Castle Chess Camp separates campers into groups of 12. Each group has a homeroom instructor and counselor. Rotating instructors visit each group in the afternoons.
Camp begins with orientation (Sunday 4:30pm).
After orientation, we have dinner, followed by a simul against their Homeroom Instructor. This simul allows instructors to get to know their homeroom students and evaluate their play.
Typical Daily Schedule, Monday-Friday
- 7:45 – 8:30am: Breakfast
- 8:30 – 10:00am: Castle Challenge: G/30, inc/10 unrated training tournament
- 10:00 – 11:00am: Game Analysis with homeroom instructor
- 11:00am – 12:00pm: Homeroom Class with homeroom instructor
- 12:00 – 1:00pm: Lunch
- 1:00 – 2:30pm: Early Afternoon Class with rotating instructors
- 2:45 – 4:00pm: Recreation – swimming, ping pong, soccer, four square, ultimate frisbee, capture the flag, kickball, basketball, and more
- 4:15 – 5:45pm: Late Afternoon Class with rotating instructors
- 6:00 – 7:00pm: Dinner
- 7:00 – 9:00pm: Evening Activities – blitz tournament, bullet tournament, bughouse tournament, and camper’s choice simul
Campers receive a binder, lanyard, and ID badge. Chess equipment is provided, but campers should bring a chess set and clock to camp.
On Friday, all campers will receive a written evaluation from their homeroom instructor. The closing/awards ceremony is Friday 4:30pm.
Awards are presented to Castle Challenge winners, evening activity winners, and successful simul participants.
In addition, each group has one camper given a “Top Camper” award. Top campers are chosen by the homeroom instructor and counselor for their exceptional sportsmanship, enthusiastic participation, and strong chess ability relative to the other campers in the group.
The weekend after camp is the Castle Chess Grand Prix, a rated tournament open to all.
We reserve the right to make schedule/format tweaks we think will benefit camp as a whole.