The U.S. Chess Center’s summer got off to a great start with the camp at East Silver Spring Elementary. Students ranged from third grade to ninth, and all left knowing a lot more than they did when they arrived.
Our camps, unlike our after-school clubs, feature students receiving one-on-one instruction every day with our adult teachers, in addition to small-group and large-group lessons based on our observations of the games the students play with their peers.
All of our camps emphasize the important endgame skills, and all of the students came away with greater understanding of the techniques they need to succeed in their games. Most of the campers at this camp also needed to internalize basic opening principles, and we had several lessons over the four days focusing on that topic.
We also had discussions about the immense value of good sportsmanship. Players improve their skills by taking enough time to find the moves that allow them to win in the fastest way. Several students have been playing chess online, and that provided us with the opportunity to learn the differences between online and over-the-board games. While both games use the same pieces, there are major emotional considerations when sitting at the same table as another player who also wants to win.
It seems that knowing less about an opponent would not be an advantage, but in chess it often is better not to have an opinion of the strength of the adversary. People often play worse when they believe they are stronger or weaker than the person sitting across the table. Young people, in particular, can become discouraged when facing someone they perceive as a strong player. Many people do not concentrate as well when they believe they can win without maximum effort. Because the most effective method of improving at chess is to practice doing the best a player can, doing anything less than one’s best is a waste of a chance to get better.
