What is a chess club?

Most weeks, the boards, pieces and clocks wait for you, and so do the players. A chess club is a group of people who meet in the same place to play chess. Some players are new, like you, and some are strong. When you play them week after week, you get better. A visitor comes once, but a member signs up and keeps coming back.

What a member does

• You play friendly games, as many as you like.
• Stronger players show you the tricks they know.
• Many clubs have a coach, and a group just for kids.
• Once a year, the club holds its championship, a contest to find its best player. That contest has its own sticker, Club Cup.
• Your club may have a team that plays other clubs. Playing on it has its own sticker too: Team Player.

Some clubs meet in the evening, and some meet right after school.

Who runs a club, and how do you find one?

Chess clubs are run by grown-ups who love chess. Some clubs meet in a school, and some meet in a library or a hall. To find one, ask at school, at the library or a grown-up who plays. If there is no town club near you, a school chess club with a member list counts too.

Your first club night

When you arrive, say hi and ask someone for a game. If you lose, just ask for another one. When you join, your name goes on the list of members. Now you are a real member of the club.

How you get the sticker

Show your member card, or the member list with your name on it. Your grown-up or coach checks it and hands you the sticker. If your club has no coach, ask the grown-up who runs club night to check it. If your club is at school or at the library, your grown-up at home can check it. Were you a member before you had the passport? It still counts.