Upcoming tournaments, and what the players are doing now

 January is almost over, it's hard to believe that we are already well into 2023.  Today's newsletter has updates about our tournaments, and what the players are dong in the beginner and intermediate classes.  

Best regards, Terry
www.wayoftheboard.org
 

Past and upcoming tournaments

At our January 15th tournament we had 8 players competing with 3 visitors.  It was a fun event, with players ranging from 1st to 7th grade competing.   Players think of the game as competing against an opponent, which is true, but it is also a competition against yourself.  During a tournament, they have to concentrate, practice time management and problem solving, and be prepared to play another game with a positive mindset even if they had a loss previously.  Competing in a rated tournament is an opportunity to think under duress, which not easily replicated in a casual environment.  So even if they lose they win, as they are learning valuable life skills. 

At the same time losing can be tough, particularly for younger players.  It's okay to take a break, there is always another tournament when a player is ready, has a plan to improve gameplay, and has taken time to practice.

Our next tournament is on Sunday February 12th, starting at 1:30 PM.  Event format is 4 SS G/15 (4 rounds where each player has 15 minutes to make their moves in a game, winnners play winners and losers play losers, all players play 4 rounds with no eliminations).   This is the first time we will be playing 4 rounds instead of 3; as the year progresses the intermediate players can progress to playing more rounds with longer time controls.

If players are interested in competitive play, parents should consider registering their children for a March 18th tournament (Saturday) at the Norwalk public library, from 10 AM to 2 PM.  The format is 5 SS G/15, so the February tournament at this club will be good practice.  If a player participates in this event or other regional tournaments which overlaps with a Saturday club meeting let me know so I can refund that week's fee.

Knights corner (beginning players)

The players in this group are starting out and we've reviewed these topics so far:
- how all the pieces move
- how to win (or not lose) a game
- one of the simplest endgame patterns, how a Queen and King can mate an opponent King. 

A chess game appears deceptively simple but there are many elements a player needs to know to play a good game.  We'll simplify the game and concentrate on one or two elements at each club meeting; over time the players will progress to playing a full game with more confidence.  Baby steps first. 
 

Rooks corner (intermediate players)

Players in this group should be working on at least a few puzzles in their workbook a day, but are certainly free to do more.  I won't usually allocate time during a club meeting to solve puzzles as I think the players are capable and motivated enough to work independently, but if a player is having difficulty with a particular chapter then they should let me know.  Looking at the answer key in the back of workbook is okay, as long as they try to solve the puzzle first.  I take attendance by asking each player what puzzle number they are on, goal is for everyone to finish all 793 puzzles in a year's time or less for the first workbook.  The second workbook has more challenging problems.

We'll continue looking at openings for a while, learning new ones, and practicing annotation and analysis.  I'm very excited we can now use a mounted wall whiteboard with the demo board for opening problems; collaborative problem solving will be much easier.

The last Saturday of every month is open scrimmage, but I want to continue working with the Danish Gambit introduced last week so it will be like a normal club meeting but with more playing time.  If a player has difficulty with workbook puzzles, I can also work with the player on Saturday.