The Weber Chess Club is off to a great start this year! We have 75 registered members and more signing up each week. As you know, Weber has earned a reputation for producing some of the best elementary players and teams in the state, and we hope to continue that tradition this year.
Here are some of the highlights of our club activities and events:
The Chess Ladder
This is by far the most popular feature of the club. Essentially all the players are ranked on the ladder and have the opportunity to move up by winning matches against higher ranking opponents (up to 10 spaces ahead of them). Participation on the ladder is voluntary, but the kids all seem quite excited about it. We remind them every once in a while that its okay to lose sometimes, because that is how you become a better player.
Skills Sheets
We have charts for beginning chess skills and we encourage kids to master each one. The skills range from very basic (setting up the board) to intermediate (checkmating with one king and one rook). We hope that by the end of the year all our players have earned stars for each skill.
Chess Library
This year we are hoping to add books and software that can be checked out for use at home. There are some really fun books and computer games for players at all skill levels. The Iowa City Public Library has a pretty large collection. If you have items that you are willing to donate/lend, or if you would like to support the club by helping us acquire some (donating purchased items or donating money), we would be very grateful. Of course, we do collect money at the beginning of the year which should allow us to buy some products, but most of that is typically spent on t-shirts, our big tournament, etc.
Student Coaches
We have a lot of new club members, including some younger kids that haven't played before. We try to give them extra attention so they understand the rules and learn the basics. This year, some of our older veteran players have volunteered to help coach the younger kids, which is incredibly helpful considering the large group.
Rules and Etiquette
We just have a few rules to keep things orderly:
1) Backpacks, coats, etc. should be put in lockers and classrooms if possible. The kids have a tendency to pile their stuff up right in the walkway.
2) Kids need to participate in chess activities.
3) Chess etiquette is important for the benefit of the players and all the other kids in the room. These are pretty much the same as the Weber core virtues. Chess is a thinking game, and it helps if everyone is kinda quiet. Also, we like the idea of shaking hands after each match.
Tournaments
This winter we'll be having our 6th annual free chess tournament for all Iowa City elementary students. This is a big event... in fact, its the largest chess tournament of any kind in the entire state. Players compete individually and as part of the school teams. We'll send out more information sometime in December or January.
Also, we are fortunate to have an active chess community between Iowa City and Coralville. Chess tournaments occur frequently, and they can be quite fun and exciting. Other than the Weber tournament, participation requires a small fee and a membership to the US Chess Federation (easily done at the tournaments). I'll forward on e-mails about upcoming chess tournaments (including one this Saturday - see the info at the end of this e-mail). Please send an e-mail or stop by chess club on Friday mornings if you have questions about the tournaments. Keep in mind that they can take up most of the day, and also that you might need to make space on your mantles for all the chess trophies.
Thank you to parents and students for all your efforts that make our chess club such a magnificent success. In particular, thanks this year to the parents that haved helped so far: Travis Kraus, Peer Saleem, Jim Cochran, Upasna Dixit, Dennis Mascardo, and Gretchen Vigil (hopefully we haven't forgotten anyone). Or course, all parents are welcome on Friday mornings to help out, hang out, play chess, or whatever.
