4 Tips to Grow Your Chess Club

Maybe you've discovered that people in your area are interested in chess and you think you have what it takes to start your own chess club. Or you may already have an active club and want to grow your membership.

Wherever you are on your journey, it never hurts to work toward a larger turnout. Here are some tips on how to grow your club.

1. Keep Your Chess Club Organized 

The first step in growing your chess club is to stay organized. You should get clear on what your club is and where and when interested chess players can participate.

Come up with a name for your club. Naming your club can help you brand your group. Chess players can easily tell their friends about where they can find you if your group has a name.

Create an elevator pitch for your club. An elevator pitch is a quick 30-second summary that allows you to introduce your chess club to an interested chess player quickly. At some point, you'll want to tell someone about your club in passing. This is when an elevator pitch comes in handy.

Have multiple people in leadership at your chess club. While this isn't always possible, try to have multiple people who can represent the chess club. These players should be able to introduce the club to newcomers and make the club appear active even if you aren't there. This will make it easier to keep the entire group on a consistent schedule and take pressure off of you.

Stick to a Strict Schedule

Make sure you're clear on your club's time and place.

Consistently structuring your chess club around a schedule has several benefits:

• Chess players will consistently plan for it in their schedule.
• It's easier to advertise when your club meets at the same time each week.
• Chess players who see your active club will have an easier time finding you later, even if you don't get their contact information.

Whenever a new person comes to your club, try to get their contact information or make sure there's a way they can reach you.

2. Advertise Your Chess Club

Advertise your chess club. While this can sound expensive, you don't have to spend any money advertising your chess evenings.

Here are two ways to advertise your club:

Old School: Use Fliers and Business Cards

Make fliers, business cards, and other handouts that share details about your club. Some things you want to include on your handout are:

• The name of your chess group
• A way to contact you with questions (ex., email, phone number)
• When and where chess players will meet
• Whether people need to bring their own chess board

Related: 6 Excellent Cheap Chess Sets For Players On Budget

Sometimes, you may find stray chess players in coffee shops. Introduce yourself, let them know you have a place for them to play, and invite them over! Give them a business card so it's easy for them to find you later.

Bring business cards with you when you attend other chess meets and tournaments. Ask for permission to leave stacks of business cards at the check out for book shops.

Place physical fliers in strategic locations to make your club more visible. Here are some ideas of where you can put posters or fliers to advertise your meetup:

Windows of stores and shops: Coffee shops, grocery stores, and thrift stores are just some places where people hang posters for nearby events. Make sure a poster for your club is up there.

Public bulletin boards inside of venues: Some venues have bulletin boards available for the public. Put a flier there!

New School: Get Online to Promote Your Chess Club

Use online resources to promote your club. Being online allows you to share updates with your active members more easily.

You can create a blog or website to make your chess club visible on a Google search. You can also make other accounts on social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

3. Network and Host Events

Networking and hosting events is a great way to make your chess club more visible. This will get people talking about your chess club, and more people will be interested in stopping by your chess evenings.

Form a Chess Team and Attend Chess Tournaments

You can enter local chess tournaments and represent your club by forming a chess team. Other players in chess matches might take notice and want to stop by. Plus, forming a team will bring your active chess members closer together.

You can also host your own chess tournaments and advertise your events to attract a new crowd. 

Related: Chess Tournament Survival Tips for Parents

Play Chess Matches at Other Chess Clubs

Go to other chess clubs and play chess matches. While you might be worried that supporting another chess club will detract from yours, most players are happy to attend more than one club! 

Generally, people are more likely to give you something when you give them something first. Supporting other associations and chess groups will make other members more likely to return the favor and show up at your chess evenings.

4. Keep Chess Players Happy by Supporting Diverse Needs

It can be easy for chess meets to attract like-minded players. By supporting different play styles, you can grow the number of active members at your chess club.

Understand Play Styles to Keep Players Active in Chess Matches

It's important to keep chess players in active matches. Nothing is worse than a chess player who spends the entire day at chess club not actively involved in matches.

Learn how people enjoy chess games and arrange people to keep everyone actively playing. This will make players much more likely to come back.

When deciding who to pair against each other, try to figure out what each player is there for. Here are some ways to categorize players:

• The casual blitz player: While blitz games can be a great learning tool, some players just want to enjoy the rush of playing 20 bullet games in a row.
• The competitor: Some players love studying the game and incrementally improving. They seek to win more than they lose, and they study openings and tactics.
• The student: Players who are newer to the game or who generally just like structure might be more responsive to having an impromptu chess lesson and are interested in taking the time at a chess club to grow.
• The teacher: Some players enjoy explaining the fundamentals of the game to newcomers. Teachers might be intermediate players teaching novices or advanced players teaching intermediate students.

Try to strategically pair players based on these categories. For instance, pair a teacher with a student, or cluster the competitors with the casual players.

Also, encourage players to limit the number of games they play against the same person.

Consider the Needs of Chess Player Subgroups

Consider different subgroups of players. By assessing unique player subgroups, you can ensure people are getting what they want out of the experience.

Here are some subgroups you should consider.

Senior members: Senior chess players may be less likely to want to play a series of bullet or blitz games. They may be interested in the benefits of chess on the brain, solving chess puzzles, and taking their time talking over untimed games.

Make your chess club inviting for senior members by making sure they have the chance to play untimed games.

Kids chess: When growing your chess club, consider two groups of kid chess players: the kids who are brand new to chess and the dedicated child chess players.

Kids who are brand new to the world of chess will need guidance learning the very basics. Work with kids to get the basics down. Teach them how to move the pieces and some fundamental principles. Give their parents resources to continue lessons at home. 

Related: Chess Tactics for Students

Dedicated child chess players may be your club's strongest players. These kids are probably consuming Lichess and chess YouTube content at a high rate, and they may be more likely to play bullet and blitz games.

Related: DGT 1001 Digital Chess Clock

Women chess players: Female players are rare, and we won't discuss all the reasons why that is the case here. However, it is important to make sure women feel safe and respected at your chess club. By having a code of conduct, you'll make sure your chess club is an inviting place for women, and they will be more likely to return.

Related: The Polgar Sister: Three Chess Prodigies In One Family

Running your own chess club can be stressful, especially when turnout feels sparse. But with these tips, you can grow your chess club to a healthy number.

FAQ: Growing Your Chess Club