The Joepye Chess Club is a nonprofit, nonsectarian and nonviolent entity presided over by its founder and sole member, me (Joe Riegsecker). Its purpose, according to its nonexistent charter, is to "promote chess and get me out of the house a few times a year". The Club also produces a sporadic e-newsletter, Joepye Chess News. To subscribe to our newsletter, please contact me at joepye@pobox.com. You can also read our e-newsletter by clicking here.
We seldom have tournaments in Middlebury anymore, but if we do, please come. Middlebury is a rustic burg located in Elkhart County, Indiana, about 100 miles east of Illinois, about 50 miles west of Ohio, and 7 miles south of Michigan. Don't be put off by the remote locale of our club. True, Middlebury is not a cultural and commercial center like the nearby cities of Goshen and Elkhart, but you will find that nearly all our streets are paved and most homes and businesses have electricity and indoor plumbing. It is said that some of our more progressive burghers have televisions and telephones. Most importantly, practically all our citizens speak fluent, if accented, English, and you will find them helpful and friendly to the strangers in their midst.
Middlebury is easy to find. We are a few miles south of the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90), and a few miles north of US 20. State Road 13 doubles as Main Street in Middlebury, and our Middlebury tournaments take place right on Main, in the Middlebury Public Libray.
The Joepye Chess Club has no regularly scheduled meetings, and these days we seldom sponsor open tournaments. But we do continue to assist local schools in organizing tournaments in the schools. To find out when and where these tournaments are, please read our chess e-newsletter, the Joepye Chess News. To subscribe, please contact me at joepye@pobox.com. You can also read our e-newsletter by clicking here. (If you are a parent searching for chess activity for your child, you may want to check out Questions Parents Ask....).
Q. How can I tell if my child is ready for chess tournaments?
A. Well, I don't know how parents do it now, but when I was a kid my mother would hold me at arm's length, check to see if my shoes were on the right feet, my clothes weren't torn, and there were no traces of breakfast on my chin, and then say, "Okay, you're ready. You can go."
Q. No, I mean ready as in capable of playing in a tournament.
A. Oh, I see what you mean. There is no minimum level of skill required, but a child should have a good understanding of the rules of chess, not be afraid of playing with a clock, and be mature enough to lose a game without losing his temper.
Q. Clocks?
A. In order to keep the tournaments moving in a timely fashion, we must limit the length of the games. For beginners, time is seldom a problem, but if a game does go long we will put clocks on the game. In the more advanced groups, it is likely that all games will be on the clock. If your child plays in a chess club he probably already has some experience with chess clocks.
Q. My child can beat his grandpa and all his friends. Will he do well in chess a chess tournament, too?
A. Not necessarily. Depends how strong his grandpa and friends are. But the experience of playing stronger competition will benefit him. Losing against stronger players is part of the process of "paying his dues" that a young player goes through as he improves.
Q. Is there anything for my child to do between games?
A. Kids generally hang out in the school cafeteria between games. They should come prepared with some activity to kill time between games, remembering that it has to be something compatible with chess playing. An example of an appropriate activity would be counted cross-stitch. An example of an inappropriate activity would be playing the tuba.
Q. Can I drop my child off and leave?
A. You can try. My parents tried it many times but the authorities always tracked them down and made them take me back.
Q. No, I mean for the day only.
A. Oh, sure. You must remember that with 30 to 300 players, we can't keep track of everyone all the time. But if you think your child is trustworthy enough to follow the rules and not wander off, we'll keep our eyes on him as best we can. We try to be aware of any trauma or distress that develops.
Q. What if I would like to play in the tournament, too? Is that okay? Would I have to play my child?
A. Most of our school tournaments are for kids only. But we do have a few open tournaments during the year, and anybody can play in them. There are no guarantees, but you probably would not have to play your child.
Q. Where can my child eat?
A. There are generally concessions available in the cafeteria. A good alternative is to send a bag lunch along.
Q. Should my child bring her set and board?
A. No, we supply sets and boards. If she has a clock, she might want to bring it. We may run short. Be sure to mark it clearly before taking it to a chess tournament.
Q. What else should she bring?
A. Her entry fee, if it hasn't been paid in advance, and lunch or lunch money. If she wants to record her moves, she should bring a pen.
Q. Should we register in advance?
A. For some of our tournaments, it is required. For all of them, it is helpful. Contact me at joepye@pobox.com.
The Joepye Chess News is a sporadic newsletter concerning chess happenings in the general vicinity of Elkhart County, Indiana. If you are not interested, please e-mail me at joepye@pobox.com and request removal from my mailing list (You won't hurt my feelings).
Table of Contents
I. Scholastic Team Practice Tournament Set for February 21
II. State Scholastic Team Entry Forms Available! Goshen Regional Entries Due February 25!
III. Bristol Quads Coming Up
IV. News From Local Clubs (Elkhart Club Championship Coming Up!)
V. Tournament Crosstables
VI. Chess Calendar
***********************
I. Scholastic Team Practice Tournament Set for February 21
Full details at http://mysite.verizon.net/joepye1/misc/2009Team.htm Check out our early bird entries at http://mysite.verizon.net/joepye1/xtables/l090221.htm
II. State Scholastic Team Entry Forms Available! Goshen Regional Entries Due February 25!
Entry forms for the state scholastic team regionals are now available, and the entry deadline is only a bit over two weeks from now. Don't delay. Go to http://scichess.org/schedule/sciteam9b.pdf to download your copy.
III. Bristol Quads Coming Up
Robert Lewis is trying something a little different in Bristol this month - quads. Details: February 28, Bristol Quads, 20/60, at the Bristol Mason Lodge, 105 West Vistula, Bristol, In 46507. EF $15, Each Group $40 Prize Fund, Robert Lewis Phone # Is 574-361-5899
IV. News From Local Clubs
Roger Blaine sends this report:
Entries to the 2009 Elkhart County Chess Club Championship:
OPEN: Mike Vidulich, 1771; Dick Arnold, 1751; Roger Blaine, 1689; Larry Holdren, 1666; Jim Wood, 1421; Robert Lewis, 1410; Alan Wagner, 1316.
RESERVE: Tom Smith, 1500; Mike Timmons, 1381; Matt Kotva, 1277; Joseph Kotva, 1237; Stephen Housman, 1152; Adam Snyder, 423.
Round 1 games start next Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 7:15 p.m.! Location: First Congregational Church, 3rd & Marion St., downtown Elkhart, Ind. We will announce pairings soon, but it is possible that we will get some late entries during the week.
Elkhart County Chess Club -- Tuesdays 7-10 p.m. -- First Congregational Church, 3rd & Marion St., downtown Elkhart.
South Bend Chess Club meets Thursday evenings, 7-10, at Meijer store, 5020 Grape Rd., Mishawaka, Indiana.
V. Tournament Crosstables
Remember that you can find crosstables of local tournaments at http://mysite.verizon.net/joepye1/chessclub.html#past and official USCF crosstables for any USCF tournament in any state at http://www.uschess.org/msa/
VI. Chess Calendar (Also check out http://scichess.org/schedule/schedule.html for other scholastic tournaments, http://www.indianachess.org for open tournaments.)
February 21. Scholastic team practice tournament, Goshen. http://mysite.verizon.net/joepye1/misc/2009Team.htm
February 21. "Triple Team" Chess Tourney (teams of 3), Stonegate Elementary, Zionsville.
February 28-March 1. U.S. Jr. Chess Congress (National event), East Side Middle School, Anderson. http://www.2009chesscongress.com/ for more info.
February 28, Bristol Quads, 20/60, at the Bristol Mason Lodge, 105 West Vistula, Bristol, In 46507. EF $15, Each Group $40 Prize Fund, Robert Lewis Phone # Is 574-361-5899
March 7. SCI team regional, Goshen High School.
March 7. Spring Scholastic, Indy. pikechess@ritchieres.com for more info.
March 7. Bloomington Scholastic, Bloomington.
March 21. Elkhart County Scholastic Championships, Concord Junior High, Elkhart.
March 21. Tri-State Spring Chess Open, Airport Marriott, Evansville. http://evansvillescholasticchess.org/09TSSCO/Tri-StateSpringChessOpen09.htm for more info.
April 11 - Ben Davis Spring Scholastic, Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis.
April 18 - Girls State Championship, (site TBA).
April 25 - SCI Team State Finals, Honey Creek MS, Terre Haute.
Joe Riegsecker
55605 County Rd 33
Middlebury IN 46540
574-825-9218
joepye@pobox.com
I will be posting links to the results of tournaments of local interest at this site. You can expect results for my own tournaments to be available the day after the tournament. I will post results of other tournaments as I get them. Generally, the most recent tournaments are on the top of the list. Other places to find tournament results are at the Scholastic Chess of Indiana results page and, for USCF rated tournaments, at the USCF Members Services Area (You don't have to be a member to use it). For comments, to report broken links, or to subscribe to my sporadic e-newsletter, the Joepye Chess News, e-mail me at joepye@pobox.com.
| Updated on June 25, 2009. Comments to joepye@pobox.com. | |||
|
|
|
|
|