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

Mill Valley/Reese Take First at State!

Hi Mill Valley Chess Families,

This past weekend eight players from Mill Valley participated in the Wisconsin State Scholastic Championships sponsored by the Wisconsin Chess Association in Oshkosh. They competed in the K-5 Division against teams from 18 schools in a field of 101 participants. Together they scored 18 points to tie for 1st Place Team State Champions with New Berlin's Glen Park, but got the 2nd Place Team Trophy on tie-breaker One, 90 to 91.

Mill Valley's name goes on the traveling State Championship Trophy Cup coming to Mill Valley in 6 months. New Berlin promised to bring it to the Mill Valley tournament on May 3rd for a visit and all to see.

As individuals, Josh Bartz finished in 66th Place and Kolt Otterbacher finished in 51st position. Brian Schroeder got 33rd for a Medal with 3.5 wins. Reid Seghers finished 25th, 3rd Grader Jorin McGuire took 24th, and Chris Tillson got 18th Place, all with 4 wins for a State Championship Medal. Evan Seghers tied for 9th Place, but got the 10th Place Trophy with 4.5 wins. Gregory Reese tied for the 1st Place Individual Trophy with 5.5 wins, won it on tie-breakers, and is State Co-Champion with Sam Gorectke of New Berlin.

Congratulations to all who participated!

Pam Reese
Mill Valley Chess Club

Going to the Kalahari?

Going to the Kalahari?

Reid and Evan will be going to the Kalahari on the weekend of April 5th, for the WSCF K-8 State Championship. Sue will be there Friday eve with the boys, and I will arrive early Saturday morning. Note that you HAVE TO PRE-REGISTER, using information on the link above.

Please let me know if you are going, or if you would like to go, and we can pull together as a team. To reach me, either comment to this post, or call/email me using the information I sent in email. Thank you!

Mark Seghers

GRADE LEVEL MADNESS!

Hi Everyone,

Saturday's tournament is at The Marian Center located at 3195 S. Superior Street in St. Francis. We have retained the same team room as last year. It's on the second floor, room number 223.

We will be taking $3.00 donations for each child participating to help pay for the team room rental. The team room is a suite of four rooms, so we should have plenty of room. Please arrive by 8 a.m.

The pairings for the first round will be prepared Friday night and should be posted when we arrive on Saturday. The kids need to be at their boards by 8:30 for the opening ceremony and the first round will follow. This is earlier than usual.

This is a five round event. There are set times for each round with the final round beginning at 2:15 and awards to follow. We have thirteen students participating on Saturday. Two second graders, three third graders and eight fourth graders. There will be five individual trophies and four team trophies for each grade level. Team scores will consist of the top three scorers on each team. If you can recruit any more second or third grade players it would give us a better chance to finish in the trophies. Parents will be allowed to sit in the mezzanine area above the playing floor to watch the games. Parents are not allowed to communicate with their child or anyone on the playing floor while games are in progress. Students are not allowed in the upper area.

Please make sure your kids know that they are not to run in the halls or in the stairwells. When their game is finished they must leave the playing area immediately and return to the team room. If you are bringing any snacks or lunch, please remember no peanut or nut products. Because of food allergies, we ask that you have your children wash their hands after eating before using the chess sets in our team room. We ask that all food and drinks be kept in a designated area and not on the tables with the chess sets. We will see you bright and early on Saturday!

Pam Reese
Mill Valley Chess Club