CheckMates Chess

“I’d love to play, but none of my friends play chess.”🫤

We hear this all the time and it’s usually the first reason children hesitate to try it out.
​Chess is easily one of the best sports for sharpening your focus, learning to stay calm under pressure and building real problem-solving confidence 🧏‍♂️

You don’t need to wait until someone in your friend group plays to dive in. When you step into a chess club like CheckMates, you’re walking into a room full of children in the exact same position as you! The chess community is close-knit and welcomes everyone! 🤝
​Give it a go! Once you fall in love with the game, you might just be the one inspiring your friends to pick up chess next! ♟️

Almost every player goes through a phase of trying sneaky opening traps for a quick win! 🤫♟️

​Fool’s Mate, Scholar’s Mate and many more sneaky tricks 🪄
It’s fun when it works, but relying on cheap tricks is risky. If your opponent knows the defense, your pieces get chased and you're left in a tough spot 🫣

It's always better to rely on good, solid chess that works regardless!🙌

​Fell for a trap yourself? 😅
Don't worry, it happens to everyone! Quick, painful losses often teach the best lessons. Once caught, you won't fall for it again! 🧏‍♂️

"My daughter loves chess, but will she be the only girl?" 💭👧

​It’s one of the most common questions we hear from parents. Historically, fewer girls sign up for chess club, but that is starting to change! 🚀
​More and more girls are showing up, joining in, and sticking with it! 👧👱‍♀️👩‍🦰💪

​Chess is a fantastic sport for girls, it builds confidence, independent decision-making skills and the self-belief to back their own moves 🧏‍♀️
​Walking into a room and being the only girl can feel intimidating at first, but that only changes when we actively encourage more girls to give it a go! 👏

​If your daughter has been curious about chess, encourage her to give it a go! She belongs at the board! 👸✨

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Why Are You Moving So Fast?! 💨🤔

​What is number one mistake junior players make when they first start playing in tournaments?
Moving way too fast and leaving good time on the board! ⏰️
​Rushing usually just leads to blunders. In most junior beginner tournaments, games are often over in the first few minutes with both players having hardly touched their clocks! 😮‍💨
Playing with a clock can seem stressful at first, but usually you have more time than you think 🧏‍♀️

​Try not to blitz your moves, good move in 15 seconds beats a blunder in 1 second.
​Use your time to double-check moves incase you missed something.

You'll notice that experienced players actually play much slower and use their time, while first-timers rush 🏃‍♂️

​Remember: slow and steady wins the race! 🐢♟️

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"Touch Move!" 🧏

​It’s common for beginners to want to touch pieces before they are sure where they want to put them🖐 They want to move a Bishop, they touch the Bishop, but realise if they move it they leave a pawn undefended, so they put the piece back 😅

But in tournament matches and club play, there’s a golden rule: if you deliberately touch a piece, you have to move it! 😲

​Here is how it works so you’re always prepared:

​✅ If you touch one of your own pieces, you must make a legal move with the piece if it is possible.

​✅ If you touch one of your opponent's pieces, you have to capture it if it is a possible move!

​❎ If you brush a piece by accident with your sleeve or while reaching across, touch-move won't apply, but try not to do it!

​✅​ The Magic Words: Need to fix a piece that is not centered? Say "I adjust" (or "J'adoube") before you touch it!

​The best habit? Sit on your hands, scan the whole board with your eyes first, and only reach out to touch a piece once your mind is 100% made up! 💡🧠
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