Castle Chess Camp divides campers by peak USCF rating into groups of 12 students each. Each group has its own counselor as well as a homeroom instructor.

Camp begins on Sunday afternoon, with a brief orientation meeting for campers and parents.  The staff are introduced and policies and procedures are explained.

Introducing GM Daniel Naroditsky

After orientation, campers break for dinner.  After dinner, the groups meet with their Primary Instructor to play a simul.  This is a very important time, as it allows the Primary Instructors to get to know the students in the group and evaluate their play.  It also serves as a way for us to identify campers that may need to be moved to a different group in order to get the maximum benefit out of camp.

Grandmaster Simul

Typical Daily Schedule

  • 7:30-8:30am: Breakfast
  • 8:30-10:00am: Castle Challenge: a 5-round Swiss G/35, inc/10 unrated practice 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: Afternoon Class with rotating instructors
  • 2:30-4:00pm: Recreation – choose from swimming, ping pong, soccer, four square, ultimate frisbee, capture the flag, kickball, basketball, and more.
  • 4:15-5:45pm: Evening Class with rotating instructors
  • 6:00-7:00pm: Dinner
  • 7:00-9:00pm: Evening Activity (Optional), including a blitz tournament, bughouse tournament, bullet tournament, camper’s choice simul, and “twilight” capture the flag.

All campers receive a camp binder and a lanyard with an ID badge at the start of camp.  While equipment is provided, campers should bring a chess set and clock to camp.

On Friday, all campers will receive a written evaluation from their homeroom instructor. The camp closing/awards ceremony is Friday 4:30pm.

Awards are presented to the Castle Challenge winners, campers who beat or drew with instructors during one of the simuls, and evening activity winners. In addition, each group has one camper given a “Top Camper” award, as chosen by the homeroom instructor and the counselor. “Top Campers” are chosen for their exceptional sportsmanship, enthusiastic participation, and strong chess ability.

The weekend after camp is reserved for the Castle Chess GRAND PRIX, a 5-round rated tournament open to all. 

We reserve the right to make minor schedule tweaks we think might benefit our campers and staff. We promise that instructional time is our top priority when considering all aspects of the schedule.