2011-2012 New Merit Badges

[smtroop168]

Chess and Welding are the next two MBs to come out.

[kwildman]

Chess and Welding are the next two MBs to come out.

chess? really? what about checkers?

[lifescoutforlife]

Chess and Welding are the next two MBs to come out.

If any kid needs to win a game or 2 in chess to meet a requirement just play against me and you should be able to win in 8 or 9 moves.

[T162Scoutmaster]

I think welding will make for a good mb.
It is a marketable skill. And even if you don't weld for a living, at least in my case, I seem to always have something that needs welded.

[PaulSWolf]

The BSA’s newest merit badge, Chess, will be launched in September with some exciting events designed to raise interest and awareness. The kickoff event will take place at the grand opening of the new Chess Hall of Fame on Sept. 8-10.

The merit badge pamphlet is being printed and is expected to be in Scout shops in late August. Here's what the cover will be:



You can also see what the merit badge will look like, from the image on the cover.

I'll post the requirements as soon as they're available.

[ronin718]

Please tell me this is a late April Fool's joke. CHESS??? REALLY???

Has society and National gone so far over the edge that we have to give merit badges for board games? I get that this might improve strategic thinking and mental skills, but do we really have to offer a merit badge? Next we'll have a Television Remote MB to reach out to the couch-potato youth.

[wagionvigil]

Please tell me this is a late April Fool's joke. CHESS??? REALLY???

Has society and National gone so far over the edge that we have to give merit badges for board games? I get that this might improve strategic thinking and mental skills, but do we really have to offer a merit badge? Next we'll have a Television Remote MB to reach out to the couch-potato youth.

I absolutely Agree!

[FrankJ]

Cubs have a Video Game pin.

On a more serious note, there are scholarship, reading, coin collecting, collecting, basketry, music, etc. Chess does involve thinking on a higher level. I am not sure that I see much difference.

[smtroop168]

Send your comments to merit.badge@scouting.org

Remember to get a new badge some group out there is sponsoring it.

Adding to FrankJ's list:

Art, Fingerprinting, Stamp Collecting and Climbing

I'm a bit more concerned about putting a welding torch in the hands of an 11 year old.

[ronin718]

Most of the MBs listed in the last couple of posts provide skills and insight into careers and other aspects of lifelong interests. What in blazes are they going to have as requirements for a Chess MB? Oh, I know...

- Demonstrate knowledge of first aid skills in treating the following chess-related injuries:
- Dead butt syndrome
- Forehead lacerations (from falling asleep waiting for your opponent and bouncing your head off the board/pieces)
- Embedded objects (see previous; also from spiking your opponent's Queen on the top of their head)
- Splinters (provide your own location)

- Discuss the history of chess. Include Soviet-US relationships and "Searching for Bobby Fischer"

- Discuss the rules of the game

- Demonstrate your knowledge of the rules by defeating Wagionvigil in a best of seven tournament

- Using all proper safety rules, construct a portable chess board and pieces to take to a senior center. While there, donate your time to compete with all residents of the facility

[wagionvigil]

-

- Demonstrate your knowledge of the rules by defeating Wagionvigil in a best of seven tournament

would take 4 games and last like 30 minutes total.

[Bill Pitcher]

They might as well have added checkers and call it the "Chess and Checkers MB!" This is a little ridiculous.

[smtroop168]

-

- Demonstrate your knowledge of the rules by defeating Wagionvigil in a best of seven tournament

would take 4 games and last like 30 minutes total.

Not if the requirement is that all games must be done while climbing or repelling. This is a classic double-dipping MB.

[RMM]

The BSA’s newest merit badge, Chess, will be launched in September with some exciting events designed to raise interest and awareness. The kickoff event will take place at the grand opening of the new Chess Hall of Fame on Sept. 8-10.

The merit badge pamphlet is being printed and is expected to be in Scout shops in late August. Here's what the cover will be:



You can also see what the merit badge will look like, from the image on the cover.

I'll post the requirements as soon as they're available.

Soon to be Eagle Required?

[smtroop168]

Here is an interesting data point. New MBs do not see the light of day unless the National Youth Review Panel gives it at least an 80% approval vote.

Also there are no MBs planned in the near term to be eliminated.

[ronin718]

How about resurrected? My son is working on the recently killed then resurrected Bugling MB. He started working on it when he was 12 and really struggled with the tunes that had to be played, so much so that he quit. When we saw they were offering it at camp this summer, I convinced him to try again. When he picked up his trumpet last week to try out the music again, he told me it was so much easier to play them, and he thought this would be an easy one to complete.

Amazing what three years of practice and development will do! Might take that long to get the Chess MB...

[Billiken]

Apparently, Gaming (i.e. electronic, not Las Vegas casino managment) MB is coming soon too.

[FrankJ]

Our council just had a chess merit badge clinic for 25 scouts. Apparently a test case.

[smtroop168]

Our council just had a chess merit badge clinic for 25 scouts. Apparently a test case.

Thought Chess had to have an even number of players or is that Cycling using Tandems?

Did you see the requirements?

[FrankJ]

No just a blurb in the council news letter. I have seen competitions where a chess master plays multiple games with different players at one time. I did not count to see if there was an odd or even number of players. This kind of play would be more suited to an unicycle than a tandem though.