I have to question the underlying goal of chess clubs, though. Is it to nurture talent at the very top, or to maximize performance across all members? I would think some combination of the two has the most value for both the highest ability players and society.
+1. And let's not forget that having fun and enjoying the game is part of it as well.
It's sort of amusing to think of chess as a sport, but there are many similarities. Ideally, you learn to persist, to win and lose gracefully, and to practice and refine your skills to achieve more success. IMO, children's chess should be somewhat similar to children's sports. It should be open to and fun for anyone who is interested, with the opportunity for better/more interested players to compete at higher levels. It shouldn't give off the vibe that it's only for genius children or boys or math whizzes. It's been shown to have some really great benefits, in fact, so making it more accessible to all children seems to be a win-win to me (and continuing to position it as a "boy genius" thing is concerning).
