UNITED STATES CHESS SCHOOL

  

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Do you want to be invited to the US Chess School? Below are some things that we are looking for in our invites. We won't always have a personal understanding of your abilities, especially if you are very young and we haven't seen you before, so if you want to be considered for an invite, it's always best to email us at admin@uschessschool.com

We will also listen carefully to the input of the any of the previous USCS trainers and their impressions of the players who have attended and whom they have met in their travels.




The following are our selection guidelines and what we are looking for in young chessplayers:

1. Passion and Work Ethic:

  
Although it's nice to have a lot of talent and a high rating, these alone won't get you anywhere without the drive and willingness to work. Those whom have shown a tremendous fighting spirit and aptitude for the game may be favored over others with higher ratings. Players who show a strong desire to attend the USCS will be favored.

2. Talent + Youth

  
Of course your chess talent and playing strength is important as well. If you are a hard worker but hundreds of points lower rated than your competition, it's unlikely an invite will be extended. For the most part, if two players are equally rated yet two years apart in age, the younger player may be more likely to get the invite.

3. Lack of Opportunity

    We will favor those players who live in areas far away from major chess activity and strong players. It's easy to find a coach and some chess action in NYC, but it's not as simple in Nebraska.

4. High Recommendations from very strong players and coaches

 
  The committee may be unfamiliar with some of the players that are being considered for an invitation. In these cases we will contact as many strong players as possible whom are familiar with your chess abilities, talent and attitude and use these recommendations to help us make our choices.

5. Rating isn't everything

 Just because you have a high rating doesn't mean you are entitled to be invited to this School. The committee doesn't simply start at the top of the rating list and scroll down. Everyone who has been involved in the chess world for any extended period of time understands the inherent fluctuations of the rating system. If you are rated as one of the absolute top players in the nation and have never attended the program before, it's likely you will be invited. However if you are not at the top you should have a strong work ethic, intense hunger to succeed, or be signifigantly younger than the competition.

  There are no obsessions over a rapidly fluctuating 4 digit number at the USCS. We are willing to invite players whom may not have the credentials of other players, and if you feel that you deserve to be one of these players, you should contact us at admin@uschessschool.com. Please note that while rating isn't everything, it's important to at least be relatievly close to the lowest rated invites for a particular camp. For instance if we have 9 students all rated from 2000-2100, it's unlikely we will invite a 1700 rated player. However if you are rated 1900, it's certainly possible.

6. # of Invites (Updated)

 
There will be anywhere from 8-12 students at each training session. For training sessions involving younger students, a minimum of four of these students must be first time attendees. This means that once you have attended the camp, it's not so easy to get invited back. For camps involving stronger and older players, there are no minimum number of first time attendants.

7. Age Groups (Updated)

 
Right now we plan to have 3 types of groups, one comprised of players whom are 14 or older, 11-14 and 9-12 years old. These figures are always flexible and may be changed slightly depending on circumstances. If you are exceptionally strong (ie rated above 2300 yet only 12 years old), you may be invited to the older group instead. We expect that about 75% of our programs will be for younger students.


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