Course Description: Your children are stuck at home and they need an activity that is engaging, stimulating, and can keep them engaged day after day. Online Premium Chess Classes utilize a live classroom experience where your student will get to escape the confines of your home for the online, nearly infinite, world of chess.

We keep a low student to coach ratio so that we can track your child's progress individually through our curriculum on their own Achievement Chart. Each class, our coaches review the Achievement Charts to determine the best topics to focus on for the class. Our classes use Zoom for web-conferencing allowing us to engage your child just as we would in physical classrooms. Your child also gets access to an account on Lichess that we use during class for activities and can be accessed throughout the week to play and practice. The amazing benefit of having this Lichess account is our coaches can view all the games and activities your child completes giving the coaches unique insights into your child's chess skill.

Pawn: Building strong foundational knowledge of chess rules & strategy.

Pawn Level is for those new to chess or those learning the basics!

Students will learn how all of the pieces move and how to use them effectively in a chess game. They will also learn how to identify checks, checkmates, and how to effectively achieve a checkmate.

Key topics in Pawn Level: Piece movement, safe squares, check, checkmate & castling.

Joining us from Clubs or Camps? We recommend Pawn Level for our D, C, and B Groupers!

Knight: Building knowledge of tactics, patterns, and communicating strategies.

Knight Level is for students who already know how to move all pieces, how to checkmate, and how to castle.

Students will dive into the vast world of chess tactics and learn how to recognize tactical patterns in games. Students begin to think two moves ahead and look at multiple moves before choosing the best one. They learn further ideas for using pieces effectively.

Key topics in Knight Level: Chess notation, introduction to tactics, introduction to checkmate patterns.

Joining us from Clubs or Camps? We recommend Knight Level for our advanced B-Groupers and our A-Groupers!

Bishop:  Building strong tactical knowledge and developing advanced strategies.

Bishop Level is for students who have taken chess classes for at least a year, can identify all basic tactics, and know some checkmate patterns such as how to win with only a King and Queen.

Students begin to understand how to create and implement strategy plans; they can identify targets and goals. Students gain a higher understanding of piece relationships; they are now looking three moves ahead. Students also learn to calculate variations and consider their opponent’s defense.

Key topics in Bishop Level: Tournament skills, advanced tactics, introduction to openings and middlegames, advanced checkmate patterns.

Joining us from Clubs or Camps? We recommend Bishop Level for our Advanced A-Groupers with an established NWRS or USCF rating!

Rook and Beyond!: For advanced students that want to begin learning about deeper level strategies and building on strong tournament skills. Contact Us today if this describes your student!

Tuition Billing Information

Monthly tuition is $139.00 per month, and occurs on a recurring system which is processed on the 25th of every month for the upcoming month of classes. This includes only four classes a month. On occasion, a month may have a fifth week and therefore a fifth class. This fifth class is a bonus class! 

Make-up policy

In the event your student is unable to attend a scheduled class due to illness or scheduling conflict, we are happy to schedule a make-up class, when notified in advance of the class being missed. We ask that you notify us by email  kids@chess4life.com, or phone call at 425-283-0549. If there is no advance notice, we are happy to provide a recording of your students originally scheduled class. Refunds are not given for missed classes.

Cancellation policy

If you are wishing to cancel classes, please notify us by email, at kids@chess4life.com, and we are happy to assist. If a parent withdraws prior to the 25th of the month,for the following month, there is no fee. If a parent withdraws after the 25th of the month, there is a $20 cancellation fee. If a parent withdraws mid-month, the refund would be the # of remaining classes * $34.75+ $20 cancellation fee. 

Attendance

If a student fails to attend 3 or more classes without notice from the parent, Chess4Life will attempt to contact the parent / account holder. If after 2 failed attempts for contact, the student will be automatically withdrawn, and a $10.00 administrative fee assessed to the account. No refunds will be given for the missed classes.

Money Back Guarantee

The team at Chess4Life believes strongly in our ability to provide a fun and beneficial program, and are confident that you and your student will enjoy our Online Premium Classes. If after your students first class, you are not satisfied with the program, we offer a full refund of tuition. 

*Please note - We must receive notification of your dissatisfaction within 2 days of the first class attended, in order to offer your tuition refund.

If you have any questions regarding Chess4Life Policies, please feel free to email us at kids@chess4life.com, or call us, at 425-283-0549

How can I be sure that I choose the correct level?

Err on the side of caution. If your child seems to be between two levels, choose the lower level. It is easier to move your child up a level than down a level if needed. If possible, talk with your child about the level descriptions, if your student is beyond the basics they can help you understand what they know and help choose the right level. On your student’s first day of class, our coaches will be able to help determine if your student is in the appropriate level and we will reach out if we recommend a different level.

What does my child need to participate in an Online Premium Chess Class?

Your student will need a computer or tablet (and internet connection) to log in to Zoom and Lichess. No webcam is needed. A mic is helpful so the student can speak with a coach but there are chat features through zoom and Lichess that a student can use to interact. *Note, if your wifi signal in your home is not very strong, hardwiring into the internet can be a good option.

What platforms will we use for hosting online Chess4Life Classes?

Zoom is a simple to use conference platform that allows the coach to interact with the students and share their screen when needed. Zoom works best when you download the app onto your computer. You do not need a zoom account to access.

Lichess is a FREE chess play and learning platform that the coaches will use to deliver lessons and activities. We will set up your student with a Lichess account in a Coach’s “class” where the coach will be able to track progress and view live games and activity

Will classes be interactive for students? Should parents be present for classes?

Classes will remain interactive. Through the use of Zoom and Lichess, the coaches will be able to teach and ask questions, engage the students with chess puzzles and analysis, and challenge students with various chess activities designed to help them progress through our levels. As long as students are comfortable using Lichess and features on Zoom, they should be self-sufficient for online classes.

What if my student doesn’t know how to use Zoom?

If your child is new to class, one of our coaches will work with your child on how to use the Zoom tools during the first 5 minutes of their first class. We also send a How To Use Zoom video with the class confirmation email after you have registered that you can watch with your child. If possible, it is great if you can join them for the first few minutes of their first class to help them navigate the tools...if you are not available, don’t worry, we will take care of them!

Is the technology safe for my child?

Our classes utilize Zoom web-conferencing and Lichess.org. During the Zoom call our coaches have full control over muting microphones and turning off student video. The students are only able to chat with the coach or to the group, we have disabled their ability to chat privately to other students.

Since we create the Lichess.org account for your student, the account is automatically locked in Kid Mode where they cannot chat other chess players online. You can always look for the smiley :) icon in the top left corner of their Lichess.org account to ensure it is still in Kid Mode.

Chess4Life will be recording all Online classes for safety and quality assurance. Videos will only be used internally for training and quality assurance.

What is Lichess.org and how do you pronounce it?

Pronounced Lee-chess, Licehess.org is a free play and practice site full of awesome features. The best part of Lichess is we will create an account for your child and place them in an Online class with their coach. Every game and activity your child plays on Lichess is then reviewable by the coach allowing us to gain great insight into your child’s chess skill.

How is my child’s progress tracked?

All students will have their own Achievement Charts updated by our coaches on a weekly basis. Progress through each topic in each level is marked on a digital form based on your child’s answers to puzzles and various chess activities. Our coaches can also review games and activities played on Lichess to help them determine your child’s progress.