Chess Merit Badge: All You Need to Know

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States. Members participate in a variety of outdoor activities. The program focuses on citizenship, building teamwork and leadership, as well as concrete skills. Although many of these skills are developed through experiencing camping, hiking trips, and the like. Scouts also have the opportunity to learn through earning merit badges.

Merit badges are awards based upon a completion of specific requirements related to a certain topic. Merit badges are part of what Scouts must earn on their journey of rank advancement (which is crowned by achieving the Eagle Scout rank), alongside other requirements to be earned within the troop. Of the 130+ badges available. Some are even specifically required for the Eagle Scout rank, such as first aid or camping.

One of the goals of the merit badges is for Scouts to expand their horizons. This allows them to learn about topics or fields they might not have otherwise been exposed to. Some merit badges are related to outdoor skills, such as fishing or orienteering. Others are designed to focus on and highlight potential career possibilities. Many merit badges introduce Scouts to potential careers or vocations as well. In September 2011, the chess merit badge (MB) was introduced to the Boy Scouts of America in St. Louis, Missouri.

Origins of the Chess Merit Badge

Saint Louis Chess Club

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, now the Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC) was founded in 2007 by Rex and Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield. It was established as a non-profit, educational organization. Its mission to "maintain a formal program of instruction to teach the game of chess. Also it aims to promote and support its educational program through community outreach and local and national partnerships to increase the awareness of the educational value of chess."
A few years later, in 2011, the Sinquefields relocated the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) and formally established it in St. Louis, right across the street from the main STLCC building. On September 10th 2011, within the same week of the WCHOF opening ceremony. The Boy Scouts Merit Badge was unveiled, also right outside the STLCC.

Merit Badge Unveiling With Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield

Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield was instrumental to the creation, development and establishment of the Chess Merit Badge. This is no surprise given Dr. Sinquefield’s passion for Scouting. She has been active with the Scouts for decades. Both with the Western Los Angeles Council and Great Rivers Council, and has also received the prestigious Silver Beaver award.

The unveiling event itself was a great success. Among other activities, a large scale game was played, with Scouts standing on squares to represent pieces. Those in attendance included:

• Staff and patrons of the Saint Louis Chess Club
  • Including strong titled players and Grandmasters
• Scouts representing troops from two local councils 
• Members of the general St. Louis community

Additionally, special guest Astronaut Grag Chamitoff (PH.D) arrived in St. Louis not long after the completion of his space shuttle mission STS-134. An Eagle Scout and a champion for the game of chess. Chamitoff gave a special presentation for the event as well. 

Creating New Chess Players Through Scouting

As of 2020, there have been 239,164 Scouts (including your author), who have earned the Chess Merit Badge. It’s quite likely that many of those had their first exposure to the game through Scouting. Indeed, even someone who has learned the basic rules, and perhaps even played a bit at home with a family member, can stand to learn about the game at a deeper level through the Chess Merit Badge requirements.
Let’s take a look at what a Scout would need to learn to earn the Chess Merit Badge.   

Overview of Chess Merit Badge Requirements

Merit Badges are there to introduce a Scout to a new discipline, skill or hobby. There are six requirements for the Chess Merit Badge, However, some of them have multiple sub-sections. Understanding that many Scouts have never played chess before at all, the first two requirements touch upon the history of the game, the benefits of playing chess, as well as sportsmanship and etiquette.

Scouting Teaching EDGE

The next requirement involves Scouting’s Teaching EDGE , a common teaching technique used for many merit badges and other advancement requirements. The Teaching EDGE is an acronym for a Scout to learn effective teaching and leadership. EDGE stands for: 

• Explain
• Demonstrate
• Guide 
• Enable

Of course the teaching EDGE has many applications, but for the Chess Merit Badge the Scout will be asked to teach the basics to a fellow Scout who is new to the game. These basics include the name of each chess piece, how to set up a chessboard, and piece movement.

Learning Core Skills and Vocabulary

Requirements four and five may constitute what we call “the meat” of the course. Between both requirements and all of their sub-sections, there are 10 ‘mini requirements,’ which cover topics ranging from basic rules to tools an improving player can use to elevate their game. 
Some requirement four examples include scorekeeping with algebraic notation and demonstrating four ways a chess game can end in a draw. Requirement five delves into some strategic vocabulary (e.g. king safety, space or tempo), tactical themes (e.g. discovery, fork or pin) as well as some checkmates.

Merit Badge: Putting Knowledge to the Test

Finally, we come to the final requirement, requirement six. For Merit Badges in general, it’s quite common for the first requirements to involve written or verbal responses / discussion, while the later requirements involve a more hands-on, or action based approach. This creates a good bridge for the Scout to quickly put new knowledge into practice.

The practical application for the Chess Merit Badge comes in with requirement six. Scouts have some options to choose from for this requirement. Essentially they can either play three games (or more, if playing a full tournament) and review with their counselor, using their scoresheet notation, or organize/run a small tournament to play in as well.

In both cases, the Scout will be exposed to what chess players do on a regular basis. We play our tournament games, and analyze afterwards to improve. Tournament directing is also important to experience; without tournament directors, us chess players wouldn’t get to experience the events we so like to play in.

Spotlight: Chess Merit Badge Holder GM Kayden Troff

Finally, your author (an Eagle Scout himself) had an opportunity to sit down with a very impressive individual in the worlds of Scouting and chess. Grandmaster Kayden Troff, of Utah, USA is one of the few (and yes, the first!) to hold both the FIDE Grandmaster (GM) title as well as the prestigious Eagle Scout rank.

Grandmaster Troff

There may be some parallels to draw between Kayden’s Scouting experience and the chess experience of many scholastic players in the US today. Participants, in both cases, have the chance to enjoy a fun activity with a group of people to get along with (i.e. the BSA troop or chess club / team members) and work together with.

Remember, community is great, but it’s not just ‘fun and games.’ While chess players always strive to improve their playing strength, Scouts have their advancement goals to constantly work towards as well, on their way to the Eagle Scout rank.

In terms of timeline, let’s recall that the Scouting program runs from 11 to 18 years of age. While there is no time limit on earning the GM title, these days it’s much more common for younger players to earn the title compared to older players, for a variety of well known and documented reasons.

Path to the Title

Kayden earned the GM title in May of 2014, when he was 16 years old. He had already earned his 3 GM norms, achieving notable results at some World Youth Championship events previously. The May 2014 Saint Louis Invitational was the event at which he crossed 2500 Elo, with the rating requirement solidifying his GM title.

Kayden credits his many coaches over the years with his success, as well as the Young Stars Program, a program for training promising youth players with resources from both the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club. As with other tough disciplines, Kayden remarks that consistency is key in chess; at one point he was on a training schedule of between 6 to 8 hours daily for 5 days a week!

While such dedication is important for achieving results, Kayden noted he did encounter some conflicts between his chess career and Scouting. Since chess tournaments often required him to travel, Kayden recalled instances where, for example, he had to go to summer camp a different week from his own BSA troop, even with another troop!

Eagle Scout Troff

For Kayden, living in Utah, the Scouting program was very popular. Scouting was always an opportunity to go out and explore, learn new skills and to socialize as well, which perhaps was an important factor given Kayden’s homeschooling background.

Chess Merit Badge - And Others

When the Chess Merit Badge was unveiled, Kayden was already a strong, well known chess player. By age 11 or 12, Kayden was the highest rated player in his state. Therefore, when Kayden earned the Chess Merit Badge, he was also effectively the MB counselor for his entire troop! Although the Scoutmaster might have signed off on the ‘blue cards’ (official MB documentation), Kayden was clearly the expert in the room.

While Chess MB may be the topic at hand, Kayden earned several other MBs on his way to Eagle - both required and electives. When I asked him to highlight another MB he enjoyed, he mentioned the horseback riding MB. For Kayden, horseback riding was a great MB experience. He got to learn a new skill, particularly one he may not have gravitated towards or had the opportunity to pursue outside of Scouting.

Eagle Scout Project

Finally, after advancing through the Scouting ranks and earning the MBs, a Scout must complete an Eagle Scout Project to help the community and demonstrate leadership. The Eagle project must be approved at multiple stages by Scouting leaders, and involves much planning and paperwork to execute. Kayden’s project remained true to his love and talent for chess. 

For his project, Kayden organized a day-long, free chess camp for disadvantaged kids in Utah. Kayden emphasized that the participants were “kids who might not usually have the chance to be exposed to chess.” This noble aim is similar to the goals of the MB program. This is a great goal, because (in your author’s opinion) chess can and should be for everybody; what keeps people away or at the perimeter is lack of opportunity.
All in all, Kayden’s reflection of his youth as he pursued both his GM title and the Eagle Scout rank was pleasant. “Scouting helped to keep me grounded , but the GM title was my main focus.” While Kayden might not have needed the Chess MB to discover his passion for chess, it can definitely be a good starting point for you, if you’re a Scout!

Frequently Asked Questions

Bibliography

Boy Scouts of America. (2016). Merit Badge Series: Chess. Irving, TX. 

"Chess Merit Badge Launch - Boy Scouts of America." YouTube, uploaded by Randy White, 14 March 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW2C4p2KmWc

Klein, M. (2016, August 15). The Kids Are Alright: A GM Eagle Scout and a Champion Cancer Survivor. Chess.com.https://www.chess.com/news/view/the-kids-are-alright-a-gm-eagle-scout-and-a-champion-cancer-survivor-4807 

Weber, K. (2020, May 28). Scouts Demonstrate Chess Knowledge: An Online Journey. STLPR. https://www.stlpr.org/arts-culture/2020-05-28/scouts-demonstrate-chess-knowledge-an-online-journey 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, March 30). Merit Badge (Boy Scouts of America). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merit_badge_(Boy_Scouts_of_America) 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, March 6). Kayden Troff. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayden_Troff