A Parent's Guide To Nationals, Part 1

WFM Elizabeth Spiegel is the longtime coach of IS 318 in Brooklyn, NY. Her school has won dozens of national championships and was featured in the documentary "Brooklyn Castle." In 2012, IS 318 became the first middle school to win the national high school title.

A lot of parents ask me how they can help their child play her/his best at nationals. You can make a huge difference, and you can learn a lot about your child, even if you don’t play chess.

1. Walk your child to the board. If you can, leave ten minutes early and walk around the block/ get outside somehow. Use that walk to get your child focused, calm, and in the mood to sit still and be thoughtful.

Impress on him/her your expectation that she/he will sit at the board, work hard and not rush. There are always a couple schools at nationals who have a big team cheer before the last round. One team even runs to the playing room together, following the coach holding a huge banner. I laugh every time. What do they think they’re getting the kids all hyped up for, football? So destructive!

WFM Elizabeth Spiegel, one of the most decorated coaches in U.S. history, prepares her students for nationals.

2. Drop in the playing room and watch your child for 20 minutes each round. If the tournament allows it, take a quick peek and notice how long your child sits at the board and thinks. Give feedback afterward—lavish her/him with praise for sitting and being focused; explain that you expect more if you see her/him getting up frequently or moving quickly.

This is something that can be controlled and you can hold her/him accountable for. Explain that you will be checking every round and what your expectations are, and then follow though.

Yes, IS 318 has a dedicated chess classroom. Remember here's how you can too!

3. Watch and listen when the coach analyzes your child’s game. It does not matter if you don’t know how the pieces move. There are a million reasons to do this and none not to.
a. It demonstrates to your child that the game (=his creativity, his emotional experiences) are important to you.
b. The coach will do a better job with you watching.
c. You get to see exactly how good of a teacher the coach is.
d. You get to watch your child talk about his/her decision-making process.
e. You will learn what sorts of mistakes your child is prone to making.

Stay tuned for Part 2!