The club has been busy! If you have a chance to swing by Grandma B’s Sweet Treats on Mondays @ 4:30PM, you should do so! All ages and experience levels are welcome, it’s free. The ice cream isn’t, but it’s worth it to treat yourself. You deserve it.
The 2025-2026 4-H Chess Project has officially wrapped up, and with it came a number of lessons learned.
Like many youth programs, one of the biggest challenges was simply competing with the sheer number of activities packed into a modern school year. We began with 12 participants, which gradually tapered to 6, then 5, and ultimately settled into a dedicated core group of 4 regular attendees. Honestly, that’s understandable. Chess is hard.
One of the realizations this year was that the initial paper puzzle homework and the more aggressive syllabus may have been a bit much for students who were only engaging with chess once a week during meeting time. Chess improvement is a lot like learning a musical instrument. Weekly lessons help, but meaningful progress usually requires practice outside of class. That takes self-discipline and self-motivation, traits that are increasingly difficult to cultivate in a world filled with constant digital distractions competing for attention.
If anything, the experience gave me even more respect for public school teachers and anyone working with youth development programs.
Despite the challenges, there were definite success stories. One participant, a 3rd grader, made tremendous progress over the course of the year and developed a solid understanding of opening principles and foundational chess concepts. One of the proudest moments was hearing them confidently explain chess ideas and terminology to their parent. There was no question that real learning had taken place.
That alone made the project worthwhile.
Looking ahead, the plan is to continue the 4-H Chess Project next school year, with the goal of integrating it more closely with the regular Monday chess meetings at Grandma B’s. The hope is that a more consistent and community-oriented environment will help newer players stay engaged while also giving developing players more opportunities to grow beyond a once-a-week meeting format.
