Chess

"Give a child a toy and they will play for a day. Teach a child chess and they will play for a lifetime."

We teach:

Fun! Enjoying the game and the social side of chess.
The basics: rules, the board, piece movements, check, checkmate and stalemate.
Tactics and Combinations: how to win pieces and checkmate!
Openings, Middle game and Endings: where your pieces go and when and why they go there.
Official tournament play: Get involved in the wider chess world through unrated USCF rated play.

What our students learn:

Respect: We go into every game with a winning attitude and come out with a winning attitude.
Leadership: motivating yourself, assisting others, and providing a positive role model; chess will teach leadership skills to last throughout life.
Evaluation: chess develops the skills needed to break down large. problems into manageable parts and to address each part in turn.
Values: chess teaches confidence, creativity, and patience.

Dates: Year round

Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Times: 6:00-7:30 PM

Instructor: Paul Mechem

Age: Kindergarten - Adult (beginner to expert)

Cost: $30 per month

Class size: Limit of 20

Location: 3rd floor cafeteria

Instructor: Paul Mechem. Paul is a United States Chess Federation rated Expert. He has more than 25 years of chess experience teaching students of all ages. Having previously worked as a therapeutic youth counselor and foster care/adoption social worker in Illinois as well as with adults with disabilities in St. Louis, Paul now teaches chess professionally in Missouri and Illinois.

*All participants must have an active Leu membership to participate in classes. Family memberships cost $50 for the whole year! Individual memberships (age 15+) only cost $35 for the whole year!

**You may attend one free trial class without a Leu membership.