Subscriptions

To register for classes right away, go to www.cavechess.cc/classes. To also learn about registering for other events, go to Registration.

Instructional & Competition Subscriptions

Caveman Chess reserves the right to require a Focused Group additional subscription for groups under six subscribers. Prices are the monthly subscription price; the first month is prorated by days, and the last month is charged in full

CAVEMAN TOTS

Ages up to 6 (Must be at least age 4. Includes Instruction & Competition once Novice level reached New student: Free
(set & board) or unboxed FIDE-approved clock

$120

🗸 Access to Classes 🗸 No contracts

🗸 Individualized Instruction within competitions and a class setting

🗸 Access to proprietary Caveman training methods used to develop state & national champions (In Park Ridge)

🗸 Classical Training 🗸 30-45 minute classes (per daily focus)

🗸 Access to subscriber specials 🗸 Discounts on events

🗸 Access to the Caveman Chess Center open play periods

ADVANCED

Ages 6+, classes by strength and also age whenever possible. Classes focus on advanced concepts for multiple students

Includes Instruction and Competition

$250

🗸 Everything in Proficient, plus…

🗸 Larger discounts on higher-level and GM classes

Many students fit here. For younger children, select “TOTS.” For advanced students, coordinate with us to choose “Proficient” or “Advanced.”

FOCUSED GROUP

Provides access to age-specific, gender-specific or otherwise undersized groups

Includes Instruction and Competition

+$50

🗸 Allows an undersized group to proceed

🗸 Classes are typically six students or greater, a Focused Group can be twoor more

🗸 Focused Group allows a small group - EX: seniors, women, a specific school, etc., when students each pay $50 extra to ensure a minimal class size. This is an additional monthly charge to have a select group.

BEGINNER, NOVICE, & INTERMEDIATE

Ages 6 and up, classes by strength & age as possible. Instruction & Competition for Novices and above. New student: Free (set+board) or unboxed FIDE clock

$150

🗸 Access to Classes 🗸 No contracts

🗸 Individualized Instruction within competitions and a class setting

🗸 One course at a time 🗸 Classical Training

🗸 Access to proprietary Caveman training methods used in Park Ridge schools to develop state & national champions

🗸 55-minute classes 🗸 Access to subscriber specials 🗸 Event Discounts

🗸 Access to the Caveman Chess Center open play periods

Private Lessons

Available for any age, lessons are tailored to the needs and goals of the student. Lesson pricing reflects the “off-hour” work required by the instructor to prepare lesson materials, and also the instructor’s expertise level

$200 - $600

🗸 Individualized Instruction 🗸 Access to Classes

🗸 No contracts 🗸 Classical Training

🗸 55-minute classes 🗸 Discounts on events

🗸 Possible access to classes based on total pricing

🗸 Access to open play periods 🗸 Access to subscriber specials

PROFICIENT

Ages 6+, classes by strength & age whenever possible. Focus is on mastering & adding robustness & complexity to previously learned skills and concepts, for multiple students. Includes Instruction and Competition

$200

🗸 Access to Classes 🗸 No contracts

🗸 Up to two courses simultaneously

🗸 Individualized Instruction in competitions & class settings

🗸 Classical Training 🗸 55-minute classes

🗸 Access to subscriber specials 🗸 Discounts on events

🗸 Access to the Caveman Chess Center open play periods

Competition-Only Subscriptions

COMPETITIONS & EVENTS

Ages 14 and up

Includes Competition and Events

$75

🗸 No contracts 🗸 Discounts on tournaments 🗸 Access to subscriber specials

🗸 Access to the Caveman Chess Center open play periods

COMPETITIONS ONLY

Ages 14 and up

Includes Competition

$50

🗸 No contracts 🗸 Discounts on tournaments

🗸 Access to the Caveman Chess Center open play periods

Special Discounts

The discounts below are for additional subscriptions after the first full-price subscription and may not be combined.

SIBLING DISCOUNT

Per sibling after the first, highest-priced subscription

Includes Instruction and Competition

25% off

🗸 Highest price child is the first sibling 🗸 All remaining siblings are 25% off

TEAM DISCOUNT

Below age 19

Includes Instruction and Competition

25% off

🗸 Any team of 4 or more from a single school

🗸 Access to subscriber specials 🗸 Access to open play

FAMILY DISCOUNT

Immediate family members, after the highest-priced subscription, must include one adult

Includes Instruction and Competition

25% off

🗸 No contracts and 🗸 Discounts on tournaments
🗸 Access to open play periods 🗸 Must include a full-priced parent

How Do I Sign Up for Class and Lessons?

To sign up for classes and lessons, you may go to our Registration page, which will allow you to choose to go to registration for Tournaments, Classes, Individual Lessons, Camps, or other events.

Or, you can go directly to Class Registration by clicking here.

What Do Subscriptions Do?

Subscriptions provide access to Caveman Chess services, and free or discounted registrations for

Chess tournaments

  • Chess classes

  • Chess seminars

  • Chess camps

How Much are Subscriptions?

Subscriptions vary depending upon the services provided, and the work that goes into providing those services, and the number of people using those services.

For these reasons, subscriptions that provide more services are generally more expensive. Subscriptions that involve more work and preparation (for example, detailed classes for experts rather than general lessons for a Class C players) will be more expensive. Classes for fewer players may be more expensive than classes for more players (hence the add-on subscription for a “Focused Group.”

The amounts shown are monthly, per person, except as noted, and prorated by the number of days in the first month. The last month is charged in full. Special Discounts: Are available for families, siblings, and teams.

How Many Types of Subscriptions are There?

There are two types of subscriptions:

  • Instructional: Provide instruction with discounts for competitive and other events

  • Competitive: Provide discounts for competitions and events

What are Instructional Subscriptions?

Instructional subscriptions provide access to Caveman Chess classes, lessons, and to tournaments and events at discounted rates.Due to the way chess registration sites work and the need to ensure people register and can verify their identity, there will always be some “at registration” charge any tournament.

Depending on registration site advancements, you may need to enter a secret discount code, or discounts may appear automatically during tournament or event registration. Please watch carefully to ensure you are correctly charged, and let us know if an issue arises by contacting contact@cavemanchess.com.

What are Competitive Subscriptions?

Competitive subscriptions provide discounted access to Caveman Chess tournaments or events only; they do not provide access to lessons or instruction. They do provide access to free play periods.

What Key Items are Included?

New Instructional subscribers also receive their choice of either:

  • A tournament set and a vinyl tournament board of their choice of available color, or

  • An unboxed FIDE-approved chess clock.

What are the Instructional Levels?

  • Beginner — ranges from starting chess with no knowledge through all items needed to play their first tournament game: Piece names, moves, captures, and values, how to set up the board and why it works that way, special moves, check and checkmate, the center, all basic mates, keeping score (writing notation), basic openings, basic endings (K+P), basic tactics.

  • Novice — is introduced to and can recognize the five forms of basic tactics, can solve tactics puzzles eventually three moves deep, can mate with a Bishop and Knight (and King) against a lone King, is exposed to more significant information on chess openings, and can memorize four key classical games from chess history.

  • Intermediate — K+multiple P endings, Basic Middlegame concepts, Basic R+P endings, Intermediate Tactics- including How do they arise? And practice on finding and executing them, World Champions, 3, Important Standard attacks, including Sacrifices at f2/f7, Classic Bishop Sacrifice (Greek Gift), & the Triple Link. Students will be led to an understanding of King Hunts, Basic Positional and Defensive Ideas, and provided a Positional Study Packet for practice. They will also learn the Fundamental Theorem of Attack, memorize several Essential Games, learn How to Analyze, Additional Opening Information, and a more robust Understanding of the Center

  • Proficient — Further and advanced work on the topics in Intermediate, additional endgame knowledge with various pieces in greater depth, in-depth study of typical positions arising from standard openings, revision, selection, and study of standard opening choices. Instructors choose topics to assist in rounding out students’ strengths.

  • Advanced — In-depth and advanced work, robust assignments, and learning about openings, middlegames, and endgames. Advanced pattern recognition and opening understanding.

  • For greater detail on specific topics, click here.

How Do Caveman Chess' Instructional Levels Compare to Chess Enrichment Programs'?

Caveman Chess provides Chess Education not chess “enrichment.”

We can’t list all of our differences here, because they are proprietary and we don’t wish to make it easier for competitors to copy us.

However, we can offer some comparisons. Chess enrichment calls learning how to set up the pieces “beginner.” Next, the following items move up a level to “Novice.” But for Caveman Chess, these items are all still at the “Beginner I” level:

  • Chess Enrichment Novice, Chess Education Beginner I: Names of the pieces, Moves of the pieces, Values of the pieces, Introduction to the Center, Captures, Board Set-up (Feudalism), Castling, En Passant, Pawn Promotion, Check and Checkmate

  • Chess Enrichment “Unclear”, Chess Education Beginner I: King and Queen versus King checkmate, King and Queen and Rook versus King checkmate, King and Two Rooks versus King ceheckmete

  • Chess Enrichment “Advanced”, Chess Education Beginner 1: Keeping a written record of the game, using either algebraic or descriptive notation, using a chess clock

  • Chess Enrichment “Continuing”, Chess Education Beginning 2: Basic Openings. Basic King and Pawn Endings, The Five Tactical Devices

  • Chess Education generally includes more levels, and more higher levels.