St Paul Open results, Dec 4, 2010

Turtle Lake had a very good day at the first grade-level chess tournament of the year last Saturday, the St. Paul Open at Capitol Hill.

Turtle Lake had three individual trophy winners, which may be a first for us at any School Chess event.

Luke I won the second-place trophy in the second-grade division, Matt N won the second-place trophy in the third-grade division, and Cameron S won the novice trophy in the fourth-grade division. Mason E also received a bronze medal for earning 10 merit points.

Turtle Lake teams placed fourth in both the second-grade and third-grade divisions. A total of eight players participated for Turtle Lake, and all eight players earned two or more points each.

Complete results here.

Matt N 1st in Priyanka Bhakta Open; Alexander B 18th

Results here.

"5 best chess apps for iPhone"

Here.

303-page chess teaching manual (PDF)

Here.

Some detailed information about the chess ladder system

OPNET Chess Club: Harkness Rating System [used by Think Like a King software]

We are currently using the Think Like a King "Less Painful" scoring option:

A place to play chess online, against a computer

Play Chess Against the Computer - Chess.com

Fried Liver Attack | Chess Opening | The Chess Website

White is looking to sacrificing his bishop on f7 in exchange for a very strong assault against the black king. The black king will be forced to the middle and will be under attack the entire game. It is extremely difficult to defend this properly and you don't want to play black in this situation.

Watch the [11-minute video at the link above] to watch more detailed explanations of the opening, multiple variations, and extended lines.

Svente - Workshop: Pawn Endings 1-1 [13:55]

[Very interesting 14-minute video: On a chess board, a diagonal is as long as a straight line!]

Touch-move rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The touch-move rule in chess specifies that, if a player intentionally touches a piece on the board when it is his turn to move, then he must move or capture that piece, if it is legal to do so. The accidental brushing of a piece does not count as intentionally touching it.

Chess Tactics Explained in English: Ward Farnsworth's Predator at the Chessboard

Duif's Guide for Chess Fans: Teaching Your Child Chess

If you're the parent of a young chessplayer, you know both you and your child face special challenges. Chess is a game without any luck at all, so how do you maintain a child's interest while they're going through the novice stage? What's a fair way to play against children? Is your child ready for tournaments? Any itps on starting a club at our school? Whether your child is just beginning to learn the Royal Game, or is already an established tournament player, on this page we discuss some of the issues that parents face.

Very good chess website here: The Chess Website [contains lots of worthwhile videos]

FYI: Chess at Shoreview Library, 2pm-4pm Sundays

 Note:  This has been discontinued as of 8/12/12.

=====
Shoreview Chess Club
Sundays
2 - 4 p.m.
RCL - Shoreview
The Library's Chess Club meets every Sunday in the meeting room. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

Call the library in Shoreview for more information.

YouTube - Learn How to Play Chess in less than 10 Minutes

Turtle Lake Chess Club information--9/1/10

What: Turtle Lake Chess Club, grades K-5.

Who: Any student who knows how the pieces move

When: 7:40am Fridays, starting Sept. 24

Where: Turtle Hall

Why: It's fun, and it develops mental abilities used throughout life: concentration, critical thinking, abstract reasoning, problem solving, pattern recognition, strategic planning, creativity, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, to name a few.

How: Fill out the sign-up sheet and deliver with payment of $10 to school office or Mrs Bell. Please make checks payable to Turtle Lake Elementary. (The sign-up sheet will be in the first edition of Turtle Tales; hardcopies will also be available at chess club meetings; when it's ready, I can also email you a copy).

Other notes:

--you don't have to attend every Friday. If you're not sure about signing up, feel free to visit a time or two to check it out.

--new chess players are welcome to join at any time of the school year.

--chess sets are provided.

--Parents are welcome to watch or help out any time, no chess experience needed--encouraged to help with supervision, setup, recording games, keeping kids focused, etc

--we'll offer some chess instruction, and the kids can also work chess puzzles and read chess books.

--New this year: We'll have a "chess ladder" system where we record results of Friday chess games, and "standings" will be posted each Friday. This helps to keep students motivated, and has worked well at other area chess clubs.

--Chess tournaments:

1. Schoolchess events: Generally two per month, October through April. You're usually guaranteed five games; there is both individual and team competition. (see schoolchess.org)

2. District chess tournament: In late spring, Turtle Lake competes against several other elementary schools for team and individual trophies (The Turtle Lake team has been a strong one, winning the team championship for the last three years).

3. In-house chess tournament: Held over several weeks later in the school year, students can win trophies or medals in one of three categories: K-1st, 2nd-3rd, or 4th-5th grade.

Coach contact information:
Tom Nelson
Turtle Lake Elementary chess coach
tomanelson@mac.com
Check out the Turtle Lake chess website: turtlelakechessclub.blogspot.com
cell: 612-308-8334

64 Commandments of Chess

Benjamin Franklin on chess

The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it, so as to become habits, ready on all occasions. For Life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effects of prudence or the want of it.

By playing at chess, then, we may learn,

I. Foresight , which looks a little into futurity, and considers the consequences that may attend an action ; for it is continually occurring to the player, "If I move this piece, what will be the advantages of my new situation? What use can my adversary make of it to annoy me? What other moves can I make to support it, and to defend myself from his attacks?"

II. Circumspection , which surveys the whole chess-board, or scene of action, the relations of the several pieces and situations, the dangers they are respectively exposed to, the several possibilities of their aiding each other, the probabilities that the adversary may make this or that move, and attack this or the other piece ; and what different means can be used to avoid his stroke, or turn its consequences against him.

III. Caution , not to make our moves too hastily. This habit is best acquired by observing strictly the laws of the game, such as, "If you touch a piece, you must move it somewhere ; if you set it down, you must let it stand:" and it is therefore best that these rules should be observed, as the game thereby becomes more the image of human life, and particularly of war ; in which, if you have incautiously put yourself into a bad and dangerous position, you cannot obtain your enemy's leave to withdraw your troops, and place them more securely, but you must abide all the consequences of your rashness.

And, lastly, we learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change , and that of persevering in the search of resources . The game is so full of events, there is such a variety of turns in it, the fortune of it is so subject to sudden vicissitudes, and one so frequently, after contemplation, discovers the means of extricating one's self from a supposed insurmountable difficulty, that one is encouraged to continue the contest to the last, in hopes of victory by our own skill, or, at least, of giving a stale mate, by the negligence of our adversary...

How to Be a Good Chess Parent

[Chess Master Kevin Bachler] Distinguish between stupid moves and the fact that you are not calling the child stupid. We all make mistakes, we all started out as beginners, and it takes time to get better. I will often share a story that as an 11 year old I lost 100 games at Rook odds to a high school friend before I won a single game -- and I became a Master. They can too, but improvement takes time and persistence. Moves can be bad, dumb, stupid, stinky, etc. Children are not.

Schoolchess summer chess camp information

See the registration form and video here - for ages 6 and up

2010 Summer Chess Camp information

World Chess championships--see all 12 games, move-by-move

Results & Games - Anand-Topalov - FIDE World Chess Championship 2010

Some good YouTube chess videos

YouTube - Chess 101 - Scholar's Mate - by Games For Life [7 minutes]

October 16, 2008 — This lesson will focus on the Scholar's Mate, what it is, how to do it, and how to stop it.

YouTube - Chess Endgame- King and Rook [3.5 minutes]

August 13, 2009 — In this chess endgame we take a look at finishing a game with a king and a rook. The goal is to limit the spaces that the king can move.

YouTube - Chess Basics: Opening Principles [8 minutes]

September 10, 2009 — In this chess basics video, we talk about the fundamentals of the opening chess principles and how you should use them in your chess game.

YouTube - Chess Endgames- King and Pawn [9.5 minutes]

March 19, 2009 — We look at the most common end game in chess and discuss how to properly play as white and how to play for the draw if you are black. Although this is the easiest end game to learn, many players still are unaware of how to properly play the king and pawn end game.

YouTube - Chess Strategies- Skewers and Pins [7.5 minutes]

June 11, 2009 — The skewer and pin can be one of the most powerful weapons that a chess player has but they are not always easy to come by. Your opponent usually will not leave his most powerful pieces hanging for you to skewer and pin. In this video we take a look at some advanced techniques that all chess players should know when looking for different skewers and advanced pins.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can my child join the Turtle Lake chess club in the middle of the year?

Yes, kids are welcome to join us at any meeting. Feel free to visit the club a couple of times before officially signing up.

2. I'm a parent, but I'm not a knowledgeable chess player. Could the club still use my help?

Yes, parents can help the club run smoothly by recording the results of games, helping match kids up with opponents, keeping the equipment organized, etc.

3. Where can my child play chess online, against a computer?

Try chess.com here.

Chess Quest – a very nice iPhone App containing 1200 puzzles

[As of this posting, it cost $2.99] Put simply, Chess Quest is a collection of chess puzzles arranged by difficulty level. For those who don’t already know, chess puzzles are a pre-arranged chess board with an identified solution. The idea of a chess puzzle is to improve the endgame, helping a player to find checkmate more easily.

There are six levels of difficulty for players of differing ability levels. Novices will want to start with the “basic” level puzzles before moving on to more challenging puzzles. More advanced players may start on an advanced level or jump from level to level to get more variety.

Report from statewide primary/elementary tournament

Our team of second graders-Alexander, Mason, and Matt -took 20th out of 61 schools in the primary (K-3) division at this two-day tournament. We had only three players, but as you know, up to four players can score for each team. We finished with 9.5 points; it took 15 points to place 10th and win a large team trophy.

All three players had 3 or 3.5 points and finished in the middle of the 196-player field. More importantly, they seemed to have an absolute blast at this tournament, sharing their results with each other and then generally heading to one of the two open gyms at Breck to run around, throw balls, play on gym mats, etc.

I think next year, with more players, Turtle Lake would have a very good chance at winning a top-ten trophy at this tournament!
---

Mounds View District Chess Tournament 2010

(This is for 5th grade players and under)
Date: Saturday, May 1st, 2010
Time: 8:15 am – 1:30pm Targeting Noon to end.
Check in: 8:15-8:30
The first game will start promptly at 8:30 am. If a player is not checked in by 8:30 an alternate will substitute for them.
Location:
Chippewa Middle School Cafeteria
5000 Hodgson Road
North Oaks, MN 55126
Doors on right of building front, go down hallway, turn left at center hallway toward the Cafeteria.
$2 fee per player to cover drinks and snacks, any remainder to offset Trophy expenses.
Trophies: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Individual trophies and 1st place Traveling Team trophy. 4th-8th will receive Honorable Mention Trophies.
Five six-player teams this year (teams may have one or two alternates who may participate in their own Alternate tournament.)

Thinking about national chess tournaments?

2010 Burt Lerner National Elementary (K-6) Championship, 7 – 9 May, 2010 · Atlanta, GA

Note that the 2011 National Elementary tournament will be in Dallas:
May 6-8, 2011: National Elementary (K-6) Championship - Dallas, TX (N)

2010 School Chess Association Minnesota Statewide Primary/Elementary Championship

April 24-25, 2010
Breck School
123 Ottawa Ave N
Golden Valley MN 55422-5124
Google map

This is not a grade-level tournament. It has divisions for elementary (4-6) and primary (K-3) players.
---
Tournament Rules and Directions will be announced on Saturday at about 8:45a.m.
Tournament rounds start about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10:00am on Sunday.
Saturday: Primary play will be done by about 5:15 p.m. Elementary play done by about 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: Primary play will be done by about 2:30 p.m. Elementary play done by about 2:30 p.m.
Award ceremony will start about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the tournament.
---

Registration form with additional info [PDF]
===
Update: Our team of second graders Alexander Bonsager, Mason Ekblad, and Matt Nelson took 20th out of 61 schools in the primary (K-3) division at this tournament. We had only three players, but up to four players can score for each team. We finished with 9.5 points; it took 15 points to place 10th and win a large team trophy.

Two good chess movies

Searching for Bobby Fischer 1993: Movie and film review from Answers.com

Searching for Bobby Fischer was inspired by the life of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, as written by his father Fred Waitzkin. Josh (Max Pomeranc) is a "regular kid" who begins evincing signs of being a genius at chess. His father (Joe Mantegna) encourages this, hoping that it won't fundamentally change his son's healthy outlook on life. But Josh is taken under the wing of cold-blooded chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), who indoctrinates the boy in the "Bobby Fischer" strategy. Unfortunately, Pandolfini emphasizes all of Fischer's negative traits, especially his contempt for his opponents. Josh is in danger throughout the film of sacrificing his essential decency, but in a rousing conclusion, the boy is able to successfully blend ruthless competition with good sportsmanship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Knights of the South Bronx: Information from Answers.com

Knights of the South Bronx is a 2005 TV film about a teacher who helps students at a tough inner-city school to succeed by teaching them to play chess.

Schoolchess tournaments use the Swiss system

Swiss-system tournament - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The principle of a Swiss tournament is that each player will be pitted against another player who has done as well (or poorly) as him or herself. For the first round, players are paired either according to some pattern or randomly (according to common practice in that type or game or sport). For subsequent rounds, players are sorted according to their cumulative scores and players are assigned opponents that have the same or similar score to that point. One proviso is that the same players never oppose each other twice. There may be adjustments made to the natural order. For instance, in chess the pairings may be changed to equalize the number of times a player has been White and Black.

Don't Bring Your Queen Out Too Early!

Naturally, with so much punch available in a single unit, it seems logical to get it out as quickly as possible so as to inflict medieval damage upon the opponent. It turns out though, that this is usually a huge, but oh so common, mistake.

The Chess Website- A place to call your chess home

Welcome to the newly updated and redesigned Chess Website. Hopefully you will find this a place where you can learn, practice and fall in love with chess.  [puzzles, famous games, openings, strategies, etc]

Glossary of chess - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order.

YouTube videos

Chess endgame: King and Queen
Chess endgame: King and Rook
Chess endgame: King and Pawn

Good chess books

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (Gambit chess) by Murray Chandler

Chess Tactics for Kids by Murray Chandler

Chess for Children by Murray Chandler