Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

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Andrew Zigmond
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Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Tue Nov 08, 2016 11:02 pm

At present Harrogate has one of the longest established clubs in the country and a recently founded but thriving club for primary school children. What it doesn't have is any offer for pupils of secondary school age. Necessity being the mother of invention I've done something about it and a new club is starting a week on Thursday.

On the positive side I'm on track to build up a good pool of volunteers (essential because I work shifts and can't commit to being there every week). I've sorted insurance and the use of an excellent room locally. Slightly more worrying is that I haven't had enquiries from potential students yet - I've written to all the schools. There is an article going in the local paper this week. I'm also happy to go on record as saying I'm quite frustrated by the lack of interest from two of the local organisations (and I'm on the committee of both - this contrasts with the leader of the primary school club who could not have been more encouraging and supportive).

Assuming I do get some students (I've set a limit of twelve and I'll be happy with six, there is of course the nagging feeling I won't get any) the next question is what I do with them. I could have a group of twelve year olds, I could have sixth formers and of course I may have a mixture. My first job is establish what standard they are and then how I can best develop their. Obviously I need to engage them and keep their interest which is the bit that worries me the most; there is a reason why I've previously concentrated on controller's jobs.
Controller - Yorkshire League
Chairman - Harrogate Chess Club
All views expressed entirely my own

Michael Flatt
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Michael Flatt » Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:37 am

Sorry to put the dampeners on your project but are you going about it the correct way? You really do need a nucleus of regular players to build on.

Our senior/adult club has been running a separate junior u11 club for many years, since that is where the demand is. In recent years some of those players, now in the early years in secondary school, are returning to play in the senior club, but there numbers are very small.

Locally we have high achieving secondary schools with strong chess clubs that enter teams in local and national school competitions. When we are looking for players in our county u13, u14 and u18 teams we can't always raise a full team. Our key players (and parents) are rightly more concerned about preparing for mock and end of year exams when the chess competitions are scheduled.

One idea might be to run monthly competitions of around 30 players or more rather than be limited to a tradition club with a restricted membership.

We have an 18 month waiting list for our junior u11 club but are barely able to attract older players to the senior club.

Andrew Zigmond
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:36 pm

At present Harrogate has no offer for secondary school pupils. There is some fragmented interest but never anything I can get a firm `grip` on. It would take too long to describe everything that's happened or exactly what I'm up against locally.

The Harrogate Junior Chess Club (which started last year and is not affiliated to any other organisation) is oversubscribed. The bulk of the members are years 5&6 with a handful of year 7s. Some are quite a bit younger. The organiser is excellent at managing different levels of ability within the club (the older children are encouraged to help the little ones) and takes a hard line on behaviour and conduct, which makes helping out there a worthwhile (and largely enjoyable) use of my time. At the same time these are mainly very young children. Supervision is the priority and there's only so much you can teach them.

An older student would feel out of place there (our one player of year 7 age left at the end of last year because he was a bit embarrassed at losing to seven year olds. At the other end of the scale the adult chess club has a bit of a library reading room feel and is not likely to attract younger players. I suspect many local organisers can tell similar stories. Something has to be done differently somehow.

I'm being realistic about how many players I might get to start with. My question was more about how I could make the club engaging and fun. If the students are making friends and having a good time while learning, that's the thing that will keep them coming back and possibly start the club growing.
Controller - Yorkshire League
Chairman - Harrogate Chess Club
All views expressed entirely my own

Andrew Zigmond
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Location: Harrogate

Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:38 pm

Also, for those who have made secondary school clubs work, what is the best way to coach and engage them?
Controller - Yorkshire League
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Andrew Martin
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Martin » Fri Nov 11, 2016 7:56 am

I would contact Neill Cooper, who has had phenomenal success at Wilsons School in Surrey. He seems to be a magician at getting everyone possible involved.

Neill Cooper
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Neill Cooper » Sun Nov 13, 2016 10:14 pm

Andrew Zigmond wrote:Also, for those who have made secondary school clubs work, what is the best way to coach and engage them?
I don't think a chess club has ever run a successful secondary school (only) club.
I ran a 7 to 14 year club for a few years, which worked well and ended up as 7 to 18. I split them by ability, not age, into leagues. In my experience older players don't mind losing to young ones at their club, it is being humiliated by them that drives them away.
As Andrew says I run a successful Secondary School Chess club - about 150 have come this term and 80 have ECF grades. But this is in the context of my being a respected maths teacher not just a chess coach. They come at lunchtime and after school because they are on site.

Andrew Zigmond
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Sun Nov 13, 2016 10:37 pm

Neill Cooper wrote:
Andrew Zigmond wrote:Also, for those who have made secondary school clubs work, what is the best way to coach and engage them?
I don't think a chess club has ever run a successful secondary school (only) club.
I ran a 7 to 14 year club for a few years, which worked well and ended up as 7 to 18. I split them by ability, not age, into leagues. In my experience older players don't mind losing to young ones at their club, it is being humiliated by them that drives them away.
As Andrew says I run a successful Secondary School Chess club - about 150 have come this term and 80 have ECF grades. But this is in the context of my being a respected maths teacher not just a chess coach. They come at lunchtime and after school because they are on site.
In the case of Harrogate it has to be `needs must`. There has always been a nucleus of interest at primary school level (although the actual schools involved have changed over the years) but once they move into secondary school activity vanishes into a black hole. Primary school pupils are not short of opportunities to play chess; there is a local Primary Schools Association (a registered charity) that organises an annual tournament and can put resources and (on occasion) tutors into schools. Despite the clear need to extend something similar to secondary schools there is a resistance to doing so (I was trying not to get started on that one). The Harrogate Junior Chess Club (independent of the association) will only take up to age 13.

If I could get into school chess clubs (not necessarily in person) that would be a start but my previous efforts have failed.
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Neill Cooper
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Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Neill Cooper » Sun Nov 13, 2016 10:53 pm

Andrew Zigmond wrote:If I could get into school chess clubs (not necessarily in person) that would be a start but my previous efforts have failed.
Others will (correctly) tell you how very difficult it is to get into secondary schools, and not just for chess. You really need an inside contact - a member of the school staff. About 90% of the schools entering this years u19 National School Chess Championship have teams run by teachers etc, a few by parent's. Only 2 are secondary school teams run by chess coaches.

Andrew Zigmond
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Location: Harrogate

Re: Harrogate Youth Chess Club for secondary school students

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:06 am

Three months later I thought I'd provide an update on how the new club is progressing and the challenges ahead.

I got two players on my opening night, both year 7 students at the same school. One is the Grandson of the legendary Margaret Rowley who helps me at the club (Margaret was once a congress regular and a participant at the British ladies). They have subsequently been joined by another friend of theirs. all three boys are beginners and have a lot to learn but are making progress. Our fourth student is slightly older and has been known to a local organiser for some years; he has played the odd game as a reserve for the Harrogate C team but hasn't been in a club since he was at primary school. In that respect he has justified the whole enterprise; he's never been taught openings and tactics but in a closed middlegame against him I have to tread very carefully - obviously he's now in the `system` for tuition and development.

Through Margaret's daughter we were able to get an article in the local paper, albeit with a slightly unfortunate gaffe. The photograph was convened at short notice and the board had already been set up before I arrived at which point the photographer wanted to get started - you can probably guess what went wrong!

In the long term the organiser of the primary school chess club (who I work closely with and who has been beyond supportive) is keen to move her four year six players across as her club is over subscribed and she has to manage them alongside other children who are as young as six. My worry is that they might drive out the older players who didn't seem too thrilled about being beaten by primary school age children (I think I talked them round).

So there is the start of something and the fact I couldn't start the club until November, when term was already well advanced, possibly counted against me. I still think I could achieve more if certain organisations locally would work with secondary schools chess but I'll try not to get started on that. The main challenge now is keeping my players engaged and bringing them on. I'm not sure I'm the person to do this but nobody else is offering. It does seem that too many people fail to realise that it is the collapse of chess in secondary schools which is causing the current malaise in the national game.
Controller - Yorkshire League
Chairman - Harrogate Chess Club
All views expressed entirely my own

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