Online junior chess clubs are held for one hour a week for six weeks at a time, in the late afternoon or early evening. Sessions run in each of Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Details

Instructor Michael Ludwig will teach you how to play chess, and play stronger chess! He is St. Albert’s number one player, a top player in the Edmonton area, and has been a scholastic chess coach since 2016. Learn more about him here.

• Half of each class is spent learning new concepts and ideas and half is spent playing chess games. Students who are brand new to chess, as well as experienced players, are welcome.
  
• Weekly practice sets will be given through the Lichess ‘Study’ tool, linked to via e-mail. No lichess.org account is required, though you are welcome to create one.
  
• As with every activity, practice makes better! If students can find time to play at home during the week – against Mom or Dad, or a friend, or online – it will be very beneficial for learning and improvement.
  
• The e-mail you provide will only be used for chess purposes such as club communications and event information.

If you have any questions, please contact the instructor at stalbertchess@gmail.com. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for updates, chess tips, and weekly puzzles.

Upcoming Classes

Clubs are aimed at ages 7 to 14. Please get in touch if your child is outside that range but you would like to participate. Students who are new to chess club but have significant prior chess experience may contact the instructor about starting directly in Intermediate or Advanced; a short assessment is available.

NOVICE

For any first-time participants in our chess clubs. Designed to set students up with solid fundamentals, inspired by Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton’s “Habits”.

Topics include the full rules of chess, an introduction to openings, and basic tactics.
Cost: $85 for six weeks. Sibling rate: $55 for second child, same family.
Second-time Novice participant rate: $65.

Fall 2026 Dates: Wednesdays — 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., October 21st to December 2nd (no chess club on Remembrance Day)

INTERMEDIATE

For any students who have completed a ‘Novice’ chess club. Designed to progressively build on your chess understanding, and of course keep having fun!

Topics include thinking ahead, passed pawns, and the secret behind piece value.
Cost: $85 for six weeks. Sibling rate: $55 for second child, same family.
Second-time Intermediate participant rate: $65.

Fall 2026 Dates: Mondays — 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., October 19th to November 23rd

ADVANCED

For players who want to keep learning about all aspects of the game. Designed to strengthen understanding of the many elements of chess, piece by piece.

Topics will rotate for Fall/Winter/Spring sessions, and will collectively include endgames, tactics and decision making, and an introduction to positional play.
Cost: $85 for six weeks. Sibling rate: $55 for second child, same family.

Fall 2026 Dates: Thursdays — 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., October 22nd to November 26th

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(NEW) St. Albert Chess Club

Three-month members of the St. Albert Chess Club are eligible for $10 off their entry to any junior group lessons. Its full schedule of activities is available here. Members of our Fall online chess clubs are eligible for the member rate at any St. Albert Chess Club junior tournaments in October, November, and December.

Mission: Fun and Games Chess Club

Active chess club members may also attend the Mission: Fun and Games chess club on Thursdays for free. Valid from October 22nd to December 3rd for Fall 2026. See their events calendar, and read about it in the St. Albert Gazette!

Registration

To sign up, please fill out the form below. You will receive an e-mail response within 1-2 days as confirmation of your registration. Following that, payment will be handled separately by e-transfer to stalbertchess@gmail.com. Submissions less than 24 hours before the first class may not be guaranteed access in the first week. Late registrations can be accepted. Classes require at least 4-5 participants to run.

These classes run using chessable.com and their ‘Classroom’ tool, which combines audio/video communication with chess teaching software all in one place. You will need to create a free Chessable account to participate.