About Our Guppies Program
A few years before COVID changed our world, younger siblings were running amok at Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, so we decided to create another “fish group” for them to learn chess in their own way and at their own pace. Led by a chess-loving parent who used a lot of patience, repetition, and mini-games (using one or more pieces to play a fun game to help solidify how the pieces move), the original crew of Guppies thrived, and several of them currently reside on the US Chess “Top 100” lists for being among the best in the country for their age. During COVID, Zoom was extremely difficult for this age group, and our beloved Guppy coach was unavailable, so we diverted for two years and used the award-winning Story Time Chess program with our youngest students. While we are big fans of that program, we ultimately decided it wasn’t the best fit for our pre-competitive Guppies with aspirations of becoming Masters one day, so we decided to bottle the original Guppy magic, and we brought it back in 2022-2023, with many young students moving on to the developmental tournament club within the season.
Who Can Sign Up?
This class is specifically designed for total beginners ages 4-6 (Pre-K through 1st grade). Younger students may be admitted by exception. If students show mastery of the basic rules of the game before they turn 7, they are welcome and encouraged to move on to Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club and continue honing their skills in our “Minnow” and “Rockfish” pre-competition groups.
We have players as young as 5 or 6 who are well into playing rated chess. Age will not hold your child back, but start with Guppies if your child is under the age of 7. You do NOT have to have an older sibling in our programs to be a Guppy! The class is limited to 12 students.
Looking for something for ages 6-13? Please check out our new Seahorses class! Like Guppies, it’s designed for absolute beginners – but for older kids!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see open spots and to register!
When Does Class Meet?
This class meets on Tuesday evenings 5:15-6:00 PM. Winter session begins January 7th and ends March 25th. There are 12 total classes in the session.
*Please note that the calendar in your Parent Portal does not allow us to mark dates that the class is not meeting. Please refer to our weekly newsletter, or website alerts page for any schedule changes.
Winter session meeting dates:
January 7, 14, 21, 28
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4, 11, 18, 25
Where Is Class Located?
This class meets at King’s Grant Presbyterian Church, 745 Little Neck Road in Virginia Beach.
Our Coaching Team
Coach Mike specializes in working with young beginners and will be leading the Guppies again this year. In the event of a substitution, we will hand pick a coach with the right disposition to teach this age group. All of our coaches are certified by US Chess and background checked through HRCA.
Other Information About Guppies
Will my child compete on Tuesday nights? No. While Guppy Chess meets alongside Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, it is a separate program without a tournament component.
Do I have to stay with my child? YES. Guppy class requires a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult to be in the classroom with their children. This approach ensures not only classroom management and active engagement for our youngest children with their short attention spans, but it has proven critical to the success of the program, as families can review and practice what they learned at home. Repetition is key at this age.
Tuition and Fees
This class is $165 for the 12-week session + $25 non-refundable HRCA Annual Registration Fee for new students.
Annual Registration fee includes HRCA membership valid through 8/31 and a ChessKid Gold premium subscription. Tuition for the full session is due up front. If monthly payment plan is needed, parents may use our Financial Aid application (below) to request three monthly installments of $55 (Jan-Mar) prior to December 20th. Tuition will be billed via autopay to account on file January 1st.
HRCA requires autopay for tuition and registration fees. The non-refundable $25 Annual Registration Fee will be charged to the account on file within 72 hours of enrollment, unless already paid via the Parent/Student Portal. It is a one-time yearly fee across all HRCA programs, so you will not pay it again if you have already paid it through a different class/club this academic year. Tuition will be posted to your Parent/Student Portal approximately one week before payment is due. To avoid autopay, you may log into your Parent/Student Portal and make your own payment early. Otherwise, HRCA will process payments on January 1st. Families with 3 or more siblings in our core chess programs are eligible for multi-sibling discounts and a family cap of $225/month. Scholarship families will only be charged for their Annual Registration Fee and co-pay amount.
Financial Aid/Scholarships
HRCA works hard to ensure that our tuition and fees are among the lowest of educational and sports offerings while providing quality staff and programming. We have limited financial assistance available, including payment plans, scholarships, and waivers, reserved for students with true financial need. If this applies to you, or you just need a monthly payment plan for tuition, please complete our Financial Assistance Application HERE. Needs-based financial aid may be available through our Joan H. Schlich Memorial Scholarship Fund. We are subject to limited funding, but we strive to turn no child away for inability to pay. Your account will not be charged for your class until your scholarship application is processed and a co-pay (if any) is determined.
The deadline for Winter session scholarship applications is December 20th.
