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Information for parentsEducational benefits of chess for children International studies show that chess, when taught to youths once a week, leads to increase academic results [15% higher in Maths and English] and results in a more strategic outlook for the developing person [20% less likely to be involved in drugs/anti social behaviours]. This is why our community needs to offer chess as an option to its youth, to complement the more physical sports which are more readily available. Apart from such questions of academic excellence, the question really is whether chess might interest and suit your child. Is the setting of the junior chess club useful to them? Will they enjoy chess? What is wonderful about chess is that children who attend junior clubs can quickly realise that the club offers a wide range of interesting and different activities. Many are very challenging for them but they meet those challenges in the company of friends. However, our hope is to ensure at all times that chess clubs emphasis the importance of children / youth. In a sense chess – with its many leagues and competitions - is simply a setting in which children can form friendships and enjoy themselves and have a positive experience of chess coaches and chess organisers. So, if you are thinking about chess as a positive activity for your child, then it makes sense to check on our website for details of the nearest junior club to you. Give one of our chess leaders a call and ask them about the types of activities a junior chess club engages in. The best thing to do, as with many other possible activities for your child, is to come to a junior club and to give it a try for a few weeks. It is most likely that your child will then have a positive activity and hobby for life and will have made a range of new friends in the process! Chess in Ireland Chess is organised by volunteers and there are approximately 15,000 chess players of serious standard, with some 1,000 formally rated by the chess bodies. There is a thriving club league in the Dublin and Leinster area. Typically, chess events take place in tournaments held over a weekend and these are very social and competitive activities. For juniors, tournaments and events are much less time consuming! Typically our Leinster junior chess leagues and tournaments are held on Saturday or Sunday afternoons and last around 3 hours. Chess is of course an individual sport, with one player pitted against another. However, most juniors play for their club or school teams and the result of such matches will depend on how the entire team has performed rather than individual games. Local junior chess clubs There is a list of Junior Chess Clubs with contact details on the clubs page. Where there is no junior club, it is possible that you will come across others interested in establishing a junior club by visiting the local senior club. The senior clubs in Leinster are listed here. Who we are and how we operate The Leinster Junior committee is part of the Leinster chess Union. It focusses on running leagues and events for junior chess players and promoting junior chess. We can also help those considering establishing a junior club in their locality, with advice on: - Getting a suitable premises - Getting chess equipment - Information on Garda Vetting and child protection training - Organising insurance - Organising chess activities So if you felt you want to see a junior club exist locally, simply drop into an existing junior club and see the range of activities, talk to the local chess leader and collect any ideas you need to assess whether you can set up a club locally. Other information Link to the Irish Chess Union Link to the Leinster Chess Union |