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Information for Parents
Tournament Play
Rules of Chess
Why should I introduce my
kids to chess?
Chess provides a unique combination of mental development, social enrichment,
and fun. Mental development is provided by promoting critical thinking,
abstract problem solving, forward thinking, internal visualization, etc.
Social enrichment is provided by teaching kids to pause and think before they
act, that losing is a part of life and it can be learned from, and that your
decisions/actions have direct consequences (kids are forced to accept the
responsibility for their actions because there are no refs, bad bounces, sore
knees, sun in their eyes, etc. that affect the outcome - although kids can
always come up with clever excuses, and in some cases, e.g. stomach ache,
there are valid ones). Of course fun is what makes it all work so well for
young kids, as they love games and competition. Click here for
a pdf that discusses more of the benefits of chess.
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What's the best way to get my child interested in chess?
Kids 1) love to play games and 2) get attention from their parents. If you
offer to play chess with your kid, odds are extremely good they will say yes.
I've found that leaving a chess board out in an
active area of the house will prompt either me or my kids to ask for a game.
An adventure game like Majestic Chess is also a great way to get a young
child interested.
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I want my child to play chess, but there is no chess club
at my school or nearby?
The best answer is start your own club! It's not as
hard as you'd think and it is very rewarding. Another option is to find how
far away the closest scholastic chess club meets and work out transportation;
any club will usually welcome "outside" kids that are truly interested.
Finally, your child can learn with you at home and/or online. If they attend
several of the state scholastic tournaments, it is inevitable that they will
develop some chess friends among their peers at these tournaments.
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How much will chess cost me?
One of the beauties of chess (like soccer) is how inexpensive the equipment
is. A standard scholastic set costs ~$10. Better than soccer, a relatively
large venue is not needed and it is not dependent on the weather. Your costs
will be determined by how active your child is. Each tournament will cost
between $10 and $25 (sign up early to get discounts), and an annual USCF membership
will cost ~$15. Then there are the travel costs to tournaments, just as with
any other youth activity. Carpooling is obviously great if you can arrange
it. You might also decide to spend money for software or premium online
services. However, if you want your child to participate in tournaments but
you cannot afford it, almost any tournament will provide a free or reduced
rate (scholarship) entry. Please do not let financial concerns keep your
child from playing chess if they would otherwise - contact any tournament
organizer or anyone linked on the nmsco.org website or aspenchess@comcast.net
and someone will be glad to help you.
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What are rated and unrated players?
Rated players are players that have previously played in a United States
Chess Federation (USCF) rated tournament. Most scholastic tournaments in New
Mexico are USCF rated, although there are a few (e.g. the Sandia Chess Fest)
that have unrated sections. To play in a rated tournament you must be a
member of the USCF, unless you play in a section that has only K-3 players.
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How do ratings work?
Ratings are a numerical metric of how a player performs relative to other
players; the algorithm is described on the US Chess Federations web site. The
computation is a function of how many points you receive at a tournament
(win=1, draw=0.5, loss=0) and the average rating of the kids you played. If
you win half of your games against players of similar ratings then your
rating will be unchanged. If you come into a tournament unrated and win half
of your games your rating will be equal to the average rating of your
opponents. Once your rating is established, for a given tournament the
ratings algorithm produces an expected number of points that you should
achieve based on the ratings of the kids you played, if you exceed that expectation
your rating goes up, and if you fall short of that expectation your rating
goes down. Depending on your competition, you could win only 1 of 5 games and
have your rating go up or vice-versa. The basis of the ratings system is that
every 400 pts of difference represents an order of magnitude in the expected
result. A player 400 pts better than another should win ~90% of the time, a
player 800 pts better than another should win ~99% of the time. Early in a
kids chess "career", their ratings can fluctuate wildly (so get
overly excited or depressed), but after several tournaments they become
better established and are a pretty good measure of a kid's progress.
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How can I find my kid's rating?
Ratings are recorded on the USCF Website.
Usually, updated ratings will show up a day or two after a tournament,
depending on when the TD finds time to compile and make the online submittal
to the USCF (after that it usually only a 1 day turnaround, unless a mistake
or problem is found). The website also includes other interesting statistics
about the lifetime chess record of the player. Click
here for a listing of the top scholastic players in New Mexico
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Why is my child's rating for a tournament is not the same
as it says on the USCF website?
The USCF publishes monthly ratings supplements for all players nationwide.
The updating of these "official" ratings is fairly slow -- e.g. the
March supplement will only include games through the end of January. The USCF
still recommends that you use the supplement for the month in which a
tournament is played, e.g. your child could be playing in a tournament in
late March and their rating will be based only on games played through
January, even if they have played in several tournaments since then. The reason
for this probably goes back to prior to the internet when tournament results
had to be mailed in and it could take several weeks for ratings to be
properly calculated. Unfortunately, this lag in ratings can be misleading and
lead to unfair pairings, e.g. an unrated player might truly be playing in
their first tournament or an "unrated" player might have already
played in 4 tournaments and have a very high rating. It is the luck of the
draw whether you'd play the new or experienced kid. Another problem is that a
kid might be playing in an U600 section while their actual rating is several
hundred points higher; probably because that child recently won the U600
tournament in the previous tournament, thus it would make sense to update the
rating and move the kid up for the sake of the other kids in the section (and
in the long term the benefit of the higher rated kid as well). Many
tournament directors decide to use more recent ratings for tournaments,
either by using the supplement for the "following" month or the
"last rated event" ratings, both of which can be downloaded from
the USCF. According to USCF rules, the TD is supposed to explicitly state if
anything other than the current month's rating supplement is used.
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My kid got a 5th place trophy but the USCF website
crosstable lists him/her as 2nd?
The crosstable for a tournament listed on the USCF website does not know what
tiebreakers were used for a specific tournament. Thus the cross table lists
the kids in order of score, and the "tiebreak" is their rating
after the tournament -- the official results for a tournament are usually
listed on the nmsco website, which includes the proper tiebreaks. Note: the
tournament cross table for each tournament your kid played in can be found
under the "tournament history" tab when you check their rating.
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Do I have to bring a chess set and a clock to a scholastic
tournament?
It is always a good idea to bring a chess set to a tournament. Some
tournaments provide boards for the players, but even then it is useful for
side/fun games (skittles) or for going over an earlier game with a
coach/parent or friend. If you have a chess clock you should bring it to the
tournament. Children should learn how to use a chess clock as it is part of
the game. Chess clocks typically run in the $35-$100 range. Chess clocks may
be obtained online, and in most cases are sold directly at the tournament.
Different tournaments have different policies regarding the use of clocks.
Most require the use of a clock if one of the participants provides one and
wants to use it. Get clarity before the tournament starts at the players
meeting. There are two basic kinds of chess clocks: analog and digital.
Digital clocks have more flexibility and ways to set them for delays, etc and
are preferred. They are generally a little more expensive than the simpler,
analog clocks. One last warning: Chess clocks are notorious for breaking when
they are dropped. They are also easily misplaced/forgotten. Put your name on
the clock. For games that run long without a clock, the Tournament Director
will generally put clocks on games with approximately 20 minutes remaining to
assure that rounds finish on time (each player gets 10 minutes). The TD
should ask both players if they know how the clock works, and give an
explanation, if necessary. Clocks must remain running at all times, except
when a Tournament Director is called by either player to resolve a dispute.
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Why is it important to pre-register for a tournament?
Tournament organizers are almost always volunteers. It is tremendously
helpful to them to know how many people to expect at the tournament and also
not to have a rush at the door on the day of the tournament. Some tournaments
do not even accept entries on the day of the tournament. Others have a
monetary penalty for signing up late. Please do the tournament organizers a
favor and register early. If you do pre-register and subsequently know that
your child cannot make it, please try to contact the tournament organizer.
The reason is that otherwise, some other child will end up waiting for your
child to come for the first round. They have to wait for some period of time;
usually 15 minutes to one hour to be sure your child is not just late. If you
call ahead, then the tournament organizer can withdraw your child from the
tournament and everyone is better off.
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What are tie breaks? How do they work?
When awarding trophies it is a necessary evil that a tiebreak system be used
to distinguish the winners. The tiebreak system is a progressive listing of
individual tiebreak rules, such that if players are still tied after the 1st
rule is employed you move to the 2nd rule and so on. The tie-break rules take
into consideration several factors; the biggest factor is usually the
strength of your competition. The TD should post/announce the tie-break
system for a tournament in advance. The recommended USCF tiebreaks, and those
used most often in NM scholastic tournaments are 1. Modified Median 2.
Solkoff 3. Cumulative. The "Median" system sums the final scores of
his/her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores.
The "Modified Median" disregards only the least significant
opponent's score. Consider par as getting 1/2 the available points (remember
Win=1, Draw=.5, Loss=0). In the modified median, the lowest-scoring opponent
is discarded for players with above par scores and the highest-scoring opponent
is discarded for players that are below par. If the player is even par, then
the original Median applies, throwing out both the highest and lowest
opponent score. The "Solkoff" system is similar, but it does not
discard any scores (thus it is simply the average of all opponents’
scores). The "Cumulative" system incrementally adds the player's
total score after each round. For example, if a player's results were win,
loss, win, draw, loss, the total score by round is 1,1,2,2.5,2.5, and the
cumulative tiebreak is the sum of these numbers or 9. If another player
scored 2.5 with a sequence 1,2,2.5,2.5,2.5, the tiebreak points scored would
be 10.5. The latter player's tie-break points are higher because he or she
scored earlier and presumably had tougher opposition for the remainder of the
event. One point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win or
one-point bye.
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How do pairings work?
Virtually all chess tournaments are paired using the Swiss System. The rules that
govern this system are too numerous and complex to address here, however,
they are covered in detail in the U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of
Chess book. Here are the basics for the Swiss Pairing System. Before the
first round, each player is placed on the pairing sheet based on his or her
rating. Players are listed from the highest rated to the lowest rated.
Unrated players are placed below the lowest rated (usually in alphabetical
order). To start the first round, the group is split in half and the top half
plays the bottom half. For example, if 20 players are entered in a section of
a tournament, the highest ranked player plays the 11th ranked player in round
1, the second-highest ranked player plays the 12th highest, etc. If there are
an odd number of players, then the lowest rated player receives a bye.
Players are awarded one point for a win, bye or forfeit; a half point for a
draw or requested bye; and zero points for a loss. Each subsequent round,
each score-group plays the top half against the bottom half. For example, if
6 players have 2 points after the second round, the first in the group plays
the fourth in the group, 2nd versus 5th and 3rd versus 6th. If two players
have 1.5 points, they play each other (unless they have already played or
another exclusion). Players with 1 point play each other, etc. Unfortunately,
this is not as easy as it appears. There are many exceptions that confuse
pairings. There are rules that attempt to correct pairings so that players
play an even (or almost even) number of times as black as they do as white
and there are sometimes rules that attempt to disallow pairings between
members of the same club or school. Some exclusion rules are more powerful
than others, the strongest being if the two players have already played. As a
result of this system, the games get more even as the tournament goes on, so
there tend to be more draws in later rounds and more intense competition as
well. This is because both opponents have the same score (or close to it) in
each round and those that are doing well play others that are also doing
well. The converse is also true.
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What does G/60 or G/30 mean?
This is the time control that is used in the tournament, or the amount of
time a player has to complete all of their moves -- all tournaments should
post the time controls. There are several types of time controls. For
Scholastics, sudden death time controls are the most common. G/60 means that
each player gets 60 minutes to complete his or her moves. Chess clocks
maintain two times, one for each player. A player's clock only ticks on their
turn. When a player finishes their move, they "hit the clock" which
starts their opponents clock. For analog clocks, it is customary to have the
flag fall when the clock shows 6 o'clock. Thus, for a match that is G/60,
both players would set their clock to 5 o'clock at the start of the match.
G/30 means each player gets 30 minutes and they would set their clock to
5:30. More advance time controls are sometimes used as well. For example
40/2, G/60 is a common one, which means that players must make 40 moves in 2
hours followed by a second time control that is game in 60 minutes, sometimes
called sudden death in 60 minutes. Digital clocks can handle these more
complex time controls. Children should be counseled to ask if they have
questions before the match starts. In general, most beginners have plenty of
time for their games and the clock should not be an issue. Many times
beginners think they have to rush because of the clock. The best advice a
parent can give to a beginner is to take their time and not worry about the
clock.
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What is a 5-second delay?
A 5-second delay means that a player’s clock does not start to count down
until after 5 seconds have passed. Most digital clocks have these feature,
which is nice because if a player is clearly winning, he/she has a chance to
complete the game even if very low on time. The USCF and most scholastic
tournaments prefer the use of digital clocks set for a 5 second delay.
Usually, the TD will request that if you are using delay, that you take 5
minutes off of each players clock (because for a typical long game (i.e. ~60
moves) the delay will add ~5 minutes of playing time). Occasionally you might
see a time control that uses a 5-second (or more) increment. In this case, 5
seconds would be added to your time every move, such that your time could
actually increase if you take less than 5 seconds.
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How long do tournaments last?
Tournament lengths vary considerably. The primary variable is the maximum
game time, which is essentially the sum of the time control for each player.
If the rounds are G/45, this means that each opponent has 45 minutes on their
clock so the round could take as long as 90 minutes. Add up the rounds and
add a few minutes between rounds to do the pairings and give the last
remaining kids a short break (10 or 15 minutes). There also may be an
extended break between two rounds for lunch, but if food is provided on-site
a lunch break is usually not provided and you have to eat on the fly (if you
are the last game to finish and need time to eat then ask the TD for special
consideration). Some tournaments explicitly state when each round will start
and stick to that schedule. Many other tournaments try to move the rounds
along shortly after the previous round finishes (which is very beneficial
when younger kids are involved). Don't leave the tournament site for any
extended period of time without checking with the tournament director, if a
round ends early, he/she will usually start the next round early, and you may
forfeit the game or have to play it with a time disadvantage. Finally, you
should leave time for the awards ceremony, which usually starts 10 minutes
after the last round is completed, and should take 15-30 minutes.
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How do I choose a section, and what does U600 or U1100
mean?
Almost every tournament has several sections. The use of sections allows
players a better opportunity to play against opponents of similar ability.
Sometimes a section is based on age/grade, sometime on rating, and sometimes
on both. If a section is listed as U600, then all players in that section
must be rated under 600 - based on the ratings supplement that the TD has
specified to apply for the event. Normally, an unrated player can play in any
section that he/she chooses (depending on grade restrictions).
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Is it ok to register (move-up) my kid to a harder section?
This is discouraged, although most tournaments allow kids to play in sections above
where there rating would dictate. Some parents and coaches think that playing
against harder competition will make their kid improve faster, but in general the
best way to improve is play someone of a similar skill level, plus it is also important
for kids to learn how to focus and consistently beat lower rated opponents.
For scholastic players winning games is the best motivator for playing chess, and playing up
in a harder section can make them lose confidence and interest. Even if your
child has been practicing a lot and improved significantly, it is usually better to have them
play in their intended section, mostly because winning games will provide positive reinforcement
that their practice has indeed paid off. More importantly, it is not good for the
other kids in the tournament when another player moves up. The sections are designed so
that kids get good games with similar competition -- when a kid moves up, he/she forces the
players in the harder section to play a lower rated opponent, and deprvies the kids in
his/her original section a good game. So, even if it were good for an individual child to play
up a section, it is usually unfair to the other kids to do so (and many times once 1 kid moves
up others follow and totally mess up the sections (especially the top sections)). In this respect,
I generally view moving up a section as a selfish act (although in rare cases I support it). If
you want your kids to get experience against harder players I recommend adult tournaments; especially
since they don't mind players moving up because it increases their chances of winning cash.
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What is the touch move - touch take rule?
If you touch a piece when it is your turn to move, that piece must be moved
if you can do so legally. If you touch an opponent's piece when it is your
turn to move, the opponent's piece must be captured if you can do so legally.
You must say, "I adjust" before touching a piece if you want to
adjust that piece on the board. You should do so only when it is your turn.
If you accidentally release a piece on an unintended but legal square, you
must leave it on that square.
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What is the most important thing I can tell my child going
into their first tournament?
1) Take your time. 2) Raise your hand if you have a question of any kind, and
keep your hand up until you are seen -- the Tournament Directors are there to
help and will assist in getting problems resolved. 3) Make sure you agree
with your opponent about the result of the game before you shake hands to end
the game. 4) Report the game result to the scorekeeper. 5) Have fun.
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What is a half-point or full-point bye?
When there are an odd number of players in a division, there will be one
player in each round who won’t get a game (although the TD may set up a
side game for them). This player will get a full-point (as if they had won
their game) bye for that game. It should be noted that byes do not count very
well during tiebreak calculations. If a player knows in advance that they
cannot participate in a round, they may request a 1/2-point bye for those games
that they will not be able to attend (most tournaments are limited to one
1/2pt bye request). They must usually do this prior to the start of the
tournament, but it is up to the tournament organizer. Note: byes and forfeits
do not affect USCF ratings
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What is keeping score or taking notation?
Keeping score (notation) is the recording of every move in s chess game -
both yours and your opponents. The most common form of score keeping is algebraic
notation, which is relatively simple. The pieces are designated by a single
letter: K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop and N for knight
(if no symbol is given then the move was made by a pawn). The positions on
the board are designated by ranks (rows) from 1 to 8 and files (columns) from
A to H. There are other nomenclatures too; more detail can be found on
several websites. There are several reasons why taking notation is a good
idea. First, some chess rules are not enforceable without a valid scoresheet.
Examples are the 3-move repetition rule and the 50-move rule. Another good
reason for younger kids to keep score is that it can slow them down and cause
them to think more about their moves. Perhaps the best reason for keeping
score is so that the child can go over the game after the tournament and
learn from their mistakes.
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Does my child have to take notation?
For scholastic tournaments, the tournament director decides the score keeping
requirements. At recent USCF national tournaments, score keeping has been
required for grades 4 and above. Some tournaments require a graded approach;
older kids must keep score for the whole game while younger kids might need
to keep score for 20 moves. The penalty for not keeping score can also vary greatly.
Sometimes, if a player is required to keep score but does not, 5 minutes will
be taken of his/her clock; although even worse penalties (including forfeiture)
can be imposed by the TD depending on the circumstances. If there are less
than 5 minutes left in the round on a player's clock then both players are
not required to keep score.
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As a parent, what should I expect when I bring my child to
a chess tournament?
As a parent, you can expect a lot of time sitting. You should bring reading
material and be prepared to keep your child fed. You are responsible for
the child when they are outside the playing area. The most important
thing is to keep kids (and adults!) quiet when near the playing area. For
beginning chess players, the children will be in the playing area only for a short
time. As they gain experience, their games will be longer and there will be
more reading time for you as a parent.
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Why does my child have to wait at the board if the other
child does not show up?
Standard chess rules allow players to show up late, however there is a
penalty as the clocks are started when the Tournament Director starts the
round. Each tournament can be different, but the Tournament Director will
specify how long the player must wait before the game can be forfeited and a
full point awarded to the waiting player. Most tournaments require ~15
minutes, but in rare cases can be up to an hour. If there is more than 1
player without an opponent, the TD might pair those players together, or
possibly repair the entire section.
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How do I read a pairing chart?
The pairings chart shows who is to play whom for each round. A new one is
posted before the round begins and the players need to look to determine two
things from the pairing chart. They need to see what board number they are
playing on and which color they will be, black or white. These are usually
listed alphabetically or by board number.
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How do I read a standings or wall chart?
A wall chart or standings report might be sorted in standings order, pairing
order (i.e. ratings), or even alphabetically. There will usually be a cross
table that lists the player's opponents in each round (the opponents are
designated by the number listed to the left of their name the chart). The
chart often has the color the player had (don't confuse the "W" for
White as a win). The results are usually listed in the form of cumulative
score (summing 1=win, 0=loss, 0.5=draw/bye from each successive round), so
how a player did in a specific round is determined by subtracting the
previous rounds score.
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What is the 3 move repetition rule?
If the same board position occurs 3 times, then a game can be claimed as a
draw by either player (but does not have to be). Normally, a score sheet is
needed to make this claim, unless both opponents agree on the result or a TD
verifies the clam. Note that position must be identical over the entire board
- some kids often interpret the rule only based on their own pieces
movements/positions. Also, the 3 positions do not have to be consecutive; the
rule applies if the same position arises 3 times at any time over the course
of the game.
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What is the 50 move rule?
If fifty moves are made without the advance of a pawn or the capture of a
piece, then a game can be claimed as a draw. Normally, a score sheet is
needed to make this claim, unless both opponents agree on the result or a TD
verifies the clam. A player can call a TD over to count moves if one is
available.
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What are the rules for castling?
Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the
player's first rank, then moving the rook onto the square over which the king
crossed. Castling can only be done if 1) the king has never moved, 2) the
rook involved has never moved, 3) the squares between the king and the rook
involved are not occupied, and 4) the king is not in check nor does it cross
over or end on a square in which it would be in check.
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What is en passant?
En passant is a special capture made immediately after a player moves a pawn
two squares forward from its starting position, and an opposing pawn could
have captured it if it had moved only one square forward. In this situation,
the opposing pawn may capture the pawn as if taking it "as it
passes" through the first square. The resulting position is the same as
if the pawn had only moved one square forward and the opposing pawn had
captured normally. The en passant capture must be done on the very next turn,
or the right to do so is lost.
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Should I get an even number of rounds as white and as
black?
Theoretically, each player in a tournament should get an equal number of
rounds as white and black, however, technically this may not be possible,
e.g. if there are five rounds in the tournament. There are rules that are
usually applied to try to do the pairings so that no one gets 3 consecutive
rounds with the same color. It is not always possible.
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Why does my opponent keep saying "I adjust"?
Your opponent is required to say "I adjust" before they adjust the
placement of a piece on the board, otherwise the action could be interpreted
under the touch move rule and they'd be forced to move the piece. Usually
players should adjust their pieces if a piece was not reasonably centered on
a square, Some people say J'Adoube, which is French for "I adjust"
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Where is the best place for my kids to play chess
online"?
There are several options. The best options may be chess.com (for kids over
13 and older) and chesskid.com (for kids under 12 and younger). Both
chess.com and chesskid.com allow kids to play chess for free. "Online
chess" allows players to move over the course of days (in the past referred
to correspondence chess, where people would mail moves back and forth to each
other). "Live Chess" is like a real tournament game, with time
controls used for both players. Both options have their pros and cons. Online
chess gives kids an opportunity to think as long as they want about a move,
and even use a "analyze" tool that lets them move pieces around and
explore options. Live chess is better experience for playing in tournaments,
although it requires a very reliable internet connection. Another good live
chess options is the Internet Chess Club (ICC). With any online option, always
be wary of any chatting features or other ways that information can be
transmitted (chesskid.com is the safest in this regard). Teach your kids not
to disclose their name, address, age, or just about anything.
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What is the best online site for my kids to learn
chess"?
While "playing" chess may be the best way to "learn"
chess, there are many options online for kids to take online lessons or
practice tactics. Again, I think chess.com and chesskid.com are the best options
for scholastic players. Tactics training is fantastic, I think the biggest
rating increase my son Donald had was when he started doing tactics on
chess.com/chesskid.com. I think what makes this method most effective is that
it seems to hold the interest of kids over an extended period of time. You
only get 3 free tactics per day, but can sign up for premium memberships to
get 25 or unlimited tactics per day. Chesskid.com also has great lessons
(interactive and videos) for beginning players. Chess.com has a great feature
called Chess Mentor for more advanced player (but is more expensive). My son
Donald has reached a rating of >1500 with no formal instruction,
essentially learning from chess.com/chesskid.com. Other sites such as....
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What is the best computer software for my kids to learn
chess"?
To me the easy answer is Majestic Chess. Most importantly it's fun. It
provides an adventure atmosphere and a continuous thread through various
levels, just like any other computer game. In the meantime the kids are
learning the fundamentals of chess at each level and sublevel (usually via a
challenge that must be solved on the chessboard). This is ideal software for
any kid in elementary school and/or rated
<1000. For more advanced scholastic players I like ChessMaster. There is also ChessMaster for the Nintendo DS. >Back to top
What are blitz and bughouse"?
Blitz us usually a chess game where both players get 5 minutes on their clock
with no delay. Rules can vary, but one of the most important to know is that
in most blitz tournaments an illegal move automatically loses the game
(provided the opponent calls it before he/she makes their own move. Usually,
the game is played by clock move instead of touch move (so a move is not
complete until you hit your clock. Blitz or speed chess can be played with any
time setting less than 30 minutes. Bughouse is a strange variation where 2
players play blitz as a team. When you take one of your opponent’s
pieces you hand it to your partner. Your partner then has the option to place
the piece in any open square on his board, instead of making a standard move.
The game is over when the checkmate (or the taking of the king due to an illegal
move) occurs on either board.
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I'm convinced of the benefits chess has to offer, what's
the best way to volunteer?
There are many ways to help create/maintain a healthy scholastic chess
program in your community and New Mexico. Best is to be a chess club coach or
sponsor (see link below). You can also be of help by volunteering to help the
New Mexico Scholastic Chess Organization (NMSCO.org). You can volunteer or
provide suggestions to improve NM scholastic chess at the annual parents
meetings at the Spring NMSCO tournaments. If you are fortunate enough to have
a local chess club, you can volunteer as a parent helper during chess club or
tournaments. Even if you don't want to volunteer, it is worthwhile to mention
to your kid's teachers, principal and other parents that you wish there was a
chess club at your school. Enough requests might encourage someone else to
volunteer. Finally, it doesn't hurt to tell other parents about how great
chess is for your kids, and have your kids ask other kids to come to chess
club.
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What do I need to start a chess club?
All that is needed to start a chess club is a venue with tables/chairs and
some chess sets. Club chess sets (pieces/board/simple-bag) cost <10 dollars. If cost is an issue then there are many schools that might loan sets (including Aspen), and a lot of schools used to have chess clubs that currently don't, so they probably have the equipment already. Any school should be glad to reserve you space on a weekly time slot if you ask. Other options are commumity centers, public libraries, restaurants, or bookstores (Santa Fe used to have weekly scholastic club meetings at Borders). The school should also be willing to
let you advertise the club in the school with fliers taped on the walls, and they might even print copies and distribute them to all of the classrooms. The best time to have chess club is right after
school (any weekday) -- this will get the most attendance. Of course in most cases this will require more sacrifice on your part and other potential volunteers, so if you need to have chess club at another time, any time is infinitely better than no chess club at all. Keeping a chess club ladder (a ranking of the kids based on the games they play during chess club) is a great way to encourage weekly
attendance, and for kids to take games seriously and learn from them. If you have any questions on any of this email aspenchess@comcast.net.
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I would consider being a chess club coach or sponser, but I don't play chess?>
This is the most common misconception among parents. You do not have to know
anything about chess to spawn/maintain a very successful chess club! All that
is required is a commitment and a little enthusiasm. You'll need to know the
rules of chess, but they are surprisingly simple and can be learned in less
than 1 hour. If you provide a venue and a supervised/positive environment,
then the kids will take care of the rest. They can teach themselves and each
other, simply playing the games (and even better if some of them can learn at
home or on computer). I started volunteering/coaching with essentially no
chess experience; I've learned with the kids and there are still at least 4
players in the club who are better than I am (and many players have
progressed to be the best players in the state without what would be
considered a real coach).
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What's with all the trophies?
Like it or not, kids love trophies. More so, they love hearing their name
called out to receive a trophy (as do most parents). Depending on the event,
more than half of the kids may receive trophies. This leads to two minor
issues. 1) Kids who play in a lot of tournaments generally end up with a lot
of trophies. If space becomes an issue, then see if you can talk you child
into letting you "recycle" some of the trophies; most chess clubs
will take used trophies and relabel them for local tournaments or ladder
results. 2) The awards ceremony can take a while. Usually it's 15 to 30
minutes, but it may seem to take forever because it's already been a long day
for you and your kids. In the long-run it is worth recognizing and reading
the names of each kid who achieved a trophy. Also, please do not leave the
awards ceremony early or after your kid gets a trophy. If you leave, it is
very distracting and slightly demoralizing to the kids that receive trophies
late in the ceremony.
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