Nicolet Tournament Results

Great tournament at Nicolet!  140+ kids attended this WSCF event.
In K-3, we had three players (one short of a full team), and did very well.  Marissa led the way with 3 wins out of her 5 games - almost winning her last game for a trophy.  Nolan added 2.5 more wins, and Manisha, in her first tournament ever, won 2 games!  Great job kids!
In K-6, we had a full team.  Leading the way with 3 wins out of 5 was Zach and Ishaan (in his 2nd tournament).  Everyone else had 2.0, including Kate, Henry, Derius and Jack.
If we are to look at ourselves and be honest, this wasn't our BEST performance in terms of wins and losses - this will happen sometimes.  It's good that we don't always win trophies!   We ran into a real "buzz saw" with the Club Team (multiple schools) from Mequon.  They had 2 kids with perfect 5.0 scores in K-6 and 2 kids with perfect 5.0 scores in K-3!  That's incredible.  For the state tournament, they will have to divide up into separate school teams, but they are definitely a team we need to watch, and they need to inspire us to learn more and be better players!
The main thing is, we had fun, and had a chance to learn from some of our mistakes.  I was able to sit with several kids throughout the day and help correct some of the things I saw.  I'm proud of all our kids' efforts - especially new tournament players Manisha and Ishaan!  Thanks also to parents for helping keeping things organized.

McKinley's Own Chess Tournament! Feb 10th

Mark the date of Saturday, February 10th!

On this day, McKinley Elementary will be hosting our first CHESS TOURNAMENT!  Other schools will be invited around Wisconsin.  We should expect over 100 kids.  It should be a blast!

I will be sending an email out to parents - we will need volunteers, primarily for registration and concessions.

Upcoming tournaments in December

We have class on Wed Nov 29, then tournaments on Sat Dec 2 and Sat Dec 9.  I will not be able to make the tournament on Sat Dec 2 at Lake Denoon, but I will be at the tournament at Nicolet High School on Dec 9.

If you'd like to play at Lake Denoon Dec 2:

1. Consider if you would like to play in the NON-RATED K-6 or the USCF-Rated (either K-3 or K-6) division.  USCF as I explained in the last email is an annual membership and establishes a US rating for your child.  Non-rated K-6 is recommended for kids who have not yet won 4 out of 6, or 3.5 out of 5, in a tournament.  If you have won almost all, or all of your games, in a tournament, you should consider joining the USCF and playing in a rated division.
2. Email me and let me know your child would like to play - and let me know what division.  Pay at the door of the tournament.

If you'd like to play at Nicolet High School on Dec 9: 

1. This is a WSCF-rated tournament only, so there is no USCF opportunity here.
2. Email me and let me know your child would like to play.  I will register them.  Pay at the door of the tournament.

Thank you - please let me know if you have any questions.  - Mark Seghers

McKinley Dominates both Divisions at State Fair Park

The Folk Fair was a great place for chess!

McKinley kids had a blast!

McKinley Elementary did very well at State Fair park this Saturday the 18th!

McKinley won the K-3 division with 4 players - two of them in their first tournament!   The team of Charlie, Marissa, Nolan and Lukas took first place by 3 points over Tosa Catholic.  Charlie led the way with 4 out of 5 wins and a 2nd place individual trophy.  Marissa and Lukas both had 3 wins out of 5 in their first tournament!  Logan also had 3.

In the K-6 division, McKinley took 1st place also, with 16 points, winning by 4 points over St. Monica, Monroe Public Schools, and Siloah Lutheran who all tied for second with 12 points.  Louis took home the first place individual trophy with a perfect 5/5 wins.  Max JUST missed a trophy, going 4/5 and taking 6th place individual, and Zach added 4 wins too.  Kate and Henry Ri added 3 apiece.  Darius added 2.5 wins to the effort, and several others contributed - nobody with less than 1 win.

Lots of new kids in the program are stepping up!  We see over and over again that the kids who spend time on ChessKids are showing progress.  Some of the kids who did so well last year better step up their game and work on getting the rust off!  Remember, you never ARRIVE with chess - you must always keep up your practice and maintain your focus.  When you relax and think "I am awesome, I can stop practicing," you will see that your game will always suffer.

Great job McKinley kids!!   - Mr. S

Next up: Lake Denoon Middle School 12/2

After Folk Fair, our next tournament is at Lake Denoon Middle School on December 12th, in Muskego!  It's out in the sticks a little bit, but I think you'll enjoy the ride.  94S to 43W to Racine Ave, to Kelsey, Right on Kelsey, left on Crowbar.  I know it like the back of my hand because this is where my kids went!
Lake Denoon has a long history of chess success, and this is a great annual tournament.
Email Mr. Seghers if you'd like to attend, and I will register you.  You then pay at the door on the day of the tournament.  Thanks!

Holiday Folk Fair - November 18th - Details

McKinley kids are trying out our first tournament of the year at the Holiday Folk Fair!  We will have two teams - K3 and K6.  This tournament is WSCF rated, meaning a USCF membership is not required to play.  The WSCF rating is Wisconsin-only and is free - established when a kid plays in their first WSCF tournament.
Payment is made AT TIME OF REGISTRATION, which means parents can either pay by PayPal online, or they can email me and I can register them (and they can pay me back on the day of the tournament).
We will have THREE coaches there at the tournament- Mr Mark, Mr Robin and Mr Kyle!  So this will be a very valuable experience for all.  We will be working with the kids between games to help them learn from their mistakes.
We recommend that each kid NOTATE their game using sheets provided at the tournament.  Here is a great link which explains how to do this.  We talk about it in school.  If notation makes your child nervous, as that they at least notate the first 10 or 20 moves, so we can go through the game later.
This tournament starts a little later than most - please be at the State Fair Park at around 10 am... the first game is at 11am.  There are 5 games and we should be out of there about 4pm.

MORE DETAILS:
All participants registering for the tournament in advance by Tuesday Nov 15th at 11:00 pm will receive free passes into the exposition center. There is no discount for the $6 parking or for chaperones. Coaches and parents must pay to enter the Folk Fair. Please enter the exposition center on the west side (84th street) and proceed to the volunteer desk. Players who preregistered will find their names on a list at the volunteer station to the right once you enter. If you are not pre-registered, you will need to pay for entry into the folk fair. After receiving your entry tickets proceed to the chess tournament area and register for the tournament. You may be able to get your entry tickets slightly before 10:00 but cannot enter until 10:00. A limited number of volunteers will also receive a pass for free entry. We need help with registration (4) and floor TDs (6, 2 to 3 around each) and scorekeepers (2, 2 to 3 rounds each).
To sign up as a volunteer please email bob@wisconsinscholasticchess.org. You must volunteer in advance to get free entry into the Folk Fair. Questions: Contact WSCF at td@wisconsinscholasticchess.org or 262-573-5624.

Is my Kid ready for Chess Tournaments?

There is nothing more fun - and more valuable - to a young player than playing in a chess tournament.  It's exciting and exhilarating, and can be a really valuable experience - IF the child is ready for tournaments.
Tournaments are optional for McKinley players but this is an important step in a kid's journey, and it really "brings home" the lessons and helps them see just how fun the game is.
I get the question quite a bit "is my child ready to play in a tournament??"
For an EXCELLENT ANSWER to this question - see ChessKid!  Here is a link to the article:
https://www.chesskid.com/article/view/in-progress
This awesome article talks about how kids can use ChessKid.com to prepare for their first chess tournament!

First class was a blast!

The first class was a blast!  Thanks to Mr. Robin and Mr. Kyle for joining us. 
I'm setting up ChessKids.com accounts now for everyone.  Each week, I will have SUGGESTED VIDEOS and WORKOUTS for everyone.  For players in Mr. Seghers' group (me/ Mr. S), please focus on pieces - how they move, their values, etc.  I'll have more details soon, once the ChessKids accounts are all ready.
If you haven't yet paid for class, please do so ASAP.  The fee is $50 one-time which covers Chesskids (49.99 value) and all paid instruction, boards, pieces and more.  Thanks!

Mr. Robin Available for Home Lessons!

We are happy to announce that Mr. Robin Grochowski is available for private in-home lessons.  This is an amazing way to jump-start your child's progress with chess.  Robin's rates are incredibly reasonable, and he has coached many scholastic champions.

Robin says: 
"I am glad to be back with the McKinley Chess again for another exciting year.  I am also available for private lessons.  See me at the school to discuss private lessons or e-mail me at rgrochowski@wi.rr.com.  Thanks.  Robin J. Grochowski"

Looking for Parent Helpers!

Hi,
Two out of our three instructors (myself and Kyle Jain) are volunteers, because we believe in the power of chess to help young minds.
Due to the size of the class, we also rely upon parent volunteers to help maintain order, and keep kids on task.  You don't need to know chess to be able to help!
If you can help out here or there, please CLICK THE LINK BELOW to sign up for a certain class date or dates.  We need help for the check-in for each class (basically filing the kids into class and checking them off a list), then for staying with the class and helping to maintain order and keep kids on task.
HERE IS THE LINK, BELOW.  Thanks!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BAEAF2BABFB6-class

Email to parents - 9/29

Hello to all Chess Parents!  If you didnt get the email below (check now), please let me know by emailing me at seghers @ gmail.com ...   

CLASS SCHEDULE:

We look forward to starting the year off next Wed 10/4!   Class will be held immediately after school from 2:30- 3:45 Wednesdays (excluding Thanksgiving) during October, November, January and February.  No classes during December, but we'll be having online events on ChessKid, and this will be the time for kids to learn on their own and with family.

This year, the two sections of class are just calendar divisions - nothing more.  Unlike last year, the first classes are not just for beginners.  Every class will accommodate every skill level!!

INSTRUCTORS:

Since we have so many kids - looks like about 47 to start - we will have three instructors to start.  Myself (Mark Seghers) and Kyle Jain are volunteers, and Robin Grochowski returns from last year as a paid instructor.  I led the Muskego Scholastic Chess Club for many years before moving to Tosa, and Kyle was one of my students.  Mr. Kyle is the reigning D1 High School state champ.  Mr. Robin has been a huge contributor to Wisconsin chess over the years, and is a very strong player and instructor.  Robin offers individual training to kids also - please inquire by emailing or talking to us at class.  His rates are reasonable - and he comes to you!

CLASS FORMAT:

Each week, we will have announcements, and then we will divide into three groups.  Each group will receive instruction level equal to skill level.  Kids can advance in class, in tournaments or online.  It's important that students don't move too quickly, and grasp concepts prior to moving to the next group.  We have an idea of strong players from last year, so the highest level will be small at first - and the inbetween level may have some kids we just haven't seen play yet.  We'll get there!  Each class will also include open chess play.

We ask that each parent prepare their kids to pay attention.  Our class is interactive, but we limit this due to time and numbers.  We have a three strike rule - first time they are warned, second time they are separated from the other kid (there's always another kid, haha), and the third time we send an email to parents.  Please note this is NOT an after school child care program - they're here to play chess, and to listen.  For our part, we'll try to be as engaging and entertaining as possible.  *smile*

HELP NEEDED!

A few parents said they can help during class- fantastic!   We need one or two parents for "crowd control" to keep kids on task.   Please shoot me an email if you can help - this will help the class focus on chess rather than herding or noise control.  Thanks!

OPTIONAL TOURNAMENTS:

There is nothing like a fun, Saturday CHESS TOURNAMENT to really get the kids interested in chess.  There are several fantastic tournaments throughout the year offered by the WSCF, IAC, and other organizations.  These tournaments have divisions like K-3, K-6, and K-12.  One tournament in spring is the GRADE LEVEL tournament where you play only the kids in your own grade.  Then, there is a big K-5 State Championship in March at UW-Oshkosh!   Our goal is to field a competitive team for that two-day tournament.  More information on tournaments will be sent via email, and is on TosaChess.com where we have a CHESS CALENDAR you can access.  Last year, we won several first-place team trophies and many individual trophies which we display proudly in the library.  We hope to get some more this year.

One of the biggest gifts of a chess tournament is sportsmanship.  Kids learn how to win gracefully (not easy) and lose gracefully (even harder)... and they learn how to be good sports.  Thinking of the other kid, saying "good game" whether they win or lose, and never "rubbing it in" when they win.  This is also a great opportunity for parents and kids to bond around a very fun (and sometimes triumphant) experience.  I have many great memories with my twin boys over the years with Chess tournaments, sharing in their joys, and helping them cope with their disappointments.  We always say, kids either WIN, or LEARN.  If you learn from your loss, you will never lose a game. 

I, and sometimes Kyle and/or Robin, will be at the "official" McKinley tournaments we choose to attend as a team - but you can go to any of them.  I recommend you choose a McKinley group tournament (where we have a full team or two) for your first couple of tournaments however.

CHESSKID.COM:

The $50 one time fee includes a Gold subscription to ChessKid.com (a $49.99 value!).  This is an amazing resource.  Each kid will receive a login to ChessKid, and on that safe environment, they can watch videos, do quizzes and puzzles and workouts, and play online games with classmates.  Kids will start with a 600 level, but please tell them THIS WILL GO DOWN.  It may drop to 100 before it starts going back up - that is normal.  As they play and learn, their level will go up and up.

I watch ChessKid to see which kids are learning between classes, and to see which lessons we may need to highlight in future classes.

Note that it will be FAR more difficult for a kid to progress with only 1 hour of chess class per week.  To really get the most out of chess, each kid should play chess outside of class - and learn chess through ChessKid.  Their time with the game should be "good chess"... they don't learn by playing hundreds of "bad games" with lots of blunders by both players - they need to apply the principles we teach in class and which are also taught on ChessKid!

PAYMENT:

If you have not yet paid (maybe you registered during forms and fees day), please bring a check to the office written to McKinley Elementary.  The one time fee of $50 pays for ChessKid accounts, boards, pieces, clocks, and our paid instruction.

TOSACHESS.COM:

PLEASE visit our website TosaChess.com - you can subscribe to updates on the right hand side of the site (so you get an email when there are new posts).  On the site you will see pictures and results from last year, and some information about the year to come.  This is a vital component of the experience.

SO much to say.  I hope to meet many of you!  I live on 85th St, just a few blocks due East of school with my wife Christine and 19 year old twin sons, Reid and Evan.  I love Wauwatosa and am very glad we moved here.  Very happy to be able to contribute my time to this community and its families.  As I've seen with so many families over 12 years of coaching - f you give to chess, it will give back tenfold.  I'll leave it to you to see how.  If there is anything I can do to adjust, or anything you'd like to let me know over the school year, please email or call.   

Thank you for reading my novel  :)

Mark / Mr. S

Chess Dates

There was a typo on the flyer that went home to parents - here are the dates for Chess Club -

There will be 16 classes during the year, divided into two sections:

• Session 1: October 4, 11, 18, 25  and November 1, 8, 15, and 29.
• Session 2: January 10, 17, 24 and February 7, 14, 21, and 28.

We will be dividing every one of the classes by skill level, and appropriate instruction will be given during all classes.  We will start with three instructors including volunteers Mark and Kyle, joined by Robin Grochowski who is a paid instructor also available for Private Lessons in your home.

The fee is $50 one time for all 16 classes - this fee includes a Gold Membership for Chesskid.com, a safe place for your kids to learn ONLINE between classes - this alone is a $49.99 value!  Please write checks to McKinley Elementary School - thank you!

McKinley Chess signup for 2017-18: UPDATE 9/1

Please continue to watch for details here on TosaChess.com!!

It looks like we will have between 35-40 kids this year.  If you haven't yet signed up, watch for an email from McKinley coming up soon.

Chess class will be held on WEDNESDAYS this year after school in the McKinley library, from 2:30-3:45pm weekly. Volunteer Instructors will be Mark Seghers and Kyle Jain.  An additional instructor, Robin Grochowski, will be available as needed - and is available for private in-home chess instruction.  We will be dividing the class based on skill level.

There will be 16 classes during the year, divided into two sections:

• Session 1: October 4, 11, 18, 25  and November 1, 8, 15, and 29.
• Session 2: January 10, 17, 24 and February 7, 14, 21, and 28.

There will be tournaments throughout the year as well - these are usually held on Saturdays.
At the end of the season are important tournaments such as Wisconsin Grade Level, and the big State Scholastic Tournament at UW-Oshkosh on March 17-18, 2018.  This year, this date doesn't conflict with Destination Imagination, so I'm hoping we will be making our first appearance at that tournament, where we'll be vying for a K-5 state championship!

MARK THE DATE! March 17-18, 2018 - State Scholastic!

Mark the dates on your calendars, March 17 and 18, 2018 - the State Scholastic Chess Tournament at UW-Oshkosh!  Assuming we have no major conflicts, like Destination Imagination in 2017, we will be bringing at K-5 team to state!

Chess in the Park

Starting June 29th, and continuing through August, we will be hosting CHESS IN THE PARK at the Landing at Hoyt Park.
This will be every Thursday evening, from 6:30 - 8:00, and is for ALL AGES!  We hope you can make it, see you then!
P.S. We are still looking for parent volunteers to help.  I hope to be there every week, but may need help from time to time.  Thanks!  - Mark

McKinley Takes Tosa Challenge Trophy

McKinley Chess Kids

Great fun had by all at the first Tosa Challenge match, held at Tosa Catholic.  In this match, 16 kids from each school played two games, head-to-head.  McKinley won the first game 11.5 - 4.5, and the second game 10-6.  The traveling trophy (shown) will go to McKinley first, and we'll keep it until Fall, when the next challenge comes up.  Great job team!
Wauwatosa Catholic were great hosts, and everything was very well run and organized by Bob Patterson-Sumwaldt of the WSCF.  Pizza was served after the event.
Interesting to note that out of the 16 kids on the McKinley team, not a single player lost both games, and 6 of them won both games.  Keep practicing over Summer, kids, maybe we will see you at Hoyt on Thursday eves!
Note: The Non-Profit WSCF creates chess tournaments and teaches kids across the state.  This organization depends on donations for its existence.  If you care about scholastic chess and would like to support the WSCF, please click here.  Thank you.

Chess Gives Mississippi Kids Hope

Great story here, from 60 Minutes:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-fight-stereotypes-using-chess-in-rural-mississippi/

Tosa Challenge May 10 - McKinley vs. Tosa Catholic!

Tosa Catholic and their coach Bob Patterson-Sumwaldt (leader of the WSCF) has challenged McKinley to a school vs. school match on Wed May 10!   We hope this will be the beginning of a new tradition, and an annual tournament called the Tosa Challenge!

We are thinking there will be TWO GAMES.  Our board 1 plays their board 1, board 2 plays board 2, all the way down the line.   Game 2, we could either switch white/black and play adjoining players e.g. # 1 from TC would play # 2 from McK,   # 1 from McK would play # 2 from TC... or we just have 1-0 kids play 1-0 kids and 0-1 kids play 0-1 kids like in a tournament.

Would start after school.   After the two games, we can have pizza and parents can hang out and meet each other.

Let us know what you think!   P.S.  The winner will keep the "Traveling Trophy" until the next match...

P.P.S.   We are also thinking about a "Chess in the Park" event at Hoyt this Summer!   Watch for news here!

Kyle Does it Again - While Giving Back

(2016) Kyle and Evan - WI champs

UPDATE: Kyle Jain is joining us this year at McKinley to help me teach the class!!!
So, last year, my son Evan won the High School individual state chess championship, as I have bragged about several times.  Haha...
THIS year, another product of the Muskego Scholastic Chess Club, Kyle Jain - a 9th grader! - won it!  This is one year after Kyle won the K-8 division.  Congratulations to Kyle, and also to Matt Schladweiler, Muskego's advanced instructor, who helped to bring Kyle to the level he is now. As Kyle knows well, It's not just about playing the game.  It's about giving back.  Below is a quote from a Brookfield Academy coach (where Kyle attended last year):
"Kyle obviously played very good chess, but he also was an excellent leader for our team. He spent a significant amount of time giving instruction and reviewing games. Some participants on our varsity team did not play their best chess, but Kyle remained positive and supportive even if he may have felt disappointment. I am proud of the way he handled himself. He is an excellent teammate."
Kyle's mom said, "Kyle said more than winning he enjoyed this year because he would sit between rounds and look over kids games like what Mr. Matt would do. He felt good about helping others and said that was the best part of states this year. That made me so proud to hear. "
This is what I'd like to see one day from our best players. Not only that they become good players, and good young men/women, but that they pass along what they have learned to others.

Grade Level - Register Now!

Please REGISTER NOW for Grade Level!   Go to wisconsinscholasticchess.com and click on Tournaments then Registration.  Then choose Grade Level April 1, click on the little check mark. Bob is trying to update the website... it is very slow right now but if you wait it should work fine.

DEADLINE FOR EARLY REGISTRATION is 3/23!!

Let's get some big teams to Grade Level!  I'm thinking Grade 3 we will be especially strong, and we can definitely compete at some other grades too.  All we need is 3 players to make a full team.  We can also play as individuals too.  Thanks!

McKinley Shines at Elmwood

K-3 Takes First Place at Elmwood

Over 180 were pre-registered for the annual Elmwood tournament, including a huge k3 section... New Berlin has a strong tradition of chess, and some very good players.  This is a "harder" tournament than most we attend - and in the K-3 section, we were up against several strong and large teams.  Elmwood had 15 kids on their k3 team, for example.   Our K-3 team had 10 players - Zach, Louis, Henry Rom., Jack, Henry Rio., Max, Kate, Mitchell, Charlie and Nolan.  We were tied with Elmwood after 5 rounds at 15 points... We went into round 6 very focused on our mission - and almost every single player on our team won their final game... We had 19 points (top 4 scores) and took 1st Place over Elmwood by 2 points.
Zach Brunow missed game 1 (half point bye) and won all his remaining games to go 5.5.  Louis Liu lost his first and won his next 5.  Henry Rommelfanger had 4.5 points.  A few kids had 4 points, and nobody had any less than 2 on both of our teams.
Most notably (pun intended)... Just about everybody took notation!!   This allowed us to go through several games and learn from them!  Very impressive day for our kids.  I'm seeing a state champ contender in next couple years if we can keep it rolling! 
We only had 3 kids in k6 so werent in the team trophy hunt, but the team of Alex, Vishist,and John did very well.

I will edit this post to add more details after I receive the results sheet from Randy.  Thanks to all players, parents and McKinley for their support of the program.

Roll call for Elmwood- Practice tonight!

K3:

Zach (miss game 1)

Charlie D

Kate 

Nolan

Max

Louis

Henry Ri

Henry Ro

Jack 

Mitchell (miss games 2,3)

K6:

John

Alex

Get in your practice and lessons before the tournament!  Focus on battle squares - counting the attackers and defenders.  When you have the upper hand, go for it!   Also, always think about what your opponent is trying to do - every move!   Block, block, block, then... at the right time, attack.

Elmwood this Saturday! Details

 Elmwood - 5900 S Sunny Slope Rd, New Berlin

My son Reid 5 years ago in an amazing final game at Elmwood

The Elmwood tournament is a great annual chess tournament in Milwaukee, held by New Berlin's man of the year, Randy Bubolz.  Randy is the man who started chess in New Berlin and runs a huge program with hundreds of kids and several schools.  Randy trained Greg Reese who started chess in Muskego.  I was Greg's assistant coach at the time and Greg showed me the ropes.  This tournament should have about 200 kids, and has trophies down to 15th place.  Thanks to those who have registered.  Email me if you would still like to.  Details are below to parents attending the tournament:

PLEASE BE THERE BEFORE 8:30!  Check-in closes at 8:45.  If you will be there for game 1 at 9:15 but cannot be there earlier than that - YOU NEED TO LET ME KNOW and I will check you in!!!    I will be there at 7:45 to get us a good couple of tables for the team - I could use some help securing the area, and will be there to help any kid who shows up early also.  It's important for the kids to "get their chess brains on" before game 1.  That's what this time is for.  I also expect them to take a little time between games to think about their last game and what they learned.  I will have some "NOTATION" sheets if they want to try notating their game.  They should notate at least the first 10 moves.  The game is often won/lost by then, and this gives them something we can review over the game so I can help them.  Maybe reward them if they do this - something other than a sugary treat.   Please avoid too much sugar before and during the day.  This causes mental energy to spike and crash.  We want them consistent.   Also, it's OK for them to do something other than chess between rounds, if they wish.  I ask only that they take the games seriously and try to think about the lesson they learned each game.  Then, if they notate the first 10 moves, I can help them.  Even when they win, they often miss something.

There are no better lessons than the tournament games they play - notation helps us review and learn - it's critical for improvement in chess.

GOING TO MISS A GAME?   You need to let me know - please reply to this email to tell me or remind me, and include Randy Bubolz also - rbubolz@wi.rr.com ...  Then, please tell the people at the tournament when you check in.  In this tournament, they allow you to miss a round and get 1/2 point - see flyer for details.

We are playing in the NON-rated K-3 and Non-rated K-6 divisions of this tournament.  Non-rated for this tournament means Non USCF rating.  That is the main US Chess Federation rating that is used everywhere in the US.  At some point you may consider getting your child a USCF rating.  This lets them play in USCF rated tournaments.   Best to stay non-rated for now, I believe.  Note that some of our kids have already established WSCF ratings.  These are useful only within WSCF tournaments, such as those held at Tosa Catholic, Evangel and Golda Meir this year.  This tournament is an IAC tournament which does not have its own ratings system and uses the USCF rating for the rated divisions.  Sorry if this is a bit confusing.  Let me know if you have any questions on this.

Upcoming Tournaments (updated)

Below is an updated listing of updated tournaments for McKinley chess kids:

• MARCH 4 - BUTLER MIDDLE SCHOOL - (WSCF) - good WSCF tournament, great practice.  If you have to choose this one OR March 11 at Elmwood, choose March 11 at Elmwood...  But we may have a team for Butler if enough people cannot make 3/11 work.  Register directly at www.wisconsinscholasticchess.com
• MARCH 11 - ELMWOOD - NEW BERLIN - (IAC) this is a great annual tournament with lots of trophies and a ton of fun.  New Berlin "Man of the Year" Randy Bubolz has been a champion of Scholastic Chess, and this is a great one to attend.  HERE IS THE FLYER!
• March 25 - March of Champions (WSCF) - another great WSCF tournament.  HERE IS FLYER
• April 1 - Grade Level - UWM Union - This is a great annual event and a state championship opportunity!  Each kid competes only with kids in their own grade, vying for championships for each grade.  Teams also exist by grade - top 3 scores in a grade make a team - we are very strong in a couple grades I think.  HERE IS INFO
• April 22 - Kalahari - State Class Championships - More info to come.  Play chess at a water park!  Discounted rates.
• May 11 - Supernationals - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Opryland - Every year, there is a National Championship tournament for Grade School, for Middle School and for High School.  Usually they are in separate locations.  However, EVERY FOUR YEARS - including this year - they have all K-12 together for one amazing tournament.  The last SuperNationals had thousands of kids from all 50 states and was the largest chess tournament of any kind in World history.  I met Garry Kasparov.  Seriously.  :)  This is an event you might consider going to... if we are able to get four kids together for a team, I will go too.  Our best bet is probably K-3 Unrated, or K-6 Unrated.  This is a tournament your family will remember for the rest of your lives.   HERE IS INFO

McKinley takes K-3 at Evangel

Another 1st for McKinley

Great job to Jack, Zach, and Matthew who took 1st place in the Evangel Chess Tournament on Saturday 2/25!  Jack also won an individual trophy.  Alex just missed an individual trophy in the K-6 division.  Great effort by the small team we had at Evangel.  Coming up - Butler next weekend, then Elmwood on 3/11,  See email for details.

Still trying to fill K-3 and K-6 teams for Evangel!

See the link to the upper-right of this site to register!   Need 2 more for K-3 and 3 for K-6!

REMINDER: Butler Middle School tournament is coming up on March 4th... if we miss you at Evangel, see you there!

Isabella and Meghan Represent McKinley at All Girls

Wisconsin All Girls 2017 Tournament (WSCF)

For some reason, proportionally more boys choose to play chess than girls.  OF COURSE, this does not mean boys are "better" at chess.  Once a year, the WSCF has a tournament just for girls.  This Saturday Feb 11, two of McKinley's 4th grade girl chess players - Meghan and Isabella - represented McKinley at this tournament.  Because they had done so well in previous tournaments, they had to play in the K-12 division against girls as old as 12th grade!  They did very well, each winning 2 games in the tournament.  Way to go GIRLS!

Upcoming Tournaments

Here are the upcoming tournaments to consider- the big ones are noted in asterisks!

• Feb 11 - All Girls (WSCF) - university school of Milwaukee 
• Feb 25 - Evangel Assembly of God (WSCF)
• March 4 - Butler Middle School (WSCF)
• March 18-19 - STATE SCHOLASTIC - K5 - UW Oshkosh *****
• March 25 - March of Champions (WSCF)
• April 1 - Grade Level (WSCF) - UW Milwaukee Union *****
• April 22 - Kalahari - state class championship - Wis Dells

The big tournaments are the state scholastic at UWO, and Grade Level at UWM.  Details will be emailed to parents, and all WSCF tournament details are found at wisconsinscholasticchess.com

McKinley Shines at Golda Meir

Congrats to McKinley elementary chess club for a solid showing at Golda Meir on Sat Feb 4!

Way to go kids!

The Golda Meir tournament is a fun annual event.  This year, over 170 kids from the Milwaukee area participated.  McKinley sent 8 kids this time around, and were divided into two divisions.  Some chess tournaments segment kids by rating as well as grade level.

We always tell kids that their goal in their first tournament is to win 1 game (out of the 5 usually played).  5 of our 8 kids were playing in their first tournament.  Not only did they all win at least 2 games, but 3 of them won 4 games.

Zach Brunow had to miss game 1 due to basketball, but then joined in and won all four of his games- in his first tournament!  The rest of our K4 team (3 out of 4 in their first tournament) all won 3/5 games... we missed first place by a HALF POINT, taking the 3rd place trophy.

In our other team, K12 U575, Alex Jaworski won 4 out of 5 games to take the 4th place individual trophy.  Jack Sanders also won 4 games.  We took 4th as a team, only 2 points away from 1st place.

All in all, a great day and a very fun and well organized tournament, way to go McKinley kids!

Full results are here-  http://www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org/websource/web/results/Golda%20Meir%20Results%20.pdf

Improving outside of class

I tell kids all the time, you can't get good at something by doing it wrong, over and over again.  

Kids need to do lessons and videos, and workouts, and puzzles to see how to do it right.  THEN play games and tournaments to demonstrate what they have learned - and for it to sink in.  If they don't do well in games/ tournaments, it is because they have not "put in the work!"   As a fellow chess parent, I'd like to ask you all to consider motivating your kids to do the work.  Reward them.  Or treat it like studying rather than "video games" or "Screen time"...

Here is what kids should focus on:

LEARNING: 

• ChessKid.com - Lessons!  They should progress through the online lessons.  They are targeted to kids and are fun!
• ChessKid.com - Videos!  Also lots of fun, and very instructional
• Books - many great chess books out there.  Chess for Dummies is actually really good.

PRACTICE:

• ChessKid.com - Workouts!  Great common positions for kids to practice.
• ChessKid.com - Online games - play others in the class!
• ChessKid.com - Vision - practice "seeing the board" - learn chess notation so you can learn from your games!

DEMONSTRATING WHAT YOU LEARNED:

• ChessKid.com - PUZZLES!  Lots of fun - work on your puzzle rating!
• Tournaments!   Next one is Golda Meir
• Ladder Games in class

Golda Meir Registration:

Here is my link to register for the Golda Meir tournament on Feb 4!

Each school has different ideas about how to group the players.  This one has a K-4 group for kids in K-4 grades who have a WSCF rating under 500, then the other groups are solely by rating (under 500, under 800 and OPEN (any rating)).

Your child has a rating if and only if they played in the Wauwatosa Catholic tournament recently.  If they did, you can look up their ratings by going to THIS LINK and finding your child and looking at the "Local" rating number.  This will determine what division you will need to select.

There is more description in the registration link.  Just choose a division if you're unsure and I will adjust later based on who we have going to the tournament.

McKinley's K3 Team takes First!

 Chess Teaches Sportsmanship

Had a ton of fun at the Tosa Catholic tournament on Saturday 1/15.  This was our first chess tournament as a team, and very happy to have had 11 kids show up!
The big news is, our K-3 team of Nolan, Charlie, Max, Louis, Henry and Jack took home the 1st place trophy!!   3rd grader Louis led the way with 4 wins out of 5 games, just missing a trophy by taking 6th place Individual K-3.  Several kids won 3 out of 5 games also.  Every single kid achieved their goal of winning at least one game in the tournament!  Very proud of everyone.
Thanks also to the parents who showed up and helped out.  Final results link is here.

Private Lessons with Mr. Robin

For kids who really "catch the chess bug" there is nothing to accelerate their learning more than private lessons.  If anybody is looking for private lessons, I recommend Mr. Robin Grochowski.  He will also be assisting with our class the next couple of months.
Robin runs the Southwest Chess Club and is a longstanding pillar of the Wisconsin chess community. I've known he and his son (who was an excellent scholastic player) for many years.  Robin's rate is a reasonable $25-30 per hour, about half what other instructors charge.  He is on the south side but would travel here to Tosa for lessons.  Mr. Robin can be reached at 414 - 861 - 2745.

Last Call for Tosa Catholic pre-registration

Good class this week and a big thanks to Mr. Robin Grochowski who joined us!
On Thursday (same time and place - library), Mr. Mark is having a special "tournament preparation" session just for the kids going to Tosa Catholic this Saturday.  In this extra class, we'll be focusing on tournament rules, things to watch out for, and we will focus on CHECKMATES.  Looks like we will have about 7 for K-3, and about 3 or 4 kids for K-6.  Very happy about the turnout - the more the merrier, and there is still time to register!
Here is the link to register.  Deadline is 11pm Wednesday for early registration - note that you can STILL PAY AT THE TOURNAMENT on Saturday morning, it will just cost you $15 instead of $10.
Thanks!

Register for Tosa Catholic - Need K6 Especially!

Thanks to those who have registered for Tosa Catholic this Saturday using the link here on TosaChess.com!
We now have four kids registered in the K-3 section.  The more the merrier!
I would still like to get a K-6 team!  That means we need some of the 4th and 5th graders to jump in!
Anyone interested?
Again, anyone who plays on Saturday is welcome to come after school on Thursday for some extra instruction and tournament preparation.

As a chess coach, i have seen that chess teaches several unexpected LIFE lessons.  This is the main reason I love to help kids discover this amazing game.  As I've seen, and I hope you will soon see:
- the 1st life lesson from chess comes in the first tournament game they play.
- the 2nd life lesson comes from the first tournament game they win.
Learning to deal with these highs and lows, I think, is one of the many benefits I've seen to kids.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
- Mark / Mr. Seghers

ChessKids - and What to Expect 1/14

1. CHESSKIDS.COM

While many kids are using ChessKids.com, many aren't also.  Or they used it, got a rating, then stopped using it. 

I know I drone on about ChessKids, but it really is that important.  The kids who do the puzzles and play the games are the kids for whom Chess really makes an impact.  Increased confidence, planning skills, improved grades, so much more.

But here is an important reminder: Chesskids.com starts everyone at a rating of 600.  That is too high for beginners to sustain.  Your child may get frustrated when their rating drops naturally to their pure-beginner level of something like 200-400.  They should be proud if they are able to get back to their 600 rating - that should be their initial goal.  So... (and I will also say this again in class) ... a kid with a 600 rating is a kid who has done nothing on Chesskids.com.  A kid with a 450 rating is a kid who is learning, trying, and improving.  Starting in class on Tuesday, I will be announcing our kids' accomplishments on ChessKids, including games played, levels attained, etc.

2. TOSA CATHOLIC (Jan 14) - What to Expect?

Parents are asking questions about the tournament on Jan 14.  Below are some questions and answers:

• The tournament starts around 9 or 9:30 on the 14th.  Please pre-register AT THIS LINK.  Register before end-day Wednesday (earlier is better).  You pay at the door ($10 if you had pre-registered).  If you have not pre-registered, it costs $5 more ($15).
• Lunch will be available there, or you can run out and get something while your kid is playing (just make sure you have a different parent alerted to your temporary absence in case they get out quickly).
• The tournament should last until around 3, with awards to follow. 
• Between rounds, I will work with the kids and we can play games and talk about how the tournament matches went.
• One parent should be there for each kid.  Usually parents bring a book, or a laptop to do work, etc.
• I am having a tournament prep class after school next Thu (see previous post for details), just for kids who have registered for the tournament.  This is a valuable time for me to spend time with a smaller amount of kids.
• Tournaments are a great way for kids to "get" chess.  It's a TON of fun, and they get to meet kids from other schools!  This is also a great way for them to bond with team-mates.  The McKinley Chess Team! 

Thanks!  Please email me with any questions.   

TOSA CATHOLIC PREP - Registration Link and Info!

We will have a separate TOURNAMENT PREPARATION CLASS on Thursday, Jan 12th from 3:30 - 4:45 in the Library for all who wish to attend the TOSA CATHOLIC tournament on Jan 14th!

Here is the link to register - or use the button on the right side of this website!

Tournament Info:

Register before end-day Wednesday Jan 11 with this link- Mr. Seghers will then register full team with WSCF.  You can also register on-site the morning of the tournament but it will cost you $5 extra.  Arrive at Wauwatosa Catholic (MAP) between 8:00 and 8:15 AM.

Entry:       $10 per player for advance registration, $15 on-site registration.

Check-in from 8:00 to 8:40. Round 1 begins close to 9:00. Onsite registration for round 1 ends at 8:15. Pre-registrants arriving after 8:40 and on site registrations arriving after 8:15 can enter the tournament round 2. Please check in as early as possible. Registration fee will be paid at the tournament.

Awards:     K3:  3 team trophies, individual trophies to top 5 players and medals to all

                  K5:  3 team trophies, individual trophies to top 5 players and medals to all

                  K12: 3 team trophies, individual trophies to top 3 players and medals to all

Award Ceremony around 4 pm if not before.

Lunch: Available for purchase on-site at Tosa Catholic.

Supervision: At least one designated adult supervisor must be present at all times during the tournament to oversee your school’s team, or individual participants who are in K through 8^th grade.   Bring:   Pencils and clocks if you have them.