Classrooms, Email groups, and Teacher contact information

Chess Level 1 (age 5+) – Teacher:  Arthur Lewis

Chess 1 is designed for students identified as having little or no prior experience. The primary objective is to establish a foundation of basic skills. This process will involve lectures informed by references to published materials.  By the end of year, students are expected to be able to play and fully record a legal game of chess.

Chess Level 2 (age 6+) – Teacher: Hurlbert David

Intermediate Chess studies opening, endgame, and positional analysis through a combination of lecture and supervised play. Competitive play is also covered. It is my goal for the students to learn about the real world of chess as well as theory

• As a “prerequisite” for this class I would like the student to know two things: First to be comfortable and conversant with algebraic notation, i.e. to know how to take down the moves in a chess game. Second I would like the student to have been playing chess for “a while” (like maybe a year) and to thus know a little more than just the moves. If your child has no other experience playing chess other than at RACL, the beginning and intermediate classes should be a prerequisite. Additionally if you are unsure if your child is “ready” for this class it may help to solicit the opinion of the instructors of the beginning and intermediate classes.

The legendary chess genius Capablanca once said, “The best way to learn…is from the games of the masters”. Over time I have found the most enjoyable and productive lesson plan is to go over a particularly instructive or entertaining game played by the best masters. At the end of the lesson students are furnished with a handout of the game score so they can go over the lesson.

I have so far been able to find a new game to go over for the last three semesters, which means that students who have taken my course before are welcome and can continue learning by repeating it.

Course Summary:

I try not to take my teaching in these classes too seriously or to be unduly rigid in my approach, which is to say that my goal is get the children to enjoy chess first as opposed to teaching specific methods. I can’t do very much on specific methods in one hour a week, but if I can make that hour an enjoyable experience for them and communicate the beauty and excitement of the game, then their natural curiosity and desire will take them much farther than I ever could.