is another major issue.Can you use your classroom, library or cafeteria?Clear this with your principal by getting a build-ing use form, completing it, and sending it to thesuperintendent or other official of the school dis-trict who will handle the approval. Getting thisapproval is essential. If an accident should occur,you will be protected from liability and the schooldistrict insurance will cover all persons involved.If by chance you choose a tournament locationoutside of school, try to have the community cen-ter, college, or hotel donate the space and custodi-al services. These other sites have insurance cov-erage, so that should not be a problem.

Publicity is another important factor. Youshould plan very far in advance as much as sixmonths to a year. The first step is to check withyour USCF regional clearinghouse to make surethat there is no significant scholastic activityalready scheduled for that weekend. (You canfind your clearinghouse through Chess Life, theRating Lists, or the USCF office.) If a major tour-nament, open to students and adults, is sched-uled for the same date, it might cut into yourattendance. Check with some of the other coach-es and students to see if thats the case. A bigscholastic event just before or after your tourna-ment could affect attendance, too.

Boost attendance at your event by posting anddistributing fliers at other area tournaments andby mailing fliers to area players and coaches youwish to attract. USCF supplies address labels ofcurrently rated student chessplayers by ZIP codeand rating at a nominal cost. Write or call USCFs

Mailing List Sales, or e-mail [email protected], for more information.

Placing Ads inSchool Mates MagazineOne of the best ways to attract players to your

event is to announce or advertise it in your localstate chess bulletin and in the Tournament Lifesection of School Mates. The TLA form is in theAppendix. You may use it to submit School MatesTLAs for your events. When you submit a TLAfor a scholastic-only event (or section), noteclearly on your TLA that you are requestinginclusion in School Mates. The schedule for TLAsubmission is:

Cover TLA Must Be ForDate Received By Tnmts. beginning

Fall July 10 Sept. 15Winter Oct. 10 Dec. 15Spring Jan 10 March 15Summer April 10 June 15

Important School MatesTLA Acknowledgement

All TLA fees must be paid with the return of theTLA acknowledgment form, even if there are nocorrections. If you do not return your acknowl-edgment form with payment, your TLA will notappear. Please keep in mind that your TLA, inaddition to appearing in School Mates, alsoappears, at no extra charge, on the USCF website:www.uschess.org/

You will also find in the Appendix a Tour-nament Accounting Sheet that will help you toplan ahead. Talk this over with the other coachesin your area. They can guide your estimates sothey will be very accurate.

RegistrationA smooth registration process is essential to

running a successful weekend rated or unratedtournament. As in all other things, planning andteamwork help enormously. Convince your clubthat the tournament is theirs, not yours. Every-one in the club should help out at least a little,and there are indeed lots of little chores that canbe parceled out.

Advance registrations are great. You can han-

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dle them in peace and quiet and at your ownpace. To encourage advance entries, offer a dis-count for early entries and provide a cutoff regis-tration form on your tournament flier.

A registration form and pairing card are locat-ed in the Appendix. You may want to duplicatethese forms or make your own.

Of course, if you are running a tournamentwith several sections, you need a space for thesection the entrant wants and maybe one for theircurrent rating.

But it is your responsibility to check all USCF IDnumbers, expiration dates, and ratings. Duplicatenames for one player (Frederick W. Smith III,Fred Smith, Freddy Smith, F. W. Smith, etc.) cre-ate havoc with membership records and ratings.Avoid headaches by asking USCF members tobring their membership cards. Copy the informa-tion directly from the card. Mailing labels fromtheir Chess Life or School Mates magazine are alsohelpful in establishing accurate data.

There are two basic parts to the registrationprocess the day of the tournament, and theyshould be split between at least two people ifyour line is more than a few players long.

I. Site RegistrationA. Entry feesB. Dues (league, state association, USCF, as

applicable). Its often faster to have thestudent fill out the forms (print please)and return them to you with the appro-priate fees, at which time you should givea receipt. When possible, have the coachor advisor who brought the team preparea list in advance.

II. Pairing Card Information(see Appendix for sample form)

A. NameB. Address (This is important for expanding

your scholastic mailing list, for providinginformation to the newspaper and statebulletin, for mailing prizes and crossta-bles, and for responding to post-tourna-ment inquiries.)

C. USCF ID NumberD. USCF Expiration DateE. RatingF. GradeG. School (If it is not a team event, you may

wish to pair away students who are from

the same school during the very earlyrounds.)

The USCF Rating List (Annual or Supplement)is an all-in-one tool for all information exceptaddress, grade, and school. Here is a sample linefrom the Rating List and how to read it:

BISHOP, DALE Q. 12345678 1101 NY 1166Dale Bishops ID number is 12345678. His

USCF membership runs out November 30, 2001.Hes from New York. His current rating is 1166.However, if Dales rating appeared with a slash(/), for example 1166/13, his rating is provision-al, based on only 13 games.

You should have him show you his USCFmembership card. Get his number and expirationdate from the card or from the Rating List(Supplement or Annual Edition). But do makesure he is Dale Bishop if you have any doubts.

If youre running a tournament with more thanone section or team competition of any type, acolor-coded system is helpful. Use different colorpairing cards for each section or mark the cornerof the pairing cards with a different color to iden-tify each school. Your students will probablyappreciate wallcharts (see Appendix for sampleform) with different colors in the margin so as toidentify their team or section. This will save youtime as you place the results on the wallcharts.

Youll want to post wallcharts so that the stu-dents can follow the action. Dont hold up yourfirst round to do so, but do see that someone whether its you or someone else gets to themas soon as possible. Good TDs get these chartsprepared and on the wall before the end of roundone, so they can post the results on the wallchartas they come in. Inform the students that bothplayers who are paired should go together to thepairing sheet and post the results of the game assoon as they finish. Neatness counts: A clearlylegible photocopy of these charts is an adequaterating report for USCF. Computer pairing sys-tems, like Swiss-Sys or WinTD, are available andcan be used to submit rating reports on disk.

REMINDER: No student or advisor is to write ona wallchart. Any errors or changes are to be made by aTournament Director!

Below is a checklist of materials that you mightwant to have within easy reach during a tourna-ment.

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TDs Checklistt USCFs Official Rules of Chess, latest editiont Chess Tournament Softwaret Computer, printer, and diskettest Pairing cardst Pairing sheets or racks for posting Swiss or

Quad results chartst USCF/state membership applicationst Table numbers for boardst Scoresheets and (if possible, make score

books available at a reasonable cost)t Rating Lists (all Supplements since the last

Annual List, and all recent Annual Lists)t Pens/pencils/markers (including loaners) tMasking tape, thumb tacks, rubber bands,

and correction fluid to white-out changes tCoins to provide change for kids who have to

call homet Calculator and extra paper for notices t Copies of ads for this tournament (for round

times, prizes, etc. )

t First-aid kit, and telephone access in case ofemergencyt FLIERS FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT!!

Tournament SoftwareThe USCF office has developed a tournament

report software program called the TournamentAdministrator (TA). The TA allows the user toenter, revise, validate, display, and print tourna-ment results before submitting them to the USCF.It can create a club database containing ratinginformation of people who participate in yourtournaments. The TA has the capability to uploadrating list information from a disk. You also havethe option to print USCF return-address labels orlabels of any address you enter. The TournamentAdministrator is available free to all USCF certi-fied tournament directors. If you plan to runSwiss-system tournaments, you may wish toobtain a pairing program such as Swiss-Sys orWinTD. These pairing programs are available forsale from the USCF. Just call 800-388-5464.

Club FinancesAlmost certainly, your club will have at least

some financial concerns. They can or will be largeor small depending on the size of your club andthe nature of its activities and programs.

FundingRaising money for your chess club can be very

easy if you have the participation and support ofstudents, parents, and school administration.

The school district is a primary source of fund-ing for school activities. Some districts havefunded programs for special academic classes.Districts may fund programs for exceptional andtalented students. In addition, districts usuallymake provisions for bus transportation to stu-dent events. Provisions for funding teacher sup-plementary pay are discussed on page 7.

Each schools student council funds many ac-tivities. However, the student council sometimesrequires funding to be budgeted a year in ad-vance. Work closely with the activities director torecognize your chess program and team. Studentcouncils are interested in securing equipment

that will be of long-term benefit to the school.Items such as chess clocks and chess books forthe library qualify. The student council will usu-ally fund team entry fees to promote the schooland encourage school participation.

Most school clubs have ways of raising moneyfor their activities. Find out what they are bychecking with several advisors and your schoolactivities director. One or more of their ideas maysuit your need to raise a certain amount ofmoney. Your parent booster club will be a valu-able resource. There are also community groups(e.g., Parents Association, Lions Club, Optimists,Kiwanis) that support schools and worthy scho-lastic projects.

There are many old reliable methods bakesales, car washes, raffles, and chocolate sales(where permitted). PTA, student council, or evenschool district funds designated for after-schoolactivities would be worth investigating. Spendthe time looking for the money and you will haveto spend less time raising it.

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BankingYou dont really have to run downtown and

open an account as soon as you decide to have astudent chess club. First, check with your princi-pal or activities director and see how other clubsat your school handle finances. Their system willprobably work for your club, too. Many districtsrequire funds to be placed in a student club activ-ity account.

If, however, you find that your club would bebetter off with its own account, then check withlocal banks to see which one will give you a no-charge bank account. Many banks do this forschools. If necessary, your principal could call theback and verify your need. Remember: The bankwill receive your money and not pay interest toyou and you will receive all services free. Its agood trade-off for them and its also good public

relations.Youll have to decide who signs the checks. Its

best to have two signatures on file with the bank,probably those of the advisor and the vice-princi-pal. Then, when the statement comes in eachmonth you simply have the vice-principal initialit. When needed, you have him/her sign checks.

TaxesBecause yours is a school club organization, it

is a 501(c)(3) organization. You pay no income taxon your activities. Through your district, it maybe possible for your club to be exempt from salestax on your purchases, get special postage rates,and offer donors write-offs on gifts. Check withyour district business office to confirm any legalquestions with regard to the above. There may bevariations from state to state.

Larger Chess OrganizationsBenefits of State

AssociationMany school clubs have found it helpful to

have a good relationship with their state associa-tion. In some cases, these clubs can become affil-iates of state associations. In return for paying lit-tle or no annual fee, your club receives a copy ofthe state magazine and often a listing in the mag-azine citing the clubs existence. You will also beable to announce any weekend tournaments thatyou run. Your students will benefit from having acopy of the state magazine available. They willalso enjoy seeing their names featured in thescholastic events you report.

Active ties with your state association can ben-efit your club in other ways. Sometimes, a stateassociation arranges tours by masters or the statechampion if so, your club can have a chance tobe included. If a special event is coming up inyour state, such as a grandmaster simul, all yourstudents will learn of it promptly. Also, statetournament calendars are often printed far inadvance of the Tournament Life listings in ChessLife and School Mates. These calendars will helpyour students plan their tournament activitymore efficiently.

The state association will also assist you if youhave any special problems. Your state officers areusually a good source of advice on many chess-related topics. When your club embarks on itsfirst open tournament, you should be able tocount on the state association for assistance withpublicity, a director, and so forth. Remember thathelpfulness is a two-way street, so do supportyour state association when it requests yourassistance.

As your club and league grow, you may wantto bid for a state-sponsored scholastic tourna-ment. These events offer your students theopportunity to compete against the best playersthe state has to offer, while avoiding the incon-veniences of traveling to another city.

USCF Club AffiliationAt the earliest opportunity, you should consid-

er making your club a scholastic affiliate of theU.S. Chess Federation. The paperwork is mini-mal, and the benefits are numerous.

Here are some of the exciting, special advan-tages:t A monthly copy of Chess Life and a quarterly

copy of School Mates mailed to your school. tA bi-monthly copy of the national Rating List,

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which chessplayers love to examine to see howeveryone is doing. This publication includesBits and Pieces, a section of about four pages ofsignificant organizing news and advice. TheRating List also has the USCFs scholastic Top 100lists. Posting copies of these lists can spur atten-dance in your club, league, and at tournaments.t Registration with the scholastic referral serv-

ice (list of scholastic organizers). School coachesin your area looking for other school clubs will betold about you.t Entitlement to sponsor and conduct the sanc-

tioned, rated tournaments in which your stu-dents will earn ratings.t Information and involvement in chess by

mail with pen pals on a rated basis (correspon-dence chess). This could include games with stu-dents from other countries.t Discounts on books and equipment. What

you purchase can be used by your whole club,given as prizes, or even resold to your membersat your cost. (Ask your school librarian to see ifyour library has any chess books. School librariessometimes have money to spend, and chessbooks are a worthwhile investment because yourclub members will check out the books.)t Free-for-the-asking materials such as mem-

bership brochures, explanations of the rating sys-tem and tournament procedures, rules booklets,posters, and even back issues of Chess Life orSchool Mates for your special scholastic events.(Also, the U.S. Chess Trust, the non-profit educa-tional arm of the U. S. Chess Federation, providesfree chess sets and boards to schools.)t An experienced staff at USCF headquarters,

ready to answer your questions.Affiliating is too good a deal to pass up!

Scholastic ChessPrograms in the USCF

The U. S. Chess Federation offers a full range ofscholastic chess programs from rated play inscholastic-only tournaments to paid member-ships which include full USCF benefits such aschess magazine subscriptions, discounts on chessmerchandise, participation in adult tournaments,etc.t Youth: Members age 22 or under receive 12

issues of Chess Life yearly.t Scholastic: Members age 14 or under

receive four issues yearly of School Mates, a quar-terly magazine for young chessplayers.t Junior Tournament Player (JTP):

Students grade 12 or under who have never beenUSCF members may become JTPs. JTPs can par-ticipate in only two types of USCF-rated tourna-ments.

These are:t Scholastic-only, school-based tourna-

ments (in other words, a school event open onlyto students attending that school); andt Primary-school tournaments (or exclu-

sively primary-school sections in larger tourna-ments), with the exception of the NationalElementary School Championship.

JTPs receive a USCF ID number (the red num-ber on the green JTP form), and a rating, but theyare not eligible for any other membership privi-leges. The only requirement is for the tournamentdirector to submit the green JTP forms for eachplayer (addresses and birth dates must be included),along with his rating report.

For applications and information, contact:USCF JTP Program3054 US Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553; Telephone (845) 562-8350 Ext. 169;E-mail [email protected].

USCF-RatedTournaments

Rated tournament competition is the drivingforce behind the success of the U.S. ChessFederation. Over 40,000 scholastic players partic-ipate in nationally rated chess activities everyyear, and the numbers are increasing rapidly.

Participating in USCF-rated events is fun andwill give your players an opportunity to gaugetheir improvement. Also, if they are membersand have high enough ratings, their names mightappear on our Top 100 lists for the different agegroups. These lists are published regularly in ourbi-monthly Rating Lists and on our website, andcan be used to publicize the success of your club.

USCF has made the cost of holding a USCF-rated scholastic-only tournament very inexpen-sive. The only costs are an annual USCF clubaffiliation fee and a per-game rating fee (contactUSCF for current rates). For these tournaments,USCF membership is required of players (except

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JTP category). Membership is not required oftournament directors for JTP events as long asthey are USCF certified chess coaches (see below).

So, as you can see, it is easy and inexpensive toget your players involved in our nationally ratedchess tournaments. For more details on organiz-ing rated tournaments, please request a copy ofthe free brochure, Rated Chess Events, from USCF.

USCFs Certified ChessCoach Program

USCF recognizes chess coaches as special peo-ple who are fair, positive, compassionate and car-ing. These coaches make a strong effort to instillin their students these same attributes. The USCFCertified Chess Coach Program was estab-lished to recognize these special volunteers.Through this program, anyone teacher, clubsupervisor, parent, etc. can become a certifiedchess coach. All you have to do is fill out anapplication, along with a small one-time fee.Contact USCF for applications and information.

As a certified chess coach, you will receive thefollowing benefits through this program:t A framable, official certificate noting your

certification to coach chess, and a card identify-ing you as a certified chess coach.t The right to direct rated scholastic-only tour-

naments in your school (certified chess coachesdo not have to be USCF members for this pur-pose, although membership is recommended).t A free copy of USCFs annual Chess Coach

Newsletter.

Coaching atTournaments

One of the most exciting experiences a coachwill offer his or her students is the opportunity toparticipate in USCF-rated tournament competi-tion. There are weekend club events as well asstate and national tournaments. Participating inthe National Championships gives players,coaches, and parents the opportunity to experi-ence scholastic chess at the championship level,as well as the chance to meet people from otherparts of the country.t A Code of ConductSpectators and coaches are governed by the

ground rules of the tournament organizer. Theserules supercede the suggested guidelines that fol-

low. In this discussion, COACH also refers toPARENTS acting as supervisors and observersat a scholastic chess tournament and otherSPECTATORS (other than tournament officials).

Here are some of the dos and donts ofcoaches and parents on the floor:

1. Once a game is in progress, a coach can never interrupt it for any reason. Only tournament directors and their assistants may intervene.

2. If a coach notices a player playing the wrong opponent, he or she should imme-diately notify the tournament director (TD).

3. If a coach observes an illegal move, he or she is to say or do absolutely nothing, as it is the responsibility of the players to bring violations to the attention of the TD.

4. If a coach sees a players hand raised, he or she should immediately summon a TD. He should NEVER try to directly assist any player.

5. If a coach observes that a player has over-stepped his or her time limit, the coach should not say or do anything, as only the players can make time-violation claims.

6. Once a tournament game has started, a coach should talk to his or her players only in the presence of the TD.

7. In general, the coach should avoid eye contact with both his or her players and their opponents, keeping a sufficient distance from the board to avoid distracting the players.

8. Players may leave their boards for short periods. They should inform the TD if they will be gone for an extended time. While absent from his game, a player must not consult any chess books, diagrams or analysis. He or she should not discuss their game (while in progress) with anyone else.

9. Players, coaches, spectators, and TDs may be prohibited from bringing food or drink into the tournament rooms. All scholastic tournaments are non-smoking.

10. After the conclusion of a tournament, if a coach notices that a prize was incorrectly awarded, he or she should bring this to the attention of the TD ONLY.

11. WALLCHARTS show the pre-tourna-

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ment ranking of the players, their ratings, their round-by-round results and other pertinent information. Only tournament officials can record information on these charts. Coaches or players should NEVERwrite on them.

12. Coaches should make sure their players results are reported.

In most individual tournaments, results areposted on pairing sheets. These sheets show eachplayers pairing and board number for a particu-lar round, and have a space by each playersname for posting results.

At the nationals, players are required to reporttheir results to designated officials.

In TEAM tournaments, results should berecorded on the Team Card at the playing table.

13. PAIRING CARDS contain tournament results used for pairing purposes. Only TDs have access to these cards.

14. OTHER coaching duties include:a. providing instruction for their players

before and after roundsb. helping their players find their pair-

ings and boardsc. offering moral support to their play-

ersd. making sure their players stay out of

troublee. making sure their players exhibit

good sportsmanshipf. helping maintain proper order

throughout the tournament site

National ProgramsChess-in-the-Schools, Inc. (formerly American

Chess Foundation, Inc.) is a national programprimarily for inner-city school children. Chess-in-the-Schools, Inc. sponsors and administers anumber of programs including the Aspis Awardand the Samford Fellowship.

The Aspis Award is granted each year to thenations top player under age 13. Generally,Aspis recipients are experts or masters.

The Samford Fellowship is the richest andmost important prize of its kind in the U.S. Theannual fellowship offers brilliant young Ameri-can masters the support and resources necessaryto reach their full potential. Samford recipientsmust be willing to devote their efforts to study-ing and playing chess in an attempt to become

leading grandmasters. The Fellowship rewardstalent, achievement, and commitment to chessand is open to high school graduates under age25. For more information on these programs, con-tact: Chess-in-the-Schools, 353 West 46th St., NewYork, NY 10036.

The U.S. Chess Trust offers several programs,including Chess for Youth.

Chess for Youth is a program that donates freechess sets to schools around the county. It is alsoknown as Kolty Chess for Youth, named for itsfamous founder, George Koltanowski.

Free USCF Scholastic Memberships Programfor Underprivileged Children 500 kids fromlow-income families will receive free member-ships in the United States Chess Federationthrough a special U.S. Chess Trust program.

Students who are on their schools free lunchprogram are entitled to this benefit. The mem-berships will be channeled through coaches andparents who coordinate and organize chess pro-grams in the schools. Each school program is eli-gible to receive a maximum of 10 scholasticmemberships.

The Free Membership Program, in addition toproviding assistance to underprivileged kids, isone more incentive for coaches to generate andorganize chess activities at the schools. Coachesare encouraged to send a list of qualified kids,with a cover letter that includes a brief descrip-tion of the program.

The USCF and the U.S. Chess Trust thank Trustdonors for their generosity and their support ofchildren who could otherwise not afford to par-ticipate in tournament chess.

The Annual National Scholar-ChessplayerAwards recognize and encourage high schoolstudents who promote a positive image of chessin the United States. High school juniors and sen-iors who are USCF members are eligible to apply.Applications must be completed and submittedto USCF along with five copies of an academictranscript, a photograph and a letter of recom-mendation from an adult coach or chess organizer.The deadline is March 1st of each academic year.

Award winners are selected on the basis of out-standing merit in academics, chessplay, andsportsmanship. The winners are announcedannually at the National High School Champi-onship. They receive scholarship prizes, totaling$5,000, from the U.S. Chess Trust.

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For more information on Chess Trust programsor to receive a Scholar-Chessplayer Award appli-cation, contact: Scholastic Director, USCF, 3054US Rte. 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553; telephone(845) 562-8350.

The U.S. Chess Federation annually sponsorsthe National Scholastic Chess Championshipsand the Pressman All-America Chess Team.

There are several National Scholastic ChessChampionships you should know about. Thethree traditional events each spring are theNational Elementary, Junior High, and HighSchool Championships. In addition, USCF holdsan annual National Scholastic K-12 GradeChampionship (each player competes at his orher grade level). A special competition, the ArnoldDenker Tournament of High School Champions,takes place every year during the U.S. Open. Inthis tournament, state high school championscompete for University of Texas, Dallas (UTD) col-lege scholarship prizes.

Only the most promising of Americas youngchessplayers are selected for the Pressman All-America Chess Team. Team membersmust show outstanding achievement intheir age group and be consideredlikely to distinguish themselves in thefuture.

All-America Chess TeamRevisions: Changes to the criteria the USCF has revised the All-America Chess Teams requirements.The new policy modifies the ratingrequirements. The new selection criteriais as follows:

MINIMUM MINIMUMAGE RATING AGE RATING

8 & Under 1550 9 165010 1750 11 187512 2000 13 210014 2150 15 220016 2250 17 230018 2400

All candidates must have competed in at leastFOUR open (