The Saint Louis Chess Club first introduced the Chess Merit Badge in 2011. Since then, it has become one of the most popular badges in the Scouts BSA merit badge catalog, with over 300,000 scouts earning their Chess Merit badge. The STLCC designed workshops provide a dynamic program of learning and adventure that builds critical thinking, forward thinking, and proper sportsmanship in young people.
- Free
- Virtual Learning
- For scouts ages 11 - 17
- Must have basic knowledge of chess rules
- Must have access to computer with microphone.
Chess Merit Badge Requirements:
- Discuss with your merit badge counselor the history of chess.
- Explain why it is considered a game of planning and strategy.
- Discuss with your counselor the following:
- The benefits of chess, including:
- Developing critical thinking skills
- Improving concentration
- Enhancing decision-making skills
- Sportsmanship and chess etiquette.
- The benefits of chess, including:
- Demonstrate to your counselor that you know the following:
- The name of each chess piece
- How to set up a chess board
- How each piece moves, including castling and en passant
- Do the following:
- Demonstrate scorekeeping using algebraic chess notation
- Discuss the differences between:
- The opening
- Middle game
- Endgame
- Explain four opening principles
- Explain the rules for castling
- Demonstrate:
- "Scholar's mate"
- "Fool's mate"
- Demonstrate four ways a chess game can end in a draw
- Do the following:
- Explain four elements of chess strategy, such as:
- Exploiting weaknesses
- Force
- King safety
- Pawn structure
- Space, tempo, or time
- Explain any five chess tactics, including:
- Clearance sacrifice
- Decoy
- Discovered attack
- Double attack
- Fork, interposing, or overloading
- Overprotecting
- Pin, remove the defender, skewer, or zwischenzug
- Set up a chessboard with the white king on e1, white rooks on a1 and h1, and black king on e5. Demonstrate how to force checkmate with White to move first.
- Set up and solve five direct-mate problems provided by your merit badge counselor.
- Explain four elements of chess strategy, such as:
- Do ONE of the following:
- Play at least three games of chess with other Scouts and/or your merit badge counselor. Replay the games from your score sheets and discuss how you might have played differently.
- Play in a scholastic chess tournament and use your score sheets to replay your games with your merit badge counselor. Discuss how you might have played each game differently.
- Organize and run a chess tournament with at least four players, plus you. Have each competitor play at least two games.
For any inquiries, please contact the Scholastics Department at:
