Originally Posted by ultramarina
FWIW, research on what kids like about sports show that what they value most about it are being with friends and having fun, with skill development also on the list. Winning and getting trophies ranked very low.
That is not my impression of young chess players. On some days our chess club has tournaments with trophies as prizes, and other days are for open play. The days with tournaments have noticeably higher turnout.