Chess Bingō

Chess Bingō is a new way to enjoy chess, learn the lingo, and (when played with teams) turn up the heat, get competitive, and develop team-building skills.

I developed Chess Bingō to aid my students, and we’ve tested and used it with great success at the McMinnville Chess Club. Since making the scorecards available, they’ve been downloaded by players and clubs all over the world.

McMinnville Chess Club and the McMinnville Chess Library

Players of all ages and skill levels are invited to the McMinnville Chess Club, which offers free, open play events, rated and unrated tournaments, resources and opportunities for chess study and lessons, and the nicest chess club members you’ll ever meet in town.

The McMinnville Chess Club also features the McMinnville Chess Library, a growing collection of curated books, magazines, and equipment for club members and guests to use in their study and enjoyment of the game we love.

I’ve been the Club Director and Tournament Director of the McMinnville Chess Club since its founding in 2023. Visiting the club is a great way to meet up with me and talk about your chess goals, get a free 20-minute introductory lesson, meet and play others in a safe, supportive community, and even drop off your kids while enjoying our venue’s offerings.

Chess Merit Badge Pamphlet

Scouting America has a Chess Merit Badge, and anyone — not just Scouts — can utilize the excellent Chess Merit Badge Pamphlet to learn the history of the game, explore strategy and tactics, and prepare for club and tournament play.

The comprehensive pamphlet is available as a free download, and I’ve adapted it to use as the basis for future chess camps. I’m also a certified Chess Merit Badge Counselor and can meet with and certify Scouts during regular chess club meetings.

Lichess and Lichess Analysis Board

Lichess is my favorite chess app to play and train, and I highly recommend it for both casual and serious play. Lichess is available on iOS, Android, and on the web.

Lichess.org is a nonprofit charity whose dual mission is to help people play and enjoy chess and respect the privacy and digital rights of its users. All Lichess features are free (no ads or trackers, too!), and it even supports playing anonymously and without an account.

The best Lichess feature is without a doubt is its excellent analysis board. Lichess Analysis Board is one of the online tools I use when coaching my students. (See my article about the best ways to review your games for more about Lichess’ analysis board.)

The puzzles are a lot of fun, and Lichess has unlimited puzzles and analysis (unlike Chess.com, which limits free users to 5 puzzles and 1 analysis a day). I especially like the Puzzle Racer challenge.

Zen mode

If I picked just one Lichess feature as my personal favorite, though, it would be the “Zen mode” that hides player names and ratings. Having a distraction-free interface and to be able to just play with only a board and a clock is minimalism at its best.

ChessKid

From the makers of Chess.com, ChessKid is ad-free and offers a full curriculum, puzzles, and more. This is the platform that I use to create lesson plans and track the progress of my students, and it’s fun to use for youth and non-teachers, as well.

Duolingo Chess

Duolingo offers Duolingo Chess lessons with Oscar, a virtual coach. This chess course is fantastic for beginners and is completely free (if you can deal with the ads and upsells), uses tried and true spaced repetition techniques, and features Duolingo’s fun, quirky user interface. For a while, I was even ranked #1 in the world on Duolingo Chess!

US Chess

Registering with the United States Chess Federation (USCF) includes the monthly Chess Life and Chess Life Kids magazines, allows you to play in rated tournaments and climb the chess ladder with an official, nationally recognized chess rating, and is one of the ways to get a free square in Chess Bingō!

Use McMinnville Chess Club’s affiliate code A9540128 when registering or renewing your membership. If enough people register using this club code, USCF will highlight the McMinnville Chess Club and help get the word out about upcoming events.