Keeping students engaged and interested in chess class

With chess in the classroom, a number of questions frequently surface among Chess House followers.

In fact there are a few perplexing challenges that teachers and coaches face even with an enthusiastic group of kids who want to learn chess!

Having a grasp of how to deal with these unique challenges in the classroom can make all the difference to your sanity and success.

That's why I reached out to Elliott Neff for some answers. He's overly qualified to address these topics and on-the-spot graciously offered to help Chess House subscribers and followers with these insights.

Summary Points

> You don't need to be a strong chess player to be an effective teacher.
> Tip #1 - Introduce just ONE concept at a time, then have students practice it before moving on.
> Have students play a FUN activity or game that builds the ONE concept.
> Tip #2 - Before moving on to a new concept, start every lesson by using a fun activity that reviews the prior lesson's ONE key concept.
> By introducing just ONE concept and then students having fun playing engaging activities, you will avoid overwhelming any students, and indeed build the excitement and interest in coming back to learn more!

You can download the free resource, 6 Key Chess Club Guide.

If you have questions about this topic or any other Chess in Education questions that perplex you, please discuss below this article.

We at Chess House, along with Elliott, are here to help your program have the tools and ideas to succeed!

Elliott Neff is a National Master in Chess, author of A Pawn’s Journey, and Founder/CEO of Chess4Life, helping kids develop life skills through the game of chess.

He inspires audiences through sharing the life strategies we can learn from the game of chess. His incorporation of chess into these presentations frequently involves playing multiple opponents at once, sometimes while blindfolded! Elliott holds the Professional Chess Coaching Certification Level V, the highest awarded certification by the United States Chess Federation.

Elliott’s work is endorsed by

> Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian
> Mary Miller, co-creator of The Dream Manager program
> Robert Katende, Founder and Director of SOM Chess Academy in Uganda, coach to Phiona Mutesi of the Queen of Katwe.
> and many others