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Chess Merit Badge
The Boy Scouts of America embraced how special the game is
and offers Chess as a merit badge.
The St. Louis Chess Club introduced the badge in 2011. It became one of the most popular badges in the Scouts BSA merit badge catalog, with over 250,000 scouts earning the badge.
Scouts do not have to go to St. Louis to earn the badge.
The Scott County Chess Club wants to help any Scout add it to their elective collection on their sash.
We hosted a Chess Merit Badge Clinic on
Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at the Forest Baptist Church
We will host another Chess clinic at some point
so check here for details.
All Scouts are welcome to participate.
We traveled to Hood Scout Reservation in Hazelhurst on Nov. 19, 2022,
where we taught chess to 16 Scouts during the 2022 Winter Camp.
See below for more information.
Schedule for the next clinic
Scouts should report to the location between 8 and 9 a.m. for check-in. The clinic will start at 9 a.m. Scouts should wear their Class A dress uniform.
The morning session will run from 9 until noon and include the instruction of how the game is played, its history, and other details. The Chess Merit Badge worksheet (copies available below for download) will be included in the instruction.
Chess boards and other materials will be provided by the clinic staff. Scouts may bring their own if they have one.
Scouts are welcome and encouraged to review any educational materials about Chess before the clinic if they desire. Parents may watch and listen in.
The clinic will break for lunch between noon and 1 p.m. Lunch will be on your own and free to visit local restaurants.
Scouts should report back to the location at 1 p.m. In the final hour, discussion will focus on tournaments and Scouts can participate in a tournament simulation. Upon final review and any questions answered, Scouts will have met requirements and have earned the Chess Merit Badge.
Scouts may bring Blue Cards issued by their Troop's Scoutmaster, but Blue Cards will be available at the Clinic. The Clinic Director is a BSA certified Merit Badge Counselor with the Andrew Jackson Area Council and will sign off on the Scouts' cards.
Questions may be emailed to scottcountychessclub@gmail.com
2022 Winter Camp
Two classes of total 36 Scouts learned Chess
Chris and Aaron Baker traveled to Hood Scout Reservation in Hazelhurst the weekend of Nov. 19-20 to serve as teachers for the Chess merit Badge. Chris is a certified BSA merit badge counselor and Aaron, whose first merit badge earned was chess, assisted.
On Nov. 19, the Bakers had 16 Scouts in the class. There were originally 20 registered, but scheduling conflicts diverted four Scouts to other classes. The Bakers provided instruction in a format similar to their chess clinic held in October. See photo gallery immediately below.
Because the Bakers could not stay the whole camp, another instructor shadowed them on Saturday and taught the other 20 Scouts on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Plans are already underway for the Bakers to return to next year's camp and teach both classes if possible.
