How Silver Knights' Online Nationals Prep Classes Worked

For many scholastic chess players, playing in a national tournament for the first time can be difficult. How do you put on a strong performance in an intense and unfamiliar atmosphere, and what are the keys to being able to show up to each game with your best foot forward, even after a tough loss?

To help students navigate this year’s Elementary and Middle School Nationals, we held tournament prep classes that covered these matters and more. Coach Epiphany Peters explains how the classes worked and what impact they had on students’ performances. 

What Our Tournament Prep Classes Covered

To emphasize the importance of calculating deeply until the last move of a game, Coach Epiphany showed students this shocking skewer at the end of a pawn race that won the game for Black.

Our four-week tournament prep classes, held through our online Academy, followed the formula of our standard online chess classes: small class sizes (6-8 students), weekly lessons, and highly-tailored lesson content designed for each group. 

“The lessons would be geared specifically towards getting students tournament ready, focusing on things like time management, deeper calculation for these long games, the psychology of chess, how to deal with winning or losing, and dealing with shifts in evaluation without losing your focus,” said Coach Epiphany, who coached students ahead of both national tournaments. 

“One of the main things I focused on was how to deal with elements that are outside of the position — moves that came before the position, or worrying about this game, worrying about the future of your tournament, what kind of trophy you’re going to get, things like that.”

This queen sacrifice, taken from one of the aforementioned games, helped Black escape a bad position.

Coach Epiphany’s curriculum included a section called “Twists and Turns” that walked students through a handful of games where performance under pressure — emerging from deep trouble to make a comeback, losing a winning advantage and having to scramble for a draw, or navigating a lead that kept switching back and forth between the two players — was critical. She encouraged students to take each position as an isolated event to help maintain their focus.

Supporting Students On-Site

Coach Epiphany and Coach Daniel stand with prep class students William and Anastasia, who both had top five finishes in their respective sections at Middle School Nationals.

When it came time to compete, Silver Knights made sure to have coaches on site at each tournament to assist students and provide game analysis. Coach Epiphany attended Middle School nationals with the team and got to see the impact the prep classes had on her students’ tournament experience.

“The kids got into Nationals already having met, so they weren’t just walking into a room full of strangers. They came in and knew a bunch of other kids and at least one coach, so it was a much friendlier and warmer experience because we had bonded before the tournament.”

Two of her students, William and Anastasia, made frequent visits to the team booth to share their results.

“William would come back to the booth after every single game and would have his score sheet in hand, and usually he got some really quick win, too. It would be this bonding moment, like, ‘Oh, you’re back and you probably won in 19 moves!’ Same with Anastasia. She would keep coming back and get to tell us she won. It was really like having a home base at the tournament."

William had high praise for the team booth. “Coach Daniel and Coach Epiphany took time and helped me review my games after every game,” he said. “It helped me learn on the fly what I should have done better. I also got to play with coaches and other players from Silver Knights to warm up before each game. That was very helpful to get myself ready. Coaches were always there to provide each of us the support and encouragement we needed. They looked after every one of us. The booth was like a home to us.”

Both William and Anastasia went on to earn medals, and while Coach Epiphany was thrilled to see them receive their awards, she was even more excited to see them get to enjoy their triumphs together.

“At the awards ceremony, Anastasia and William got to really bond and take pictures together and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Coach Epiphany. “It was such a sweet, wholesome moment.”

William and his mother Andrea both felt the prep class was essential to his success. 

“The prep class was fun and engaging,” said William. “After the class, I felt very prepared, especially given everything I was taught; otherwise, I wouldn't have performed as well in the tournament. I don’t think I would have gotten the first or fourth places I got.”

Andrea noticed the class’ impact on her son as soon as they arrived at the tournament. “William had never played in a tournament before and was honestly quite nervous going in,” she said. “He didn't know what to expect at all. The prep class changed that. He walked into the tournament feeling prepared and confident, and I think that made a real difference in how he performed.”