how to use the chess warrior association to motivate chess...

Ralph Athey

How to use the Chess Warrior Associationto motivate chess learners

Chess Warrior AssociationChapter Master Handbook

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IntroductIonThe purpose of the Chess Warrior Association is to motivate young people to learn about chess, to become chess literate and to understand how to win a game of chess. Everyone who attempts a game of chess wants to win. But learning how to win is effortful. Wanting to win does not automatically supply the motivation to make the effort needed to learn how to win.

The Chess Warrior Association provides the needed motivation by forming a community in which knowledge of chess is rewarded with membership, status and praise. To create a successful Chess Warrior Association Chapter, the Chapter Master must understand the four Chess Warrior Association motivational elements and how they work together to build a community of Chess Warriors. The Chapter Master Handbook is intended as a guide to the Chapter Master in gaining that understanding and in applying these motivational elements successfully.

The four motivational elements of the Chess Warrior Association are Routine, Rank, Competition, and Praise/ Public Honor. They function as motivation because they each contribute to forming a distinct, special chess community to which the Chess Warrior feels he/she belongs.

How to apply the motivational elements of the Chess Warrior Association is elaborated in Part I of this handbook,“TheChessWarriorMotivationalElements”.Routineislistedfirstbecauseitistheframeworkthatallowsdeliveryoftheothermotivationalelements.AChapterMastershouldfirstadsorbtheChessWarrior Meeting Routine. This routine is the key to a successful Chess Warrior Chapter.

An important aspect of any competitive community is the establishment of a hierarchy. The Chess Warrior Association provides two routes to gain status and to ascend a hierarchy: the Chess Warrior Ranks and Chess Warrior Tournaments. Ranks are awarded for knowledge of chess, which is independent of winning. Keeping track of and publishing tournament results rewards winning. While there should be a correlation between knowledge and winning, they are not the same. They both grant status in the Chess Warrior community.

The Chapter Master can also grant a Chess Warrior status by designating Assistant Chapter Master(s). This is awarded to Chess Warriors who are particularly helpful to other Warriors in advancing in their rank. Helping a newcomer through the Passed Pawn Narrative would be an example.

The discussion of Warrior Ranks is dense. Scan it enough to see the progression in the ranks and to learn how to use the Rank Narratives. Then it is only necessary to stay ahead of your most advanced Warriors.

The sections on competition and praise are comparatively direct and easy to understand. Their power as motivational and community building elements needs little elaboration.


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In an established Chess Warrior Association Chapter the Warriors know how to play chess and how to participate in the meeting routine. Guiding beginning Warriors to this level is discussed in Part II: “Getting Started”. It describes what is needed to start a Chess Warrior Association Chapter and gives detailedlessonplansforthefirsttwomeetingsandthe prioritizes goals for the following meetings. Time spent in the beginning establishing think, practice, learn; play chess . . . will pay dividends that give cause for all to celebrate: Chess Warriors who know their place in the chess world and who understand how to win a game of chess.

Using Rank advancement, tournament wins and good citizenship as sources of status and praise for Warriors within the Chess Warrior Chapter is fundamental to the motivation power of these elements. The Chapter Master can use bulletin boards, newspaper articles (Chess is a sport), and awarding Chess WarriorCertificatesatpublicceremoniesaspositivepublicity.ThisaffectsrecruitingandreinforcestheconfidenceandprideofChessWarriors.

ToregisteryourChapteroftheChessWarriorassociation,contactotherCWAChapters,orfindguidancefor instructional problems visit [email protected]. Good luck to you on your Chess Warrior adventure.

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PART 1MotIvatIonal ElEMEnts

The four Chess Warrior Association motivational elements, Routine, Rank, Competition and Praise/public, function as motivation because together they create a community where it is safe and rewarding to learn about chess and to play chess. The meeting routine is the framework. Two pathways to status, Chess Warrior Rank and Chess Warrior Tournaments, provide material for praise and public honor. The Chapter Master weaves them together to build a successful Chess Warrior Association Chapter.

thE chEss WarrIor MEEtIng routInE

A Chess Warrior Association meeting must follow a pattern or routine that supports the other motivational elements. It begins by stimulating chess thinking, practicing standard chess moves, and allowing the Chapter Master to deliver a chess lesson related to Warrior Rank advancement. This is followed by supervised competition: playing chess. It provides for a review and delivery of Praise/Public honor at the close of the meeting. A Chess Warrior visiting another Chess Warrior Association Chapter should feel familiar with and comfortable in the routine. Here it is:

Think, practice, learn; play chess . . . celebrate

This should be the mantra of the Chapter Master when planning and conducting Chess Warrior meetings. The special meaning of these words is discussedbelow.Thesettingforyourmeetingisfirst

element of any routine. Chess Warrior Association posters and demonstration chessboards should be on display when Warriors arrive.

Think: When Chess Warriors arrive at a meeting they earn a place at a chessboard by solving a chess problem set up on a display board. This problem is the same problem that was reviewed at the end of the last meeting and this was in turn the position that ended the lecture at the beginning of that meeting. These are important reviews that help learners retain information. When Warriors have responded to this chess problem give them their folders and a seat at a chessboard.

Practice: When Chess Warriors have earned a seatatachessboardtheyfirstworkwithapartnerpracticing winning standard “won positions”. The Rank Chessboard Performance Tests are the template for this practice. Warriors must practice these tests in order to pass against the Chapter Master. This is not a game to be won or lost but a sparring exercise. Warriors learn from each other and help each other while building community relationships.

Learn: The Chapter Master interrupts the sparring to deliver a lesson guided by vocabulary found in a Rank Narrative or The Chess Warrior’s Chess Story. Read chorally the passage that contains the selected vocabulary. Choral reading sets the vocabulary in the learner’s mind better than just listening to someone else read. Choral reading also helps build a sense of community. This reading is followed by a brief discussion of the vocabulary or demonstration of the chess concept contained in that reading.

If the lesson involves a chess concept using a chessboard demonstration, the position before the last move of the demonstration becomes the problem reviewed at the end of the meeting and it is used again to gain entry to the next meeting. If the


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vocabulary did not require a chessboard demonstration, end the lesson with a chess problem. This problem is to be reviewed at the end of the meeting and used to start the next meeting. Review previous vocabulary with this problem. Checkmate problems are never out of place.

Solving the problem and practicing mates starts the mind “thinking chess” and can be compared to an athlete stretching muscles or a musician playing scales as a warm up. Using problem solving, sparring and a lesson as the entrance requirement sets a value on, and a standard for membership in the Chess Warrior Association community. This introduction should be kept brief, seven minutes or less is ideal, but it contains the core message of the Chess Warrior Association: knowledge of chess makes one a better chess player; it is good to be a better chess player.

Sing the Chess Warrior Song to signal the beginning of chess play. This song is a cheer for your Warriors, it contains a chess lesson and nothing builds community more than singing. Sing.

Play chess: Warriors pair off and play chess. Chess Warrior Tournaments and Chess Warrior Ranks requirements give structure and purpose to these chess games. The Chapter Master uses the play chess time to initiate Chess Warrior Tournaments, to administer Chessboard Performance Test, or to sign off other rank requirements. The Chapter Master is also free to play chess.

If possible, I play background, or “thinking” music during free playtime. It must not be loud. It should not be music that is familiar to any Warrior. No vocal music; words distract. Some of my favorites are Sumatran Gamelan, string quartets by Mozart or Bartok, and anything by Sonny Rollins. This is complex, controlled music to encourage complex, controlled thinking.

Giveverbalcuesattenminutes,fiveminutes,andone minute before the end of chess play. Sing the Chess Warrior Song to signal the end of play.

Celebrate: End the meeting by announcing any Chess Warrior Tournament results and any rank requirements Warriors have met or promotions achieved.ThisisatimetogiveoutcertificatesthatWarriors may have earned. These can be awarded again at ceremonies outside the Chapter. The last act in a Chess Warrior Meeting is to review the chess problem left from the earlier lesson. Solving this problem will be the admission price for the next meeting. Sing the Chess Warrior Song to end the meeting.

Think, practice, learn; play chess . . . celebrate

Meeting routine summarySettingisthefirstpieceofanysuccessfulroutine.As Chess Warriors arrive, have on display the Chess Warrior Purpose poster, the Chess Warrior Ranks poster, demonstration chessboards or a projection screen, current tournament results, recent promotions and any other relevant Chess Warrior posters. The meeting venue should look like a Chess Warrior venue: tough, competitive, smart.

The routine begins by requiring Chess Warriors solve a chess problem that was presented in the previous meeting. Warriors must then practice common chess maneuvers with a partner. Then they learn something new about chess with a


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lesson guided by the Rank Narratives. Participating in these opening activities earns a Chess Warrior the right to play chess in that Chess Warrior community.

Playing chess is the reason any chess group exist. Chess Warrior Association playing chess includes playing casual games, Chess Warrior Tournament games, and opportunities to fulfill Warrior Rankrequirements. All Chess Warrior Association meetings end by celebrating the accomplishments of Chess Warriors and reviewing the lesson.

When a Chess Warrior Association Chapter has learned and adopted this routine, the work of the ChapterMaster is simplified todelivering a chesslesson related to the Chess Warrior Ranks at each meeting. How to deliver these lessons is described in detail below in the discussion of the Chess Warrior Rank Narratives.

thE chEss WarrIor ranks

ChapterMasterswillfindthatthedesiretoadvancein rank really is a motivation for young people (up to age 90). You build on this by awarding praise and public honor for achieving Chess Warrior Ranks. Earning a rank should be both accessible to your Warriors and challenging enough to be worth the effort. The Chapter Master enforces all rules concerning rank advancement. Patience, tolerance, consistency and fairness are key concepts.

There are three requirements for each rank:

• To demonstrate an understanding of chess vocabulary as presented in the Chess Warrior Rank Narrative and the Rank Narrative - B.

• To pass a Chessboard Performance Test against the Chapter Master.

• To have a record of having played chess. The Chess Warrior Rank Application provides a

checklist for these items. The Chess Warrior enters his name and the rank to which he/she is applying. The Chapter Master must initial each requirement as it is completed and sign the application to certify that the Chess Warrior Candidate has met all the requirements.TheChessWarrioristhenqualifiedtoreceivethatChessWarriorRankCertificate.Awardthis certificate at a suitable public ceremony. Thecompleted Rank Application can be posted on a bulletin board.

vocabulary requirements and the rank narrativesThe Chess Warrior Rank Narratives are discourses using the chess vocabulary that relates to each Chess Warrior Rank. Vocabulary words are presentedinboldfontthefirsttimetheyappearinaRank Narrative. The Rank Narratives include the rank vocabulary in the discourse but do not necessarily define or explain that vocabulary. Understandingthese words comes from discussions led by, and chessboard demonstrations given by the Chapter Master. Meanings should be confirmed by thechessboard experiences of the Chess Warrior.

In a Rank Narrative-B the bold font vocabulary words from the Rank Narrative are replaced by blanks. The missing vocabulary words are listed in alphabetical order at the beginning of the Narrative-B. The Chess Warrior candidate reviews the vocabulary by writing the correct words in the blanks. Turning in a completed Rank Narrative-B


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satisfiesthevocabularyrequirementforeachChess Warrior Rank. However, the Chapter Master shouldconfirmunderstandingofthisvocabularyinconversations with Chess Warrior Candidates.

A lesson begins when Chess Warriors and the Chapter Master chorally read in one voice the Rank Narrative passage selected for that lesson. This is followed by a discussion and/or demonstration of the vocabulary word(s) in that passage.

A lesson always ends with a chess problem, from the lesson if possible. A lesson can be as short as one sentence from a Narrative, or one vocabulary word if a demonstration is necessary. Or it can be as long as a paragraph. Reading from the Chess Warrior’s Chess Story for example. Reading these passages aloud chorally rather than just reading to the Warriors promotes community learning and reinforces good reading habits.

The Ranks Narratives for ranks above Passed Pawn aredividedintofiveparagraphs.Thefirstparagraphwill be an extract from The Chess Warrior’s Chess Story. The second, third and fourth paragraphs will address the end game, middle game and opening respectively. The last paragraph will state game participation requirements for that rank. Any Chessboard Performance Tests required for a Chess Warrior Rank are described in paragraph two, the end game, or paragraph four, the opening.

The Passed Pawn Rank Narrative does not follow thisfive-paragraphpatternbecausePassedPawnsare not yet expected to know the three stages of the game and because there is too much information to fitintoonlyfiveparagraphs.WarriorPassedPawnsare expected to know the basic rules of chess and to understand and participate in the Chess Warrior meeting routine. The Passed Pawn narrative is by far the longest and contains the most vocabulary. But much of this starting vocabulary is from general (tier one) vocabulary: square, white, diagonal, etc. Thedomainspecificvocabulary(tierthree)focuseson the basic essentials for playing chess: piece names, capture, check, etc. Cover this material expeditiously. By the fourth or fifthmeeting there

should be Warriors who understand the Passed Pawn vocabulary, who play complete games of chess, know how to spar and are ready to pass the firstChessboardPerformanceTest.TheseWarriorsquickly become Passed Pawns who will be eager to sign up for a Chess Warrior Tournament.

When you have developed a group of Warrior Passed Pawns the pace of instruction can slow. Completing Chess Warrior Tournaments will take time. Take as many meetings as you might need to coverRankNarrativematerial.Thefiveparagraphsneed not, should not, be taught in sequence. The Chapter Master should choose one sentence or one word from anywhere in the narrative as the subject of a lesson. Skip around till the whole Rank Narrative has been explained and discussed and Chess Warriors have completed the Narrative - B.

Lessons can reach beyond the Rank Narratives. For example the Rank Narratives mention only a few standard chess openings. There are many other openings that a Chapter Master might want to explore. Nor should Chess Warrior Rank Narratives be regarded as exhaustive for the other phases of the game. The Chapter master can expand on all the material covered in the Rank Narratives as long as the focus remains on advancing Chess Warriors through the Chess Warrior Ranks.

chessboard Performance testsThe Chapter Master administers a Chessboard Performance Test at a chessboard with the Warrior Candidate. A Warrior Candidate must play out the assigned tasks against the Chapter Master. The tasks will include forcing mate with a given material advantage and making the characteristic first few moves of a given opening. This is theChapter Master’s opportunity to evaluate the Chess Warrior’s knowledge and skill. Engage the candidate in a conversation about his/her chess play and experience. Use chess vocabulary expected of that rank. Make candidates work to prove that they can overcome resistance. The Chapter Master is the judge of a candidate’s worthiness for any rank.


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game participation requirementsFor the rank of Passed Pawn it is enough that the candidate has been observed playing chess games to completion. For higher ranks Chess Warrior Tournament participation is required.

granting certificatesWhen candidates have filled in all the blanks onthe Chess Warrior Rank Narrative-B they show it to the Chapter Master. When the Chapter Master issatisfiedthatthecandidatehasagoodgraspofthat vocabulary the completed Rank Narrative–B can be posted for public view and Chapter Master can then administer the Chessboard Performance Test described above. When a candidate passes the performance test and has turned in the required TournamentParticipationCertificates, theChapterMaster signs the Rank application. The Warrior can thenbeawardedaChessWarriorRankCertificateat the close of a Chapter meeting and/or at a public ceremony. Fanfare and praise are in order.

coMPEtItIon“Kids love to compete.”

M.B. Rolak, Urban Classroom Management: Building a Community of Learners

After the opening activities Warriors are free to play chess. They will play two types of game: casual games and Chess Warrior Tournament games. Casual games are just that. Two warriors decide to play a game and do so. Chess Warrior Tournaments follow a format, which is designed to formalize competition within a Chess Warrior Chapter. Chess Warrior Tournament participation is a requirement for Rank advancement beyond the Rank of Passed Pawn. After completing a Chess Warrior Tournament Warriors receive a Tournament Certification, which is then applied to meet thegame participation requirements. Chess Warrior Tournament results are data that allow Warriors to measure, record, and publicize their competitions.

chess Warrior tournamentsChess Warrior Tournaments follow a round robin format. Each participant plays every other player two games, once playing white and once playing black. For a four-player tournament six games are required for each participant. This can be done in a manageable time frame.

chess Warrior tournament score sheetsTo initiate a Chess Warrior Tournament complete a Chess Warrior Tournament Score Sheet. Name or identify the tournament in some way. Provide an expected completion date and enter any restrictions such as opening moves or clock time allowed. Then enter the names and Chess Warrior Rank of participants in the left column. Enter their initials across the top in the same order. The ChapterMasterkeepsanofficialcopy,whichcanbe poster size and displayed on a bulletin board. Thisofficialcopyshouldbeupdatedasgamesarecompleted. Players should keep their own copies. These should match the master copy.

Game results are entered on the horizontal line after the players name under the initials of the opponent.





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Enter a one for a win, a zero for a loss, or one-half for a draw. A diagonal line divides each score entry square into two triangles. When a player plays white, the result is entered on the lower left triangle. The other player, who played black, enters the result in the upper right triangle of the space on his/her lineunderthefirstplayer’sinitials.Thisproducesasymmetrical pattern of ones and zeros that is easily recognizable.

When a Warrior has completed all tournament games enter the total number of wins at the end of his/her line. When the tournament is complete and all scores totaled the Chapter Master signs the score sheets and issues Tournament Participation Certificates.

Publishing results is the motivating factor. Announce tournament results as part of your ending routine. Post tournament score sheets on bulletin boards. Write articles for the school newspaper. The praise is given for all participants in a Chess Warrior Tournament. If there is a clear winner that player can be given extra praise, but it is just that, extra.

Every Chess Warrior of the rank of Passed Pawn or higher should always be engaged in at least one Chess Warrior Tournament. Start as many four-player tournaments as are needed to keep all Warriors engaged. Set reasonable deadlines and stick to them.

other uses of tournamentsTournaments can be used to teach openings. Specify the opening moves to be made in every game of a tournament and give the tournament the name of that opening. Tournaments can be restricted to a Warrior rank. This will result in Tournaments with names like “The Passed Pawn’s Center Game”, or “The Warrior Bishop’s Ruy Lopez”. When you have Chess Warrior Rook candidates, use Chess Warrior Tournaments to introduce the use of chess clocks.

Tournament data gives you a look into what is happening in your Chapter. Chart and publish data on the number of tournament games each Warriors


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wins. Encourage competition to have the most tournament wins.

Tournament data can also be used for science studies.Forexample:Whitemovesfirst.Thisshouldbe an advantage and white should win more games than black. Is this true? Which openings are best for white?Conductingsuchstudies teachesscientificmethods as well as providing motivation for learning chess.

Chess Warrior Tournaments with more than four players take longer to play, but they can carry special prizes. If you have a budget for such things a nice chess set or chess books make excellent tournament prizes. Just a game of chess against the Chapter Master at queen odds can be an attractive prize.

PraIsE and PublIc honor

Thefirst requirement for learning is that students,in this case Chess Warriors, feel good about and comfortable with what they are learning. In a Chess Warrior Association Chapter this will derive from the Chapter Master rewarding positive behaviors with praise from the start. When you see a Warrior or Warriors doing something correctly on the chessboard, or in life you must tell them! Form a

habit of saying good things about your Warriors to the Warriors. Only when they grow accustomed to hearing your praise will they hear you when you correct their mistakes.

Publichonorispraiseamplified.TheChessWarriorAssociation Meeting routine is designed to provide many opportunities to deliver public praise within the Chapter. Expand public honor beyond the Chapter Meetings by awarding rank promotions at public ceremonies, putting articles in your school paper or otherwise announcing Chess Warrior Association activities. When you do this you are multiplying the force of your praise with your Warriors and you are recruiting new Chess Warriors. Observing awards being distributed is motivation for potential Chess Warriors to join the fun.

Praise and public honor are essential and free. It is hard to imagine how they can be overdone. But there is a way. Praise must be awarded for something that really is praiseworthy. The act that you praise can be very, very small as long as it has a real connection to positive behaviors. The moment your Warriors perceive that you are giving praise just to give praise, its power to motivate will drop precipitously.

Find a way to praise every Warrior. Your weakest Warrior will randomly make a wise decision. Seize the opportunity. Recognize every Warrior’s efforts. Createaflowofpositivecommentarythatispartofyour routine and includes the whole Chess Warrior Chapter. But keep it real.

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