Who can join Regal Chess School?

All youth from all states may join! We are a national program reaching coast to coast and beyond.  We also have in person classes and tournaments as well. Check for your area on the home page for more information.

How does Regal (Virtual) Chess School work?

Most classes start with a lesson and then students play practice games thereafter. We use Zoom for communication and Chess.com for games. Students will need to have a Chess.com account set up for them if they do not already have one. 

Do I need to pay for a Chess.com account?

No. Most students are fine with the FREE account although as they begin to explore and use the site, they may want access to other options that the free account will not allow. With the free account, your student should be able to do five puzzles per day and unlimited chess games. If you decide to become a PREMIUM Chess.com member, please use this link. It helps support programs for our chess school scholarship fund.

What days do you offer classes and what are the differences?

Sundays—World Championship Games and Practice: We analyze one championship game every week and then play regular practice games or variant chess games after the chess lesson. All Levels. 1 hour.

Mondays—Tournament Chess and CXR-Rated games: Created for the player that is interested in improving tournament play, we start with a chess lesson and then students will play three CXR-Rated games in sections for monthly prizes. All levels. 1-2 hours. Must have current CXR membership to participate.

Wednesdays—Chess School and Practice: Taught to all levels, students will get instruction that matches their skill level. 1 hour.

Fridays—CXR-Rated Tournaments: Work on your rating and play with other youth, adults and even FIDE or Grandmasters. 4 Rounds. Game 30. No lesson will be given prior to start of games. All levels.   2-4 hours depending on length of games. Must have current CXR membership to participate.

What level is my student?

To get the most out of our chess school, we highly suggest students have a knowledge of chess basics. If your child does not know how the pieces move or the generalities of the game, we encourage setting up private lessons with us to get your student up to a level where they can benefit from the group lesson. We encourage all students to participate and share their ideas.  For our more advanced students, we challenge their thinking with higher level skills and tactics.

Why does my child need extra memberships? How much are they?

To play rated tournament chess, memberships are needed. We use Chess Express Ratings (CXR) and the United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating systems.  After playing a certain number of rated chess games, students will receive a rating. To participate on Mondays and Fridays, a CXR membership is needed. A USCF membership may be needed for some events. Expired memberships will need to be made current.

Chess Express Memberships are $9/year for all ages. USCF memberships for ages 18 and under are $20/year.

Who will my student play?

During Sunday, Monday and Wednesday chess school, students will only play other students in our Regal Chess School program.  Students may “friend” other chess school students and challenge them to games outside of class time. Students may also join tournaments through Chess.com and play with other chess enthusiasts. We strongly encourage students to get permission from their parents to openly play chess on Chess.com outside of our chess club.

We encourage students to practice playing with low rated computers on Chess.com. The site will allow you to adjust the level of your opponents, allowing you to play with others near your own rating.

Can I add private lessons to my tuition?

In the past we offered a premium option to add a monthly private 30-minute virtual lesson to your child’s tuition. Virtual chess lessons will now be a separate option purchased in a set of 4 or 12 and scheduled as often as your student’s schedule allows. Check out the LESSONS tab on the home page for more information. After payment, we will contact you with lesson availability.

Do I need to register every month on REG4CHESS.com?

We prefer you to pay through the Virtual Regal Chess School payment link on REG4Chess.com. It may be best to sign up for 3-6 months at a time when you have settled into a comfortable pattern. If we have not received payment from you by the start of the next month and your child is attending lessons, we will send you a Paypal invoice for that month. If we have not received payment 7 days after the start of the new month, your child may not be able to participate until payment is made.

After you have established a steady tuition history with us, you may feel it is easier to Venmo (KENNETH-FEE-1) or PayPal (kcchess@gmail.com) your tuition directly. Just include a brief note with your payment with STUDENT NAME, TUITION PLAN, and # OF MONTHS you are paying for. If you need to renew any memberships, you may also pay this way and we will take care of the details for you.

How can my student advance in the Regal Chess School program?

Our Pawn to King Curriculum has 25 levels to challenge and prepare students for lifelong chess study. We start with the Pawn level in the Ruby Tier where students work on ten skills with instructional videos to supplement the lessons learned during chess school. Once students feel they know these ten skills and have completed 40 games and 40 puzzles on Chess.com, they are eligible for testing. Testing can be done online for a small fee, or a scanned copy of the test can be sent to us for grading. Students that pass the Pawn level will be awarded a certificate and then sent the skills for the next level, Knight. The skills build on one another and the student can move as quickly as they want. To be better in chess, working on the curriculum is recommended, but it is not required to participate in our program. We offer 4 tiers (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and Diamond) with 6 levels in each tier. For preschool and kindergarten students that attend our programs in person, we have special coloring books introducing them to chess.

How much is it?

Sundays/Wednesdays $39/month

Monday/Friday Tournament School $49/month

ALL DAYS (Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri) $72/month

ALL DAYS with Saturday Chess School at the Kansas City Chess Club $100/month

I’ve registered. Now what?

Once we have gotten notification that you have paid, we will send you set up directions. This will include the Zoom link and how to join our Regal Chess School on Chess.com.

Be your Best! Play Chess!    Coach Fee