Recruiting the Right Chess Team, Part 1
August 9, 2010
Tags: Teaching Chess Articles
Part 1: Creating the Right Atmosphere
Written by guest author Erik Czerwin for Wholesale Chess.
At first, I was just a teacher with a few kids playing chess in my classroom while rocking-out to some music. Then, we had to get serious and compete. All of a sudden, interest dried up. I couldn’t figure it out. Where did they go? Competing was just going to be more rocking out with other groups like us…
Middle and High school kids can be finicky, and getting them to play chess is hard enough. How do you get the right kids to the team? How do you keep the nerdy kids while also recruiting and retaining the ones that will draw others to the team? How do you get the kids that need to be on the team?
Which is the Chess Player?
When I first started out as a competitive coach, I was pleased to see that not all chess players are stereotypical dorks. In fact, very few have taped glasses and whiny voices. Each kid and each team has its own unique style and flair. Unlike some sports, chess will draw an awe-inspiring variety of personalities. My own current team has a couple punk rockers (complete with purple spiked mohawks) a number of nerds (nasally voices included), some Goths (I believe the new term is emo), a handful of athletes (yes, jocks too), and a smattering of your average high schoolers. The beautiful thing about the chess team is that they’re all welcome and they can’t judge each other because, hey, they’re on the CHESS team… A good coach should seek to include all types of kids. It may be tough at first, but their abilities will equalize them.
Create an Open-Minded Atmosphere
The first thing you need to do is create an open-minded atmosphere. Chess is a tough sport, and each kid needs to learn how to lose with dignity. This may be the only place in school where they learn that failure can be a great thing. Foster that atmosphere by celebrating every attempted brilliancy. Don’t back off the flaws of any game, but be sure to let the kids explain what they were trying to do. After they explain, help them to see and understand how they could have achieved the same goal in a more effective way.
Also, chess improvement has to be their own. Just like a good academic lesson, the kids have to discover their own way to chess. Don’t ever try and force a kid to play your way. Nurture each kid’s own style. If he’s an aggressive player, give him Tal games to study. Show him some books on risky gambit openings. If she’s a defensive player, nickname her “French” and show her great ways to defend against the onslaughts that are sure to come.
Team Building Activities
Finally, the most important part of building the right atmosphere is to do team-building activities. Every sports coach has a thousand of these, just ask around. I have a particular practice session I do every year right before our first competition where my assistant and I nickname the kids like they’re pledges. I also choose a team captain wisely and tell him that it’s his job to be the big brother while it’s my job to be the stubborn father. Sometimes it pays off to show a little frustration and let them bond in their anger towards me. This old fraternity trick works wonders.
Once the team feels like a family, they’ll be unified. When they hit the halls and listen to the insults and jokes, they’ll have each other to lean on. Eventually, those jokes will disappear when you start bringing home chess trophies. But they’ll vanish entirely when the school sees your team acting like family.
This is Part One of Recruiting the Right Chess Team. Continue by reading: Part 2: Raising Interest & Promoting.
Erik Czerwin is a self-taught chess player and also a self-taught chess coach. He founded the current Marengo Community High School Chess team, founded the Marengo Chess Club, plays at the Rockford Chess Club, and occasionally volunteers as a chess teacher at the Rockford Public Library, all in Northern Illinois. In his spare time, he’s also a full-time high school language arts teacher, part-time graduate student, part-time tutor, and full-time father of two and husband to a very understanding wife.
