Training

Read more about the article Why Chess Is Great for Kids With ADHD (7 Surprising Benefits)
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
Read more about the article Taking Chess to Rural Communities – Why It Matters
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
Read more about the article More In-Person Time with You = More Fun & Learning
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
Read more about the article The Many Hats Our Students Wear at Puddletown
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
Read more about the article The Spontaneous Leader: Why You Should Embrace Chaos
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
Read more about the article Our BHAG: Help 1000 Students Reach 1000 USCF Rating
Community / Tournaments / Training / Youth

Our BHAG: Help 1000 Students Reach 1000 USCF Rating

Every great movement has a bold goal. At Puddletown, ours is this: help 1,000 students reach a USCF rating of 1,000. We call it our BHAG, our “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” And while the phrase may sound funny, the mission is anything but. Why 1,000 Rating? A USCF rating of 1,000…

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11/10/2025
Read more about the article Why We Help Who We Help
Community / Education / Learnings / Training / Youth

Why We Help Who We Help

At Puddletown, people often ask us: Why focus on certain groups of kids? Why make a special effort for girls and non-binary students, for kids from low-income families, or for kids growing up in rural communities? Isn’t chess supposed to be for everyone? It is supposed to be. But the reality…

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11/02/2025
Read more about the article The Many Hats Our Teaching Chess Coaches Wear Each Session
Education / Training / Volunteers

The Many Hats Our Teaching Chess Coaches Wear Each Session

At first glance, it looks simple: if you’re good at chess, you can coach chess. Right? Well… not quite. At Puddletown, we’ve seen that being a strong player is just the baseline. Our coaches actually juggle three very different hats every single session: chess expertise, communication skills, and leadership. Without all…

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10/25/2025
Read more about the article How Puddletown Helps Kids at Any Stage… from Ultra-casual to Masters level
Community / Training / Youth

How Puddletown Helps Kids at Any Stage… from Ultra-casual to Masters level

At Puddletown, we’ve learned something important: there’s no single “type” of chess kid. Some kids want to hang out and casually move pieces around. Others want to climb the rating ladder as fast as possible. Some fall in love with puzzles, some with tournaments, and some just with free pizza at…

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10/17/2025
Read more about the article How Our Training Program is Successful – Who’s Behind It?
Education / Training

How Our Training Program is Successful – Who’s Behind It?

At Puddletown Chess, when you see players improving, winning games, and moving up levels, it might seem like everything just works. But behind the scenes, there’s an entire system of frameworks, founders, processes & volunteers working to make sure every student gets the best training possible. It’s not just about the…

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05/21/2025
Read more about the article The Science of Winning Chess: Exclusive Insights from Our Training Program
Training / Volunteers

The Science of Winning Chess: Exclusive Insights from Our Training Program

Introduction At Puddletown Chess, we’ve developed a unique and hands-on training program designed to help students grow their chess skills in a structured and engaging way. Unlike many traditional programs, we emphasize consistent coaching, interactive learning, and reinforcement strategies to ensure students not only learn chess but master it over time.…

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03/31/2025
Read more about the article Puddletown Chess 2nd Anniversary Awards
Tournaments / Training / Volunteers

Puddletown Chess 2nd Anniversary Awards

This past weekend, Puddletown Chess celebrated our 2nd anniversary with our players, parents, coaches, and volunteers. Since our founding, we have remained committed to promoting accessibility in chess, ensuring that all players—regardless of background—have access to this incredible game. So far this year, we have donated $16,000 to directly support young…

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09/15/2024
Read more about the article Level Up Your Game: My playbook and advice on how to master chess
Community / Training / Youth

Level Up Your Game: My playbook and advice on how to master chess

In the last 18 months, we observed over 700 Puddletown training students and players very closely and created this playbook for how to improve your chess game and rating consistently. Like everything else in life, you have to work hard. But that doesn't mean you have to be miserable doing it.…

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05/05/2024

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