The local youth chess club

On Saturday 11th January 2020 I went to the local library where the local junior chess club was taking place.  I have been before but not for a while and it was a good opportunity to catch up with some people that I know there.  

As I am the chairman of my local over the board chess club I will not deny that I went to see if I could talent scout anyone at the club.  My club is Brewood Chess Circle and although it has mainly an adult membership it is an open age chess club in which anyone can join, children or adults, males or females.  

Before I get onto the experience of the chess club itself I think it is important to mention that I have played chess since I was seven years old, which is something I always try and remember when teaching anything to do with chess to children.  Although I am now involved in organising things, I still enjoy playing the game which is the reason I go to the chess club in the first place.  

I also know a lot more now, than I did when I was seven years old.  As I am now 36 (although I do not look 36) I will soon be approaching 30 years of playing the game, but of course chess is a game that you can play for years and still not know everything.  Hopefully the fact that I enjoy myself comes across to any children or parents when I am talking to them.  

I arrived at the library at 9.30am ready for the first session of play which would be between 9.45am-10.45am.  Three children turned up, and then there was myself and the main organiser.  I had said to the organiser that I wanted to watch, I can not talent scout if I am engaged in my own match, and it would also be impossible for me to answer any questions that any children or parents might have.  

Therefore the main organiser played against one of the three children, and the other two children played each other.  The organiser was notating his own game, against the child, occasionally making notes when the child he was playing against was making a good or a bad move, and the reasons why.  

I had being told that this session would have some young players and the two children playing each other could only have being six or seven years old.  With the result between the main organiser and the other child a formality, I decided to watch the match with the two children playing against each other.  The match ended up in a draw as both players ended up just having their kings left.  

There was then another session of play between 11.00am-12.00pm.  Here was the session of play where the older, more experienced children would attend.  There were probably about ten children there altogether, and then myself still watching, and the main organiser.  This was the session where I would be able to talent scout anyone for the chess club.  

I already knew one of the children and their dad, as the child is now a member of our chess club.  However I barely needed to watch his games, as quite often his opponent would be asking him whether certain pieces could move to certain squares, and against an opponent who barely seemed to know the rules, the player from our chess club won very easily.  

After having skimmed round the room, I ended up talent scouting, this one individual.  It was obvious from just looking at his play that he knew about forks, pins, and back rank checkmates.  He also managed a smothered mate, although he did not seem to know about that, although he does now.  The smothered mate made me smile.  

It could not have been easy for him, having myself standing over the table watching the game directly.  Unfortunately there is no other way to watch a game but at least he could probably sense that I was enjoying watching him play.  

Afterwards I invited him to our club Brewood.  He is good enough to play league chess and I said that to him and his mum.  However when they said where they lived I realised that the distance he lives away means that it is simply not going to be possible.  I then said that even if he did not go to Brewood, he should still go to another local chess club that played league chess.  

The other main reason why I went to the youth chess club, is because I like to think I am giving helpful advice to children and parents of what is best for the children.  After all why bother helping out at a junior chess club, if you are not prepared to say what you think is best for the child. 

So yes I ended up talent scouting but for another chess club.  Meir Chess Club will benefit but so will the child, and that is more important than anything else.