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).

Mill Valley ROCKS Rose Glen

Well, Mr. Seghers almost got lost on the way... nothing against Waukesha, but have you ever driven in a more CONFUSING city? AGGGGhhhhh... Thanks to Mr. Bartz, who called me on my cell phone and guided me in.

Mill Valley Knights again took first in K5. We had Evan take first, Reid take second, Chris take third and Jorin take fourth for a MILL VALLEY SWEEP of the top four spots. Greg finished 7th, Josh 12th, and Rachel 17th with 3.5 wins and once again SO CLOSE to getting Red division. Amazing job Mill Valley... this tournament really showed the gap between our program and some of the others. This is due of course to the kids' hard work, and of course the hard work and great instruction of Mr. Reese.

Way to go!!!!!!!

Mill Valley Takes First at WSCF State!

As Bob said when he handed us the trophy, the "Chess Capital of Wisconsin, Mill Valley!" wins another first place trophy, this time in the "first annual" K-5 state tournament at the Kalahari Resort. Mill Valley had 13.5 points compared to second place Shorewood Hills (11.0) and third place Rose Glen (10.0).
Lots of fun was had by all in this event, with plenty of time for the waterpark on Friday and Saturday night, and again on Sunday morning.
Attending for Mill Valley was Evan and Reid Seghers, Chris Tillson and Brian Schroeder. Evan played for 1st place, but lost to a very tough (1421 USCF) Aaron Jing in the final game. Evan played well but made a touch move towards the end which resulted in a positional error. Reid's only loss also came to Master Jing. 2nd place went to Avishai Ella, whose only non-win was a tie against our own Brian Schroeder. Evan took 3rd, Reid took 4th (both with 4 out of 5 wins), Chris Tillson took 9th, and Brian took 19th.

Great job Mill Valley!!!! Thanks also to Coach Reese. Although he was not at this tournament this time around, he was there in spirit, and stands responsible for our children's ongoing chess success!

Four Mill Valley K-5ers Head to the Kalahari

The team of Chris Tillson, Brian Schroeder, Reid and Evan Seghers will be heading to the Kalahari next weekend for the WSCF state championships.

Go Mill Valley!

P.S. There are VERY limited rooms left at our rate for the tournament. Act FAST if you want to try to make it. Comment on this blog and I will get your email immediately and will see what I can do.

Remaining Events

Hi Mill Valley Chess Families,

The Chess season is winding down and there are only a few tournaments left this season.

• April 5&6 WSCF K-8 State Championships - Wisconsin Dells (Mr. Reese not attending)
• April 12 Rose Glen Elementary Waukesha
• April 19 Ronald Reagan Elementary New Berlin
• April 26 3rd Annual All Girls Tournament University School of Milwaukee
• May 3 Mill Valley will host a tournament
• May 9-11 USCF National Elementary Championships Pittsburgh, PA

The next tournament that Mr. Reese will be attending is April 12th at Rose Glen. We have decided not to attend the WSCF Championships held in the Dells. A few families have expressed interest in attending, and a few may have already registered. This tournament requires advance payment with registration either by mail or online at wisconsinscholasticchess.org, so if you decide to participate you will need to take care of registration on your own. If you have questions or need help getting through the process I will gladly help if you give me a call.

The Reagan tournament is not a WSCF event. It is being directed by Randy Bubolz, the chess coach for the New Berlin Elementary Schools. If you want to participate and have a sporting event commitment that day, you can request a half point bye for the round you will miss. He is also offering a USCF Rated Beginner Open in addition to the Scholastic event. If you are a USCF member with a rating under 1200, child or adult, you can play in this section.

All the remaining tournaments will have a K-3 Division. I will send a reminder about the April 12th, Rose Glen Tournament after the first of the month.

Thank you,

Pam Reese
Mill Valley Chess Team