There is no shortage of resources to help improve your game or your mentorship skills. Hopefully some of these will help you get going!
Chicago Chess Foundation Resources
Beginner & Intermediate Chess, a downloadable (PDF) curriculum with diagrams for youth coaches.
This curriculum is designed to help new chess coaches who play a solid game and are willing to teach but aren’t sure exactly where to start. In this 50 page document we address the substance of the game with topics arranged in what we believe to be a sensible sequence.
Teaching Chess to Groups, a downloadable (PDF) handbook for youth coaches.
Many good chess players are interested in coaching but have not previously taught chess to groups. This may include parents, community residents, high school players, members of local chess clubs, and serious competitive players. If you are such a person, this handbook is for you. It does not teach chess, but instead lays out a method of teaching it.
Chess score sheet, a downloadable (PDF) 100 move chess score sheet for recording games at home, school or tournaments. We will be updating this score sheet soon with our new information.
Other Useful Sites
Illinois Chess Association’s (ICA) website. They are the Illinois state affiliate of the USCF (see below). In their “Youth Resources” section they have an extensive knowledge base of chess information relevant to parents and coaches including a detailed discussion on how to start a chess program. They also have the state’s most extensive listing of tournaments, camps and other chess events.
Illinois High School Association (IHSA) website. If you want to know about high school chess events in Illinois, this is the place to go.
http://ihsa.org/sportsactivities/chess
Uschess.org is the United States Chess Federation’s (USCF) website. They are the regulatory oversight for rated tournaments in the USA. They provide information in the form of online and printed publications along with sponsorship of chess events.
Chesskid.com is an excellent resource for students, coaches and parents. Developed and maintained by Chess.com, this site, also has a free membership. Paid memberships provide additional tools. This site provides a free curriculum to coaches and parents to utilize when mapping out their student(s) development. The tools provided to coaches and parents allow for a more protected environment for students than most other tools.
Chess.com is the biggest name website for the chess community. It has a free membership option that allows users to play games against other users, access to several tactical exercises and a daily puzzle. Paid memberships provide access to additional tools that will help students, who consistently use them to improve their game. Their Chess Mentor is a powerful enabling tool for students who are willing, patient skilled enough to go through the lessons. Members are comprised of a wide range of ages and the conversations are not always kid-friendly. This website is a better resource for coaches and intermediate+ students than beginners.
Chessdom.com is the best resource for finding out what is happening in the chess world. News and announcements have an international bent.
Chessvideos.tv is an excellent resource for the serious student and coach. There is a broad range of specific topics for the videos and a plethora of tools, such as a diagram generator, to prepare a learning experience.
Chessgames.com is a wonderful resource for intermediate+ students to browse historic games and coaches to create collections of games to support a lesson plan. They have a free membership that allows for robust access to their tools.
Chessily is a great free online resource for learning chess, targeted toward beginner players. However, there is also information on chess theory for players as they advance in their understanding and skills.