McMurrich Junior Public School Silent Auction

It is not surprising that Chess Institute of Canada (CIC) chess clubs are often among the most popular clubs in a school.  Using a specially devised curriculum that focuses on developing chess skills with a life skills component, our instructors create a fun and stimulating learning environment for elementary school children (Kindergarten to Grade 8).

If your child’s school runs a CIC chess club and you want to register your child for the classes, please use the one-time registration or login links at right. If you are not sure whether your child’s school runs a CIC chess club, please contact us.

Children are divided into groups by skill level, rather than by age and advance to new levels at their own pace when the instructor feels that they are ready for more challenging lessons and game-play.

One goal of these clubs can be to develop Primary (Kindergarten to Grade 3) and Junior (Grades 4 to 6) teams to represent the school at board-wide and other tournaments. In fact, many chess teams under our tutelage have either won the Toronto city championships or have come close in past years.

Clubs can be run either during lunch or after school. Lunch clubs are 45 minutes in length, where children are given some time to eat beforehand. After-school programs are 1 hour in length and begin 15 minutes after school dismissal, allowing children time to enjoy a snack.

The curriculum we use provides a solid foundation in chess for all levels, from beginners to competitive players, but still uses the game as a vehicle through which to teach and instill important life skills.

Each group receives instruction, which builds from lesson to lesson in a structured, engaging, and entertaining way, with game playing, tournaments and other chess challenges to round out the picture. During the play component, the instructor moves around the class, providing assistance, ideas, correction and support, as children play with peers who are at the same level as them. The learning is accompanied by appealing and dynamic Chess World curriculum workbooks and worksheets, which provide an added value to every child’s experience.

These clubs are fully administered by the CIC, including collection of registration and payment from parents, production of attendance lists and provision of all materials for children.

School chess clubs run by the CIC are paid for by individual families and therefore consist of children who are interested in the game and have family support. We believe that no child should be excluded on account of an inability to pay. Schools are encouraged to discuss these situations with the CIC so that we can find a way to accommodate every child with an interest in joining the chess club.

Most schools offer both curriculum chess classes and extra-curricular chess clubs. While the curriculum class is a mandatory program delivered within regular class time, it seldom reaches students in every grade. An extra-curricular club ensures that chess lessons are available to any child desiring them.

https://www.chessinstitute.ca/programs/school-chess-clubs/