Puddletown Blog – Page 2 – Puddletown Chess

Is Chess Good for Kids With Autism? What Parents Should Know

Many parents of children with autism spend a lot of time searching for activities that help their kids feel comfortable, confident, and engaged. Some activities rely heavily on fast reactions or complicated social interactions, which oftentimes make students feel overwhelmed. Chess is different. The rules are clear, the board never changes,…

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05/21/2026

Community / Education / Learnings / Training / Youth

Why Chess Is Great for Kids With ADHD (7 Surprising Benefits)

Many parents of children with ADHD spend years searching for activities that truly help their kids focus, build confidence, and enjoy learning. Some activities feel overwhelming. Others don’t hold attention long enough. But one activity consistently surprises families: Chess. At Puddletown Chess tournaments and training sessions, we’ve seen many kids with…

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05/07/2026

Community / Learnings / Tournaments / Training / Volunteers / Youth

Trust the Process: A State Champion’s Story

A Quick Note from Ishaan Every once in a while, someone in our community reminds us what consistent effort, the right mindset, and love for the game can really lead to. Hayul is one of those people. He’s not just an incredibly strong player, he’s also one of our coaches and…

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04/27/2026

Tournament Report

April 2026 Tournament Report

We loved our April 2026 tournament. Over 70 players. Many familiar families and a lot of new ones as well! A major shout-out to our dear volunteers who helped tirelessly throughout the day. Congrats to our following winners: Best Female Performance Award: Riana Paul, with a perfect score in the Open…

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04/05/2026

Community / Education / Training / Youth

Taking Chess to Rural Communities – Why It Matters

When people hear the word “chess,” they often picture big tournaments in city libraries or fancy schools with high ceilings and bright lights (trust me, I can relate). But what about kids in small towns who’ve never been to a big city chess club? What if the closest tournament is three…

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03/12/2026

Tournament Report

March 2026 Tournament Report

We really enjoyed our revived March 2026 tournament. Over 110 players. Many familiar families and a lot of new ones as well! We had many firsts at this tournament, including our chief TD Dave Murray, a new registration system, many new volunteers, more awards, new boards and clocks and lot more. …

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03/08/2026

Learnings / Sport / Volunteers

Why Real Leadership Starts With Solving Tiny Problems

When people think of leadership, they usually imagine big things - starting a company, leading a team, giving a TED Talk. But for us, that’s not how it began. Real leadership didn’t start with a boardroom or a title. It started with figuring out who would load the chessboards into the…

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02/26/2026

Ishaan's Corner

Ishaan’s Corner #2: 2026 February 16th

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4PrRqAyR8c Hey everyone, I’ve got some wonderful news. After a one-month break, we are officially bringing back our in-person rated tournaments at Village Church… and I honestly could not be more excited. Sometimes you don’t realize how special something is until you pause for a second. And this past month reminded…

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02/19/2026

Ishaan's Corner

Ishaan’s Corner #1: 2026 January 23rd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMg_0uDCZIk&t=1s Hey everyone! I wanted to take a moment to talk with you about a leadership change at Puddletown. Zoey and Austin have recently decided to step away from Puddletown. It’s definitely a very sad moment for all of us, especially for me and Neev. All 4 of us worked very…

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02/19/2026

Learnings / Tournaments / Training

More In-Person Time with You = More Fun & Learning

For most of Puddletown’s history, we’ve been an online-first nonprofit. Zoom training program, online tournaments, homework help, office hours, webinars - you name it, we’ve done it….virtually. And don’t get me wrong: it worked. But over time, we started hearing the same request again and again from students, parents, volunteers, and…

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02/12/2026

Community / Learnings / Youth

Why Our Mission Came Before Our Names

When we were first brainstorming names for our nonprofit more than 3 years ago, we had a lot of ideas. And I mean a lot. Some of them sounded like tech startups. Some sounded like chess clubs from the world of Harry Potter. And, weirdly enough, some of them included the…

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01/15/2026

Tournament Report

Hello 2026 Tournament Report

The Hello 2026 tournament was great! 141 players joined the tournament to work on their 2026 resolutions, a great turnout! 14 players played in their first USCF rated tournament, and we provided 48 free entries. A big shoutout to John Hart, who donated $100 and volunteered to do game analysis. Thanks…

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01/10/2026

Education / Training / Youth

The Many Hats Our Students Wear at Puddletown

One Saturday, we watched a student walk in wearing the “learner hat.” They started with a puzzle lesson, quietly soaking it in. A bit later, they had switched into the “competitor hat,” locked in during their first tournament game. After the round, they slid into the “friend hat,” laughing with a…

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11/26/2025

Community / Training / Volunteers

The Spontaneous Leader: Why You Should Embrace Chaos

At Puddletown, we’ve learned something important: leadership doesn’t grow out of perfect plans. It grows out of chaos. When you’re working with kids, chess boards, clocks, pizza boxes, and a tournament hall full of buzzing energy, things will go sideways. And that’s exactly where spontaneous leadership shows up. The Tournament Tiebreaker…

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11/18/2025

Learnings

The (Secretly) Most Important Question in Chess: How do I play against Higher-Rated People?

All of us chess players have faced a problem at some point: Do I go for a draw (or accept a draw offer) against a higher-rated person if I know my position is better, and potentially even winning? This question is silently in everyone’s head, no matter how much you want…

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11/11/2025