Chess webinars
Starting in November 2025, CSC will be running a series of free chess webinars. These are aimed at children aged 8-13 who know the basic rules of chess and are ready to take the next steps towards learning tactics and strategies. The webinars will be led by Sean Marsh, Chief Trainer for CSC, whose sessions are always fun and engaging.
There will be three levels of webinars:
Beginners: Tuesdays at 5pm or Wednesdays at 6pm. Suitable for children who know the basic rules of chess (rating under 900).
Intermediate: Tuesdays at 6pm or Thursdays at 5pm. Suitable for children who can spot simple threats, have a basic understanding of chess tactics (forks, pins, skewers) and easy checkmates, e.g. two rooks versus a king (rating between 900 and 1100).
Advanced: Wednesdays at 5pm or Thursdays at 6pm. Suitable for children who have a strong understanding of chess tactics (forks, pins, skewers) and understand standard checkmates, e.g. king and rook vs king (rating between 1100 and 1300).
The webinars start in the week beginning Monday 17th November 2025 and continue for four weeks - see below for links. If you are not sure which level of webinar your child should join, please ask them to play a few games on ChessKid and check their Fast Chess rating. If you are still not sure, your child could join an intermediate webinar in Week 1 and then move up, down, or stay depending on the experience.
To make the most of the webinars, your child will need a CSC ChessKid account in CSC’s ChessKid group. ChessKid is an online platform that allows children to play and learn chess in a safe environment. You can register for a free account here; this account will automatically be in the CSC’s ChessKid group. If your child already has a ChessKid account you can try to move it into the correct group by going into the account’s settings, selecting the option to enter a registration key, and entering the code VYFQ6C. If that doesn’t work, please create a fresh account for use in our webinar programme.
Chess Masterclasses
At the end of the webinar series, some participants will be invited to attend a series of ten online masterclasses starting in January. To be considered for one of these places, children must have a CSC ChessKid account (see above) and must have been registered using the form at the bottom of this page.
Places in the masterclasses will be awarded on the basis of attendance at webinars and completion of weekly homework tasks on ChessKid. Places are only available for children attending a state school in the UK (Year 3 – 8). We will monitor attendance at the webinars by asking children to complete a single-question Google form during the webinars. A link to the form will be put in the webinar chat. The form will simply ask for the child’s ChessKid username. If you want your child to be considered for the masterclasses, please ensure they click on the link and enter the ChessKid username you supplied when you completed the form below.
Webinar Dates and Links
To access the webinars, please click on the Zoom links below.
Tuesdays @ 5pm (beginners), 4 weeks starting 18th November
Tuesdays @ 6pm (intermediate), 4 weeks starting 18th November
Wednesdays @ 5pm (advanced), 4 weeks starting 19th November
Wednesdays @ 6pm (beginners), 4 weeks starting 19th November
Thursdays @ 5pm (intermediate), 4 weeks starting 20th November
Thursdays @ 6pm (advanced), 4 weeks starting 20th November
Please note: the second webinar in each level each week is a repeat of the first. You only need to attend one webinar per week.
Registration for Masterclasses
If you would like your child to be considered for the masterclasses, please complete the form below. If you have any questions about the webinar and masterclass programme, please email Vincent Sagues.
