How Do You Teach Chess in a High School?

All Things Chess
1

As a High School chess coach I’m always on the outlook for new ways to teach chess to my students. Most of our practice times are three hours long. This allows for a short 30-45 minute lesson and a G/60+5 game, and as the games get over, analysis and/or blitz. Here are a few examples I have used (or still use).

(1) “Double-mint Problems”

I take problems from “Combinations Motifs” by Maxim Blokh (2000), which have two solutions, and set them up on a board. These problems can be solved once as “White to move and win” and then the same position can be solved as “Black to move and win.” This allows me to set up one position, and yet have the student solve two different problems. The problems are graded so that easier problems can be given to beginning students, and harder problems can be given to more advanced students.

(2) “Visualization Exercise”

I take problems from the “Anthology of Chess Combinations” (by Chess Informant, 3rd edition). I have each student set up a different problem on a board (this way I can talk openly to a student about the problem without giving away the answer to the other students). I tell them that the goal is not so much to solve these problems (since many of them are very difficult), but to have me guide them towards the solution without moving any of the pieces. I start out by giving them 3 or 4 minutes to study the position. I usually have the room set up like a simul, where I can go from board to board asking each student what progress they’ve made on solving the problem. I’ll use the first problem in ACC from Paulsen—Morphy, New York 1857 as an example. Sometimes I try to hint at what move they should be looking at, other times I’ll ask them to analyze a particular move, such as 1… Qxf3. By the time I’ve gone to all the other boards, the student has usually worked out: 1… Qxf3 2. gxf3 Rg6+ 3. Kh1 Bh3, so I’ll ask them what should White play here? At some point I’ll say that White has two moves here, 4. Rd1 and 4. Qd3, but we’ll work on 4. Rd1 first. (Sometimes I have them solve 4. Rg1 too.) After they find 4. Rd1 Bg2+ 5. Kg1 Bf3+ 6. Kf1 I’ll tell them that the rest of the problem is a mate-n-four. If they can’t find it, I’ll give them 6… Rg2 7. Qd3 and now it is a mate-n-three problem. The actual position never changes, it is like it was before 1… Qxf3. After they have worked through the 4. Rd1 line, we look at 4. Qd3 etc. It can take 30 minutes or more to work through one of these problems.

  1. “Team Consultation Match”

I have access to two classrooms right next to each other. I divide my students into two groups. Team ‘White’ and team ‘Black.’ I set a table and chess set up between the two rooms, and each team has their own classroom with a set and board. They are not supposed to move the pieces on their own boards until they officially make their move on the official board. The game is played with a clock. I’ve only done this exercise once. We used the whole three hours to play just one game. Most of my students seemed to like the exercise, although a few of the weaker students appeared a little overwhelmed.

Any suggestions as to how one might teach chess in a High School?

Steven Craig Miller (chess coach at Lincoln-Way High School, New Lenox, IL)

2

The fact that you have as many students willing to work with chess as you have described is commendable! I run the chess club at the school I work in, and for the most part, it attracts students who want to socialize and play chess, in that order. It seems that you have something more structured, which I would like to attain.

I’m sorry that I don’t have much advice to give, but I wanted to thank you for the idea of #3. I think my students would eat that up.

What I have heard from other chess coaches/teachers is that rewards can really get them into it. I’ve recently ordered the chess bands from USCFsales and plan to make them rewards for solving certain puzzles. I think it will create an “elitist system” where the students who earn them will wear them, and do two things: promote chess in their other classes, and encourage other students to attempt the puzzles.

At any rate, I hope you succeed in your endeavors, as it seems you are setting up a great system of practice and study for them!

3

Last year I had only three students committed to the chess team, with another three with marginal interest. High School chess in Illinois uses an 8-board teams system. So we were short a few players. On the other hand, I’ve opened up our summer practice to other schools. I’ve been able to draw anywhere from six to twelve students each practice, from three neighboring High Schools, including some players who have recently graduated from High School. Because of this, most of the students who show up this summer take chess fairly seriously. But I’m greatly concerned about next school year. I still will have my three committed students. In addition, I believe I will have two incoming freshman who will be equally committed, having worked with them last year in their Junior High School. This would give me five. But I would still need to recruit three to six more students. I’ve often struggled with the dilemma between making chess fun and a nice place where students can socialize, and forcing my students to study and take chess seriously (and risk losing those who are not interested in becoming stronger chess players). I’m envious of other sports, the football coach doesn’t need to struggle with this dilemma. He doesn’t think that maybe if he baked some cookies and made practice a nice time where students could socialize that maybe he would have enough players show up to make a team. For most sports, if you don’t take practice seriously, you risk being cut from the team.

Steven Craig Miller (chess coach at Lincoln-Way West High School, New Lenox, IL)

4

There’s little glory in a boardgame. Real sports like football and basketball carry social status, which is high school currency.

The best teams I’ve seen dance a fine line between social invitations and competition. The social is inviting everyone to chess club. Some games will be fun, others will be serious. No sense in over monitoring it. The real practice comes from each individual, and the real contribution of the HS coach is enabling tournament participation (or organizing tournaments, etc).

5

Crume writes: “There’s little glory in a boardgame.”

I would respectfully disagree. Chess carries a fair amount of social status. Indeed, the NBA ran a commercial some time back which compared their “board” game with our board game. And chess is often used in commercials and the movies to signify a certain social status.

Crume writes: “Real sports like football and basketball carry social status, which is high school currency.”

Real? I read an article which suggested that most countries in this world recognize chess as a real sport, with three exceptions, the US, the UK, and one other which I cannot remember. But the problem with chess is not that it is not a “real sport” (whatever that might mean), but that it is not a spectator sport. You can sac a rook for mate, but who is going to see it or appreciate it? If you took out the bleachers from a football or basketball game, and didn’t allow parents to watch their children play, they would have declining participation too. In the state of Illinois, the TV rights to High School football and basketball via the IHSA support all other IHSA activities, including chess. I’m not trying to suggest that football wouldn’t be more popular than chess if it wasn’t for spectators, just that it wouldn’t be as popular as it currently is. I’m not wanting to give a one-dimensional answer. But one reason why football and basketball are popular is because they are spectator sports. (That is not the only reason, just one reason.)

Crume writes: “The best teams I’ve seen dance a fine line between social invitations and competition. The social is inviting everyone to chess club. Some games will be fun, others will be serious. No sense in over monitoring it.”

You are probably right, but I would quibble with your last sentence here. In order to develop a competitive team, one needs to practice more than others. If you spend time on fun events, there is less time for serious practice.

Steven Craig Miller

6

Glenbard South has a HS team tournament with an additional section for HS players without a team.

I think your conference has an individual tournament by grade that doesn’t require eight players per team.

Some tournaments allow multi-school teams (ineligible for trophies), particularly if they will even out the number of teams and are weak enough that they would be unlikely to affect the trophies anyway (take your three or four interested players and add some board nine or ten players from other teams to fill yours out).

The ICCA website should have the various tournaments listed with contact names.

7

All that is true enough, but our conference matches are 8-board teams, where less than five players is an automatic forfeit (which we did often). Also, we were only able to take six players to state. My hope is to have at least eight players next (school) year.

Steven Craig Miller (chess coach at Lincoln-Way West High School & secretary of the ICCA)

8

Maybe a free simul with a chess master might spark some interest. Master Vince Berry lives in New Lenox. Also, maybe you need to consider a different meeting time that whatever it is that you currently use. I have no idea what would be the best time, but you have to realize there will be conflicts with other interests/sports that potential players will want to participate in more than in chess. Maybe some posters with chess content copied from the various comic strips. The Zaria strips in the Chess Life for Kids is one possiblity, and there is the Kosteniuk strip “Chess is Cool” that can be found on her web site and on the Chess Journalist of America web site from the 2008/2009 journalist awards. Hope one of these helps pull in more players for your team.

Larry S. Cohen
President, Park Forest Chess Club

9

I think there’s a much simpler way: you need to get some girls in your chess club.

Problem contests, visualization exercises, team consultations are all great ideas, but if you want to really increase membership you need a good heterogeneous mix. I used to run Doubles Chess tournaments at the Marshall some years back. Doubles is a chess variant (I think a Bill Goichberg idea) where each side is a team of two players, and the team members alternate who moves for each side, with no talking. It’s NOT Bughouse as there is only one board, with a team of two players on each side, but it’s a lot of fun to see if your partner can guess your plan and follow it up with the “right” moves.

  I ran "Mixed Doubles" tournaments, which required each team to be m/f, and even had some guaranteed prizes to inspire the predominantly male chess players to try and seek out female chess players.  It was kind of fun for a while, but I guess I didn't publicize it enough for long enough, because eventually the turnouts dwindled.  But I think a high school would be a great place to try something like this, and I bet you would find the initial social aspect to be a great way to pique interest in your chess club!
10

YES!! I have a girl in our club who will be a senior and probably club president. She has brought in girlfriends and “geeky male friends” (who aren’t really geeks) constantly. In fact, one of her male friends (who sadly just graduated) is one of the most talented and literary kibitzers you could ever imagine. Quoting Proust to mock his opponent while losing was a gift to behold–can’t remember the exact quote and don’t want to try.

11

That sounds interesting, I’ll give it a try.

Steven Craig Miller