I’d buy the first kit for the people who will actually turn up next Thursday. That sounds obvious, but it’s very easy to start planning a twenty-board tournament room when the club is still ten friends borrowing a hall. Six decent sets and somewhere to keep them might be a much better beginning.
Before opening a catalogue, I’d ask who has to carry the equipment home. If the answer is “whoever came by car”, there’s a problem to settle before the purchase. A club-owned cupboard, a named equipment holder or an agreed rota would all give you something firmer to work with. The boards can wait while you work that out.
Count games, then add a little slack
Ten players, five games: that’s five boards in use. I’d want a sixth complete set nearby. It covers an incomplete box or two extra visitors without taking the budget too far beyond the opening group. Teaching changes the arithmetic, though. If somebody needs a separate board to demonstrate a position, sketch that arrangement as well instead of assuming the spare will always be free.
What I wouldn’t do is order for the biggest attendance anyone can imagine. Give the club a few meetings to find its size. Members might be willing to lend sets in the meantime, provided everyone knows which equipment is borrowed. Put the owner’s name inside the box. “It’s the wooden one” won’t help much once two similar sets arrive.
Choose one main format
Donated equipment is welcome, but I wouldn’t let it determine every later purchase. A broad-based piece from one box might be a poor fit for a smaller board in another. For new orders, I’d settle on a main format and write down the square width and piece model. Keep that note inside the box, where the next volunteer can find it.
Square width is the first number I’d write on the order sheet. For the relevant non-electronic tournament equipment, FIDE’s equipment specifications say 5–6 centimetres, with four pawns fitting comfortably on a square. That’s a helpful starting point. Buying for a league? I’d ask whoever runs it what they expect the club to provide before sending off an order.
I’d try a board in the hall before ordering several. Pull up the usual chairs, put a clock alongside it and switch on the ceiling lights. The room may be less forgiving than the shop photograph. If one table leaves no space for a scoresheet, that’s useful to know now; buying six identical boards won’t make the table any wider.
Plan for the missing knight
Count the pieces, certainly, but look at what you’ve counted. Thirty-two objects could include three white rooks and no black knight. I’d put a contents card in the lid and give spare queens a clearly marked home. Otherwise somebody is liable to find an extra queen, assume the box is wrong and start redistributing pieces that belonged there all along.
For the weekly workhorses, I’d look at sturdy plastic pieces first. A wooden display set could be a nice separate purchase later, when the club knows it wants one. For now, ask the volunteers what they can comfortably lift and pack. They’re the people who will be dealing with the equipment after everyone else has gone home.
What the first order might contain
Here’s the opening order I’d propose for those ten players. I’d take it to the other organisers before buying anything; someone may know about a clock or a cupboard full of boards that hasn’t come up yet.
- Six complete, compatible sets: five for games and one spare.
- Matching boards that fit the tables with space for a clock.
- Five clocks if everyone will play timed games, plus a plan for a failure.
- Extra queens and labelled bags for matching spare pieces.
- Storage boxes that can be lifted safely by the people using them.
- Pens and scoresheets where notation is part of the session.
When the delivery arrives, I’d resist handing out the boxes straight away. Open them together and see what’s there. Then number them: board 1, pieces 1, clock 1. For a club this size, a card in the lid should do most of the work. Closing up shouldn’t require someone to get a spreadsheet running on their phone.
Ask the replacement question before buying
My question to a supplier would be: what do we do when we lose one black knight? Perhaps they sell individual replacements. Perhaps a matching spare set is the sensible answer. Either way, I’d want to know the model name and keep it with the receipt. Asking that question after the pieces have been discontinued is rather less useful.
For the catalogue part, the chess shop at World Chess is one starting point. I’d keep the club’s measurements beside the screen and note what each price buys. A lovely photograph may show a complete setup while the offer covers only the pieces. Add the missing board, storage and delivery before taking a total to the members.
Where will that receipt live? I’d choose somewhere the next committee can access, rather than leaving it in the founder’s personal inbox. Save the model names and the supplier’s contact details with it. When somebody steps down, they shouldn’t have to remain the club’s unpaid equipment detective because nobody else knows what was bought.
Leave money for running the room
I’d leave a little of the opening budget unspent. The first few meetings may reveal something you hadn’t thought of: an awkward storage box, a dark teaching table, or a need for another clock. You can buy the extra item once you know which problem you’re solving. Returning a pile of unnecessary accessories is a less pleasant job.
A replacement allowance belongs in the discussion too. Even a small, agreed amount is better than relying on one generous member to keep buying the missing bits. Keep a note of damage and losses, then review it occasionally. If the same problem keeps recurring, the answer might be a different packing routine rather than another order.
Rehearse packing up
I’d ask two volunteers to pack a trial kit and put it in the proposed cupboard. All the way in, door shut. Can they lift it out again? Who has the key? These questions aren’t glamorous, but a locked cupboard can stop a meeting just as effectively as a shortage of boards. Test the arrangement before filling every shelf.
The labels won’t all be right on the first attempt. If nobody can find the spares, move them. If the same box is repeatedly returned incomplete, work out what’s confusing people. I’d want a new volunteer to be able to set up a game without ringing the founder. That seems a more useful test of the kit than how impressive it looks lined up for a photograph.