Summer Chess Camps
Curriculum for Novice Camp
July 15-19, 2024
Day One
Board Setup
How the pieces move
Castling
En passant
Pawn Promotion
Numerical value of the pieces
Chess Notation: Squares have names
The difference between check and checkmate
The Kingside Attack
Game One: Shows what happens when White plays h3 to prevent a pin and how Black makes it the object of attack.
Game Two: Again shows White playing h3 in fear of a pin and how Black punishes him by a pawn attack beginning with h6.
Play time, partner up and have some fun.
Day Two
Opening PrinciplesDeveloping pieces
Controlling the center
Checkmating with King and Queen vs King
Checkmating with King and two Rooks vs King
The Kingside Attack
Game One: White forces … .h6 and g6 to weaken Black’s position and then sacrifices material to demolish his position.
Game Two: Black plays…h6 to try to stop an unlikely attack and gets punished for doing so.
Play time, partner up and have some fun.
Day Three
Simple tactics
Forks
Pins
Skewers
Discovered checks
A Master Explains his Ideas
Game One: Capablanca vs Mattison….Nimzo-Indian Defence
Game Two: Janowsky vs Alapin….Queen’s Gambit Declined
Play Time, partner up and have some fun
Day Four
Tactics and Combinations
Double Attack
Deflection
The Decoy
X-Rays and Windmills
Deflection
A Master Explains his Ideas
Game One: Bernstein vs Mieses….Sicilian Defense
Game Two: Marshall vs Tarrasch…Queen’s Gambit Declined
Day Five
Q&A on what was learned over the week
Knock out tournament
Registration details here
Curriculum for Intermediate/ Advanced Camp
July 22-26, 2024
Theme: Building and maintaining an attack
Day One
Strong Squares and Weak Color Complexes
Game One: Outpost square; space advantage in the center; building the attack;
preventing counterplay
Game two: Advanced outposts; controlling the pawn center; the isolated pawn; flank
attacks; improving piece placement
Play time, partner up and have some fun.
Day Two
Strong Squares and Weak Color Complexes
Game Three: Weak color complexes; hypermodern systems; long term weaknesses;
space count; control of files and diagonals.
Game Four: Weaknesses around castled king; broad center versus fianchetto; breaking
a pawn chain; attacking the central dark squares; decoy sacrifices; interference.
Play time, partner up and have some fun.
Day Three
The Initiative and Piece Coordination
Game Five: Initiative; control of key square; piece coordination; king in the center;
destructive sacrifice; queen/knight coordination.
Game Six: Sacrifice for the initiative; playing against doubled pawns; king in the
center; space advantage in a sector; shifting the focus of the attack.
Play time, partner up and have some fun
Day Four: The Initiative and Piece Coordination
Game Seven: Material imbalance and compensation; initiative; rapid mobilization;
piece coordination.
Game Eight: Making a middlegame plan; pawn islands; coordinating the rooks;
choosing between two courses of action.
Play time, partner up and have some fun.
Day Five
Q&A on what was learned over the week
Knockout Tournament
Registration details here