Academy operations
Demo class
Definition
A demo class is a single trial session a chess academy offers a prospective student before enrollment, letting the family judge the coach and batch fit before committing to a paid seat. Academy software logs each demo's outcome (enrolled, declined, or pending) as the first stage of the enrollment funnel, since an unfollowed demo quietly becomes a lost lead.
In practice
A demo class is where a chess academy's enrollment funnel actually starts: a coach teaches one trial session, the parent watches how their child responds, and the academy decides whether to offer a paid seat in a batch. New academies lean on demo classes hardest before they have a track record, since a strong first demo is often the only proof a prospective family has to go on. The term shows up on academy owners' calendars alongside batch scheduling (fitting a demo into a coach's existing timetable without disrupting enrolled students) and retention rate (a demo that converts poorly is often the first sign a batch or curriculum needs a rework). For the fuller checklist of getting an academy from zero to its first paying batch in India, including registration, fees, and federation steps that sit outside the demo itself, read the linked guide below.