What is a chess camp?

At camp, a coach sits down with you and goes through your own games. A chess camp is chess all day long, for a few days in a row. It runs in the summer or in another school break. You come home with new chess tricks and new chess friends.

What happens at camp?

• You have lessons in small groups, with kids who play at your level.
• You solve puzzles, then play games against the other kids at camp.
• You get breaks to eat and run around.
• Some camps hold a tournament just for the campers.

Some camps are online, so you play from home, on a kid-safe account your grown-up made.

Who runs one, and where do you look?

Chess clubs run camps, and so do chess schools and online chess sites. Before a school break, ask at school, at the nearest club or a grown-up who plays. You can also search online together with your grown-up. A camp counts whether it runs full days or half days, for three days or a whole week.

New to chess? Come anyway.

Most camps have a group for beginners, which starts with how the pieces move. Here are three coach's tips for camp week:

• Play someone new every day.
• Ask the coach one question every day.
• Write down one new trick before you go home.

How you get the sticker

When camp is over, show a photo from camp, the results list or your certificate. Your grown-up or coach checks it and hands you the sticker. If you have no club, your grown-up at home checks it. A camp at a chess school or online counts the same. Did you go to camp before you had the passport? It still counts.