Free One Year Long Chess Course

If you are proactive and can teach yourself there are great sites online such as http://www.chesskids.com. Although it is designed for children it is also a great way for adults to learn chess who are starting from scratch. Just click on “Kids” at the top and off you go! That site is also free! It takes you from the very beginning and gradually leads you on to some intermediate subjects.

If you want to learn advanced skills we highly recommend the International Chess University (IchessU) at http://www.ichessu.com. They teach via the computer much in the same way as our Silver Knight Free One Year Long Chess Course only there are fees for the courses but we have found them well worth it for advanced students.

If however you are an adult and have never played chess before, or you are a beginner or intermediate player who wants a Silver Knight to come and teach chess at a facility near you then you have come to the right place. Our chess course if FREE!  (It’s really FREE! We pay for the course from donations of people who wish to help us prevent Alzheimer’s disease. We do take free-will donations from students and facilities and we are always very grateful and acknowledge your gift in the "Awards" area.)

The Silver Knight Free One Year Long Chess Course is a one-year course (52 lessons) that cover the very beginnings of chess through intermediate topics. You learn at your own pace, so if you take 3 weeks to learn the first lesson, that is fine with us! This means that the course may actually take more than a year.

We have found one thing to be true. We can’t teach you how to play chess. The only person that can teach you how to play chess is you! By that we mean that you have to put some effort into it rather than just listening to lectures. People don’t learn how to play chess by listening to a lecture once per week. People learn how to play chess by playing chess. That is why you get a chance to play in all of our classes. That means if you want to learn this fun game, you also have to sit down and play it with someone as often as possible. We recommend at least 1 game per week or a minimum of 1 hour per week. The more chess you play the better your protection from Alzheimer’s disease will be.

We go out of our way to make the lessons as much fun and entertaining as possible. We also teach at the speed that is comfortable for you. Each lesson is at least 1 hour long (longer if the students and teacher want to), often consisting of both lecture and practice playing chess. Even if you have never played before you will be playing the very first day!

With each lesson you will be recieve a lesson plan that shows in detailed illustrations everything you need to know for that lesson. You also get the quiz so that you can write in the answers from the lesson plan. You pass each lesson by going through the quiz when you are ready. You only need to get 50 percent correct to pass the lesson. We keep track of your score and give you awards as you progress.  The quizzes and awards are voluntary- you don't need to take them. If you know the rules and just want to play chess, let us know and you can come at the end of the class or at Chess Club meeting times and play.

There are achievement awards along the way. You get 7 framed certificates as you cover the 7 different levels- the Pawn Level (The Rules), the Bishop Level (The Principles), The Knight Level (The Tactics), the Rook Level (Endgames), the Queen Level (Attacking), the King Level (The Openings) and Graduation (The Strategies). There are also trophies, chess books and other awards that you can earn along the way to add even more fun to the cool game of chess.

Please fill out the application form below. We will review the application form and if you qualify and there is a Silver Knight in our area you will receive an email and your Silver Knight Coach will contact you. If there is no Silver Knight in your area and you are interested you can volunteer to become a Silver Page to help find possible Silver Knights in your area to coach the lesson.  You can have or you will be assigned a Chess Buddy to play chess with and to help you learn how to play chess. Chess Buddies make learning chess a lot more easy and a lot more fun.

There are certain requirements to take this chess course:

1. You must really want to learn how to play chess. Please don’t fill out this application unless you are sure you want to learn chess. Don't let someone talk you into it. If you are not sure, try the Chesskids link above.
2. You must be willing to reliably meet with the Silver Knights Chess Coach at least 1 hour per week at a time agreed with you and your coach. You must contact your coach at least 1 hour prior to the class if you are going to be absent.
3. You must be willing to reliably practice/play chess at least 1 hour per week outside of class.
4. You must be able to take new information and move it from short-term to long-term memory.

Only the student(s) may fill this form out. Please do not fill out for others unless they have a physical handicap that prevents them from doing so. If there is more than one student at a facility that wants to take the course they will all be taught at the same class.

= Required

First Name

Middle

Last

Email Address

Are you at least 18 years old?      Yes No

Which of the following facilities do you live in?      Nursing home Assisted living Private home Other

Other (Please tell us what kind):

Name of facility

Name of your primary caregiver if applicable:

Phone number of caregiver who might be assisting the student:

Street Address of the facility or residence:

US City

US State Select StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareColumbia (District of)FloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Phone

Zip Code

Alternate Phone/Cell Phone

Chess moves:      I know how all the pieces move I think I know how some move I don't know any moves

Do you know all the rules of chess?      I know all the rules of chess I know some of the rules of chess I don\'t know any rules of chess

USCF Rating

I have no USCF Rating

What is the highest grade you have achieved?      High school 2 year college 4 year college Post graduate work

Are you willing to reliably attend the classes at a time agreed upon by you and the Silver Knight Coach?      Yes No

Will you reliably contact your Silver Knight Coach at least 6 hours prior to the class time if you are not going to attend?      Yes No

Will you reliably fill out the survey at the beginning, middle and end of the course?      Yes No

Will you reliably practice/play chess at least 3 hours each week?      Yes No

Well Trained Coaches: Our coaches are trained in teaching students with physical and mental challenges and this does not by any means disqualify a potential student.

Please list any physical challenges (diseases etc) that might affect your ability to move the chess pieces:

Please list any mental challenges, illnesses; medication side effects that might affect your ability to learn chess:

Please list any emotional challenges that might affect your ability to learn chess:

Would you be willing to learn chess over the computer with our Silver Knights Face-to-Face Computer Chess Course? You will need a cable/DSL connection, a headset/microphone, and a Webcam (optional).      Yes No

Please explain in detail why you want to learn chess and include anything you think we should know about the student.