|
Welcome to the WSCA
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Tuesday, 06 October 2009 10:00 |
ATTENTION: Important New Information About the Elmwood/NB West Tournament! There have been a number of new developments in the Elmwood/NB West Tournament. First, the test of the televised game system has been successfully run. Board 1 in each section will be covered, and when that game concludes, the cameras will switch to Board 2. They are working on broadcasting the feed to anyone in the building with a wireless laptop! Even better than what they had in the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer!" Second, the organizer has increased the Individual Trophies in each section to 20th Place! That brings the total of Team and Individual Trophies to 116. 116? That has never been done before at a local Wisconsin scholastic chess tournament. Never have the odds been so good for those trying to win their first chess trophy! And the Elmwood organizers have chosen the newest and coolest medals on the market today, the new Motion chess medals that changes to three different pictures when tilted. Every scholastic player who doesn't get a trophy, but finishes the last round, gets one! This may be the first chess tournament where the trophy winners wish they had gotten a medal instead! Due to the effort and expense the Elmwood Chess Club has gone to in their attempt to break the single school participation record (228, set by USM last November), the WSCA will keep the online registration open until 10:00 PM Thursday night to give Chess Clubs and schools meeting on Thursdays a last chance to participate in this banner event. And scholastic and adult players who want to take advantage of the Code 6 $6 discount on new or expired USCF memberships have until 10:00 PM Thursday too! For those who have already signed up for this event, thanks, and to those who haven't yet, hurry, you still have time to be part of one of the best scholastic chess tournaments of the year! They will be talking about this one for a long time to come! Next Up: ANOTHER CHESS TOURNAMENT FOR ALL! USCF & SCHOLASTIC OPEN
ELMWOOD CHESS CLUB's USCF & SCHOLASTIC OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT
--- Saturday, MARCH 13th, 2010
4 Sections with 60 Trophies, and Medals for all who finish - even in last place!2 USCF SECTIONS U700 and OPEN USCF.
Open to ALL USCF Chess Players.
PLUS, 2 Non-Rated Sections for Non-USCF K-3 and K-6 players.
BONUS, Adult Family & Friends Can Play in USCF SectionsSPECIAL LOCATION: NEW BERLIN WEST HIGH SCHOOL
18695 W. Cleveland Ave., New Berlin, WI
Hosted by the Elmwood Chess Club, but held in the larger New Berlin West High School, located in the city of New Berlin, this tournament another Chess Tournament for ALL! This is a special Hybrid Event with 2 Sections USCF Rated, U700 (all players must have a USCF March rating supplement rating under 700 points), and OPEN (for all players 700 and OVER). As USCF rated players are often of the same or similar playing strength, but different ages, both Sections are K-12 (Kindergarten thru 12 grade) and adult family and friends mixed together.
And, there are 2 Non-Rated Sections, for K-3 and K-6 scholastic only chess players who are Not USCF members. So, USCF scholastic and adult players, plus Non-USCF K-3 & K-6 players of all skill levels, and age groups, bring yourself and your teams to New Berlin West HighSchool on Saturday, March 13th, 2010. There will be great competition and food, soft drinks, and snacks available for all. 2 SECTIONS ARE USCF RATED, SO YOU MUST BE A USCF MEMBER TO PLAY in the U700 and OPEN USCF Sections, MEMBERSHIPS CAN BE PURCHASED / RENEWED ONSITE (COME EARLY). Don't forget to use the "Code 6" $6 discount.
USCF membership is NOT required to play in the Non-Rated K-3 and K-6 Sections.
2 USCF Dual-Rated SECTIONS:
USCF U700 K-12 and adult: USCF Dual-Rated, 6 Round Swiss, G/30.
USCF OPEN K-12 and adult: USCF Dual-Rated, 5 Round Swiss, G/45.
2 Non-Rated SECTIONS:
Scholastic K-3: Non-Rated, 6 Round Swiss, G/30.
Scholastic K-6: Non-Rated, 6 Round Swiss, G/30.
Scholastic Awards:
K-3: Team Trophies to Top 5 School Teams, Individual Trophies to Top 6,
Medals to 7th - All.
K-6: Team Trophies to Top 5 School Teams, Individual Trophies to Top 6,
Medals to 7th - All.
U700: Team Trophies to Top 4 School Teams, Individual Trophies to Top 6,
Class Trophies 1st & 2nd (400, U400, UnRated) Medals to 7th - All.
OPEN: Team Trophies to Top 4 School Teams, Individual Trophies to Top 6,
Class Trophies 1st & 2nd (800, 700, UnRated) Medals to 7th - All. These 2 Sections of this Tournament (U700 & OPEN) will be USCF Dual Rated, so game results will impact both your Regular and Quick Ratings. A Team Score will consist of the Top 2-4 players from the same school added together. A team can have as few as 2 players, and as many as come, but only the Top 4 player's scores will count towards the Team Score. Adults cannot be counted on a school team. This is another great opportunity to build your USCF Regular and Quick Ratings for better pairings at Local, Regional and National USCF events, and to test your chess tactics and skills in this highly competitive Scholastic and adult Chess Tournament. For those in the Non-Rated Sections, come for some good, old-fashioned chess! Play for fun, Trophies and Medals! The complete details are available here on-line. Click "Tournaments/Results" on the menu bar above, and go to the column for "Flyer" and click on "View Details." To register on-line, click on the "Tournaments" button at the top of this page, find the Elmwood USCF & Scholastic Open Chess Tournament listing, then click on the red "Register" text link, follow the directions, and fill in the necessary information. See you there on March 13th! SPECIAL ELMWOOD OFFER - $6 Discount off New and Expired USCF Memberships! Continuing the new trend in Wisconsin Scholastic Chess, Elmwood Elementary School is combining with the WSCA to offer a special $6 off discount on New, and Expired USCF memberships for scholastic, and adult, chess players who register online at www.wscachess.org for the Elmwood Scholastic Chess Tournament before the 11:30 PM Wednesday, March 10th online registration cut-off (the discount goes to $3 off after March 10th and on-site).
When you register for the Elmwood Tournament there will be a box that asks for your USCF ID number. Type the phrase Code 6 into this box. When you arrive on-site at the tournament, the paperwork will be ready for you to sign.
Make checks payable to: WSCA (please write “USCF fee” in the memo line).
Sorry, this offer is not available to current members, but IS available to former USCF members who have let their membership expire. This is your chance to come back to the big leagues! Rejoin the USCF at a great price with $6 off Scholastic, Youth and Young Adult and Adult memberships. State Scholastic Championships Coming to Oshkosh!
By Mike Nietman UW-Oshkosh’s Gruenhagen Conference Center will host the 2010 State Scholastic Chess Championships! This year’s event will be held March 20-21 where over 400 participants are expected to battle it out in six sections for Wisconisn State Championship titles. As approved by the Wisconsin Chess Association (www.wischess.org), the official Wisconsin state affiliate as sanctioned by the US Chess Federation (www.uschess.org), this event is the official state scholastic championship for Wisconsin. The event features both scholastic team and individual competition and is open to any Wisconsin K-12 student. The three Varsity sections are five round, five person, boarded team events based on team rating. The winner of Division 1 is recognized as the Wisconsin Scholastic Team Champion. Each varsity section awards team and board champion trophies. Three individual sections, the JV, K-8 and K-5 sections are six round Swiss events. Players from the same school may form teams for team awards. Up to four players are counted for the team score. Individual trophies are also awarded. Team and individual winners in the K-5 and K-8 sections are recognized as official State Champions. Everyone in all sections who score over fifty percent will either win a trophy or a medal! This event started in the 1960’s as the State High School Chess Championships. In the 1970’s the event was run by Milwaukee Tech High School’s Bob Baird at UW-Milwaukee’s Student Union The highly coveted top three team awards were wood trophies carved in the shape of the state by his Tech students. In the 1980’s Bill Wenz and Marshall Rohland of Milwaukee continued to run the event at UW-Milwaukee then various hotels around the Milwaukee area. Bill donated the varsity travelling trophy out of proceeds from the event. In 1992 the coaches voted to award the event to former Fond du Lac Goodrich Chess Coach and WCA President Mike Nietman who offered Gruenhagen Conference Center on the UW-Oshkosh campus as a site and where it continues to be held at the request of the coaches. (Gruenhagen continues to host the Wisconsin Junior Open in early November, a tournament hosted there since 1987.) The K-8 section started in 1996. The K-5 section started in 2004. Gruenhagen Conference Center is a converted dormitory that has plenty of rooms available for the participants to spend the night at a very reasonable cost. For the complete tournament flyer e-mail Tournament Organizer Mike Nietman at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 608-467-8510 evenings or weekends for more information. MORE UPCOMING WSCA SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENTS!Saturday, April 17, 2010 REAGAN ELEMENTARY CHESS CLUB.
4225 South Calhoun Rd., New Berlin, WI. 2 Rated USCF Sections2 Non-Rated Non-USCF SectionsIndividual, Team, and Class Awards!!!
Saturday, May 1, 2010 MILL VALLEY 4TH ANNUAL "FUTURE STARS OF CHESS" TOURNAMENT
W191 S6445 South Hillendale Drive, Muskego, WITwo Sections, Unrated Non-USCF K-3 and K-6 6 Round Swiss, Time-Control G/30 6 Team Trophies, 10 Individual Trophies, 40 Medals for K-3 and K-6 Special 4-Round Side Event for the First 28 Adults, Trophies & Medals
WATCH FOR FUTURE TOURNAMENT LISTINGS!
The WSCA will be hosting a Special Event, in the near future!What is the WSCA? WSCA stands for the Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Association. We are a new organization founded in the Spring of 2008 by a group of avid chess players who want to see more young chess players take the Next Step in their development as serious chess players. We want to help put Wisconsin Scholastic Chess at the forefront of States with players at the Class "B" and above level. We are an official affiliate of both the United States Chess Federation (the USCF), and the USCF State affiliate, the Wisconsin Chess Association (WCA). Our main mission is the development of Scholastic Chess in four Sections (K-3, K-6, K-9, and K-12). It is our intent to provide guidance for those who want to start Chess Clubs, School Chess Programs (at both the individual school and district-wide levels), and help bring USCF rated tournaments to public and private schools as a way to improve the players skills and raise the funds so that each chess program can become a fully equipped, self-funded entity. Holding a WSCA Tournament The WSCA has a graduated system that schools can use to build their Chess Programs, Tournaments and USCF Affiliation. If you presently aren't a USCF affiliated school, you can hold a first tournament which will be an Unrated Open Tournament. What this means is that players will be playing for fun, trophies and medals, but that the results will NOT impact their USCF ratings. Out of the proceeds of such events, the schools or clubs will be expected to pay the $40 USCF affiliate fee and become an official USCF club. The second year Tournament is a Combined Tournament. This means, as a transition to a full USCF rated event, the tournament will offer both Rated and Unrated Sections in as many, or few, sections as the organizers deem necessary. This allows more beginning players to experience the thrill of a chess tournament, and develop into a full USCF player, while those who are USCF rated can continue to build their ratings and skills against the more experienced USCF players. Remember though, the more sections, the more prizes required. Ideally, each section will draw enough players to support the prize package for that section. Guidance on buying prize packages is provided by the WSCA. In the third year, a school is expected, but not required, to become a USCF event, offering only USCF Sections.
For more details on hosting a WSCA tournament, email: "Gregory Reese, Sr."
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:09 )
|
|
|
The Importance of Parents and Chess |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Gregory Reese, Sr.
|
|
Tuesday, 07 October 2008 09:54 |
|
Many people who know me have heard me lecture how important it is for parents to take an active part in their child's development as a chess player. The basic rules of chess are quite easy to learn. In fact, they can fit on a single piece of 8 1/2 by 11 paper! After maybe 20 minutes of study, any two people can sit down and start banging pieces around the board. It is the more subtle nuances of the game that are hard to learn. Advanced tactics and strategies. Combinations of pieces working together, many pieces advancing together in an "opening," or acting in unison in the endgame play. It is said, and with good reason, that there are more books written on the subject of chess than any other topic - except religion. It is also said, you can spend a lifetime studying chess and still not but scratch the surface of total understanding of the game. Maybe so. But that doesn't mean you can't learn the basics, and read just a few books, or even study what is written in Chess Life or Chess Life for Kids magazines, and have a much better appreciation for the game of chess. I have heard people watching a chess game in progress say things like, "that is the most boring game I have ever seen!" And I forgive their error in thinking, for they know not what they are looking at. In chess, it is not always what is happening on the board where all the action is, the real action is going on inside each player's head at the speed of light. Each player looking at "What ifs," as in "What if I move there with my knight? And she takes with the bishop? And I take back with my rook? etc., etc., et cetera." Practice in chess is a huge part of development. And nothing is better than a child playing, learning where blunder points are, growing in experience and confidence, with their own parents or guardians. It is not about beating each other. It is about growing together. Sharing an experience, instead of sitting in front of a television screen playing a video game and learning how fast your fingers and thumbs can move. Many parents have come up to me and thanked me for giving them the gift of chess. The gift of giving them something they can do face-to-face with their children. Even when that means the delight they see in their kids faces when they get a four move checkmate, or capture Mom's queen out of nowhere, or slip out of Dad's mating net, only to turn the tables and put him on the ropes! Most parents are surprised at how many thrills and smiles a single game of chess brings, as their family comes together over the chess board! |
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 06 February 2009 07:51 )
|
|
How to Start a Chess Club |
|
|
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Tuesday, 07 October 2008 21:27 |
|
Starting a Chess Club is easy. It begins with as few as 2 players who want one! There are many resources available on the Internet to give you the guidance and basic requirements necessary. A Chess Club can hold a weekly meeting before or after school in a school, a public library, a public meeting room available in most banks, even someone's house. All you really need is tables big enough to hold two or three chess boards (2' x 6' or 2' x 8'), chairs, and one chess board for every 2 players. So, if you have 10 players, you would need 5 chess boards and sets. Things like chess clocks and a demo board can be added later. What do you do at a chess club? Obviously you play some chess. But to be an effective Club, you must do more than just beat up on each other. The goal of the club should be to help each and every member get progressively better. You do this by getting together around a chess set and exploring new openings, new tactics, how to end a game with a win instead of a draw or loss. You go over each other's tournament games (using the chess notation every good chess player learns to do), and find the better move, or the line that cost the game. By doing this, everyone learns together. A Chess Club is born. (See Links) |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 04:14 )
|
|
|
Why Is Chess Important in Schools? |
|
|
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Tuesday, 07 October 2008 12:00 |
|
Chess programs in schools can be one of the most important extracurricular programs administrators can bring into a school. It gives them important tools for developing many positive benefits for both the students and the schools. Chess Clubs and competitive teams help bring students together for social interaction with a very diverse group of people. Chess players come from all walks of life. They come from every background, and country on the face of this planet. You don't even have to speak the same language to enjoy playing a game of chess against an opponent! A player doesn't have to be the biggest, or the strongest, or the smartest, or the fastest, to enjoy the game and reap the many benefits playing chess gives to students with almost no effort. It is played by both young and old alike on a field that is as level as any known to man. It helps to foster good sportsmanship, team work, teaches about problem solving and abstract thinking. There are many other intangibles that will make a student better at math, reading, increase attention span and patience. Chess programs can bring together students who might otherwise feel "left out." Giving them a chance to find themselves, their inner confidence, and a field in which every single player can excel on an upward path. The good work habits will help them for the rest of their lives. |
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 09 October 2008 08:44 )
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Tuesday, 07 October 2008 19:29 |
|
Why join the United States Chess Federation? That is an easy question to answer. By joining the USCF you are taking the next step on a life-long path to chess excellence. Not only are you stepping into the realm of the serious chess player, as opposed to the casual now and then player, but you are joining an organization that will help track your life-long climb towards your peak level, with a rating system you can trust. By joining, you can play in any USCF event held in North America. Most areas have a USCF Chess Club Affiliate with tournaments that are held on a regular basis to help sharpen your chess skills, allowing you to practice new openings, end games, and tactics "over-the-board" in face to face competition. And the rating you build will stay with you, where ever you go, however long you play. The USCF also has many resources available to its members. Starting with Chess Life magazine (and the excellent Chess Life for Kids magazine), and including a web site with extensive features for any level of player, from Class "J" novices, up to Chess Masters. For many, it is the start of the quest that will last decades and enrich your life in many ways you cannot see from the starting point. USCF RATINGS Senior Master - 2400 & upMaster - 2200-2399 Class C-1400-1599 Class G-600-799Expert - 2000-2199 Class D-1200-1399 Class H-400-599Class A-1800-1999 Class E-1000-1199 Class I -200-399Class B-1600-1799 Class F- 800-999 Class J -199/belowJoin the USCF (Link) |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 October 2008 15:47 )
|
|
|
|
