Each of our sessions is designed to be structured, educational, and fun! Here’s what a typical lesson looks like:

🕒 Before the Lesson

Students who arrive early are welcome to play a friendly warm-up game with another early arriver of their choice. It’s a great way to get into the chess mindset and build friendships.

📚 Lesson Time

We begin each session with a focused learning segment, which may include:

• A demonstration of a key concept
• A ChessKid video to illustrate strategy
• Tactical puzzles to solve together
• Explanations of openings, endgames, or famous games

🧠 Practice & Workouts

After the teaching segment, students are given time to practice what they’ve learned through guided exercises or mini challenges.

🏆 Club Tournament Matches

Each session includes a round of our in-house tournament, run using the Swiss system:

• Players are paired with others on the same or similar score
• No one plays the same opponent twice
• Matches are scored as follows:
  • Win: 1 point
  • Draw: 0.5 points each
  • Loss: 0 points
• If time allows, a bonus game may be played:
  • Win: 0.5 points
  • Draw or Loss: 0 points

Scores accumulate throughout the term, and standings are updated regularly.

🏅 End-of-Term Awards

At the end of each term, we celebrate our players’ progress with awards for the top three or four scorers, including ties. These awards include trophies and medals, with a trophy awarded to the top boy and the top girl. It’s a great way to recognise effort, improvement, and sportsmanship!

In the Spring term, we take part in the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge, the largest junior chess tournament in the world. In this event, everyone is a winner—every participant receives a prize, ranging from badges with gold dots (representing victories), to mascots, chess books, key rings, chess stationery, chess balls, and more!

We award a trophy for the top boy and top girl in our school round of the Delancey Challenge.

This school-based tournament is the first round of the competition. Our top players are encouraged to enter the second stage, known as the Megafinal, where they will compete against other top players in their age group. Entry to the Megafinal is online via the official Delancey UKCC website: https://www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com