Beginner And Intermediate Chess Instruction In The USA Today
Some of you may have seen the 60 minutes special on Chess.
All in all it was great. I think it did well to outline some of the benefits that learning chess can have on both young and old. It also revealed the need for beginner and intermediate chess instruction. Not many people knew it before, but the USA is indeed currently the strongest chess country in the world. Two players in the top three and three in the top six worldwide is indeed an incredible accomplishment.
While this statistic is indeed impressive on paper, it does not show the whole story. We do have great players in the top levels. What we do not have is a strong base that will continue to produce top level players for the following years. Without a surge of players to reinforce our presence in the top 10, it will be short lived. What the USA needs now is beginner and intermediate chess instruction for our budding young players.
There are not enough instructors to serve the current demand for beginner and intermediate chess instruction.
This demand can only increase in the years to come. An American player will most certainly be the next challenger for the title of World Champion, and may be the favorite to win by the time of the match. When this happens there will be amateur players all over the country looking to learn how to play. While books and other materials are good teachers, there is no substitute for an experienced player that has a knack for teaching others.
At ChessWired we use chess to teach important life skills. We want our students simultaneously become both stronger players and stronger people. It is our goal to be an integral part of the advancement of chess in the USA as well as the advancement of USA in the world. By providing beginner and intermediate chess instruction, we will be helping to carry US chess into the decades to come.