Originally Posted by ultramarina
Re chess coaches and children, I think this is one of these things that's changed with time, much as youth sports have changed and become more intense and competitive with time. Youth chess is also much more popular today than it once was, I believe.

But I'm sure there are at least some kids who do relatively well without coaches, perhaps because their school club or team is very intensive or they study a lot on their own.

You are probably right. I only know Boston well, and that can be quite different from other parts of the country.