Checkmate in 60 seconds

You do not need to learn the whole app today.

BOARD = what matters now.
MESSAGES = talk with Travis.
ASK FOR HELP = use this when you are stuck or confused.
MY DECK = useful plays, helpers, blockers, and wins.
MENU = schedule, resources, and other tools.

The basic loop:

1. Open your Board.
2. Read your Current Move.
3. Do the move in real life.
4. Tell Checkmate what happened.
5. If you get stuck, Ask for Help.
6. Keep going.

Your first 10 minutes

• [ ] Log in.
• [ ] Open Board.
• [ ] Read your Current Move.
• [ ] Tap Messages, Ask for Help, My Deck, and Menu once.
• [ ] If the Board is wrong, tell Checkmate.
• [ ] Choose your Mark when asked.
• [ ] Make one real move.

Your first day

Try to finish these:

• any last onboarding step;
• the Student Commitment;
• your first Team Huddle booking;
• your class schedule, if Checkmate asks for it;
• one real message or help request;
• one real Current Move.

What a good Move looks like

A good Move tells you what to do and when it is finished.

Good: “Open the registration hold and find out which office owns it.”
Too vague: “Fix registration.”

Good: “Email Professor Lee and ask if the quiz can be made up.”
Too vague: “Deal with chemistry.”

When you act, tell Checkmate what happened.

Your five-minute daily routine

1. Open Board.
2. Read Current Move.
3. Do the next useful thing.
4. Tell Checkmate what happened.
5. Leave.

Messages or Ask for Help?

Use Messages when you already know what you are talking about.

Example:

“Professor Lee replied. He said I can come to office hours Thursday.”

Use Ask for Help when you do not know what to do next.

Example:

“I’m trying to register, but the portal says I have a hold. I do not know what it means. What should I check first?”

Team Huddles

A Team Huddle is a 30-minute working session with Travis.

Your first Huddle usually builds your Game Plan / Semester Game Plan.

Bring:

• your real questions;
• school messages you do not understand;
• important dates;
• a grade or exam result;
• anything that changed.

The goal is not to solve everything. The goal is to leave knowing what matters and what you are doing first.

My Deck

The Deck is not a personality test.

• Strategy = a useful play.
• Shield = a way to prevent a problem.
• Ally = a person, place, or resource that can help.
• Villain = a common blocker.
• Boss = a bigger problem that takes several Moves.
• Hero = something you earned through real evidence.
• Rookie = where your story starts.

Your Mark is different. You choose it because you like it. Checkmate does not score it.

Your first week

By the end of the first week, try to know:

• What is my Current Move?
• What is Coming Up?
• Am I waiting on anyone?
• When should I check again?
• Where do I go when I am confused?
• When is my next Huddle?

If you do not know, tell Travis. That is what your teammate is for.

If something goes wrong

Board looks wrong: tell Checkmate what is wrong.
School message makes no sense: Ask for Help.
Professor has not answered: check the right contact and follow up.
Registration or aid hold: find the office that owns it.
Payment problem: the Membership Manager handles billing.
Login problem: use account recovery. Do not make a second account.

If there is an immediate safety or medical emergency, use emergency services. In the U.S., call or text 988 for suicide and crisis support. Checkmate is not a crisis service.

Three habits that make Checkmate work

1. Tell the truth. “I did not do it” is more useful than fake completion.
2. Ask early. Small problems are easier to fix.
3. Close the loop. Read the reply, save the proof, and tell Checkmate what happened.