Archive for January, 2009

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Special Deal for Members & Customers

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Share your thoughts with Wholesale Chess and receive 10% off your next order and be entered in a drawing for up to $150.

Wholesale Chess is always striving to improve our product selection, customer service and the overall customer experience at WholesaleChess.com.  You’re the reason we’re in business today and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to best meet your needs.

In order to learn how we’re doing so far, and what we can do to better serve your needs and promote the game of chess, we have partnered with Brigham Young University (BYU)-Idaho to conduct customer surveys. We have chosen BYU-Idaho because of their years of experience in conducting customer surveys and to maintain confidentiality and objectiveness in your response and suggestions.

How Can I Participate?

We are hoping you can help us by participating in either an online focus group (multiple people discuss topics at once in an online chat room) or a one-on-one phone interview. You can choose either one, and we will find a time that fits with your schedule. The focus groups will last 30-40 minutes and will take place in a dedicated chat room on our blog. The interviews will take place over the phone at a time that is convenient for you. Both will be a discussion about your experiences with Wholesale Chess and other chess companies. You will have the opportunity to share your ideas for how we can better serve you and your organization’s needs.

In return for your time and your effort, we will send you a promotion code for 10% off your next order the week following your interview with the BYU-Idaho representative. In addition to the 10% off promotion code, participants will also have their names entered into a drawing for a $150 gift card to be drawn in mid-February.

If you would like to participate, please email caleb@wholesalechess and provide the following information:

1. Your first and last name
2. Phone number or email address
3. Name of Organization (if applicable)
4. Your preference of interview (Focus Group, Interview, or Either One)
5. Which Days and Times work the best for you:

Friday, Jan 30 – Morning, Afternoon, or Evening
Saturday, Jan 31 – Morning, Afternoon, or Evening
Monday, Feb 2 – Morning, Afternoon, or Evening
Tuesday, Feb 3 – Morning, Afternoon, or Evening
Wednesday, Feb 4 – Morning, Afternoon, or Evening

The contact information you provide us above will only be used for phone interviews or participation in a focus group. Wholesale Chess does not share past order information or other personal contact information with any organization, including BYU Idaho. See our complete privacy policy online.

Posted in News & Announcements | No Comments »

When Should I Start Teaching Chess to My Child?

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Written by Laura Sherman of YourChessCoach.com

Many parents wonder when they should dust off the old chess board in the attic and introduce the game of kings and queens to their child. I would venture to guess most parents wait too long. In our household I started teaching our son when he was 4. The lessons were very short and fun, many occurred on the beach. As he learned more and more of the basics the lessons became longer and longer. Now that he is 5 and has more experience we can go 45 minutes without a problem. He has also played in two chess tournaments which lasted over 1 hour.

Since we teach our son regularly our 2-year-old daughter started to hop up on the chair in front of the board in the dining room and declare “Chess!” in a quite demanding way. At first glance this may seem to be an impossible task, but really, if you look at it, any familiarity with the game, with the pieces and board is good. So what’s the first step? Introduce and name the chess pieces. This is true of any student of any age. So I started with the pawn.

Holding up the pawn and said, “This is a pawn. Can you say ‘pawn’?” She eagerly repeated “Pawn!” and I handed it to her. Then I picked up another pawn and asked, “What is this?” “Pawn!” she chirped happily and received another pawn. I let her place these pawns anywhere on the board that she wanted, after all they were her reward for a job well done. I repeated this a few times and then I held up a rook. “This is a rook,” I said. “Rook,” she repeated and received the treasured piece. We repeated this a few times and then I held up a pawn to see if she remembered that piece. Seeing that she was having trouble I reminded her, “This is a pawn.” “Pawn!” she exclaimed and took it from my hand. I focused on these two pieces for a few minutes and then ended the lesson, making sure to tell her that she did a very good job and that I was really proud of her. She, like her brother, request regular lessons from us.

A month or so later she can now name all the pieces. Her brother helps to teach her. This will greatly improve his understanding and appreciation of the game. Any time a child can teach another a skill they will advance immeasurably in that area.

You can view of a video of a lesson on the blog post ‘5 Year Old Teaches How to Play Chess‘. You can see here that she is still learning the difference between a king and a queen, but now she has that down.

The next step will be to go over the movement of the chess pieces. Patience is the key. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for your child to grasp the next step. The only important thing is that he or she fully get one step before moving on. Remember you are building a foundation of understanding.

This article was written by Chess Instructor Laura Sherman, of YourChessCoach.com. Your Chess Coach is devoted to teaching chess to children of all ages, giving them the many life skills that the game offers. You can learn more about YourChessCoach and other local and online chess instructors on our Chess Instructors page.

If you would like to ask Laura a question about chess, you can ask the question in the comment space below, leave your email, and Laura will respond directly to you.

Posted in Chess Learning Center | No Comments »

New Chess Club Blossoms in New York

Friday, January 16th, 2009

There’s nothing more enjoyable than sitting down with a good chess set and playing a great game of chess with friends. For the small village of Westfield in New York – the forming of the Westfield Chess Club has just made it easier to enjoy chess with others.

The new chess club met for the fist time not too long ago, shares one of the chess club organizers, Charles Ferraro. “Despite typically horrendous Western NY winter weather, we drew ten players last Wednesday at our initial meeting in a local coffee house/restaurant,” said Ferraro. “A 12-year-old newcomer to the game drew himself a pair of lessons from two good players, one of whom (1700+ rated ) will be bringing what he believes are a few good beginners chess books to this next Wednesday’s get-together for the newbie.”

It’s nice to know that in a time of economic difficulties and struggling business and organizations – chess continues to grow and maintain it’s popularity. Ferraro said it well when he said “What has struck me most during this process of getting a chess club started has been the spirit of the chess people involved: Good-heartedness and generosity have shown through. We’ve had donations of chess sets, chess clocks, chess books, and lessons willingly and thoughtfully given to new players.”

Membership in the Westfield Chess Club is open to anyone over the age of six. The club’s intent is to encourage people to play chess – and to play well, in addition to further chess club members enjoyment of the game. At this time, there are no dues required to be a member of the club.

You can find the Westfield Chess Club and other chess clubs listed in our Chess Club Directory.

Have your own Chess Club story?  Tell us about it and we’ll help spread the news!

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Posted in Chess Club Corner | 1 Comment »

Wholesale Chess $50,000 Chess Clock Giveaway

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Yesterday we posted information about the Wholesale Chess pledge to keep chess affordable for individuals, chess clubs & school chess programs. If you visited the site in the last 24 hours – you might have learned about the Wholesale Chess $50,000 chess clock giveaway. This is just another way we’re trying our best to help bring the joy of chess to every student possible through everyday guaranteed low prices – and now – a case of 10 free clocks for chess clubs, scholastic chess programs, and chess enthusiasts with qualifying orders.

Within 24 hours of starting the promotion – Wholesale Chess has already given away $6,000 in free chess clocks to clubs and schools. In one day we’ve sent clocks to clubs and schools in 18 states and Canada – from New York to Washington and from Maine to Florida. To qualify for the free chess clocks, chess clubs, scholastic chess programs, and chess enthusiasts simply need to make an order over $100 while supplies last.

Here are a few important details about the promotion you should know about:

Why are these Chess Clocks being given away?
Wholesale Chess has sold the Chess Timer & Chess Timer Plus Digital Chess Clocks for several years. They have been popular chess clocks for use in schools and clubs. However, recently the manufacturer has made changes to the manufacturing process which we feel has resulted in an unacceptable defective rate for new units. As a result, Wholesale Chess is no longer selling the Chess Timer Digital Chess Clocks, and have decided to donate the more than $50,000 in clocks to schools, chess clubs, and other chess enthusiasts.

Order Size:
$100+ receive a case of Chess Timer Digital Chess Clocks (10 units)
$200+ receive a case of Chess Timer Plus Digital Chess Clocks (10 units)

How Exactly do I add the Chess Clocks to my order of $100 or more?
Orders of over $100 placed online using the promotion code: FreeClocks will receive a free case (10 units) of Chess Timers or Chess Timer Plus based on the order size. Orders of $100+ receive Chess Timer Digital Chess Clocks. Orders of $200+ receive Chess Timer Plus Digital Chess Clocks. You can read more about them below.

A $10 processing/handling fee will be charged for each case of donated clocks to help offset the cost of getting the product to you. No warranty is offered with these donated clocks and it is our experience that some of the units may not perform as desired. Donated clocks may not be returned for credit or exchanged for other items. The $10 processing/handling fee is non refundable.

Here’s information about the chess clocks themselves:

Chess Timer Digital Chess Clock
The Chess Timer Digital Chess Clock is a great chess clock for students and those who are learning how to play chess and use a chess clock. This chess clock is ideal for quick play or tournaments. The Chess Timer Digital Chess Clock comes with basic instructions and is easy to use.

Chess Timer Plus Digital Chess Clock
The Chess Timer Plus Digital Chess Clock is a great all around digital chess clock that works well for chess club use or chess tournament play. This digital chess timer features large buttons, a giant display, and a sturdy feel. It can be set to all tournament settings and includes the delay feature which is becoming more popular at chess tournaments.

Posted in News & Announcements, Sales & Promotions | 2 Comments »

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