From the US Chess Federation, updated in December 2019, aimed not specifically at scholastic chess but any generic all-ages chess club, it's the 12-page pdf Guide to a Successful Chess Club. "Gives needed insight and a framework for anyone to start a chess club from scratch."
How To Start (and run) a Chess Club - Guides, Manuals, Articles
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Feb 6, 2020
0
#3
Two more: The Certified Chess Coach Newsletter provided good guidance from scholastic chess coaches all around the USA. (See the forum post.) And Ralph E. Bowman has written A Beginner's Guide to Coaching Scholastic Chess. (2006)
Thanks very much for the resources! Myself and another teacher have just started a chess club at a state high school in Brisbane Australia.
Mar 5, 2023
0
#5
Add to the list -- here's a very succinct, fun article from the Oregon High School Chess Team Association, "How To Start A Club." So short, let's just post the whole thing here!
STARTING A CHESS CLUB 101
- Get a chess board and pieces
- Go somewhere where students congregate. (The cafeteria, the library, or other common areas are great, but check first to see if there are rules about such things.)
- Set up the chess set and sit down on one side
- Wait. (Eventually someone will come up and say something like, “why are you sitting here with a chess set?” Respond in a friendly way and invite them to play. They may or may not accept, but sooner or later, someone will sit down to play you.)
- Be sure to get their name
- Others will begin gathering around. (Some will wish to kibitz; let them. Others will say they could do better than your opponent, and still others will say they could beat you. Give them a chance.)
- Do this for a day or two, and if it’s going well, the next day bring more than one chess board.
- Take names. Now you have a chess club!
- At your first meeting, offer a drawing for prizes for everyone who brings at least one person whose name wasn’t already on your list.
- Play a lot of chess. It’s not time yet for lessons on how to checkmate with KNB vs. K.
- Play even more chess.
- Now have a tournament. If you’re trying to form a team, have a “ladder” tournament where people can challenge those above and those below for position. The team will consist of the top five players.
- Contact OHSCTA to see what other teams might be in your area. Schedule a match against another school, and you might be on your way to fame and greatness as a future state championship program!
Below are a list of various guides, manuals and articles on how to establish and run a scholastic chess club.
If you read all of these, you'll suffer from TMI (too much information). Let's preface this whole collection with the final paragraph from the Illinois Chess Association manual:
"Running a club can be as simple as just providing a place for kids to play, or as complex as having multi-tiered instruction and sponsoring teams at state and national tournaments. Your club can be whatever you, your school, and your kids want it to be."
Much of the material below has advice aimed at elementary school clubs. Critique the content accordingly if you're involved in middle or high school chess.
US Chess Federation: A Guide to Scholastic Chess
Elizabeth Spiegel (MS Coach, National Champs): First Steps for Starting a Scholastic Chess Club (2-page summary of what to do)
Laura Doman, Georgia Chess: Creating and Developing a Strong School Chess Team
Illinois Chess Association: Starting a Youth Chess Program
Information for Illinois Elementary School Association Coaches: An Informational Manual for Developing Scholastic Chess Programs
Oklamoma SCO: Starting a Chess Club At School, How a Parent Who Barely Played Chess Did It
Oklahoma SCO: Detailed Plan for a Scholastic Chess Club
Hugh Patterson: Starting a Chess Club
Chess Federation of Canada: Chess Teaching Manual (see page 6, "Running a School Chess Club")
Jill Keto (ZoomChess): DIY - Start a Kids Chess Club at Your School
Sean Marsh (UK): Six Simple Steps to Starting a School Chess Club
CheezWhizz: Taking Chess To The Children
Chess Scotland: Organizing a School Club (zipped .doc file)
YouTube: How to start a chess club (1 minute video)
YouTube: Middle school students start up chess club (1 minute video)