F.E.S.T. - Ferndale Elementary Spring Tournament 2008

It's a Chess F.E.S.T.!
Ferndale Elementary Spring Tournament

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Skyline Elementary School, Ferndale

Come play with us at the Chess F.E.S.T. !
A chess tournament and playday for chessplayers of all abilities, from beginner to experienced tournament competitor, from Kindergarden through 6th grade.
State Qualifier Tournament!
Kindergarten-6th grade players with winning scores (3/5) qualify to participate in the Washington State Elementary Chess Championships, being held this year on April 26th in Redmond, Washington.

Guest of Honor -- Mireya Levy, Chess Champion of Ecuador!
Between chess games, the F.E.S.T. fun includes:

The two Skyline long slides
Climbing wall
Big chess set
Inflatable jump tent
Saturday morning cartoons (TV)
Play in the refurbished Skyline playground
Covered area (bring a basketball!)
Gym as relaxation and awards area
On-site concessions

Can't play all day? Play part of the day then! Players can receive two half-point byes for the morning (or other) rounds upon request.
Check out the Results from last year's F.E.S.T., and the Photo Gallery.
The F.E.S.T. is a joint effort of the Skyline Elementary Chess Club, North Bellingham Elementary Chess Club, and Eagleridge Elementary Chess Club. Proceeds benefit all F.S.D. schools.

Site: Skyline Elementary School, 2225 Thornton Rd, Ferndale. (Map, directions below.)
Playing sections: K-3rd grades, 4th-6th grades. (If we have six or more Kindergarten players, as we did the last two years, they'll play in a separate, third section.)
Format: Five round Swiss (no elimination). Game/30 (maximum one hour for each game.) Tournament rated by the Northwest Scholastic Rating System. Pairings by computer.
Schedule: Check-in 8:45 - 9:15am at the Skyline gym. Opening ceremonies at 9:20am. Approximate start times for each round: 10:00, 11:20, (lunch break), 12:50, 2:05, 3:20. Awards ceremony 4:40pm or ASAP. Note: If a player can't play the morning rounds, they can receive a half-point "bye" (tie game score) for the rounds missed. Must be requested in advance.
Individual awards for top scorers in each section. All Kindergarten and 1st grade players who complete all five rounds will receive a certificate at the least. Ties broken by computer as per WHSCA rules.
Top teams (based on top four players from a school) awarded in each section. A team shall consist of students enrolled in a school for the 2007-08 school year (as per State Elem. and WHSCA State rules).

Bring: Chess boards/sets for the non-tournament ("skittles") area. Chess clock if you have one.
TO ENTER: Advance entry required. Entry fee $10. Entries must be mailed in with entry fee enclosed, and must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, March 5*. All players must check-in the morning of the tourney between 8:45 and 9:15. Make check to Skyline PTO. Mail entries to:
.....Skyline Elem. PTO - Chess
.....PO Box 905
.....Ferndale WA 98248
Include the following: Student's Full Name, Address, School, Grade, Phone, Email, T-shirt info if desired.
T-SHIRT OPTION: If you would like a Chess F.E.S.T. T-shirt, include an extra $12 with your entry, and mail your entry early, as *T-shirt information must be received by Tuesday, March 4. Indicate size (youth size) desired: S, M, L, or XL.
Further information: Visit the Northwest Washington Scholastic Chess website at http://mysite.verizon.net/kaech/ , email Leslie Drury at lesliecharlie@comcast.net, or phone 384-0312.
The form below is optional -- as long as the same information is included in your entry, that's fine.

FERNDALE ELEMENTARY SPRING TOURNAMENT 2008 ENTRY FORM

Yes, I want to play at the 2008 Chess F.E.S.T. !

Name_________________________________________  Grade_________

Address______________________________________________________

School_______________________________________________________

Phone___________  Email______________________________________

T-Shirt: No___  Yes___ Youth Size: ___

Ferndale Elementary Spring Tournament FAQ

How do I get to Skyline Elementary?
Directions: Take I-5 Exit 262. Go west about one mile to downtown Ferndale. Turn right on 3rd, go one block and take the next left onto Vista Drive. Stay on Vista through the roundabout, and at the next stop sign (one mile up the hill) Skyline Elementary is on the left, at the Vista/Thornton intersection. (If perchance the Skyline parking lot fills, go 80 yards back down Vista Drive to park in the Vista Middle School lot.)
I don't know how to play chess. Is it hard?
Easy to learn, hard to master. Now's a great time to learn! Have a friend show you! Or learn the rules here, or here. Only three things you need to know to play: 1.The starting position. 2.How the six different pieces move. 3.How the game ends. (Get the King!)
I'm not a good chessplayer. Should I play?
Sure! Come enjoy the F.E.S.T. with the rest of us patzers. We're all learning, and you don't have to be a Grandmaster to have fun at chess. Besides, the Swiss pairings system will match you with opponents of equal ability (after a few rounds). And just think of how much better you'll be after a day of chess play.
I've never played in a tournament. I'm nervous! What do I do?
Have fun and enjoy the competition! Make sure you check in before 9:15am, even if you've pre-registered. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, and something relaxing or fun to do between rounds if you wish. Chess sets are provided for the tournament room, but you can bring your own for playing practice games between rounds.
Do I have to write down the moves?
No! But it's a smart thing to do, and you will see some players doing it. If you want to learn how, have a teacher or friend show you, or go here. Hey, it's good for you! One of the best ways to improve is to review your games after a tournament. (Besides being able to show your friends the awesome move you made that clinched the game.) Also, learning chess notation opens you to the whole wide world of chess literature.
If I haven't taken my hands off of the chess piece yet, can I change my mind?
In a rated tournament like this one, if you even touch a chess piece, you must move it! And if you touch an opponent's piece, you must capture it! So sit on your hands until you know what you want to do. If a piece needs to be centered or adjusted, you may do so by first saying "I adjust".
How many games will I play?
All players will play five rounds, win or lose. With Swiss pairings, there's no elimination, and you'll always play someone with the same score as yourself (with a few exceptions). So for example, if in the first three rounds you have one win and two losses, you'll play someone else with one win and two losses in the 4th round.
Will we use chess clocks? How do they work?
Yes, we'll use clocks in the upper section and on the upper boards in the lower section, as they are available. Chess clocks are a great invention. They keep slow players from slowing and losing players from stalling. Here's how it works: After your move, you hit the button nearest you on the chess clock. Your timer stops, and your opponent's timer begins. In this tournament each player will get 30 minutes, thus ensuring that no game goes over an hour. If a player uses up all 30 minutes, it's a loss just like checkmate. If a game without a clock goes really long, the TD (tournament director) may place a clock on that game. So bring a chess clock if you have one, but if you don't, that's okay.
Will concessions be available?
Yes. So you can bring either a sack lunch, or lunch money.
How do school team awards work?
The team scoring used will be similar to cross-country meet scoring. That is, in each section, the best four results from a single school will be tallied and compared with other schools. Efforts will be made in the early rounds not to pair players from the same school.
Can I turn in the entry form and fee to my teacher?
No, all advance entries must be mailed in, with a postmark of March 5 or before.
Is this tourney an Elementary State Qualifier tournament? Tell me about State.
The largest chess tournament in the state every year is not the Washington Open, the Seafair Open or the State High School Team Championships, it's the State Elementary Championships. Three years ago it was held in Lynden and saw 1,135 players compete. And consider this: to attend, players had to first qualify by posting a winning record in a qualifying tournament.
To qualify for Elementary State, a Washington student "in grades 1-6 must score at least 3/5 in a WSRS-rated Scholastic Chess Tournament in Washington State with at least 32 players per section, and three or more schools participating. Players in Grade K need to score 2/5 in a divison which includes K-2 players." A list of qualifying players can be found at the WHSCA website.

Parents, check out the Parents FAQ on the NW Wa. Elementary School Chess page