News & Updates
BASICS
Chess clubs can be very rewarding for organizers and participants if they are done well. Chess clubs need the following 6 things:
ORGANIZERS
Without good organizers, coaches, parents, or volunteers, chess clubs would not succeed. They need dedicated and patient leaders who provide structure and motivation. If you are an organizer, don’t over-commit. Do what you can, and do what you promise. Make sure you are always having fun!
PARTICIPANTS
Almost anyone can learn chess! Even 2 year-olds can learn how to setup the chess board and move chess pieces around. Try and invite as many eligible participants as possible. Make sure you advertise your club as best you can. Clearly outline the purposes of the club and all of the information. Don’t be afraid to ask for some donations of time and equipment from participants and their parents (if applicable). Also make sure that you clearly outline the many intellectual and social benefits of participating in chess club.
FACILITIES/SCHEDULE
Make sure that you have proper facilities for chess club. You might have a great school, local community center, university, or even home or business willing to donate some space to you. You will need a well-lighted area with enough tables and chairs for all participants. Try and get long picnic-type tables – not round tables! Also try and schedule all club days and activities as far in advance as possible.
EQUIPMENT
One of the worst things that can happen at chess club is to have people standing around waiting for a chess set. Make sure you get enough chess sets for all participants. You don’t need the fanciest sets for everyone. You don’t even need chess clocks!
INSTRUCTION
Chess club should be fun and educational. Clubs that are not balanced are not enjoyable. Too much play without progress can wear thin. And too much instruction without play can be dull. Try one lesson a day (within your participants’ attention span!) and then some play. You might also want to mix in some activities like mini-tournaments, chess mini-games (like trying to put 8 queens on a board without any of them attacking each other!).
MOTIVATION
Set goals for yourself as the coach/organizer and for your students. Maybe your goal might be to attend a local tournament a few months away. Or set your own tournament day or chess party day. That way everybody is looking forward to something and working on their chess for a reason
TEACHING BASICS
Chess is such a wonderful thing to learn… and teach! If you are starting a chess club or beginning to work with a child or student then bless you! You are passing on a wonderful gift to them. Make sure you use care, patience and respect while teaching. Additionally, try to be interesting! Use humor, funny voices, cartwheels – whatever it takes to make your students pay attention and have a good time. Below is a very basic chess curriculum recommended by Wholesale Chess that you can use to work with beginners. You can find materials for your lesson preparation in the chess books found in our bookstore!
BASIC BEGINNER CHESS CURRICULUM OUTLINE
1. How the pieces move and how to setup the chess board
2. How to capture chess pieces (its ok to capture the King before you learn checkmate!)
3. Check and checkmate
4. More advanced rules of castling, en passant, and pawn promotion
5. The values of the pieces and making good captures and trades
6. Developing your pieces and controlling the center
7. Using multiple pieces to attack and defend
8. Basic tactics – forks and pins
9. Basic strategies – controlling squares, diagonals, and files
10. Basic opening principles – control key squares, activate your pieces, get your king to safety
Here’s a glance at today’s Thursday Chess Deals:
Save $30 on Saitek Handheld Chess Computer!
Bright back-lit screen with features like take back,replay, 100 playing levels, and saved games.
Save $35 on Magnetic Travel Wood Chess Set Combo
At a small 5 x 2 inches when folded, this board can go anywhere! King is 3/4 inch tall.
All About Thursday Chess Deals
Every Thursday you’ll find two great chess deals at www.WholesaleChess.com available only for orders placed online on that Thursday from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm PST. The Thursday Chess Deals change from week to week but the savings are always significant! Thursday Chess Deals are limited to stock on hand and no rain checks or back orders will be allowed. Customers may choose to purchase one or both of the Thursday Chess Deals but will be limited to a maximum of one of each item per Thursday. Orders containing a Thursday Chess Deal are not eligible for any other promotions requiring a promo code or PriceMatches. Thursday Chess Deals are only available for the item listed. No substitutions of product, color, size, etc., will be allowed.
Take a moment to vote on your favorite designs for a chess bookmark! Wholesale Chess is looking at bringing a few designs on board to accompany our selection of great chess books for both adults and kids as well as add to our collection of chess supplies and fun chess items for kids.
Just comment on this post and cast your vote!
Bookmark 1
Bookmark 2
Bookmark 3
Bookmark 4
Bookmark 5
Bookmark 6
Bookmark 7
The following list of possible reasons why you lose at chess was compiled by Bill Wall:
2006 is what he said; I thought he was talking about the year, not his rating
adjourned move missing; I forgot to put it in the envelope and left it on table
after the game, I noticed my opponent had two bishops of the same color
as Black, forgot which way the pawns were moving in the endgame
attempted to checkmate, but blocked by one of opponent’s pawns, which was
hidden from view behind his queen! Chair was too short to see over
the pieces (contributed by Daniel McCandless)
backward pawns
bad bishop or bad bishops (locked in)
bad move in a bad position
bank rank mate was overlooked
beans and bananas for breakfast
boss came in while you were playing on the Internet at work
castled into it
check was overlooked
checkmate threat was overlooked
confused MCO column 12, note 6 with column 21, note 9 and lost queen
counterplay was overlooked
created holes
developed my pieces too slowly or not at all
diarrhea during the end game
doubled pawns
drawn game repeatedly declined by my opponent at least a dozen times
endgame ruined my superior opening preparation
endgame technique is weak
en passant move was forgotten
everyone watching my game agreed I was winning except my opponent
exposed king
faulty exchange
forgot to say “J’adoube” and lost Queen while adjusting it
forgot to stop chess clock while looking for the TD to ask what the time control was
full moon
glass chess set pieces opponent brought looked the same, lost Queen
got too fancy
greed
hallucinated or ghost affect
heart attack or stroke
hypnotized by opponent and a spectator named Dr. Zukar
I was winning on time until my opponent checkmated me
knocked king over while I tried to shake my opponent’s hand in a draw offer
long diagonal threat was overlooked
lost on time while I considered my opponent’s draw offer
lucky checkmate my opponent found before I could checkmate him
mishandled chess pieces
missed opportunity
neglect of center
noise
opening preparation poor
opponent did not follow my opening preparation that led to mate
opponent had beaten a master the round before – with an iron bar
opponent had no bra and bent over the pieces too much
opponent sneezed on the chess set; said he had a contagious disease or bird flu
opponent spent too much time in the book stalls during the opening
opponent would not resign when he was in a lost position
opposition of kings by my opponent
perpetual check didn’t last very long to avoid the 50 move rule
played the King’s Gambit Accepted and lost a pawn early on move two
poison pawn or piece was grabbed
positional errors
queen and king looked too much alike in this East European chess set; lost Queen
removed a defender and dropped a piece
right moves were made, but not in the right order
rook sacrifice failed when he took my Queen instead
sacrifice overlooked
sacrificed a piece, but then forgot why
stalemate avoided
stopped analysis one move short
studied How to Beat Bobby Fischer and was unprepared for other opponents
sunglasses by my opponent blinded me from the glare
tactical error; faulty tactics
team captain said a draw was no good for the team, so I resigned
tempo loss
theoretical draw doesn’t work in practice
thought rook and pawn ending was a draw; he had the rook and I had the pawn
time control must have changed; thought it was 40 moves in 5 hours, not 40 in 2
time pressure by my opponent; too much distraction watching the flag rise
toilet break was too long; shouldn’t have eaten 4 burritos and tacos at once
transposed opening moves
tried for too much
uncoordinated pieces
underestimated my opponent
unjustified attack
unlucky pairing with Walter Browne; played blitz chess and lost
weakened castled King’s position
went out for a walk in the fresh air, forgot about tournament, kept walking
wrong rook
zugzwanged my opponent, but then he found a way out
Memorial Day Special
This Memorial Day we’re honoring those who have served in defense of Freedom by offering deep discounts of up to 65% off on the chess supplies you love and use every day. In addition, use promo code KNIGHT5 to save an additional 5% off your order.
This remarkable sale ends May 31, so don’t wait!
Quality Tournament Chess Set Combo
On sale along with many other items this Memorial Day Sale is our popular Quality Tournament Chess Set Combo. is our entry level tournament combo set that includes our Quality Club Chess Pieces, Quality Vinyl Chessboard (20″), and Carryall Tournament Chess Bag. These chess sets are great for those who want a basic tournament bag and set. Each set comes with one set of 32 pieces, one board, and one bag (colors refer to board and matching bag). All equipment meets chess tournament standards.
Here’s a glance at today’s Thursday Chess Deals:
Save $15 on a Wood Chess Clock!
This great analog clock comes with a beautiful wood casing! No batteries required!
Save $9 on an Analysis Chess Set Combo
This 12 inch board with matching pieces is ideal for every club as an analysis game board.
All About Thursday Chess Deals
Every Thursday you’ll find two great chess deals at www.WholesaleChess.com available only for orders placed online on that Thursday from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm PST. The Thursday Chess Deals change from week to week but the savings are always significant! Thursday Chess Deals are limited to stock on hand and no rain checks or back orders will be allowed. Customers may choose to purchase one or both of the Thursday Chess Deals but will be limited to a maximum of one of each item per Thursday. Orders containing a Thursday Chess Deal are not eligible for any other promotions requiring a promo code or PriceMatches. Thursday Chess Deals are only available for the item listed. No substitutions of product, color, size, etc., will be allowed.
Chess for Absolute Beginners
Susan Polgar’s Learning Chess the Easy Way: Chess for Absolute Beginners, is by far one of the best DVDs ever made to teach beginners how to play the worlds greatest game.
Susan teaches beginners basic chess knowledge with the aid of great graphics and animation. She includes the topics of: rules, pieces, points, moves, tactics, checkmates, notations, and setting up the board.
Susan, along with her teaching helpers, Champion and King Harold, set a fun stage for learning chess. Also included is a brief history of chess, a short biography on Susan, and other fun facts about Chess.
You can purchase Susan Polgar DVDs at Wholesale Chess. Watch for the free media mail shipping special on orders over $25 shipping to the lower 48 states.
Here are a few reviews from Parent Tested Parent Reviewed:
Q1 Was this DVD enjoyable for you and your child to watch?
I used this DVD to teach my class of 13 year old students about Chess. Out of my 8 students I would say 6 of them really enjoyed the DVD and were very interested as they all wanted to learn how to play Chess.
Yes, it was enjoyable to watch. We especially liked the cartoon King and horse.
It was more enjoyable for me, I know nothing about chess and I wanted to learn. My daughter has played chess before so she did lose some interest in the DVD. I played the DVD for my niece and nephew and they were very interested as was I.
Q2 Did this DVD teach you the beginner basic chess knowledge?
yes, yes, yes, we learned a lot
I feel that it was really helpful in teaching them the basic skills of Chess. We set up our Chess set and set up teams to play and it was a ton of fun.
Yes. Both my 8 year old son and myself only knew a VERY little about chess before. Now we at least know how all the pieces move, how to set up a chess board, etc.
I do feel that we learned about the chess board and a lot about the chess pieces ( I knew nothing about chess so It did really help).
Q3 Is this DVD priced fairly?
yes great price and you actually learn how to play Chess!
I do think that the price if a fair price. For the knowledge that you get it is definitely worth it!
Q4 The quality of the DVD met your requirements?
yes- it is high quality and well presented as well.
I think that the quality was very good.Very professionally done
Q5 Do you feel this DVD taught the basics of Chess in a fun and entertaining way? Did it keep your child’s interest?
We had a tough crowd to test this on, 13 year olds can lose interest quickly. We had discussed a segment on learning Chess and I was happy to see how quickly most caught on. After we set up our chess board we referred to the DVD and have now set up a weekly Friday chess game instead of watching a movie.
my girls enjoyed the animation, we all enjoyed the information shared in the DVD.
Yes, it was fun and entertaining. The quizzes at the end of each chapter is a great idea. This DVD taught us the basics very easily. The cartoon characters were fun and even some of the possible answers
I do feel the that the DVD did teach us the basics of chess and I found it fun and entertaining. My kids did not stay interested in the entire DVD but my niece and nephew were more interested as they had no idea how to play chess.
Q6 Would you recommend this product to friends or family?
yes- for anyone who expresses interest in learning Chess
Yes, I would recommend this chess software to family and friends. It is a great beginning to learn Chess. It is great to learn all the pieces and the moves by seeing the pieces on the board and seeing the highlighted areas that they can move.
Q7 The product met your expectations.
Ya you bet. It kept the students attention and taught them the skills they need to play chess. (helped to refresh my chess skills as well, cheers to that)
yes we all learned most of the basics. Me and my husband the most! My girls are well on their way. The beauty of having the DVD is we can keep referring to it as we learn as a family.
Yes. My son and I have been very eager to learn how to play chess. Using this DVD, we learned the names of all the pieces, how to set up a chess board, some special moves, etc.
It did meet my expectations, it was very informative and was taught on a great beginner level, which I am.
Q8 What did you like best about this product?
The format was well done, very thorough without being boring. Having the chess board which shows each piece movement is key especially when teaching kids who have never played.
the amount of time it took to learn, and the animation quality. I was not expecting the girls and I to learn so much in such a short time.
The cartoonish characters of the King and Champion (horse). They were cute and funny and fun to watch and listen to.
I loved the quizzes at the end of the chapters. I also love how in the beginning it shows the chess board and highlights the moves that the chess pieces can move. I love the visuals. I also liked the chess piece characters helping out.
I run an aftercare program in our school for grade 5 through 8 graders. I am going to take this DVD for the kids that want to learn chess. I think that they will enjoy it. Thanks
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