UK Chess Challenge - Local Club coaching/support

[David Pardoe]

I read with interest in todays Daily Telegraph (Malcolm Peins daily chess column), that entry forms go out to all schools this week for this great national schools chess competition...brain child of Mike Basman.

#It occurs to me that maybe this is an opportunity for local clubs to support local schools entering teams, and maybe help bring more juniors into the fold..maybe even help boost club memberships with much needed new blood.
My suggestion is that clubs write to local schools offering to give there players some support/assistance, maybe even some informal coaching, and welcome them to local league chess. Im sure some voluntary support, particularly to Secondary Schools & Colleges, might encourage more schools to enter the UK Chess Challenge, and maybe even progress onto playing at the local chess clubs.
A letter to the local school headmasters mentioning this excellent competition, asking about current schools chess activities, and offering some informal support, maybe even including lending chess equipment, etc might be a good way to encourage local junior chess.
One possible idea would be for some club members to meet local schools and give a Simultaineous to the children, including some informal coaching and instruction from the games...or just to attend a club meeting and offer some ad-hoc instruction & maybe guidance to teachers.

[Andrew Camp]

Our entry form came weeks ago.

[David Pardoe]

Fair comment Andrew..maybe I misread the article..it talks about entry forms `going out` & the event `starting soon`.
I wonder how many forms get no further than the school secretaries intray, and certainly no further than a brief mention to the Head, who might view such as `just another circular`? Or perhaps another possible project that already overworked Staff havent got time for.
Hopefully they will ask questions, see if any Staff members & parents are interested...and make a start and join the large number of active schools.
I can remember many years ago asking the Head at our local Grammar School if we could enter a team.
It was the Sunday Times competition in those days. He looked doubtful, puzzled, and maybe thought that this was just some half baked request from a geeky pupil.
Anyway, it didnt happen, despite our school having quite a decent chess club/team. We played in the local schools league in the North East...great interest in those days on Tyneside.
With hind sight, I might have been better going to our school chess master first.

[John Upham]

Each school I teach in had handed me an entry form.

I have a consignment of badges and Gold spots with furry things to arrive later.

A badge and gold spot monitor has been appointed in an effort for self-preservation otherwise I will be mugged for badges!

I try to get the UKCC badges into circulation as quickly as possible as it tends to grow the club via badge ownership jealousy!

[Alex Holowczak]

I try to get the UKCC badges into circulation as quickly as possible as it tends to grow the club via badge ownership jealousy!

I found the opposite; they all lost their badges within 2-3 weeks...

[Scott Freeman]

Whenever we get the UK Chess Challenge forms from all of the schools we teach in each year, I file one for reference and bin the rest. As I have said before CCF will not support an event where the organiser excludes legitimate qualifiers because he is having a row with their school and/or their family. Instead we run our own event (the English Chess Challenge) to ensure they everyone connected with us can take part without immoral exclusions. It was either that or not do anything (so everyone missed out) or else run and exclude selected members of our club (selected by the organiser). Neither seemed reasonable to us.

I know in Bradford, Charles Wood has worked hard and done extremely well at getting more teams into local leagues off the back of his junior programme, effectively doing what is suggested in the posting that opened this thread, but we have found that whilst plenty of juniors can play in the home matches, their parents won't let them play away games, thus you can't really run the team for them. The membership of our club (full and associate included) totals around 130 of which at least a quarter are juniors. We have provided a whole network of internal events that the vast majority have gone for (including most of the adults!) in preference to playing home and away matches in the local leagues.

I applaud any desire for local clubs to get involved in schools but the reality is that to be effective, you need a structure which is not going to disappear with the decision of a fantastic volunteer to stop functioning. Although CCF won't touch the UK Chess Challenge with a barge pole, we recognise the quality of the concept and feel that the ECF missed the boat 20 years ago as it should have been at the forefront of what Basman, ourselves and numerous others have been doing on a more "professional" basis. Unfortunately what is running currently brings very little back to the ECF aside of a few new players who will join the debates on this forum as to whether they should have to join the ECF.

[Andrew Camp]

Out of interest, I have now received THREE forms addressed to me at my school and several players who made it to the Giga-Finals last year have also received forms directly to their homes. I think in total we have had about 12 forms sent to people directly associated with my school.

Each one accompanied by a booklet and poster.

[John Upham]

Each one accompanied by a booklet and poster.

I have asked all of my schools to put up the posters. The large one promising £2,000 has created a lot of interest in the school chess clubs and we may get new students for next term with some luck.

At one school the club has grown to 28 children for a lunchtime chess club. My crowd control skills are being tested!

[Andrew Camp]

All the posters are around my school. We usually have about 60 enter at the first round stage from 7 year olds to 11.

[Daniel Young]

All the posters are around my school. We usually have about 60 enter at the first round stage from 7 year olds to 11.

We have closer to 100 entrants usually, mostly from the younger year groups of 11-18 year olds. Oddly though, we are running a swiss tournament at the moment (mostly as a dry run for the first UKCC proper we will run as a 6th Form later in the year) in which our school team players are barred from entry. This has considerably more entrants - 127!

But chess is seen in as bad a light by the majority of pupils already, without displaying the posters.

[Alex Holowczak]

I know in Bradford, Charles Wood has worked hard and done extremely well at getting more teams into local leagues off the back of his junior programme, effectively doing what is suggested in the posting that opened this thread, but we have found that whilst plenty of juniors can play in the home matches, their parents won't let them play away games, thus you can't really run the team for them.

I have found the opposite in Warwickshire.

Solihull Checkmates run a successful team in the Leamington League. The age of the participants is now 16-21, but they've been playing in it for 3-5 years now. They worked their way up from Division Three to One, and are now one of the top teams in it.

Birmingham Checkmates also operate in the Birmingham League. We have a few regulars who play quite often, assisted by me and a few associated others who play on occasions, who can't play due to the late finishes sometimes. I completely understand that, but we've got enough to field a team.

I've found that parents have been unbelievably supportive. Not only do they transport their own children to matches (which is a minimum requirement for this sort of thing), they also often give lifts to the ailing captain of the team who struggles to get back on public transport in an evening... Given I've heard stories of difficulties elsewhere, as well as the problems of late finishes and venues that are not entirely suitable for 11 year olds, I think the support I get from parents is fantastic. I'm surprised that this isn't the case elsewhere.

[Neill Cooper]

In my experience offering help to run a chess (or any other) club for pupils at a local secondary schools is declined (or ignored). This is true even if you are the parent of a pupil at the school. For chess to be active in a secondary school it normally needs the active support of a member of staff (teacher or support staff, such as librarian). In a few cases enthusiastic sixth form pupils take the lead and run a school chess club. Ideal is to have both active staff and sixth form involvement.

I have one counter-example, where a secondary school contacted me following an article about our club in the local newspaper. I was not available to help but there is now an ECF coach running chess sessions at that school.

Also pupils tend to be much keener to take part in chess club if there is a competition, rather than just friendly games, which is where UK Chess Challenge fits in. But that is only in the spring term, so following Adam Hunt's suggestion in this forum I started a chess ladder and suddenly school chess club quickly grew - more pupils wanted to join, and they were keen to come as often as possible. We now have well over 100 on the list with about 40 coming to each lunchtime session.

[David Pardoe]

Good to hear the positive news regarding chess initiatives in schools. I absolutely agree the need to run a club competition, league or Cup or both. Kids love to see there names on a table or ladder, and mention in school magazine etc. Above all, it gives a focal point...creates interest....and helps the youngsters make new friends. They also love competition..not necessarily too serious....but it is a spur for them, trying to improve. Also, it encourages players to mix and play a wider range of players, and to exchange ideas.
I like the idea of having `grading` prizes or prizes for different age groups can also help encourage more take-up. The support of parents and staff is vital..at least a couple of volunteers. They don`t necessarily need to be good chess players, just organise and supervise the youngsters. A few basic chess books and magazines can be helpful, along with web access for other chess information. Quite often parents will have some chess books laying round the house just gathering dust...a call to them to bring these into school to start a chess library could be very useful. As regards the web...it might be good for the youngsters to join some chess websites. I quite like `Gameknot` for instance...and maybe some local schools could consider an online chess league..try something informal to start with..these can be set up on the websites I believe..certainly cuts out travel problems (but I do recommend actual face to face chess, if possible..its good to actually be able to see and talk to your opponents).
Check out local leagues..they quite often run `starter divisions` for the more novice level players.
A little coaching can help..even some ad-hoc reviews of games playes can be great teaching material. I find it quite instructive to play through games, and get the youngsters to look carefully (as a group), at various positions & moves made and suggest alternatives. These in turn can be analysed to gain deeper understanding of positions, and can encourage them to play a bit more thoughtfully..ie, not just rush into the first thought that comes into there heads. The key is not to do too much coaching..kids love to learn by practical experience, making there own mistakes, and, above all getting involved and actually doing it for themselves.

Sorry to hear that the CCF have fallen out with UK Chess Challenge... we need harmony and a good community spirit..its all about the group/team ethic.

[David Sedgwick]

Sorry to hear that the CCF have fallen out with UK Chess Challenge.

That happened over ten years ago. It's another Lancashire / Greater Manchester, unfortunately.

[David Pardoe]

I`m hoping that our northern chess brethern will exert some pressure to get a sensible resolution of this totally futile and nonesensical situation re Lancs & Manchester. It has gone on far too long.
The majority, so I`m told, are very keen to see Manchester in the NCCU. If so, they need to bang heads together, realise we`re all on the same planet...we need to get our act together for the benefit of Northern Chess. If this means shutting down Lancashire & re-openning with a fresh `New Lancashire` or Central Lancashire, to get round certain `obsticles`, then I hope it can be done in the interests of `Northern Unity`. Together we must stand.....for common sense and good will.
Having said that...the MCCU has much to offer, and has great county competitions. I`m hoping in that context that our local players will give there support to these events, which provide great chess platforms for our local players on all levels. Our Open team & U160 captains are keen to hear from any of our local players who are interested in playing these Saturday fixtures.
Talking of `progress`...the newly created Northern 4NCL got off to a good start at Darlington/Bishop Auckland recently (at the classy Barcelo Redworth Hall Hotel). Reports and pictures on the 4NCL website tell the story of an excellent venue and playing conditions. John Carltons report makes good reading.
Next round matches at the Crewe Barcelo Hotel in mid January, so hopefully we`ll see a few more of our senior players on show.
And hopefully next season more of our Northern teams will enter, representing major leagues from places such as Sheffield, Central Lancs, Yorkshire, and the North East/Teesside. These areas are all great centres of chess... Lets have some support for our Northern `Super-league`, as it could hopefully become...but its down to our senior northern players to come out and be counted. Do we want top quality tournaments in our northern region...I hope so.