Mill Valley takes 3rd Place at Community HS

Andrew, Griffin, Elliot and Jack

Way to go Mill Valley Knights for taking their first trophy of the year!
The team of Andrew Hirt, Jack Bognar, Elliot Bognar and Griffin Weber took third place in the tough K-6 Division.

Chess Carnival a Success

Parents and Players had fun at the Chess Carnival last night. 22 players from the team made it, and many parents stayed for the chess and fun. Kids who completed the most puzzles and challenges won huge prizes! (ok, it was just candy but hey... we are on a limited budget!)

We had several "stations" for the kids to go to, including:

• Knight Jumping
• Checkmate in 1 puzzles
• Checkmate with Queen/Rook/Rook, Rook/Rook, and just Rook
• Pawn Wars
• Solid Openings
• Chess Challenge Boards

Mel Sinner, and Reid and Evan Seghers helped to keep things rolling, thanks! It was great to meet the parents, and see how our kids have improved since the beginning of the year. I saw a lot of serious chess last night. Way to go Mill Valley Knights!

Later today: US-M update!

Chess Carnival Tonight! And other Notes

Tonight we're NOT here- we're in the Art Room!

Remember, tonight from 6:30-8:00 is the Chess Carnival at Mill Valley, in the Art Room! There will be lots of challenging puzzles and mini-games, and kids earn "chips" as they accomplish each task.

This is also an opportunity for me to meet chess parents, and to answer questions, etc.

If you would like to help set up, please arrive at 6pm. The Chess Carnival will be about practicing chess, and learning what it takes to compete and excel in one of the oldest and most amazing games in the world. As educators would attest, Chess helps young minds develop, and can actually improve performance in the classroom. Together with a well-rounded curriculum including athletics and exercise, Chess can become an interesting "oracle" into the lessons of life itself: Patience, Balance, Planning, Strategy, Defense, and the normal, positive competition we all face in life wherein hard work is rewarded with success. And, it's just a fun game! Hope to see you tonight.

Secondy, I will have T-SHIRT ORDER FORMS if you would like a T-shirt but have not yet turned in the form! The deadline for all forms is next TUESDAY, then I will be placing the order.

Finally, don't forget the TOURNAMENT at the prestigious University School of Milwaukee this Saturday. If you are interested, and if you are not sure if your child is ready to play, let's talk tonight! Sometimes, and for some kids, the best way is to jump in and play (once they learn some basics). For other kids, it's best that they are fully prepared so they are not too frustrated with their early chess experiences. Remember, with chess, you either WIN or LEARN. There is no losing!

Thank you
- Mark

Two Chess Classes this Week!

We have two chess classes this week:
1) Normal Chess Class Tuesday after school 3:45-4:45 Mill Valley stage
2) A one-time Chess CARNIVAL! Wednesday 6:30-8:00pm - Mill Valley Art Room. Focus will be on fundamentals. Parents welcome!
Then, the big University School tournament this Saturday the 21st!!! We will be fielding both a K-3 team and a K-6 team for Mill Valley! Please RSVP if you would like your child to play. If you are NOT SURE if your child is ready, let me know and I will pay special attention to him/her this week and see what they may still need to work on. #1 is home practice- this is the best way to improve!

Any questions, please email or call me, thanks!

Nathan Trophies in K-3

Shhh!!!! Gears cranking in young chess brains...

No, it's not Chuck Norris, it's Nathan!

This first tournament, at Goodrich Elementary, we had one player in K3 (Nathan) and one player in K5 (Julia). They both played very well after a long Summer with no chess! Nathan finished 4th in the K-3 division to take home a nice trophy.

Our next tournament for the school is at University School in Mequon on November 21. Many of our kids should be ready to go to their first tournament. Please see if you can go, we should have a couple good teams for this one.

Goddess Chess Blog Writes About Mill Valley Girls!

Goddess Chess published a nice picture of a Mill Valley Chess practice and the girls on the team!    Goddess Chess is an organization that promotes girls chess.   Follow the link to read the article!!

- Mr. Seghers

Begin with the End in Mind

As fans of Covey would know, it is wise to "begin with the end in mind."    That is, to know where you are going before you begin.   Most masters teach beginners the endgame very early in their training, so I will do the same...!

Some great endgame lessons are here, below (from a nice beginners' site, "Logical Chess"):

King and Pawn Endgame
First, learn the secrets of King and Pawn endgame play.

King and Pawn Endgame Studies
Then test your skills on these problem diagrams.

Knight Endgame
Learn the secrets of King, Knight, and Pawn endgame play.

Knight Endgame Studies
Then test your skills on these problem diagrams.

The Rules of Chess pt1

The Starting Position:

Chess is played by two players beginning in the position shown above. The White player (the player of the light colored pieces) moves first. Then each player takes a single turn. In fact, a player must move in turn. In other words a move cannot be skipped.

When setting up the pieces, keep in mind two things. The light colored square goes on the player's right, and Queens go on their color next to the Kings on the center files.

You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces. You may capture an opposing piece by replacing that piece with one of your own pieces, if it can legally move there.

Tournaments Coming Up!

Last week, we let the kids play FULL GAMES of chess.
It was useful to see how far they have come. Some kids amazed me! Most kids still need a great deal of work before they learn the game... but thats OK!!! There's lots of time. If you have a chess board at home, make sure they know how the pieces move, that's the first hurdle.
Remember, the PRIMARY GOAL of the chess class is to LEARN THE GAME and HAVE FUN! If a child wishes, they may join tournaments when they are ready!!! We have three divisions- WHITE, BLUE and RED. See the explanation of BLUE players below, on this blog site.
Our first tournament as a team is NOVEMBER 7, at Goodrich elementary!!! This will be a fun, WSCF scholastic tournament! Then, another one on November 14th, then the big tournament at University School on November 21st!!!
Just a couple weeks before our first tournament.
Remember, these tournaments are OPTIONAL and are best only for kids who have learned the basics. Before Nov 7th, I would like to have an extra session for the WHITE DIVISION. A CHESS FOUNDATIONS course. Still thinking about this.... would be good to give special attention to the beginners. I am thinking to also invite some of the Lake Denoon players to help out! Let me know if you have any ideas here. Thanks!

Checkmating with 2 rooks, and 1 rook

Here is a link to checkmating with ONE rook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cYiU0Z3plg

Here is a link to checkmating with TWO rooks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sVAm6Kgogk

Free Internet Chess !!!

Do you have the Internet? Check out freechess.org!

Just go to www.freechess.org and you can create an account for your child. This is a GREAT way to play online chess and to find a game anytime!!!

We will be "meeting" online Tuesday night at 8PM for anybody who wants to try it out!!!

Mark/Mr. Seghers/Mr. S

When is a Player Ready for Tournaments?

We have three divisions in our club:
WHITE players are the players still learning how to compete. This is the bulk of our team today. Learning how the pieces move. Learning pawn structure. How to checkmate and mate. Basic opening strategy.
BLUE players are ready for tournaments.
Generally, Blue players know and can demonstrate:
- How to play a full game all the way to the end
- How to deliver Check, and Check Mate, using a combination of pieces
- How to defend 4-move mate and its variations
- How to checkmate using queen and rook, and rook alone (vs. a lone King)
- When a game is winnable and when it is a draw
- Knows stalemate and how to avoid (or deliver when losing)
- Good opening form:

• Developing center pawns
• Controlling the center
• Developing minor pieces
• Castling

- Does not give away "free pieces" (where player takes a piece for free and you can't take back)
- Understands the value of the pieces
- Understands pawn structure
- Knows one good opening for white, and how to defend basic openings as black
- Etc.

RED players are tournament players who have won 4 games in a 6 game tournament, or 3.5 points in a 5-game tournament.

Badger Open? And Class update.

I'm not sure if we're going to be able to get a K-4 team for the Badger Open this Saturday- need 4 players! It's early in the season, still many other activities going on... and... most of our kids arent yet ready! However... please let me know if your child 1) is confident to play in a semi-tough tournament (I would guess 6-7 of our players might be ready), and 2) is available to play on Saturday. We will have a team for Lake Denoon, but might be ready for Mill valley yet.... Individual players are welcome too - we must may not be able to get a full team. PLEASE RSVP!!!

Class update:
Great class today, focus on the PAWN. Played pawn wars, kids very attentive and seemed to have fun with the pawn-wars game.

Next week, we will be focusing on the KNIGHT, and will be playing with only pawns, knights, and kings. If possible, please work with your children on the pawns and knights. Wikipedia has great information on chess, and you can find lots of information by Googling "chess knight" ... etc.. It would be great if our kids can find chess outside of class- it will be difficult if all they have is one hour per week!

Very happy with the progress I'm seeing in the first couple weeks.

The Mighty Pawn

This week's class - held again on the Mill Valley stage from 3:45 to 4:45 - will be about PAWNS.

The pawn is only worth 1 point, compared to 3 points for Bishops and Knights, 5 points for Rooks, and 9 for the Queen (these are approximate values to help a player see if he/she is ahead or behind- and they vary based on the game situation). HOWEVER the pawn becomes a Queen when it gets to the other side of the board! Pawns move 1 or 2 forward on their first move, then one forward. They CAPTURE on a diagonal, however, either one forward and left, or one forward and right. They can never move backwards.
Like footsoldiers in battle, they work together as a team, supporting each other. A pawn on its own is not as strong.

To help our players learn about the pawn, we will be having PAWN WARS, which is simply chess with all 16 pawns and both kings. In this important exercise, our players will learn about pawn movement, pawn structure, promoting the pawn, and CHECKMATING finally using the Queen(s) the Pawns will become if they play correctly!

This is a useful exercise for players of ALL skill levels.

The Badger Open

What: 40th Annual Badger Open Chess Tournament
When: Oct 3 - Scholastic Section; Oct 3-4 for the Open and Reserve Section.
Register: Contact Mr. Seghers

The 40th Annual Badger Open Chess Tournament will be held at the Marriott Milwaukee West located at W231 N1600 Corporate Court in Waukesha on October 3rd and 4th. This tournament will offer a 2 day event on Saturday and Sunday, October 3rd and 4th with an Open and Reserve (U1400) section with individual cash awards. Like last year there will also be a 1 day Scholastic event on Saturday, October 3rd with 2 sections, K-4 and K-9, with both individual and team awards. Teams may consist of either school or club teams.
All sections are USCF rated and require a current USCF membership to participate. This includes the 1 day Scholastic event.
Please email Mr. Seghers at seghers@gmail.com to receive a flyer with all the details. I will also register all players online- please RSVP, ASAP!!! We hope to have a K-4 team for the strongest Mill Valley Players!

Another Great Class

The team is really working out well so far. I count about 40 kids on the team, including about 14 girls. It's great to have so many girls interested in chess! The ratio of chess players over the world is traditionally too heavily male-dominated. We have to change that and get a better balance!
Some of the girls seem really good... a few in our advanced group who surprised assistant Mr. Reid. Reid is helping with the advanced group (not intuitively, it's easier to provide assistance when the child already understands the basics, than it is to teach back to the very basics).

Very attentive group today. I am very proud of all of them!

Two groups for now- beginners and advanced. About 6-8 are ready to play in a tournament. The goal by mid-October is to be able to field both a solid K-3 team, and a K-5/6 team for a tournament. I think we'll get there!

The advancement path is beginners-> advanced->tournament. Beginners must first graduate to advanced before it is recommended that they try to play in a tournament.

Mill Valley / LDMS Chess Calendar added!

See to the right, on the sidebar, on the top, there is a calendar link.

This calendar shows the Mill Valley (and also Lake Denoon M.S.) chess event calendar for the year!!! Stars are shown by MEETINGS, and "thumbs up" symbols are for recommended tournaments.
I have some things in there now, and will be adding things as they are announced. The WSCF and WSCA have not announced their calendars yet.

Thank you!

Important Chess Note to Parents

IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS!

Please send a note each week on Tuesdays with your child, so the teacher knows that the child will be attending chess class!!!!
In this first week, we had some struggles with parents not sending notes… Even though they sign up with Mr. Seghers at Chess Club, Mill Valley also requires a note each Tuesday from parents stating that they would like their child to attend. "Blanket" notes meant to cover the entire chess season are not sufficient.

Thank you!!!

The Year begins with a BANG!

The Mill Valley Chess Team started with a very positive first meeting this Tuesday after school, from 3:45 to 4:45. This is when chess club will be held weekly MOST WEEKS.

In our first class, we talked about the ground rules of the club (be attentive, stay away from the curtains, etc), and the basics of chess, then divided the group into two sections- Beginners and Advanced. Reid Seghers (currently attending Lake Denoon M.S.) assisted with training- he really enjoyed helping out. Mr. Seghers took the beginners, and Reid assisted with some advanced concepts. The beginners' section focused on the board, and the movement of the pieces. Next week we will focus on the board, and the general principles of play. We will then focus on how to checkmate the King. Reid will focus with the advanced group on simple endgames. About 70% of the class is at the Beginner level, with about half of those players still learning how the pieces move. We have 5-8 kids who have played in tournaments before. Looks to be about 25 or so in the class- just about the perfect size.

NOTES on CLASS SCHEDULING: There is NO MEETING on both November 3rd (voting) and January 26th (Kgn registration). I will soon post a schedule on this blog. It will include class schedule AND tournament schedule!! Our tournaments will begin in October it looks like- nothing in Sept for Mill Valley.

Announcing the 2009-2010
Mill Valley Elementary Chess Club!

Chess is an amazing way to build young minds. Alongside of academic pursuits and athletics, chess provides a child an amazing – and fun- balance to a child’s development. Chess has been shown to help with discipline, learning, problem solving, planning, and friendly competition. Chess also helps to teach sportsmanship and respect.

Did you know that Mill Valley Elementary has a chess club? Not only that, we have a strong history of success. A few years ago, Mill Valley’s brand new chess program won the K-3 National Championship following what was most of our kids’ first year of playing chess! That club was coached by Mr. Gregory Reese, assisted by Mark Seghers. This year, Mark is the coach of both Mill Valley and LDMS (current K-5 state champions), while Coach Reese coaches at both Bay Lane and Country Meadows. Assisting Mark at Mill Valley this year is Mr. Peter Stevlingson, who did a great job last year with the MV club!

Our chess class will meet WEEKLY on the stage in the gym/auditorium, on TUESDAYS right after school, starting next Tuesday, Sept 15!!. Our classes will be instructional in nature – NO PREVIOUS CHESS EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED. We will be dividing the class into beginners and advanced sections.

After the kids learn the basics, and are ready, your child can optionally join us at several tournaments hosted by the WSCF (Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation) and the WSCA (Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Association) throughout the year. The goal of each child in their first tournament is to win 1 game out of the 6 played. We’ve never had this NOT happen!
Interested? Please fill out and return the slip below! Please print clearly. Thank you!

• Mark Seghers(262) 679-4051 - home phone
• Seghers@gmail.com - Email address
• http://mvchess.blogspot.com/ – Our blog- updated frequently- please view!

NOTE: This is not an after-school child care program- we ask your child to be engaged in chess! Disruptive or inattentive children will not be able to continue with the program.

- - - -- - - - - - - - MILL VALLEY CHESS CLUB - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hello! I am a parent who is interested in my child joining the Mill Valley Chess Club this year!

Parent’s Name ____________________ Phone _________ Email Address (important!) _____________

Name of Child _______________________ Grade ____ Experience Playing Chess? _____________ _*

Name of Child _______________________ Grade ____ Experience Playing Chess? ______________ *

I can help on Tuesdays with the class ____Yes ____ No (and do you play chess?)

I can help on some Saturdays at tournaments ____ Yes ____ No (and do you play chess?)

Please return this slip to the MILL VALLEY OFFICE by Friday, September 11th, Thank you!!! OR, you can email this info to Mark Seghers at seghers@gmail.com. Thanks!

Upcoming Tournaments- Get Ready!!!

Upcoming Tournaments!
While the Scholastic schedules for WSCA and WSCF have not yet been finalized, below are some upcoming tournaments of note:

WCC - Aug 19 - Early Fall Action - (Waukesha Chess Club, 2 Wed eves)
SWCC - Aug 20 - Summer Actionade Cooler III (USCF, Southwest Chess Club, Thu eve)
LDMS - Aug 30 - BARN BLITZ! Email seghers@gmail.com for details
WCC - Sep 2 - Early Fall Swiss - (Waukesha Chess Club - 4 Wed eves)
USCF - Oct 3 - Badger Open (Pewaukee) - details to come
USCF - Oct 17 - Hales Corners Challenge X
USCF - Nov 7 - WI Junior Open - Oshkosh

Site of the Tournament

On Sunday, August 30 at 1PM (watch the site for updates), we will be holding the prestigious 2009 Muskego Barn Blitz at the fabulous luxurious Seghers Barn Resort (watch out for rusty nails and mice), pictured above.
This is projected to be a 10-round, 5-minute blitz tournament. There will be a small entry fee which will cover a few trophies. We will be asking for RSVPs and volunteers, and some snacks, etc. There will be a 12 and under Division, a 16 and Under Division, and an Open division.
We'll also have swimming between rounds and for parents who wish to hang out and talk. We did this a few years ago and it was a lot of fun! The Evite went out today (Fri 7/17)... if you didn't get an Evite, please email Mark (s e g h e r s @ g m a i l . c o m - with out the spaces). RSVP for people, snacks, etc.

- Mark, Sue, Reid and Evan Seghers

WATCH HERE FOR MV CHESS NEWS!!!

I will be coaching both the LDMS and Mill Valley chess teams next school year 2009-2010.
Watch here for Mill Valley Chess news, and check out LDMS chess happenings at the sister web site http://ldmschess.blogspot.com !!
- Mark Seghers

Milwaukee Chess Clubs

Summer days are so busy; some players find the best way to learn chess and stay sharp is to play in the evenings. There are two options for that- Wednesday evenings at the Waukesha Chess Club, and Thursday evenings at the SW chess club. Reid and Evan, and Kolt and Jacob, play at the SW chess club usually. Josh and his Dad Bob have played at the Waukesha Club. Both clubs have a good mix of ages and skill levels!
The next 6 weeks are the SW Chess Club Championship. Starts this Thursday night. One game per week, every Thursday night for 6 weeks. Each player can request 2 "byes" which would give him or her a half-point for that game (as if they drew). I can help drive in some cases. Please RSVP for this tournament!
Southwest Chess Club Championship:July 9, 16, 23, 30 & August 6 & 136-Round Swiss in One Section. Game/100. USCF Rated. EF: $7(must be a member to participate). SWCC Membership $10 (can join prior to first round). (Two ½ point byes available in rounds 1 through 5 if requested at least 2-days in advance; no byes available for round 6.) TD is Becker; ATD is Grochowski.
About the SW Chess Club: Thursday events are held at St. James Catholic Church in the lower level of the Parish Center building (immediately in front of the church). The address is 7219 South 27th Street in Franklin. Parking in rear, enter through south door. Hours: 6-11 p.m. Thursday tournament Registration: 6- 6:55 p.m. Games begin at 7 p.m. Every Thursday, you can either join in the action, or play a friendly game, some skittles, or arrange a match, a tournament, or an extra rated game. Ask a Tournament Director for assistance (Allen Becker, Tom Fogec, Robin Grochowski, or Sheldon Gelbart).