Chess Clubs

Finding a chess club

Saskatoon and Regina both have active chess clubs that welcome adults and children. Please see the links on the right to find out more these clubs! While we do not have the people power to set up additional clubs for kids, if you are interested in starting a club we can offer advice and point you at some resources, some of which are listed below.

Starting a chess club

All you need is a space (libraries generally work well) and some quality chess sets. We strongly recommend that you don’t use cheap sets bought at local stores – the pieces for such sets are very frustrating for kids (and adults too) because they fall over easily and then you have an argument on your hands (where was that piece?). Inexpensive quality sets are not sold locally but are easy to purchase online (see below).
In elementary schools, clubs can be very popular so we recommend starting with at least 10 sets (roughly $140).
In Saskatchewan, a good place to get money for starting your chess club is your school’s community council. You can send them to this site for more information on the benefits of chess.

How to play chess

There are many sites where you can learn to play chess. Some are geared more for kids and other for adults. Chess.com has a nice interactive learn-to-play-chess site that will work for kids and adults.

Free teaching manual at CCF

FREE Chess Training Manual from the Canadian Chess Federation.

Good quality, inexpensive chess equipment

Strategy Games is a Canadian company that sells chess sets, chess books and other chess related items. The price list may be out of date but just call or email Strategy for more information. Strategy Games School & Clubs Catalogue.
This set is inexpensive but very functional (it is the same set we use at our tournaments). Economy Chess Kit at Strategy Games
This set is a little nicer – the board is vinyl (rather than laminated plastic). Complete Chess Kit at Strategy Games
This set might be a better choice if you club must play on school desks rather than tables. Compact Chess Kit at Strategy Games
Note that Strategy Games offers discounts for bulk purchase.

Running a school tournament

Once the kids know the basics, they really enjoy playing competitively. Most clubs run over the lunch hour, which means the kids only have about 45 min to play. You can run a tournament over a number of days using a Swiss type pairing system or Round Robin if that is more appropriate. Ideally, you want all the kids to be playing games for the whole tournament, so a knock-out style of pairing is not so great.
Another option is to find another school or two with chess clubs and run a full day tournament of school vs school.
It works best if you divide the kids into a few groups, say K - 2, 3 - 5, 6-8, or whatever grouping works best for you. A few prizes for each group, or even some ribbons can go a long way to encouraging kids to stay in the tournament.
If you would like more information on clubs, tournaments, chess sets and/or some cross table sheets please contact us  at sschessa@gmail.com.