Psyon Chess Junior Club, West Wickham — Improvers
Wednesdays 6.15–7.15pm · Emmanuel United Reformed Church, BR4 9JS
The improvers’ session at West Wickham is the second of the two run on a Wednesday afternoon. It suits a child up to an ECF standard rating of 1200 who is keen to take their chess journey to the next level, and who already:
- has a good grasp of the basics, including the special rules, over a few terms of coaching
- knows key tactics and checkmate patterns
- can record a game and a position for analysis
- has developed a way of thinking about a position
- has built some calculation skills by solving puzzles and playing plenty of games
Sessions combine a structured curriculum with group coaching on a large screen, interactive puzzles, complex tactical motifs and combinations, key checkmate patterns and sacrifices — all to develop visualisation — alongside opening principles and practice games, so a child learns something new in each class. There are regular competitions and junior-only tournaments too, where children can earn and improve an official ECF or FIDE rating.
The club runs largely during school term dates.
Session details
- When
- Wednesdays, 6.15–7.15pm Term time only
- Where
- Emmanuel United Reformed Church
Hewitt room
The Grove, West Wickham
BR4 9JS - Who for
- Improvers, up to an ECF standard rating of 1200.
- Ages
- 6½ years and above
- Price
- Based on the number of sessions in the term, or the number remaining at the time of joining.
- Contact
- [email protected]
Your child's first session
A first session starts with a short assessment. Satish asks whether your child holds a rating, online or official, and about what they already know: tactical motifs, checkmate patterns, positional understanding, the fundamental endgame principles, and how they analyse a game.
He will also ask how they think about a position, how they calculate, how many hours a week they give to chess, what tournament experience they have, and how far they want to take the game. From that he sets a learning plan that brings their playing strength into line with the rest of the group.
From a parent at the club
For the past 6 months my son attended Wednesday’s lessons at “Psyon Chess”. Mr Satish is a great teacher and the progress that my son made for this short time is really impressive! He is already better player than me and really enjoys the game. I would highly recommend this chess school for every child in Bromley who would like to bring their game to the next level