Ages 6-16 · Book 3, Confidence · 4,299 places
Chess and Academic Clubs
Losing repeatedly and publicly is the training method, and children need that named before the third loss.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Magic Triangle — “Turn fear into confidence, one step at a time.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Name the one skill, small enough to practise this week
- Session 2
Read the story and connect the wall to their own thing
- Session 3
Set the rep count, write it down, keep it boring
- Session 4
Miss, fail, and log it as a rep rather than a verdict
- Session 5
Show the count at the end and let them read it themselves
Questions leaders ask
Is chess and academic clubs in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is confidence — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 6-16. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
What does a your area program need to run this?
A room, an adult, and thirty minutes. No kit, no screen, no prep beyond reading the page before the children arrive.
Can we run it as a drop-in rather than a series?
Yes. Each session stands alone, and the arc is stronger if they come back, but nothing breaks if a child only ever comes once.
The rules that make it work
Confidence is earned, in that order, every time
Commitment, then competency, then confidence. Almost every adult teaches it backwards by trying to install the feeling first, and children can tell.
Ugly reps are the work, not a warning sign
A child promised that practice feels good quits on the third attempt. Say in advance that it will look bad, and the bad-looking part stops meaning anything.
Praise the count, never the talent
"You're a natural" is a compliment a child cannot use and cannot rebuild from. Sixty reps is a fact they own and can do again.
Nobody is compared to anybody
The count is against last week's count. A room where children are ranked teaches the ones at the bottom to stop starting.
Adults commit out loud too
A coach or a parent naming a thing they are bad at and are practising anyway is worth more than any session on effort.
This is a character story, not a performance program
Technique belongs to the coach and the teacher. This handles the part that has nothing to do with technique, and never scores a child on either.
Chess and Clubs by metro area
Northeast
- Chess and Clubs — New York, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Philadelphia, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Boston, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Pittsburgh, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Providence, RI
- Chess and Clubs — Hartford, CT
- Chess and Clubs — Buffalo, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Rochester, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Bridgeport, CT
- Chess and Clubs — Albany, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Worcester, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Allentown, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Syracuse, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Harrisburg, PA
- Chess and Clubs — New Haven, CT
- Chess and Clubs — Portland, ME
- Chess and Clubs — Scranton, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Lancaster, PA
- Chess and Clubs — York, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Springfield, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Waterbury, CT
- Chess and Clubs — Reading, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Manchester, NH
- Chess and Clubs — Trenton, NJ
- Chess and Clubs — Atlantic City, NJ
- Chess and Clubs — Utica, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Norwich, CT
- Chess and Clubs — Erie, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Binghamton, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Barnstable, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Burlington, VT
- Chess and Clubs — Kingston, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Amherst, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Chambersburg, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Bangor, ME
- Chess and Clubs — State College, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Vineland, NJ
- Chess and Clubs — Lebanon, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Johnstown, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Pittsfield, MA
- Chess and Clubs — Glens Falls, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Altoona, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Lewiston, ME
- Chess and Clubs — Williamsport, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Watertown, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Gettysburg, PA
- Chess and Clubs — Ithaca, NY
- Chess and Clubs — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Chess and Clubs — Chicago, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Detroit, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Minneapolis, MN
- Chess and Clubs — St. Louis, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Cincinnati, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Kansas City, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Columbus, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Indianapolis, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Cleveland, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Milwaukee, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Grand Rapids, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Omaha, NE
- Chess and Clubs — Dayton, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Des Moines, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Madison, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Akron, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Wichita, KS
- Chess and Clubs — Toledo, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Springfield, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Lansing, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Fort Wayne, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Youngstown, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Flint, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Canton, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Davenport, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Ann Arbor, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Peoria, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Lincoln, NE
- Chess and Clubs — Rockford, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Green Bay, WI
- Chess and Clubs — South Bend, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Sioux Falls, SD
- Chess and Clubs — Duluth, MN
- Chess and Clubs — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Evansville, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Fargo, ND
- Chess and Clubs — Kalamazoo, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Appleton, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Champaign, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Topeka, KS
- Chess and Clubs — Rochester, MN
- Chess and Clubs — Lafayette, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Columbia, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Joplin, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Elkhart, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Springfield, IL
- Chess and Clubs — St. Cloud, MN
- Chess and Clubs — Racine, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Saginaw, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Iowa City, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Muskegon, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Eau Claire, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Oshkosh, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Bloomington, IL
- Chess and Clubs — La Crosse, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Terre Haute, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Waterloo, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Kenosha, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Janesville, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Bloomington, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Jackson, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Traverse City, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Rapid City, SD
- Chess and Clubs — Monroe, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Jefferson City, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Niles, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Sioux City, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Bismarck, ND
- Chess and Clubs — Wausau, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Manhattan, KS
- Chess and Clubs — Springfield, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Battle Creek, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Ames, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Mansfield, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Lawrence, KS
- Chess and Clubs — St. Joseph, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Sheboygan, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Muncie, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Sandusky, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Michigan City, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Kankakee, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Grand Forks, ND
- Chess and Clubs — Mankato, MN
- Chess and Clubs — Fond du Lac, WI
- Chess and Clubs — Bay City, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Lima, OH
- Chess and Clubs — Dubuque, IA
- Chess and Clubs — Decatur, IL
- Chess and Clubs — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Chess and Clubs — Columbus, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Kokomo, IN
- Chess and Clubs — Midland, MI
- Chess and Clubs — Grand Island, NE
- Chess and Clubs — Minot, ND
South
- Chess and Clubs — Dallas, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Houston, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Atlanta, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Washington, DC
- Chess and Clubs — Miami, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Tampa, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Orlando, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Charlotte, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Baltimore, MD
- Chess and Clubs — San Antonio, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Austin, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Nashville, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Virginia Beach, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Jacksonville, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Raleigh, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Oklahoma City, OK
- Chess and Clubs — Louisville, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Richmond, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Memphis, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Birmingham, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Tulsa, OK
- Chess and Clubs — Greenville, SC
- Chess and Clubs — New Orleans, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Knoxville, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Chess and Clubs — McAllen, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Charleston, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Baton Rouge, LA
- Chess and Clubs — El Paso, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Columbia, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Cape Coral, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Lakeland, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Greensboro, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Little Rock, AR
- Chess and Clubs — Deltona, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Winston-Salem, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Palm Bay, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Augusta, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Durham, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Fayetteville, AR
- Chess and Clubs — Jackson, MS
- Chess and Clubs — Chattanooga, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Huntsville, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Pensacola, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Lexington, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Killeen, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Wilmington, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Corpus Christi, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Ocala, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Savannah, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Brownsville, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Gulfport, MS
- Chess and Clubs — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Lafayette, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Asheville, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Naples, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Mobile, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Spartanburg, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Beaumont, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Tallahassee, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Fayetteville, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Montgomery, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Shreveport, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Hickory, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Lubbock, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Huntington, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Gainesville, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Clarksville, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Columbus, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Roanoke, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Hagerstown, MD
- Chess and Clubs — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Kingsport, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Waco, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Longview, TX
- Chess and Clubs — College Station, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Laredo, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Slidell, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Amarillo, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Lynchburg, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Daphne, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Tyler, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Lake Charles, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Macon, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Fort Smith, AR
- Chess and Clubs — Panama City, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Charlottesville, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Gainesville, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Athens, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Monroe, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Punta Gorda, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Jacksonville, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Johnson City, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Lexington Park, MD
- Chess and Clubs — Warner Robins, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Auburn, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Florence, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Charleston, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Houma, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Bowling Green, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Dover, DE
- Chess and Clubs — Midland, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Burlington, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Abilene, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Jackson, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Greenville, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Blacksburg, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Odessa, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Decatur, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Hattiesburg, MS
- Chess and Clubs — The Villages metro area, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Florence, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Dothan, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Sherman, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Valdosta, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Winchester, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Wichita Falls, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Rocky Mount, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Alexandria, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Dalton, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Texarkana, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Albany, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Morgantown, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Hammond, LA
- Chess and Clubs — Harrisonburg, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Jonesboro, AR
- Chess and Clubs — Wheeling, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Cleveland, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Salisbury, MD
- Chess and Clubs — Staunton, VA
- Chess and Clubs — Morristown, TN
- Chess and Clubs — Elizabethtown, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Lawton, OK
- Chess and Clubs — Goldsboro, NC
- Chess and Clubs — San Angelo, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Brunswick, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Anniston, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Owensboro, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Steubenville, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Sebring, FL
- Chess and Clubs — Pinehurst, NC
- Chess and Clubs — Beckley, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Sumter, SC
- Chess and Clubs — Gadsden, AL
- Chess and Clubs — Paducah, KY
- Chess and Clubs — Rome, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Victoria, TX
- Chess and Clubs — Hot Springs, AR
- Chess and Clubs — Hinesville, GA
- Chess and Clubs — Parkersburg, WV
- Chess and Clubs — Enid, OK
- Chess and Clubs — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Chess and Clubs — Los Angeles, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Phoenix, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Riverside, CA
- Chess and Clubs — San Francisco, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Seattle, WA
- Chess and Clubs — San Diego, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Denver, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Portland, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Sacramento, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Las Vegas, NV
- Chess and Clubs — San Jose, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Salt Lake City, UT
- Chess and Clubs — Fresno, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Tucson, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Honolulu, HI
- Chess and Clubs — Bakersfield, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Albuquerque, NM
- Chess and Clubs — Boise, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Oxnard, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Stockton, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Colorado Springs, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Provo, UT
- Chess and Clubs — Ogden, UT
- Chess and Clubs — Spokane, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Reno, NV
- Chess and Clubs — Modesto, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Santa Rosa, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Visalia, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Vallejo, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Salem, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Santa Maria, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Salinas, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Anchorage, AK
- Chess and Clubs — Eugene, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Greeley, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Fort Collins, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Boulder, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Kennewick, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Olympia, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Merced, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Bremerton, WA
- Chess and Clubs — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Bend, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Yakima, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Santa Cruz, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Bellingham, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Las Cruces, NM
- Chess and Clubs — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Yuma, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Medford, OR
- Chess and Clubs — St. George, UT
- Chess and Clubs — Chico, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Billings, MT
- Chess and Clubs — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Yuba City, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Redding, CA
- Chess and Clubs — El Centro, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Idaho Falls, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Pueblo, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Grand Junction, CO
- Chess and Clubs — Logan, UT
- Chess and Clubs — Maui, HI
- Chess and Clubs — Santa Fe, NM
- Chess and Clubs — Hanford, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Flagstaff, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Mount Vernon, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Napa, CA
- Chess and Clubs — Albany, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Bozeman, MT
- Chess and Clubs — Missoula, MT
- Chess and Clubs — Wenatchee, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Chess and Clubs — Twin Falls, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Farmington, NM
- Chess and Clubs — Longview, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Cheyenne, WY
- Chess and Clubs — Corvallis, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Helena, MT
- Chess and Clubs — Fairbanks, AK
- Chess and Clubs — Pocatello, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Grants Pass, OR
- Chess and Clubs — Great Falls, MT
- Chess and Clubs — Casper, WY
- Chess and Clubs — Lewiston, ID
- Chess and Clubs — Walla Walla, WA
- Chess and Clubs — Carson City, NV
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