Scouts Demonstrate Chess Knowledge: An Online Journey

There are more than 135 merits badges that members of Scouts BSA can earn. And of those, the chess merit badge has quickly become one of the most, with more than 170,000 scouts earning the badge since it was introduced in September 2011.

The St. Louis Chess Club hosts six intensive workshops every year, and since 2015 has awarded over 1,000 chess merit badges to scouts. Scouts learn about the scope of chess in the world today, find resources to improve their game and find out how they can participate in chess competitions, classes and activities.

But what happens when the St. Louis Chess Club is forced to close its doors to scouts?

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our community, the St. Louis Chess Club kicked off its Online Chess Merit Badge Workshop on April 25. Scouts from all over the country were able to connect directly with scholastic certified chess merit badge counselors from the comfort and safety of their homes. Instead of scouts demonstrating ideas over the chess board, they work with the counselors to find methods that demonstrate knowledge through the digital space. More than 120 scouts from 22 states signed on to take part in this experiment.

One thing is for sure: the scouting ethos has never been stronger, and the ties between chess and scouting seem ultimately clearer while working in the digital space. Just consider each item in the scout’s law, and how we saw it manifest in our workshops.

A scout is:

• Trustworthy — Something not lightly earned or freely given. We see all too often chess players caught cheating online. A phone can run a chess engine better than most chess players at the push of a button. We have to trust that our opponent is not looking elsewhere for their moves, otherwise what’s the point of playing online.
• Loyal — Chess players are undoubtedly loyal to a specific opening, something that is reliable and tested true. The St. Louis Chess Club is also supported by loyal patrons and donors, without whom would make our mission impossible.
• Helpful — Scouts learn together and succeed together. That’s difficult to imagine how this might work in what is essentially a zero-sum game. Sure, the occasional draw splits the point, but in a game where wins and ELO scores outweigh collaboration, the concept of helping an opponent is out of the question. Perhaps we could approach learning with a sense of gracious professionalism? Empowering one another to reach our fullest potential through cooperative learning efforts and purposeful sharing of ideas is something chess might take away from scouting.
• Friendly — Sportsmanship is the first thing our instructors pass on to students, exhibited at the beginning of every game, and tested at the culmination of every checkmate. Friendly competition seems to be the heart of sportsmanship. We win with honor, lose gracefully and look to learn from our experiences. Scouts in this workshop seemed more excited to play, with winning almost as far from their mind as possible. It was all for the love of the game.
• Courteous — Etiquette is a customary code that we follow in any group. Immediately it was clear that these scouts understood the code necessary to operate in the online classroom. Eyes forward, microphones muted, questions ready, driven to accomplish a common goal. We rely on one another to be successful in this tremendously hectic space, with the difference being we no longer need to worry about our opponent eating a donut over the chess board.
• Kind — Scouts exemplify kindness through public works like the canned food drive and their motto “Do a good turn daily” could be something that we all hold firm. Scouts stay kind to one another in a game that is objectively unforgiving of mistakes, especially in an online world that is full of negativity.
• Obedient — Through the looking glass of these digital classrooms, one can get a glimpse of what folks are dealing with at home. Witnessing a parent run down the street with a cellphone in hand to catch up to their scout since the home computer was on the fritz is a testament to her commitment to her son. The scout was behind on their lessons and almost seemed annoyed at having to play catch up. The parent and scout interactions can at times seem tense, but the love is there. In the end the scout made every attempt to honor his parent’s directives.
• Cheerful — There is no better way to understand cheerfulness than to hear from chess merit badge counselors working diligently with scouts to earn their merit badges.

  

  Credit Austin Fuller | St. Louis Chess Club

“Working with the Scouts in the digital classroom space was a challenging and gratifying experience. A large number of Scouts joined the first lecture and still it was easy for me to deliver all the chess instructions and interact with most of them in real time. Then, we joined in smaller groups or one by one. In all cases, they showed a lot of interest and capacity to make progress by themselves (even when some mentioned to me that they were absolutely beginners) and they were able to understand and put to practice the basic concepts required by the Chess Merit Badge of the Scouts. Some students have been joining my digital classroom even after they have fulfilled all of the requirements and obtained their merit credits. I would love to work with Scouts soon again.” - Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, Scholastic Chess Instructor.

“The digital classroom used for the BSA Chess Merit badge, with the STLCC, is working great. I’ve had several parents thank me by email and at the start of the meeting with their scouts. One told me that her son enjoyed the way I taught with poems, magic, and props. Several opted to take their test and passed, while others are taking their time to grasp all of the information. Using the LiChess.org classroom has allowed me as a teacher to see their progress on learning and practice playing chess.” - Dan Todd, Scholastic Chess Instructor.

• Thrifty — This online scout workshop is 100% free of charge. Nothing more needs to be said other than thank you to the gracious donors and supporters who make this work possible.
• Brave — Scouts, students, teachers, and adults all struggle with asking for help. A sense of courage is needed to raise your hand among your peers, while learning a game that ties itself directly to intelligence, stating out loud, “I don't know. I don’t understand. Can you please help me?”
• Clean — Probably the most important message from a pragmatic standpoint, given the pandemic, is to stay clean, stay safe, stay healthy. Scouts show respect for themselves by keeping their mind and body clean.
• Reverent — While scouting was founded under the premise that it based its practices in Christianity, it has since opened to practitioners of all faiths. Scouts BSA requires that all scouts believe in a higher power and currently admits scouts who are nontheistic Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Chess in every respect is secular, but we all practice reverence with a deep and solemn respect for the game.

Imagine for a moment, during these uncertain times, that every chess player held themselves accountable to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and held others in reverence. Could this make the greatest game in the world even better?
For more information about the Scouts BSA Chess Merit Badge and the upcoming June 6 online workshop, please visit https://saintlouischessclub.org/scoutsbsa.

Kyle Weber has been with the St. Louis Chess Club, a partner of St. Louis Public Radio, since 2016. Prior to coming on board with the club, Kyle taught mathematics and coached chess at University Academy charter school in Kansas City.