We started a weekly chess program at the Public Library in Solon, Ohio because there wasn’t a good way for the Solon Chess Team and other youth in the area to get together in the summer to play quality games or learn about chess. These programs started in July and have been held every Monday evening for 1.5 hours. Let’s take a look back at these two awesome sessions:

Week 1: Our first program had a great turnout! The more experienced players had the opportunity to train against one another and the beginning players were taught how to take chess notation, the fundamentals of openings such as the Ruy Lopez, as well as positional principles in the opening and early middle game.

Week 2: The second program had a fantastic turnout—approximately 20 people came! Once again, the players who had tournament experience, ranging from state champions to a national chess expert, were able to play games against one another and review the moves afterward. The newer players were not only taught about multiple variations of the French defense such as the Advance and Winawer variations, but also about opening traps and middle game strategy.

 

Below are some pictures from Week 2: