THIS IS A TWO-SEMESTER COURSE.

Chess Club offers a strong encounter with the central concepts of chess. It will contain an academic element and will be offered for credit and a grade. The course will include acquaintance with great names in chess history, famous games, chess problems, reading assignments, checkmate strategies, a deep investigation of classic openings, and other features. Students will be asked to play games and master techniques during the week, as well as to attend the class meetings and participate in the challenges there.

Class Meetings: Tuesdays, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Fall Semester: September 10 – December 17, 2024
Spring Semester: January 14 – May 13, 2025

Student Expectations: Students will be expected to accept the challenges of mrT’s Chess Belt system, which is similar to the belt system in karate. For each color belt, students will have to accomplish specific challenges, such as classic checkmate methods, winning a given number of games using specified openings, or playing blind chess to a certain number of moves. Students will also have to master and use algebraic chess notation, which will be used in the class meetings.

Student Support: The instructor is available via email.

Feedback/Assessment: There will be a series of difficult challenges that students must meet to demonstrate their chess strength. The instructor will keep a running record of these. There will be a report card for each semester.

Materials/Supplies: Students will need a chess set.