WSCF and tournaments

Later in the season, when kids are ready, they can choose to play in a tournament or two... The WSCF and other organizations offer tournaments around the area.  Here is a link to a nice story about the WSCF.
http://milwaukeenns.org/2016/10/28/chess-federation-teaches-kids-to-think-a-couple-moves-ahead/

Want to Continue?

If you had only paid for Beginner's session at first (the first four classes which end on Nov 1), but now you and your child would like to continue on to the 2nd session which starts on Jan 3 and goes through March....  No problem!
We have gotten the approval to allow parents to pay only the remaining $25 to continue to the 2nd Session.  The link for registering for continuation (and paying using PayPal) is here on the upper right hand corner of this web site.  Just click on the red "Register for 2nd Session" button!
NOTE: If you had previously paid the $50 for the full year, there is no need to register now for continuation - you're all set.
Questions please email Mark Seghers at seghers@gmail.com

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

ChessKid - coming this week!

We are very excited to offer EVERY KID who stays with the program for the Intermediate sessions a FULL YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to ChessKid.com - this is a $49 value!
I will be setting up the kids this week, and giving each parent a userID and password.  Note that ChessKid is a SAFE ONLINE CHESS ENVIRONMENT.

ChessKid says, "we are NOT like all the other online gaming....

There is no chat between kids. Kids can't even pick their own username (so unlike online gaming no one on our site will have a violent, religions, sexual name). Kids can't even upload their own avatars.

The number one focus of our site is safety, so I hope you can express to your principal these safeguards we've installed.

You may also share this link. which explains these features:

https://www.chesskid.com/article/view/how-to-understand-chesskids-safety-features2

I will be sending information to all parents on Tue or Wed 10/25-26 on how to access your ChessKid account and start learning and having fun!

OPENING PRINCIPLES

Here are 9 THINGS kids should think about in the OPENING of a chess game.

1 - Develop their minor pieces (Knights and Bishops) towards the middle of the board
2 - Develop
3 - Develop (YES this is so important, we list it three times!)
4 - Don't move the same piece twice in the opening (or first 10 moves or so)
5 - Don't bring the Queen out too early!
6 - CASTLE before move 10!  Safeguards the King, and activates the Rook!
7 - Control the Center of the board!  Pieces should develop towards the center, not the edges.
8 - Connect the Rooks!  The rooks should be connected with no pieces between them on the back row.
9 - Develop with a PLAN - this is the beginning of strategy.  Your pieces should be developed with the other player in mind.  Where to attack - King or Queen side?  Where are you strongest?  Where do you have the most space?

Class 3 - Opening Principles and Basic Checkmates

Today, in our 3rd of 4 beginning classes, Tosa residents and volunteer instructors Mr. S (Mark Seghers) and Mr. B (Allen Becker) will be focusing on opening principles and basic checkmates!

Please watch the videos on the previous article with your child.  OR, watch them yourself and teach the concepts as you believe they need to be communicated.

Chess Videos for Beginning Session

Below are some great chess videos you can watch with your child.  The first one is for kids, the rest of them can use some parental interpretation.

1. How to Play Chess
2. Openings
3. Strategy and Tactics
4. Endgame
5. Bringing it all Together
6. 4-Move Checkmate (Scholar's Mate)
7. Checkmate - King-Rook-Rook Vs. King
8. Checkmate - King-Rook Vs. King

Update- Class 1

Our first chess class on Oct 11 went great!  Thanks to all the kids who attended - 40 of you!  Thanks also to the parents who volunteered to help for the 2nd class and beyond.

In the first class, we went over sportsmanship (maybe the most important thing of all!), the board, all the pieces, how they move, their point values, and then focused first on the PAWN, playing both Pawn wars and Pawn Mower.  You can play both games at home!  For Pawn Wars, just set up the pawns (you can also add the King for extra fun).  Using regular moves and captures, who can advance their pawn to the end before the other player?  For Pawn Mower, one player (White) sets up all their Pawns, and the other player (Black) sets up only the Rook (you can also use a Queen).  White moves first, and tries to promote one pawn.

Here is a great overview of things we will learn in the first 2 days of chess.
https://www.chesskid.com/learn-how-to-play-chess.html

CHESSKID.COM or CHESS.COM are great starting places for kids - both offer free play, and for a subscription fee, offer video lessons and a lot of resources for the more advanced players.

Parents - please ask your children to be quiet and respectful to other students during class.  We had a few situations where kids were not as quiet as they could have been.  A good chess player is quiet and sportsmanlike.  Thank you!

Chess Class Info - starts tomorrow Oct 11!

If you have signed up for McKinley Chess, thank you!

We are excited for the opportunity to bring in a new leader for our program and more opportunities for the students to practice and play chess.  Students who choose to join tournaments will be able to do so as an extension of our Intermediate program which begins Tue Jan 3.

Our first session starts this Tuesday, October 11th. We are scheduled to meet in Room 11, which is right across from the office. If this changes prior to Tuesday, we will send an email and post that information here on the site. Our class will start at 3:30 and run until 4:45. Please send a healthy snack with you child to eat prior to class. Please pick your child up promptly at 4:45. If he or she has other arrangements, like Kids Club or will be going home with someone else, let me know. 

Chris Riley has volunteered to be the parent helper for most of Session 1. Her email is on an email you should have received - if you need to reach her to give her a message about pick-up on Tuesday - - (christine.riley@sbcglobal.net).

If you child did not sign up for Session 2, but decides to continue, let us know and we can certainly have you sign up for Session 2 as well.

Thank you!

Ready for Intermediate?

Parents have asked me, "Is my child ready for the Intermediate section?"

I have said there will be a test for those who skip the Beginner's course.  The reason is, that we want to make sure that when January hits, that everyone in our chess club is ready to move forward past the beginning concepts.  So, to prepare, and to answer the question, is my child ready, you should consider the following list (thanks to Bob Patterson-Sumwaldt and the WSCF, whose tournaments some kids may wish to attend in 2017):
Here is what the WSCF calls the "pawn" level.  These are some of the basics we will be learning in the first few classes.

Can your child demonstrate these?

Above is probably a good guide of where I would like to see a child before they begin the Intermediate course.  If they are shaky on some of these things, they should take the Beginner's course just to make sure!
Please send me email seghers@gmail.com or reply to this blog with any questions on this or anything related to McKinley chess.  Thanks!
- Mark / Mr. Seghers