Chess.com University's Online Youth and Novice Chess Camp Updates

After organizing the world's first online chess camp, which was aimed at intermediate and advanced adult tournament players, Chess.com University is back with another online chess camp, this time for youth and novice chess players!

Chess.com University's Online Youth and Novice Chess Camp: September 27th-28th, 2014

Chess.com University's Online Youth and Novice Chess Camp offers a world-class chess event you or your child can experience right from home! Our two-day online camp features popular events such as simuls with chess masters, interactive lectures with highly qualified instructors, and student game analysis sessions. Camp students will also be assigned homework on Saturday which instructors will go over on Sunday. Additionally, our camp includes a live session for chess parents seeking information about scholastic chess and advise on how to take their kids to the international level in chess.

Camp Schedule:

- This two-day camp runs from September 27th-28th, 2014.

- Camp activity begins at 9:30 AM PDT (Pacific Time USA) each day and ends at 4:30 PM PDT.

- There will be a lunch break from 12:30 PM PDT to 1:30 PM PDT each day.

Target Audience:

- This camp is aimed at all chess players rated below 1200 USCF/FIDE.

- Camp is designed for youth players (ages 7-14) but there is no age restriction. Lower rated adults are welcome to sign up for the camp. However, the diction used during lectures will be designed for youth players.

- There is no lower rating requirement for participating in this camp but students must know the rules and basic principles. Students should also be familiar with algebraic chess notation (e.g. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 ...) and have experience playing at least 25-50 chess games. Students must be familiar with basic tactics such as forks and pins as well.

Camp Activities and Lectures:

Students will receive approximately 9 to 10 hours of live instruction (lectures and game analysis sessions) and the opportunity to play in a chess master simultaneous exhibition (simul). Each student may submit one game for analysis before the camp starts. Instructors will choose the games most useful for instructive purposes to analyze during the game analysis sessions. Students will also be assigned homework after lectures conclude on Saturday. Instructors will work through the homework problems with students on Sunday. This gives students the chance to practice what they learn on Saturday and get feedback from instructors on Sunday! Additionally, chess parents will get a chance to ask questions related to their children's chess future and receive guidance in a special live session with Kairav Joshi.

Comparison to In-Person Chess Camps:

Unlike typical youth chess camps, which devote a majority of the camp time to tournaments and "free play," we focus on chess instruction. We are bringing world-class chess instruction to your doorstep for a low price!

Benefits of attending an online chess camp include avoiding traveling and lodging expenses. Additionally, lectures and game analysis sessions get video recorded. Students who miss a few live sessions can catch up by viewing the video recordings. All live camp students will receive the .mp4 and .flv video recordings which they can download and have access to forever!

For those who don't take the camp live, the .mp4 and .flv video files will be available for purchase for $50.

Meet the Team:

Camp Organizer and Instructor: Kairav Joshi, President of Chess.com University.

Special Guest Instructor: GM Mac Molner, 2014 U.S. National Championship Contender.

Instructor: FM Dalton Perrine, Assistant Instructor in Chess.com University's Gelfand Camp.

Instructor: NM Dane Mattson, Assistant Instructor in Chess.com University's Gelfand Camp.

Tuition and Registration:

Tuition for Chess.com University's Youth Chess Camp is $75/person if payment is received by September 20th, 2014. Payments made after September 20th, 2014 will be subject to a $10 late fee increasing the tuition to $85.

Payment methods include:

- Money Order or Check

- Credit or Debit Card.

- PayPal.

- Bitcoin.

Sending Payment:

Message GeniusKJ on Chess.com or send an email to [email protected] if you would like to pay using a check, money order, or Bitcoin. Checks and money orders should be paid to the order of Kairav Joshi. Message GeniusKJ to get the mailing address for sending the check or money order.

If you want to use your credit/debit card or PayPal balance to pay for the camp, use this link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ZUCFWNTH4NQLE

 
If you pay online, please message GeniusKJ on Chess.com or email [email protected] immediately after you send payment and confirm your PayPal email address. Also include your real name and the email address you would like us to use when contacting you during the camp.

 
Promos and Discounts:

All students who took Chess.com University's First Online Summer Chess Camp Featuring Boris Gelfand LIVE receive a special $15 discount off of our Youth Camp! While the same students should not take this camp, they may have children, nieces, nephews, other relatives, or friends who would like to sign up. Each student from our Gelfand camp may refer up to two individuals for the youth camp and make them eligible for the $15 discount which would be processed as a partial refund when the camp starts.

Family Discount: We may give discounts to families with multiple chess-playing children. Send an email to [email protected] to ask about family discounts.

School/Club Discount: Are you in charge of a school chess club or know lots of youth players who would be interested in taking our online youth camp? Send an email to [email protected] to let us know! We may be willing to offer discounts to youth players from schools, clubs, or other organizations who send us more than 5 students.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our youth camp, please message camp organizer Kairav Joshi, send an email to [email protected], or comment on this post.