By the late 1990s I realised that, specifically within primary school chess clubs:

• the WRONG teachers (including me) were teaching chess
• the WRONG children were learning chess
• children were learning chess at the WRONG age
• children were learning chess in the WRONG place
• children were being taught chess using the WRONG methods
• children were being taught chess for the WRONG reasons.

Decisions were being made by a combination of chess players who understood little about children and teachers who understood little about chess.

Sure, most of the children were having a good time, but it was hard to envisage that playing at a low level once a week was going to produce the improved academic performance that some of their parents were expecting. There was also very little continuity after primary school, with very close to a 100% dropout rate.

I wrote a book for parents, but few parents bought it and many of those who did didn’t like it.

It gradually occurred to me that, although primary school chess clubs served little purpose beyond short-term fun, they were exactly what parents wanted, exactly what schools wanted and exactly what most chess teachers wanted. They also seemed to be what children (thought they) wanted.

Likewise, professionally run junior clubs, as Richmond had now become, were great for really ambitious and talented children, but the boy I was would have needed a very different approach.

I’ve now written a book for schools, with a similar response, although it has been well received by some elements of the chess community.

I believe that the problem is societal rather than just to do with chess, and is international rather than local or national, although manifesting itself in different ways in different cultures. I’m hoping to set up another website to consider this more deeply at some point.

But there are signs that the world of children’s chess might be changing back to something that would have helped the boy I was. If you share my views, come and join us, start a Chess Heroes club, buy the Chess Heroes books.