One of my favorite parts of running Campfire Chess is the fact that I get to choose what I write about. Sometimes I like to write about my own games and sometimes I like to write about tournaments, movies, or books. On occasion I have had the opportunity to participate in activities or have purchased a product that was a defining moment in my chess life and was able to write glowing reviews and provide publicity for those designers and manufacturers. Among those are my absolute obsession with my Chessmate Ultima and my Plycounter. Quite often I wish I had the chance to do more publicity for scholastic chess because it is without a doubt in my mind that I believe scholastics represent the future of chess in America. With the increasing prevalence of chess programs in American schools it is likely that some of the next American champions are being formed in libraries, on playgrounds, and in gymnasium tournaments across the country at this very moment.
Recently I received a bright yellow flyer in the mail advertising an organization called Chess America. Founded in 2007, Chess America is a family run business dedicated to teaching chess in schools, camps, libraries, and park districts. These classes are taught by chess professionals and it is this kind of instruction that is pivotal to the future of competitive American chess. Because I believe so strongly in scholastics and this organization (somehow) was able to reach out to me through old school USPS mail, I would like to present their request here for any readers who might be interested in helping them out.