Newsletter #6 November 28, 2016

Post date: Nov 29, 2016 3:49:21 AM

Newsletter #6, November 28, 2016

Dear Prairie Chess Club,

In this Newsletter:

• No School Monday - No Chess Club Next Week
• Prairie Chess Tournament
• Sign-up for Match with Independence School
• Iowa Individual Grades Chess Championship

No School Monday - No Chess Club Next Week

Monday, December 5th, is an In Service Day and there is no school. So, we will NOT have chess club next week. Our next meeting will be Monday, December 12th.

Prairie Chess Tournament

Last week we started a Prairie Chess Club chess tournament. [Apologies for leaving this off the newsletter last week.] The students were divided into three groups based on grade level and past tournament experience. Not everyone was at both chess club meetings for the tournament and some students played faster than others. But for the most part, everyone got to play four games. We had been doing weekly lessons. As we head into some scholastic tournaments with other school, I really wanted to let the students gain experience with the feel of a tournament. I was very pleased with their focus and all the students seemed to really enjoy the games and the tournament aura. The follow hyperlinks are to tables with the results of each of the three sections (e.g. pools).

Prairie Fall Chess Tournament -- Orange Pool (Grades 5-9)

Prairie Fall Chess Tournament -- White Pool (Grades 5-7)

Prairie Fall Chess Tournament -- Black Pool (Grades K-4)

Sign-up: Independence St. John Match

12/3/2016

Our next Match will be against Independence St. John Elementary on December 3, 10 am to Noon, at Prairie Creek Cafeteria. This event is limited to K-6 students. The sign-up closes this Thursday, December 1st. Please register online by completing the following online form: https://goo.gl/forms/iUfwPhRuAm2fYZUR2

Unlike Coralville Central, who is the current Iowa Elementary Team Champion, St. John is a new chess club with about 16 students eager to get to play other students outside their school. As a morning meet-up, we will have donuts and juice for the kiddos. Parents, I will have my Keurig there is you need your morning coffee.

Iowa Individual Grades Chess Championship

12/10/2016

Our first chess tournament of the year is closely approaching on December 10th held in Coralville at Northwest Junior High School. It is the Iowa Individual Grades Chess Championship. I would really love to see our students jump in and play in this tournament. Don’t be shy. We have really made good progress this fall with our lessons, our match play, and our matches. I am confident in our students ability when matching up with other scholastic chess players. All players competing in their first tournament do receive a very nice medal.

How To Register for the Individual Grades Chess Championship

December 10th, Northwest Junior High School, Coralville.

In addition to registering, all players must have a USCF membership to compete in the tournament. The Prairie Chess Club will purchase (or renew) USCF memberships for our players through a gift from the Prairie Foundation. I will process this for you once you have registered for the tournament. Here are three ways to register:

1. Online: You may prefer to register online so that you may pay by credit card. The advanced registration fee is $15. By registering online, you do not need to arrive early to check in. If you do have a USCF ID, simply type "NEW" in the USCF ID field. Here is the hyperlink to the online registration for this event: https://onlineregistration.cc/CII/2016IAGRADES
2. Email/Check in On Site: You may email me that you want to register for the tournament. You must do this no later than Thursday night. You must arrive at the tournament site before 9:30 am to check in and pay the advanced registration fee of $15.
3. Register On Site: If you want to register at the tournament, you may do so but you will need to arrive before 9:30 am on the day of the tournament. The onsite registration fee is $20.