What's the threat?

"What's the Threat?" 

I encourage my chess players to ask themselves this question after every move that their opponent makes. Many of the chess games that I see lost in the club are a result of one player not taking the time to figure out the point of their opponent's moves. Eventually the player gets "bit" by not paying attention.

I use the image of a snake to help the kids remember the question "What's the threat?". We watch a clip from the movie "Rikki Tikki Tavi" in which a mongoose (Rikki Tikki Tavi) fights a cobra (Nagaina). I relate this battle to a game of chess. Our opponent in chess is like a cobra, trying to strike a deadly blow when we least expect it. We are the mongoose, dodging the strikes and looking for the right opportunity to deal a death blow of our own. I use the idea of the mongoose for the kids of our club because a mongoose usually wins the battle against a cobra.

I am currently participating in a book study with a number of educators from around the world.
One of the assignments that we have is to create a meme. The picture above is my first!

...and now a word from our sponsors

Part of the success of the MadWash chess club comes from our sponsors. There are three organizations that have helped the chess club financially; The Warsaw Education Foundation, The American Table Restaurant, and The Warsaw Breakfast Optimists.

The Warsaw Education Foundation is an organization that helps raise money for various programs within the Warsaw Community School district. WEF has been supplying grants to the Warsaw Chess Club (governing body of the MadWash Chess Club) since 2001.  The grants cover the cost of awards for the annual Warsaw Community Schools Fall Chess Tournament (Checkmate Hunger). As a result, the club can keep all of the entry fees from the tournament and use it to buy awards for the Warsaw Community Schools Winter Tournament in January. The Warsaw Education Foundation has also given the club a grant to buy 3 Mon Roi Personal Chess Managers. The Mon Roi is the only electronic notation device that is allowed in USCF (United States Chess Federation) sanctioned events.

Another organization that helps the MadWash Chess Club is a restaurant called the American Table located in Warsaw, Indiana. The American Table suggested that we set up a collection box to collect spare change from patrons at the restaurant.  The parent of a chess club member club purchased a tall, dinosaur bank which is named "Chessy". Patrons at the restaurant put money in the mouth of the dinosaur and it rolls along a path and into the dinosaur's stomach, which kind of looks like a hamster ball. The money raised from Chessy is used the pay entry fees for team tournaments. It is also used to buy equipment for the chess programs throughout Warsaw Community Schools; Washington needs more equipment, we're now over 75 members in the club! The money also buys software and other products to help the chess coaches in the district. Warsaw has eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. Not all of the schools have a chess program but most do.

The final organization that helps the chess club is the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club. The MadWash Chess Teams did not have enough Mon Roi Personal Chess Managers to outfit an entire team. When the Breakfast Optimists found out, they invited team members to a meeting to talk about the MadWash Chess Club and the various activities that the club members are involved in. When asked if we needed anything we replied "another Mon Roi". A vote was taken on the spot and the group unanimously agreed to give us the money to purchase another Mon Roi.

I am thankful to have such great sponsors in the community; sonsors wno see value in the chess program and are willing to donate resources for our growth and success. Here's a link to the MadWash Chess website with information about our sponsors
https://sites.google.com/a/warsawschools.org/madwash-chess/our-sponsors

Sensing the potential

The weekly chess club tournament has been going on for only two weeks but I'm already beginning to sense that a couple of the new players are going to be very good. If these players continue to impress, they will be promoted to the next level. They will compete against tougher players in the club and possibly have an opportunity to be placed on a chess team. One of my favorite parts of being a chess coach is finding new talent and trying to develop it.

Much-Needed Catch-Up Time

Last year, I could not keep up with the demands of being a teacher and trying to run multiple extra-curricular clubs at two schools. This year, I have less time to work with and more demands that need attention.  I decided to take a day off from each extra-curricular activity I sponsor once per month, which gives me one free morning per week. The first Wednesday of the month is my day to take off from chess club at Madison.

It's too early to tell what the effect will be on the chess club. At least I feel that I'm not so far behind in the other areas of my profession. :)

The Weekly Chess Tournament

Each week, the children play one chess game that counts toward the weekly chess club tournament. To make it fun, I give the sections funny names. This year the theme is food.

At Madison, I divided the club into four sections and at Washington, five sections. To keep the room organized, each section has a specific place to play. I post the pairings from the computer in the front of the room on a whiteboard with a projector. I also post paper copies of the standings on a wall near where the games are played. When the games are finished, I have the children mark their own scores on the paper standings.

As games finish and the scores are marked, I re-pair the children with a new opponent by hand. All games played after the tournament games do not count toward the standings although I do take notes on some of the results.

At Madison this week, I had two upsets. Players who were on the 6th and under team last year were beaten by players who were not on teams. If this keeps up, it could make for some interesting decisions when it comes time to pick teams.

In the 3rd and under sections at Washington, there are only two players who were on teams last year. That means that six new players will get to be on a team. It's fun trying to guess who those six players might get to be. Right now, I have no clue!

Hamburger Section (3rd and Under beginners)

Hot Dog Section (3rd and Under Intermediate)

Mac 'n Cheese Section (6th grade and Under Intermediate)

Pizza Section (Advanced)

White Board

Fresh out of a club meeting

I JUST finished the first meeting with the Washington Chess Club and I'd like to reflect on some observations. First off, the club is almost too big for our facilities; 70 kids in a room that is almost too small for that many. I also didn't have enough equipment for everybody; luckily I brought extras sets from Madison just in case. Last year, I divided the club into two groups at each school. I created video lessons for a volunteer to show the advanced players and then had the kids play their tournament games after the lesson. I think I'll have to do that again this year. I'll simply write to my parents and ask for volunteers to help. They'll come through!

I remember why I like running a tournament during the chess club meeting. It helps cut down on players talking. When standings and chess team placement are on the line, the kids focus harder and concentrate better during those tournament games. I don't pick the chess teams until February but I start collecting and tracking data starting week #2. This week, we didn't start the tournament. I let the kids pick their own opponent to help shake off the rust from months of not playing. I had to stop play on many occasions to get the talking to stop. I can't wait to start the tourney next week. I'll blog about how I set it up next week.

The Matrix

This week is the opening week for chess club. The first lesson will be "The Matrix" (four-move checkmate). In the past, I spent the first few weeks of chess club teaching players how to move the pieces but more and more children come to chess club knowing how to move them. 

I am not a fan of the matrix. I don't teach it to help kids learn an easy way to win. I teach it so that kids can learn how to defend against it. I've had too many players in my club lose to this trap to ignore it.

There are some benefits to teaching the matrix. It teaches the idea of quick development, attack, weak squares, and checkmate. It also helps children feel successful, especially when they come to me during the week and say something like "I beat my parent with the matrix last night!"

The basic idea in the matrix is to move the e pawn up two squares, which opens lanes for the bishop and queen. Moving the bishop to c4 and the queen to h5 and delivering checkmate by moving the queen to f7.

The MadWash Chess website contains a PDF and video about the matrix.

Click here to view the .gif

Who has "never" played chess before?

The first chess club meeting at Madison was held this week. I asked, "who has never played chess before?" Eight hands (out of 60) went into the air. I have a 4' x 8' rug at the front of the room where I place children that I want to give special attention to. I put the eight children who claimed to have never played chess on the rug. I paired them and posted a pic of a setup chess board on the wall. The children began setting up their boards and I didn't have to help a single child with the setup. In fact, one child said, "the white queen always goes on the white square, right?" I didn't even mention it beforehand.

As the 8 children began their games, I could tell that this was not the first time playing chess for most of them. One child said, "I know how to play, I'm just not very good." Another said, "my dad has been helping me." Of the 8, I'd say that only 2 really didn't know how to play.

The biggest surprise was that I put a .gif on the whiteboard of the four-move checkmate. One of the 8 beginners figured it out by watching it and defeated their opponent with it.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this new group of players! I think it's going to be a fun year!

Organizing a chess club meeting

The MadWash chess club meetings last 40 minutes.

Doors open five minutes before the actual meeting begins. During the five minutes before the lesson begins, I play a games from the "famous games" database on ChessMaster 10. There is a feature in Chessmaster that allows the computer to play through a game without the user having to control anything. It's like watching a movie of a chess game. Chessmaster 10 has three animated chess boards that I use to play through the famous games. Kids LOVE the animated games. I think that for some, the famous game is their favorite part of chess club.

I try to start the lesson as soon as the chess club meeting officially begins, although the kids usually want to continue watching famous games. I spend the first ten to fifteen minutes of the meeting teaching a new chess concept to the group. After that, the kids play tournament games. The tournament involves playing one game per week and lasts throughout the entire chess season.

I use a program called SwissSys to track the chess club tournament games. I divide the club into three groups; beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each group is entered into SwissSys as a section and the software pairs the players in each round. I post wall charts, pairings, and standings in the room each week to get the players accustomed to reading them. The only game that counts toward the tournament is the first one that the kids play each week. When games finish I simply pair those who want to continue playing with others who need a partner. These games do not count toward the tournament but much learning takes place during them.

The season-long tournament is really messy. I usually have to repair the sections each week because of the club members who do not come. Entering the data is challenging, too. Those who do not play receive a forfeit loss but I have to be careful not to delete them from the roster when I enter the result into the computer. I also promote chess players into higher sections throughout the year which further complicates the sections and tournament mess. All-in-all, the benefits of running a tournament throughout the chess club season outweighs the logistical headaches that sometimes pop up.

Here's a video link on how to use "famous games" from Chessmaster (click on the picture)

Pre-lesson #4-6: Queen, Knight, and Pawn

For links to lessons on the queen, kinght, and pawn, click HERE!

Pre-lesson #3: The Bishop

For links to my bishop lessons, click HERE!

I have the beginning chess players place the bishop on the board in such a way that "cut" in the top of the bishop points to the diagonal (see picture). This helps the kids to remember that the bishop moves along the diagonal.

Pre-Lesson #2: The Rook

After the king, I introduce the rook. In my opinion, the rook is the second easiest piece to learn how to move in chess. The rook can move forward, backward, left, or right as many squares as possible.  The tops of the rooks that we use in chess club have four slots carved into the top. I have the children place the rooks on the chessboard in such a way that the slots point to the directions that the rook can move.  I have the children think of the rook as moving like a plus "+".

I created a game called "rook wars". The children set up a chess board with the kings and the rooks only with a pawn in front of each rook. The pawns act like roadblocks to the rooks. This helps the children learn that the pieces in chess do not jump over others like they do in checkers. I teach the concepts of attack and capture with this game, too, along with the idea of defense with a strategy that I call "the ABC's of chess". I'll explain the ABC's of chess in another post.

Here is a link to a word document and a video about the rook.

Here's a link to a document and video for rook wars.

Pre-lesson #1: The King

I used to spend the first few chess club sessions each year teaching and reviewing the moves of each chess piece. I am not going to do it this year, though. It seems that more and more kids are coming to chess club knowing how the pieces move. I prefer to jump right into teaching deeper concepts so I'm going to try it this year. I would be remiss if I didn't do anything for the newest of chess player and families, though, so I'm creating "pre-lessons" that I will post on the chess webpage. I created word documents of these lessons years ago but I am going to make video versions to post on YouTube. I encourage the newest players and families to review these lessons at home to help their understanding of how the pieces move.

I begin with the king. It's my opinion that the king is the easiest piece in chess to learn how to move. The king can only move one square in any direction at a time.

Set up a chess board with no pieces on it except for the kings. The kings are placed on the "e" squares at the edge of the board; the white king on "e1” and the black king on "e8". Take turns moving the king one square at a time in any direction. The kings are never allowed to be side-by-side.

Although this particular game is not very exciting, it helps the children understand one of the basic rules of chess; players take turns. It also teaches that players are allowed only one move during a their turn. They also learn the basics of how the king moves and that kings are not allowed to be side-by-side.

Here's a link to the word document and the video.

Scheduling Club Meetings

I preferred to hold chess club in the morning before school begins. One year I tried holding chess club after school but the kids were so tired from full days of classes that it was hard for many of the children to focus on playing chess. I tried giving the kids a 15 minute recess before chess club started but that seemed to make it worse. I like mornings because the children focus better and I feel that I can get more done with them.

When I was running chess club at Madison only, I would hold chess club twice a week. One day for the beginners and less experienced players and on another day for the advanced players and for those who I thought might make the chess teams. Now that I teach chess club at two schools and am also sponsoring other extracurricular activities, I meet with all chess club members at the same time; Madison meets on Wednesdays and Washington on Fridays.

From September through January my focus is on the beginning players to help them grasp the basics of chess. I create video lessons for the advanced chess players and have them go with a parent volunteer to another room in the school. The advanced players watch the video and then play tournament style games afterward.

After the second Warsaw chess tournament in January, I switch my attention to the advanced players and the chess team. The beginners go with volunteers into other rooms while I focus on advanced chess concepts and prepare the chess team for all of the team tournaments that take place in February and March.

After the team state finals in March, I take a 6-month break from chess club. I'm usually pretty wound up about chess for a few weeks after state finals so I make lessons and prepare for the following chess season. During the summer, a chess camp is held at Madison to get kids ready for the upcoming chess season.

Organizing Chess Club Entries

I organize chess club entries using Google Sheets. I started using Google a couple of years ago when I created the online entry form using Google Forms. If you use Google Forms for online entry, families who register with it automatically have their information organized onto a Google spreadsheet. This is very helpful and saves time.

Here's a link to a tutorial I made about creating an online permission form https://youtu.be/ObHopDwezo4

If a child returns a form that is filled out, I enter the information manually on the Google Sheet. All of the forms and info are saved in Google Drive and are easy to access. After I input the information I put the forms in a folder in a file cabinet for reference. The only information that I put on the Google spreadsheet from the entry form is the child's name, grade level, school, and classroom teacher (last name only - helps with organization).  If I need to contact a parent from the stack of paper forms turned in, I go to the file cabinet where I store them and search for the child's name and find either the phone number or the email address of the parent that I need. I like it when parents use the online entry form because phone number and email address are easy to find. I could type all that information from the paper forms manually but considering how often I need to contact parents as compared to the amount of time that it takes to input it manually I preferred just to look through the file cabinet.

Chess flyers in the hands of the kids

I create chess flyers with Microsoft Word. I've been using the same file for years; I just change dates and make a few tweaks each season. This year I decided to make the permission form (the turn-in portion) separate from the rest of the chess flyer. When I'm finished updating a new flyer, I send a copy of the it electronically to the school corporation copy center. This year I made 250 copies, half for Madison and half for Washington. 

I use the color salmon for all chess handouts. It makes it easier for parents to locate the handouts when they come home. When I receive the flyers from the copy center I place them on a desk outside the music room for children to pick up. I put them there because I am the music teacher for the school and also because every child walks by the music room at least once a week and usually more. I put a sign above the flyers, too, so the children know what they are for. I also have the principal mention the chess flyers during morning announcements. 

The flyers are available to students for one month. After that, I keep them handy because children want to join chess after the club has already started. There are no deadlines for joining chess; kids can come at any time. 

 

The best grade to start chess club

The age to begin learning how to play chess is different than the best age to join chess club.

I feel that the age of five is a good age to start learning about how to play chess. Most of my own children started playing chess at the age of five and were able to grasp the concept of the game by that time. As far as when to start playing in the chess club, that's a different story.

It's my opinion that second grade is the best for children to join chess club. I feel that kindergarten is too early for children to join the chess club and don't offer it to families at that age. I have made exceptions in the past but those exceptions are far and few between. Social maturity is the big issue for me with children at that age.

I open the chess club for children in first grade but I feel that is still a little too early for children as well. Although first graders can understand how to play chess they seem to really struggle in the chess club. They lose many games and seem to get frustrated by losing so often. I also spend most of my time with the youngest children in chess club which gives me less time to work with others who may need it.

Second grade is the perfect grade for a child to start chess club. It is at that time that children really seem to grasp the concept of the game and are mature enough to not take losing as personally.

Communication

I've tried many ways to communicate with families of the MadWash chess program over the years and am still searching for the best one, if there is such a thing. Here's a list the different types of communication that I use. I list these on the first chess flier that I send home with children and again in the first official chess letter home with those who join.

Notes Home: Most parents prefer good ol' fashioned notes home. The biggest obstacle is getting the children to bring the notes home, although chess kids do a pretty good job of it. Here a copy of the letter for 2016-2017 season MadWash Newsletter

Email: I created a chess email group to communicate with parents. I have parents email me first so I can add their names to the group more easily. I like easy! My email is jbolduc@warsawschools.org

Newsletter: This idea was taken from the great Joe Riegsecker. I created a chess newsletter on Microsoft Word and now update it whenever it needs to be. The newsletter lists information and upcoming events for the chess club. I copy and paste the document into an email to send to the parents in the email group. I also make a PDF copy of the newsletter to post on the Website. I post the link to the newsletter on Facebook, too. I like using PDF's on Facebook because the hyperlinks will work on mobile devices. MadWash Chess Newsletter

Facebook: Parents who use Facebook tend to get messages quickly and respond to them in the same. I like it when a parent "likes" a post, too. It makes me feel like they are engaged and it motivates me to keep posting. MadWash Facebook

Website: The school corporation has a website that I use to put the chess webpage on. I use the site to post information throughout the year. When I post on the webpage, I send emails to the email group and post on Facebook so that parents will know that new info is available. MadWash Webpage

Texts: This year will be my first year trying to send text alerts to those interested in the club. I'm using a program called Remind. It seems to be a good way to communicate with parents. Remind

Blog: This is my first year trying a blog. I don't plan to use the blog to communicate with parents the way I do with notes home. I plan to use it to share what I'm doing an to get feedback from others. No point linking to the blog, you're already on it

Out of the Gate

It's the beginning of a new school year and time to start thinking about the upcoming chess club season. 2016-2017 will be my 14th year sponsoring chess at Warsaw Community Schools. I like to begin each year by reflecting on the past year and creating goals for the present year.

Madison: Last year was the first year that Madison did not place in the top ten at the Indiana state chess team finals since I started chess 14 years ago. I thought that the 6th and under A team was pretty good and had a shot to place at state but it wasn't meant to be. All of the players on the team were sixth graders and have moved on to middle school. The B team placed in the top twenty-five at state last year. I had three fourth graders and a fifth grader and they will all be back for this year. I'm pretty optimistic about the team and plan for them to place higher at state this year. My goal, as always, is for the A team to place in the top ten at state.

Last year was a rebuilding year for the 3rd and Under teams. All 8 players on the teams had never been to the state finals. It was the first year that I sent two completely "green" teams to state. The A team blew me away at state. After round 3, they had won all three rounds and were in 4th place out of 50-something teams. I didn't think they would even win three rounds the entire day and there they were, 3-0 at the halfway point. I won't mention the rest of the day but let me say that I was proud of them. (I'm proud of all my teams but that one blew me away). There was only one third grader on the 3rd and under teams so most will be back. Unfortunately, I lost some players to the gifted and talented school this season, as I do every year, so we're going to fill in the gaps to build a contender for state.

Washington: In the 6th and Under section at state finals last year, the A team placed 6th. The entire team was made up of 5th graders so all will be back! The B team placed in the top 20. They were all 4th and 5th graders and all will be back! High hopes for Washington this year; top three finish at state is the goal for the A team and top ten for the B team. I've never placed two teams from the same school in the top ten.

In the 3rd and Under section, the A team placed 6th at state. All players were 3rd graders and will move up to the next level. The hard part is that the 6th and under section will be stacked this year. I only plan to send 8 players to state so the competition will be fierce! I may make three teams, but I'll have to do a lot of reflecting and praying about that one. The 3rd and Under "B" team placed 12th at state with a team of first and second graders. I was thinking top five at state this year for Washington until the gifted and talented school took my top player. As happens every year, I'll have to work hard to prepare other players to fill in the gaps. I'm still going to shoot for top 5 at state as the goal for the 3rd and Under team.