Chess Clubs

Do you want your club members to have a distinctive way to get into the game — as by walking around the pieces?

If you want to capture the imagination of younger players, what better way than to allow them to play a game with pieces that take two hands?

Want great newspaper coverage for your tournaments? Send an announcement with a picture of a MegaChess game in progress.

Do you have problems with membership retention? Members are introduced, and then they play with each other instead of coming to club functions. Or worse, they fritter away to online chess. Give these club members a reason to keep coming back, to play a game they can't play just anywhere. Keep them coming back to play with your MegaChess set.

Add new members, get a place to play, make money — Here's how:

Go to your local chess or game store and propose the following. They buy a large, portable MegaChess set, like the big plastic one with a Mega Bag and RolaBoard, but let your club use it. In return, you promise to take it to local, well-traveled public parks to simply play chess. Whenever you play with the MegaChess set, you place an easel with a little sign that says your club name and "Sponsored by " the chess or game store.

Pick a busy Sunday and you will have a steady stream of people asking about your club and where you got the big chess set. Give those people an application form for your club and a business card from the chess or game store. Do not push the club or the store (there may be a local ordinance against that), but you can respond to people who will keep asking you.

Pick a location with amenities like picnic tables (or bring portable ones) where more of you can play, and add the park to your regularly scheduled meetings, this one with fresh air and sunshine.

The chess or game store becomes a MegaChess dealer, but doesn't need to take an 8-ft by 8-ft chunk out of their store to display the set. You will funnel prospects to them, and they can close the deal with brochures we provide.

Now to make money doing this. You will also be asked if people can borrow the chess set for birthdays, bar mitsvahs, company picnics, or to drum up business at the local malls. Hand those folks a rental application form from your club. The set we recommended generally rents for about $95 including delivery and pickup. Offer to provide a club member to teach chess or manage tournaments as part of the deal, for an extra charge.