What Others Say About Scholastic Chess

My October Scholastic Chess ChessCafe column is now online, and I'm appreciative of the many top scholastic chess personalities throughout the U.S. who took the time to share their thoughts with me about why so many kids ultimately drop out of chess, and what might be done about it.

I heard back from a broad spectrum of interested parties. There were young players, some in high school, and some in college. I heard from parents, and I heard from teacher/coaches and I heard from chess administrators and organizers. This list consists of one grandmaster, several international masters, and some of the leading scholastic chess coaches, teachers and organizers in the country. It’s certainly not all-inclusive – many others with valuable opinions could have been included as well, but the people quoted herein are the individuals who shared their thoughts with me as of press time. Additional opinions and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged.