Illinois Chess Association: Youth Chess Resources

Wow! I just got an email from Maret Thorpe that the long-awaited ICA Youth Chess Resources site has gone live. 

If you're involved in scholastic chess (coach, parent, player, volunteer...), you'll benefit from the many helpful articles (learning chess, chess programs, competition...) on this site.

Youth Committee Chair Jerry Neugarten writes:

ICA’s Youth Committee has just posted on our website a considerable amount of new material on youth chess in Illinois.  The new content, put together by a team of more than 20 people from throughout the state, is designed to foster the development of new clubs, provide an overview of youth chess in the state, and provide resources for parents, principals, coaches, and club directors. 

You can scan a list of the new material by clicking the “Youth Chess” button on our home page (www.il-chess.org) and then reviewing the list on the left side of our “Welcome and Overview” section.  Some of the items have sub-menus, and the longer pieces all have internal Tables of Contents.  The contents are also summarized in the text on the Welcome page.

The new material includes detailed guides on starting a youth chess program and on tournament play; a list of recommended curricula, including software and websites; an updated summary of the research on the value of chess; profiles of community-wide programs in Illinois; a summary of the major youth tournaments in the state; and lists of Illinois’ past youth champions.  (Top current players are listed in the Warren Program section.)  But there’s much more, and we’re at work on a few additional sections we hope to finish within a few weeks, including lists of clubs (with contact information) throughout the state. 

All the new content can be downloaded in pdf format.

Special thanks to Kevin Bachler, Chuck Beach, Jay Dembsky, Betsy Dynako, Louis Fogel, Hector Hernandez, Paul Kash, Colley Kitson, Mike Leali, Herb Lichtman, Brad Rosen, Andi Rosen, Garrett Scott, Joe Splinter, Jennifer Stevens, Maret Thorpe, Leo Vilker, Phil Yontez, Mike Zacate and Pattie Zinski.  

We hope you find this material helpful

 And thanks to Jerry for making it all happen!