Internet chess has been a factor in the decline in the number of chess clubs and number of members in chess clubs over the last ten plus years. Internet chess offers an attractive and convenient alternative to many players. What strategies have clubs used to compete with internet chess? Is it a matter of using the advantages of over the board play? Is it improving the services and experience of players at the club? Is it using technology at the club to attract players? Are there other tools? What has been your club’s experience and how has it worked?
People come to chess club at least in part because they want to get the heck out of the house and away from the screen.
I bet many of the people playing online never played at a club. They might come and play at a club if they knew about it. Publicity of some sort may get them in the door. Once they come the first time, a few factors will determine whether they come back. Did they feel welcome? Did someone introduce themselves and offer a game? Do you have a range of players so everyone can get a decent game? A critical mass helps. Are people decent about sharing knowledge? Are you flexible about letting people do chess their way–some will want to play blitz, others play longer games, still others will only analyze. Are people having fun and behaving reasonably well? Do you make it easy to participate, i.e., supply sets and boards, and maybe even a few clocks? These have all been factors that have helped us succeed.
Technology has helped us get the word out, but we don’t otherwise use it at the club. We go there to push wood, you know? (OK, to push weighted plastic. 
)
Our club’s focus is more on the social aspect of chess than the competitive. We are open to all ages; we are not anti-kid like so many other clubs. The noise doesn’t bother us. Periodically we have parties, some planned, some impromptu. We analyze positions of interesting games. If you like chocolate chip cookies and cake, laughter rather than shushing everyone to be quiet, and playing little kids to teach them how to play, we are your kind of club. Which reminds me, we need to have a party soon. It must be someone’s birthday…
I know a number of players who play on the internet a lot. They come to our club because they like to be with people and are tired of the snide remarks they receive from their internet opponents. No one gives you cake on the internet.
I actually think the reverse is true. That is more people become attached to chess because of the internet, and then migrate over
to OTB clubs.
Rob Jones
chessworld.net lets you send virtual cake among other things to your foes. Just saying.
Let’s hope the USCF Blitz and Quick online chess will be available soon. I agree with you, Rob, and hope that will attract more players to OTB chess. Our Tuesday night Chess Club offers both rated and unrated BLITZ @G/8 d2 and QUICK @G/15 d3 with Quad and Hex pairings.
What does “virtual cake” taste like? Not quite as satisfying as a real chocolate cake shared with friends.
Not sure I agree with you here CoachBob-for this reason, from what I understand, setting up a chess server will cost
many hundreds of thousands of dollars—and the market is fairly well dominated by giants right now such as ICC and
chess.com. Does USCF really wish to be a new “fish” in this market?? And keep in mind how poorly USCF has
been run for decades by previous EBs, and the tons of extremely questionable decisions made. Based on prior
experience, such as with books and equipment sales, is their really any reasonable hope that USCF has the leadership in position necessary to lead such new ventures??
To be fair, this is not at all an attack on our current EB, nor should it be taken as such. But the historical track record
is simply not there. Secondly, our paid staff is stretched to the limit now by continuous budget cuts. How much
of a staff increase would such a venture require–and can USCF really afford to take this risk??
Rob Jones
It is “virtually” hard to tell, the exact taste…of “virtual cake”.
I seldom miss my club but I also like internet chess and will eventually return to tournament play as well. To answer the original poster’s question I think it is good if at least some chess club meetings have the atmosphere of the skittles room at a tournament rather than the atmosphere and behavioral expectations of the main tournament hall. I also think that a newcomer needs to be greeted warmly and asked about level of experience and helped to find an appropriate opponent.