ChessKid is live for all students!!

Hello McKinley Chess Parents!

We are pleased to announce that we have worked out a deal with an online chess site JUST FOR KIDS, called ChessKid!   A GOLD level account is included with your membership to McKinley Chess Club!  This is a $49 value!

This gives you and your child full access to this website (which also has a smart phone app FYI).  This includes Unlimited Lessons, Videos, Puzzles, Training, and Online Games!  We will also have a club tournament later in the year!  You can also track your child's games and progress - as can "MrSeghers" and "MrBecker" (also on ChessKid).

ChessKid is a safe online chess environment - no chatting is allowed, and there is no access to a child's name or personal details.  Of course, as with all use of the web, we ask that you please monitor the use of the program of course.  

We believe this feature of the McKinley chess program is very valuable.

We ask that each parent:

• Log into your gold account - to do so, go to Chesskid.com and enter your kid's user name and password.  The username is the first three letters of their first name, followed by the first three letters of their last name.  For Matthew Smith, this would be MatSmi.   The password is the username (all lower case) plus the number 1.  In our example, this would be matsmi1
• Change your password to something your child (or you, if you are running the account) will remember.
• Start the lessons!   You start with PAWN level, then move up through Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen and King!   While there is no HOMEWORK per se, we suggest that each parent see these lessons as a great way for a kid and a parent to learn chess together!
• Try the puzzles!  These are fun game situations that get easier or harder as the student goes forward.
• Check out the Videos!  Start from the beginner level - some great stuff in here.  Pause and use a board to get the best value from a puzzle.
• Make friends with kids in the Club!  We have the McKinley Elementary club set up in here - when you make a friend, you can play an online game!  Just click on Clubs, then McKinley Elementary, then click on the name of someone you want to play, and then click on Challenge.  This sends a request for a game to that person you chose.

That's it!  Please email me with any questions you have.

Mark Seghers
Chess Coach - McKinley Elementary