Frequently Asked Questions
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Kids ages 6-13 are welcome. No experience required in either Chess or Dungeons and Dragons!
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Our coaches are experienced after school and camp professionals, who specialize in the subjects they are leading, and our assistants are high school volunteers. Read more about our Camp Directors here
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Campers are divided into four groups by age. For the first lesson half the camp will attend chess and the other half D&D. For the second lesson campers will switch from CHESS —> D&D or vice versa.
Campers will have two sessions of Adventure Academy and two sessions of Tactical/Endgame Training per week.
Fridays we follow a special schedule
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Pizza and Movie during Lunch
During Gym: Groups compete in an Olympic-style skills challenge that tests their teamwork and creative problem solving skills.
BUGHOUSE TOURNAMENT
Awards Ceremony Fridays foster teamwork, camaraderie, and a healthy sense of competition, but no one goes home empty handed and every student is celebrated for their achievements at our award ceremony.
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Early Bird Deadline March 31st : $625/week
April 1st : $700/week
Aftercare cost : $30/day or $125 /week
10% Sibling Discount
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Each week we will aim to create a well- rounded approach that introduces students to all the branches of study that make up one of the oldest games in the world. Tactical Chess and Calculation, Middlegame Strategy, Endgame Theory, and Opening Concepts. The daily chess tournament will be a great way to immediately put our knowledge to use. Coaches will select a few of the most instructional games played in the tournament to be analyzed in class, with the hope that students can learn from each other and their mistakes. Read more about our chess classes.
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Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game, and is based first and foremost around creative self-expression, with a DM (Dungeon Master - that is, the teacher) weaving a narrative and all participants shaping that narrative with their characters and in-game choices. Some groups prefer lots of combat while others prefer to have almost none---anything goes, and the DM can adjust the story to the participants' preferences. No familiarity with D&D is required! The DM will help beginners craft their own characters.
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Absolutely! Students are welcome to come with any and all the knowledge they have of the game- including a beloved character if they would like. However, it is a fun experience to create a new character with the rest of the group on the first day!. If you do want to come with a character sheet, please do note that we will be starting everyone at Level 2!
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Not to worry! We use the basic mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons as a jumping off point to foster collective imagination, “yes-and” skills, improvisation, patience, teamwork, and more. Not every student will leave knowing EVERY rule to DnD, no adult does, but they will leave having gone on a fantastical adventure in the theater of the mind. Playing pretend, even with the addition of dice, math and spell slots, is accessible to all ages.
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In Adventure Academy, students explore and hone all the skills they will need throughout their week as daring dungeon dwellers.From comprehensive Dungeons and Dragons rules, to interactive riddles and puzzles, character building and collaborative crafts, Adventuring Academy is a one stop shop for students to gather all the tools they will need on their Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Adventuring Academy is a hands on, interactive class that explores problem solving, creative thinking, and teamwork.
WITH HANDS ON CHALLENGES :
Design a Treasure Map: Campers design scavenger hunts with riddles and puzzles of their own creation to challenge other groups.
Tower of Spaghetti: Armed with only raw spaghetti and mini-marshmallows, teams compete to build the tallest tower in the time allotted.
Mini Fig Painting : Painting our own tiny characters created during the D&D Campaign.
Riddles, Puzzles, and Strategy
We will explore riddles, brainteasers, logic puzzles and more so that no troll guarding a bridge will be any match for our quick thinking. Pulling from a wide array of strategy games, math puzzles and famous riddles from Mythology, this section of class encourages trial and error, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and thinking outside the box entirely! Here’s an example of a warm up riddle we might tackle in class:
I twist and I turn, with words that confuse, I hide myself in various clues.
I share the middle of middle and the end of end. A pencil would be better for yourself to defend.
What am I?
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Taking the time in Adventuring Academy to manage our character sheets outside of our Dungeons and Dragons session gives us the opportunity to get the most out of the actual “role playing” that happens in those sessions. No one wants to get all the way to the final battle against the evil Green Dragon who’s captured our friend, heroically raise a magical sword to deal a deadly blow, and just as we are on the edge of our seat to learn what happens…. Wait! Does anyone remember what the specific magical abilities this sword has? Hang on… let’s dig through the rule book to find it…
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Getting our energy out with various games: Dodgeball , Kickball and Four Square!
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7:1
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Cancel before 3/31, you get 85% back
Cancel before 5/19, you get 50% back
Cancel after 5/19 - No Refund
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Water and light snacks will be provided at break times and aftercare. Students should bring their own lunch and are encouraged to bring their own water bottles. Nut products are not permitted at camp. Pizza will be provided by the camp on Friday!
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Lunch (that does not need to be heated)
Refillable Water Bottle
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Our head coaches are trained in CPR/First Aid and the safety of our students is our top priority.
All staff and students must meet the then-current minimum vaccination requirements outlined by the Key to NYC program. We will be following all CDC, DOH, and NYC guidelines in regards to cleaning, masking, and social distancing. Please note that this is subject to change throughout the summer.
If your child has allergies or any other physical, mental, or emotional health needs we should know about – please let us know. Please note that we cannot legally administer any medications.
The parent acting as the emergency contact must be available in case of emergency.Campers that behave in a way that puts themselves or other campers or teachers in danger may be sent home at the head coaches’ discretion. No refund will be given if this occurs.
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Campers not signed up for after-care should be picked up by 3:00 and campers signed up for after-care should be picked up by 5pm. We understand that things might come up on occasion and allow a 15-minute grace period on pick-ups.
To ensure all campers’ safety, only those people listed as authorized for pick-up can pick up the camper. Folks picking up campers must come to the room to pick up — we cannot release campers out of the building without an authorized adult present.
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Aftercare involves elective play (we provide the board games), dungeons and dragons character management, free reading, arts and crafts, movie night and of course more snack time!
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The best way to reach us is by email
Khana Itkis: info@mastermindchess.com
Patrick Caldswell : patrickswailescaldwell@gmail.com
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