Because of the governor’s restrictions on the size of gatherings, it is unlikely we will be able to host an event of 1000+ for our State Championships in late August. Therefore we have cancelled the 2020 OSCF Individual and Team Championships.
We look forward to seeing you all at the 2021 OSCF State Championship on April 16-17, 2021.
Thanks to our friends Jacob Mayer and Josh Sinanan in Washington, Oregon players were invited to participate in the first NW Regional Scholastic Chess Championship on May 16. The games were played online and will be NWSRS rated soon.
Oregon played strong! Congratulations to the following top place winners:
William Holbrook, 2nd place, K-1 U800
Jackson Compton, 2nd place, K-3 Open
Brian Wei, 2nd place, 4-8 U900
Eric Erard, Co-Champion, 4-8 Open
Bob Liu, Co-Champion, 4-8 Open
Fedya Semenov, 1st place, 9-12 Open
Here’s Josh’s and Jacob’s recap of the event:
“Thank you for participating in the first ever Northwest Regional Scholastic Chess Championships (NWRSCC) last weekend! Scholastic chess players from throughout the Northwest States including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia took part. The event was hosted by Washington Chess Federation and directed by Jacob Mayer, with assistance from Ani Barua and Josh Sinanan. A total of 211 players competed across 6 sections: K-1 U800, 2-3 U800, K-3 Open, 4-8 U900, 4-8 Open, and 9-12 Open.
“Annotation Contest! We will be awarding a 1st and 2nd place prize in each section for the best game annotation! All you need to do to enter is to select the best or most interesting game you played in the tournament, and add annotations (This includes alternative variations, thoughts about the moves, etc. Not just the moves written in algebraic notation). You can send the final copy through PGN, or even on a word document. Deadline for submissions is 6/5. Annotated games will be reviewed and winners will be announced by email and in Northwest Chess magazine! All annotated games may be submitted to Northwest Chess as part of the NWRSCC article. Thank you all, and good luck annotating games!
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Yours for Chess, Josh + Jacob”
Chad Lykins is offering an online class for beginner and intermediate students in Grades 1-5 on Wednesdays from 1:00pm-2:30pm (PST). Class begins May 13 and runs for 6 weeks. Enrollment capped at 10 students. $60 tuition covers all six weeks. Payment via Venmo or Paypal (instructions sent after registration).
Class takes place on Zoom and Lichess. Students will need a Chromebook or laptop to participate. REGISTER YOUR PLAYER(S) HERE.
Topics:
– Opening principles (development, central control, king safety)
– Basic tactical patterns (forks, pins, revealed attacks, etc.)
– Basic checkmates (king and queen, king and rook, back rank mate, queen and helper, etc.)
And most importantly:
– Finding undefended pieces (counting the number of defenders and attackers)
Beginners usually lose games because they hang a piece. Intermediate players lose games for the same reason, though the hanging piece may be a little less obvious because it is buried under a one or two move tactic. Cleaning up these errors is the first, second, and third priority for players who want to improve.
Instruction:
– Students will participate via Zoom and Lichess. Topics are taught through puzzles and analysis of student games.
– Students will have chances in class to play each other and the coach.
– In between classes, students will play each other in correspondence games on Lichess.org. I will use these games to teach.
About Me:
I’ve coached chess at Hayhurst Elementary School for the last four years, helping take the club to multiple regional championships and a share of 1st place at the 2019 OSCF Team State Championship. I’m also tournament director for the Hayhurst Halloween K-12 Chess Tournament and the OSCF K-12 Team Championship.
It wasn’t that long ago that I was a beginner myself. I played my first tournament game in May 2017 and earned an USCF rating of 773. In January 2020, I reached a peak USCF Rating of 1650. I’m in a race against my son to see who can reach 1800 first. I think he’s going to win.
Chess4kids(http://www.chess4kids.net/) will be hosting free online classes in May. The teachers will teach students chess strategy and tactics for the first part of class. After that, kids will play with each other online. All teachers have a rating of 1500 or above.
Time: 7:00-8:30PM
Date: May 6, 13, 20 and 27 (Wednesday)
Students: Should know basic chess rules
Contact: info@chess4kids.net
Please create a zoom account for the lesson, and a chess account on chess.com for playing online.
Just wanted to share another online resource for coaches and parents – “Lichess can help with your chess needs, especially when you can’t go outside!”
From all of us at OSCF, we hope you and your families are safe and healthy at home!
OSCF encourages chess players to keep active in chess through online play. Here are two of many online chess sites that are popular with Oregon chess players:
ChessKid.com
Geared toward younger scholastic players, this chess site offers instruction videos, tactics, and online games. The site is safe for kids – no personal information is shared, chat is restricted, and activity reports are available for parent monitoring.
Chess.com
A very popular, free website for online play. Free registration allows you to earn a rating and play against players at your skill level. You also have the option to purchase a membership for greater flexibility and convenience.
There are many other sites for online play, learning, and research. Check out our listings here.
The Washington Chess Federation presents a tournament open to all students registered in grades K-12, especially from the greater Northwest region including WA, OR, ID, and British Columbia. Their goal is to provide an opportunity for scholastic chess players to compete in a large-scale online tournament at a time when many local and national events have been cancelled.
Format: A 5-round Swiss in six sections: K-1 U800, 2-3 U800, K-3 Open, 4-8 U900, 4-8 Open, 9-12 Open.
Eligibility: Open to all students registered in grades K-12. A Chess.com and Zoom account are required.
Schedule: 9:15am, 10:30am, 11:45am, lunch break, 1:30pm, 2:45pm. Entry fee: $25 before 5/13, $30 after.
Time Control: Game in 25 minutes with a 5-second increment per move starting from move 1.
Prizes: Trophies and medals will be available for pick-up or mailed after the tournament, awarded to the top scoring individuals in each section. Medals for first timers that don’t earn a trophy.
Rating: NWSRS Rated. Higher of NWSRS or US Chess rating will be used to determine section and pairings. US Chess membership not required.
Procedure: Pairings will be released prior to the start of each round. Players will be paired automatically by the TD in the Live Chess area. Players will inform the TD of their result upon completion of the game.
Fair Play Policy: All players and parents are required to sign the WCF Fair Play Agreement prior to the start of the tournament. WCF’s Fair Play Committee will review any suspicious games on a case-by-case basis. Cheating of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Online Registration: https://nwchess.com/OnlineRegistration/ – pay by Credit/Debit/PayPal. Registration deadline Fri. May 15 @ 5:00pm. No registrations or payments will be accepted after the deadline. No checkin since this is an online tournament. Unpaid players will receive a zero-point bye for round 1.
Questions? Jacob Mayer | WCF Tournament Coordinator | 206.697.5625 | Jacob.Mayerchess@gmail.com
My child LOVES playing chess, do how do I get him/her/them in competitions? Most tournaments are individual tournaments, meaning players compete on thier own and don’t need to be part of a team. Some schools chess clubs organize their students to attend tournaments, but it is most often up to the parents to register their kid(s) for events. A list of upcoming tournaments can be viewed here.
When is the Chess Season? While chess tournaments occur year-round, the “chess season” roughly follows school season culminating in a fun event – the OSCF State Championship. Don’t let the name fool you. All active chess players are welcome and we give out LOTS of trophies and medals. The Championship is in Seaside and has been rescheduled to August 24-25, 2020.
Since all active chess players are welcome, how do I make sure my player(s) qualify to attend the OSCF State Championship? To qualify for the tournament, players must have played in one tournament, have 8 qualifying games this year, and have played 15 lifetime games (check out NWSRS Ratings – the #Gms is their lifetime games, the #GmsYTD is the number played this year). Don’t stress too much about this, just be sure your kid plays in a few tournaments/quads during the school year (September through April).
There are two main ways to play games: Tournaments and Quads. Tournaments are all day events on weekends. Typically 5 games for the beginning/intermediate players. The tournament is broken into section of players of similar “rating”. Usually age does not matter, only rating. The tournament will pair the player in the first round with someone in their section. Then after the first game, it will pair players who win against each other and those that tied or lost against each other, sorting out top players for awards in the section. The great thing about this is typically all but 1 or 2 players win a game. There is a “skittles” room (an old English word referring to a casual chess game or “pick up” game played for fun) where parents hang out while kids are playing and kids wait for next game. Bring lots of stuff to keep busy. Lots of waiting! Rounds start at designated times, depending on how long the time control is for each round.
Quads are smaller events – sort of mini tournaments. Players are broken into groups of 4 with similar ratings, then they each play the other 3 players. There is less waiting. As soon as the current pair of games is complete, they swap and begin the next round. It can be very fast for beginners. This is a great way for beginners to get experience and qualifying games.
How does my player earn a chess rating? Your player will get a rating automatically after the first tournament they play. The player’s rating starts at 400. After each tournament it goes up and down based on whether they win or lose, and the ratings of their opponents. Results from each tournament are submitted to Chess Ratings Northwest (NWSRS), and volunteers compile results and calculate players’ ratings.
Are there chess coaches who can help my player improve? Believe it or not, like any activity there are chess coaches. It is totally not necessary at the beginning phases, but it can also help your player’s game progress quickly and gain confidence. There are a few “basics” that really make a difference beyond just how the pieces move. Your school’s chess club (if it exists) can provide coaching or you can supplement with private coaching.
Please explore our OSCF website to learn more about chess in Oregon. After you’ve spent time reading more information, if you have additional questions you may contact us at OSCF@OSCF.ORG. A OSCF parent volunteer will get in touch with you directly.
Special thanks to chess parent, Phil McCoog, for drafting this post!
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED!
OSCF player Kushal Pai is hosting The Season of Giving Fundraiser. This tournament is an online blitz chess tournament for players of all ages. Time control is (3+2).
All proceeds will benefit Blanchet (pronounced Blan-shay) House, a nonprofit social services organization located in downtown Portland. They provide food, clothing and housing programs to people in need. They believe that it is their responsibility to offer assistance in whatever way they can.
The entry fee is $10, 100% of which will go to supporting Blanchet House. Please register your player(s) to support this local charity and to join fellow player Kushal in giving back to those in need in our community!
OSCF is continuing to offer free online tournaments in April on Lichess! Each day features either Blitz, Rapid, and other variants. Kids and adults both welcome. Open to all regardless of age or residency.
Start times for our Monday and Wednesday arenas are 3:00pm-4:00pm. Friday Night Rapid Arena is twice as long, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Feedback, suggestions, and special requests are welcome and appreciated!
Monday April 20, 3:00PM-4:00PM
OSCF Blitz Arena (5+0)
Password: OSCFCHESS
Wednesday April 22, 3:00PM-4:00PM
OSCF Crazyhouse Arena (5+0)
Password: OSCFCHESS
Friday April 24, 6:00PM-8:00PM
OSCF Rapid Arena (10+0)
Password: OSCFCHESS
Saturday April 25, 2:00PM-4:00PM
The Season of Giving Fundraiser (3+2)
Hosted by OSCF player Kushal Pai
Tournament link: Register here for $10 and the tournament link will be emailed to you. All proceeds benefit Blanchet House of Portland.
HOW TO JOIN:
TIPS:
