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