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Whatcom County Scholastic
Chess Championships
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, Lynden
Sponsored by the Theresa Tromp Chess Trust. Established by the late Mrs. G. A. Lonnquist (the former Theresa Tromp, of Lynden) to develop thinking skills among youth. Assisted by Chess4Life.com.
A chess tournament and playday for chessplayers of all abilities, from beginner to experienced tournament competitor, from Kindergarden through 12th grade. Open to students residing in or attending school in Whatcom County.
Four playing sections: K-2 (Primary), 3-5 (Elementary), 6-8 (Middle), 9-12 (High).
State Qualifier Tournament! Kindergarten-6th grade players with winning scores (3/5) qualify to participate in the 2009 Washington State Elementary Chess Championships, being held this year in Spokane on April 25, 2009.
Location: Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden.
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 8:30 - 9:00am at the Fairgrounds in Lynden. Opening ceremonies at 9:05am. Approximate start times for each round: 9:45, 11:00, 12:30, 1:50, 3:10. Awards ceremony 4:40 or ASAP.
Individual Awards: Trophies for top five in K-2, 6-8, 9-12 sections, top seven in 3-5 section. Ties broken by computer as per WHSCA rules. Medals for all who post a winning (3/5) record. All Primary (K-2) players who complete all five rounds will receive a Certificate at the least.
Team Awards: Top teams (based on top four players from a school) awarded trophies in the K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 sections. A team shall consist of students enrolled in a school for the 2008-09 school year (as per Elementary State eligibility rules).
Bring: Chess boards/sets for the non-tournament ("skittles") area. If in sixth grade or higher, bring a pencil (or pen) and a chess clock if you have one.
TO ENTER: Players must reside in or attend school in Whatcom County, and must pre-register to play. No on-site entries. Entry fee $7.
To enter via the mail: Make check to Theresa Tromp Chess Trust. Entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, January 7, mailed to:
.....Theresa Tromp Chess Tournament
.....P.O. Box 705
.....Lynden WA 98264
Use the form below, or just include the following: Student's Full Name, Address, School, Grade, Phone, Email, Entry Fee. Include optional T-shirt and Lunch fees if desired (details below).To enter online: Go to the Chess4Life.com Whatcom Tourney page to enter your information and pay online. There's an extra $1.50 convenience fee. Online deadline to receive entries is Thursday, January 8 at 5:00pm.
All players must check-in the morning of the tourney between 8:30 and 9:00. Players checking in after 9:00am will receive a half-point bye in round one.
CONCESSIONS OPTION: If you would like to pre-order a pizza slice, chips and pop for lunch, include an extra $4 with your entry. Indicate pepperoni or cheese pizza.
T-SHIRT OPTION: If you would like a Whatcom County Scholastic Chess Championships T-shirt, include an extra $10 with your entry. Indicate whether youth or adult size, then size desired, XS, S, M, L, or XL.
For further information: Email Randy Kaech at kaech@verizon.net.
(Secondary option -- call Tournament Director Theodore Neff at 815-3418.)
WHATCOM COUNTY SCHOLASTIC CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 ENTRY FORM Name_________________________________________ Grade_________ Address______________________________________________________ School_______________________________________________________ Phones___________ Email_____________________________________ (Optionals:) T-shirt size________ Pepperoni or Cheese_______
Whatcom County Championships FAQ
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 play 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 playing.I've never played in a tournament. I'm nervous! What do I do?
Have fun and enjoy the competition! You might have your parents read Considerations Before Competing, an article by a Whatcom County mom published in Neighborhood-Kids.com. Then you'll know a bit more about what to expect.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.I can't play in all five rounds. Can I still play?
Yes, you can still play! If you'll be arriving late, or must leave early, or have a basketball game in the middle, just check the schedule (above) and indicate on your entry which rounds you will be missing.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".Do I have to write down the moves?
Scorekeeping is required for the 6-8 and 9-12 sections, and recommended (but not required) for the other sections. 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.
Will we use chess clocks? How do they work?
Yes, we'll use clocks in the upper sections and on the upper boards, as they are available. And if a game looks like it may go long, we may place a clock on your game after about 40 minutes. 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. So bring a chess clock if you have one, but if you don't, that's okay.
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 not to pair players from the same school. Eligibility rules are those used by WHSCA for State events at the MS and HS level, and at Elem. level we use the eligibility rules used at Elementary State.Can I turn in the entry form and fee to my teacher?
Sorry, all entries must be mailed in advance, or done online, as stated above.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. Last year 1,422 players pre-registered to compete in Redmond. 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 post a winning record (score over 50 percent) in a NWSRS-rated Scholastic Chess Tournament in Washington State with at least 4 rounds, at least 6 players in their section, and at least 3 different school codes represented. Players in Kindergarten need to score 2/5 in a divison which includes K-2 players. A list of qualifying players for the current school year can be found at the WHSCA website.
I attend high school in Skagit County (or Island County, or San Juan County). May I play?
For K-8th grades this tourney is open to Whatcom County students only, but due to the very few number of regional tournaments available to high school students in Skagit-Island-San Juan counties, and considering the relatively small size of the WCSCC high school division in years past, for 2009 we are allowing high school students from Skagit, Island and San Juan counties to participate in the WCSCC high school division.
Parents, check out the Parents FAQ on the NW Wa. Elementary School Chess page
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