T-shirts are coming!!!

Order your Chess T-shirts now!

Coming VERY soon- Lake Denoon Chess Team T-shirts! I will post the order forms here on the site as soon as they are ready, and will also email. We will have order forms at the chess party this Saturday. The shirts will arrive in time for the Jan 10th tournament!!!

Saturday Jan 3 at Mr. Seghers

This Saturday, January 3rd, Mr. Seghers will be holding a Chess Day.

We'll have an hour of instruction, then some pizza, then a mini-tournament.

The fun starts at 11am, and ends at 5pm. We hope you can make it! So far we have 8 boys signed up. Contact Mr. Seghers at 262-679-4051 for details, or to RSVP.

Below is a MAP to Mr. Seghers House. w207 s7004 High Bluff Drive.

View Larger Map

Southwest Chess Club Announces New Location

The Southwest Chess Club announces new location.

Starting January 8, our new host is the St. James Catholic Church , located at 7219 South 27th Street in Franklin, WI. The club opens at 6 PM, Tournament Games start at 7 PM. Here is a map to the club. We are just south of Rawson on 27th, and close to I-94 in Franklin. We meet in the lower level of the Parish Center building (immediately in front of the church). The address is 7219 South 27th Street in Franklin.
Visit SWCC's website for more information about the club: http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/ .
See SWCC's active Blog, and feel free to add your comments there: http://swccchess.blogspot.com/ .
Here is our upcoming schedule (with more detail at http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/Calendar.pdf ):

DESCRIPTION OF TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS:
Freeze Bowl Swiss: January 8, 15 & 22 - 3-Round Swiss in Two Sections (Open and U1600). Game/100minutes. USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (One ½ Point ByeAvailable for any round (except round four) if requested at least 2-daysprior to round). TD is Grochowski; ATD is Becker.
Winter Blitzzard IV: January 29 - 3-Round Swiss in Two Sections (G/30 Minutes and G/29 Minutes).USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (½ Point Bye available foronly first round if requested prior to round) TD is Becker; ATD isFogec.
Chess Valentine Lovers Kiss: February 5, 12, & 19 - 3-Round “Round-Robin” (a “Quad”). Four chess players to a Quad.Game/90 minutes. USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. TD isBecker; ATD is Grochowski.
Snowstorm Blitz-A-Matic: February 26 - 10-Round (Round-Robin) in One or more Sections (depending onnumber of players). Game/5 minutes. USCF Quick-Rated. EF: $5members, $7 others. TD is Becker; ATD is Grochowski.

Next up: Richards Elementary Jan 10

Our next tournament for the LDMS Knights is at Richards Elementary in Whitefish Bay. There is a K5 and a K8 division for us to compete in. Here is the link to the tournament information.

Please let me know if you would like to participate! I will pre-register everybody.

Thank you,
Mark/Mr. Seghers

Free Chess Tactics Online

A local master tells me "chess is 99% tactics." That is, knowing what to do in each situation as it comes (rather than planning too far ahead, only to have the strategy foiled with an unexpected move by your opponent).

In that spirit, sometimes you find something REALLY special on the Internet. Check this out: http://chess.emrald.net/

This is a Chess Tactics Server... very easy to register and use. It presents puzzles, just find the right move at the time. Your score goes up and down based on your answers. Amazing stuff.

Have fun!

Quiet positions

Sometimes in a game, you get "locked up" with the opponent, and the moves become "quiet" and hard to see. It is in these times that you need to think hard and find the best move.

Above is the same chess position, shown as Black and as White. This is an actual position in a game with Reid and I, going on right now. I am white and Reid is black. It is white to move.

Think about:

1) who has the best position and why?

2) what can white do to break the tension?

3) what can black try to do here to break through the pawn chain?

You can comment here if you have any ideas. I will update this post later with the result of the game from this point forward.

LDMS Takes 2nd Place K-5 at Donges Bay

Well... After taking 1st at the Museum, Holy Trinity and University School... I guess we learned that you can't win 'em all.... But we did pretty well, taking 2nd place in K-5, missing out on first place by HALF A POINT, 14.5 to 14.0! Argggg...! Golda Meir took first. Tosa School of health Sciences took 3rd, University School of Milwaukee took 4th, and our hosts, Donges Bay, took 5th. Donges Bay is the sponsoring school for the parent-driven Mequon Scholastic Chess Club. For full results, click here.
Reid played again in the last game for the championship, and ended up taking 2nd to Roshan. Reid went 4-1 in the shortened tournament, Brian went 4-1 also to finish 9th. This is the second great tournament in a row for Brian- he's on a roll! Kolt went 3-2 for 14th, Rachel also went 3-2 for 22nd. Josh went 3.0 for 25th. Also playing for k-5 was Zeke Baker in his first tournament ever, and learning the game this year... Our goal for a first-time player is to win ONE point out of 6. Zeke got 1.5 out of 5! Great job Zeke, you are a nice addition to the team!
Our K-8 Team of Evan, Chris and newcomer Jacob Glumm finished fourth. The very tough Magellan Day School took first, Lakeshore second and Glen Park third. Evan had 3.5 out of 5, Chris 3, and Jacob Glumm got his goal of one win by Drawing two games (half point each). This was a great experience for Jacob, and a nice start. We welcome him to the team!
Complete results are listed here. Look to the right to see photos from this tournament in our photo album!!!

Social Chess Class Starts Thursday 12/4!

Mr. Antoniewicz is starting his weekly Thursday Social Chess Club tomorrow (12/4). Right after school on Thursdays in room 419. I will post more details as soon as I hear...

This will be a nice companion class to the competitive class on Mondays. Thursdays will be about just playing a game of chess. Thursdays will also offer beginning instruction to new players.

SUPERNATIONALS in April, Nashville TN

Two years ago, the Mill Valley 3rd graders (including one 2nd grader, Jorin McGuire), took home the National Championship in the K-3 Unrated division of the annual elementary school USCF tournament.
The event is again at the amazing Gaylord Hotel on April 3 thru April 5, 2009. This year it's called the SUPERnationals because the high school tournament is the same weekend at the same hotel! Thousands of chess players from around the country. New friends, great fun. Attending so far is Reid, Evan and possibly Kolt. There are many divisions for rated and unrated players of various skill level. Evan will be competing in the K-5 open section.
There will be buses going from the WSCF and some will drive. It's about 9 hours. We are not sure yet but will probably fly. Give it some thought, it is an amazing event!!! Soon I will post some photos from the Gaylord and the nationals a couple years back.

Supernationals IV
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center 4/3 – 4/5 2009
2802 Opryland Drive
Nashville, TN 37214
615-883-2211
Official Tournament Life Announcement w/details (TLA) under National Events

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to Lake Denoon Parents and Kids!

New USM photos

I just uploaded several more photos from USM. To see them, click on the little camera button on the right side of this screen (the left button that is). Click on the University School folder and you will see the thumbnails (small photos). Click on the photo you want to see.
Want to see something really cool? After clicking on a photo, click on the View Slide Show link at the top and it will give you a nice loop through the event photos with a nice panning and fading effect.

E. Seghers v. J.Hetzel

Below is a good game Evan played last February. This is a good way to see how to take notation. Click on the buttons below the game to progress through the game and you can see the corresponding notation. This is a great new chess engine I found which can help us post our best games. Fax me your games or email me the notation and I will post them!

New Photo Album

I have also added a photo album- see on the right. Let me know if you have photos to add! - Mark

New Chess Calendar (Look on the Right)

See the new chess calendar on the right hand side of this page!
Please consult this calendar to see what's coming for the LDMS Knights. Right now it's only updated through Dec 6... but this is where you can go to see what's coming and when. Thanks! - Mark

LDMS Knights Get a Display Case!

Mr. Oertel and Mr. Nagy were gracious enough to lend the LDMS Knights the front display case outside of the office! Let me know if you have ideas for filling this space with stuff, or if you have trophies you would like to lend to the display!
- Mark/Mr. Seghers

It Takes a Team

While only four players "count" to the team total, it's important to see that EVERYONE contributes to a team win.

At USM on Saturday, out of 6 wins, our players had 5, 4.5, 4, 4, 3.5, 3.5 and 3. Nobody had a losing record! Rachel had a tough loss in round four and came back and won her last two! Every win counts, because it takes away wins from another team. Chris T. and Kolt are almost ALWAYS one of the top 4, and started strong this time, but had a tough finish against some underrated opponents. No problem- we had Brian and Brady step up in the final game and beat players with higher ratings!

The mark of a good team isn't just the same players all the time. It's getting 2 or 3 wins from everybody, and getting at least one win from the first timers! Just like in basketball or any other physical sport, it's about the fundamentals. Mr. Reese taught many of our kids the fundamentals at Mill Valley, and these lessons carry on to our new players.

Great start to the season!!!

LDMS Knights Take K-6 at University School!

The USM K-6 Rulers

When we saw that the University School of Milwaukee chess team was throwing 16 kids into the K-6 division, we knew we had our work cut out for us, and decided to put all 8 of our kids into K-6, rather than pull 2 or three into K-9 as we had thought earlier. USM was gunning for us, I think, because we had taken the first place team and player trophy last year while at Mill Valley. Ironically, all 8 of our team were at Mill Valley last year. Also ironically, the USM tournament is run this year by the brand-new WSCA chess association, headed by former Mill Valley coach Greg Reese! We decided to pull the team together as one and see what we could do.

It was a tough task. Here was our roster. Rachel and Brady were unrated, never having played in a USCF-rated event before.

1. Evan 1387
2. Reid 965
3. Chris 943
4. Kolt 582
5. Brian 485
6. Josh 440
7. Rachel ---
8. Brady ---

The USM school had the following:

1. Andrew B. 1131
2. Sam S. 939
3. John V. 917
4. Charlie B. 911
5. Dakota D. 892
6. Yaseen N. 800
7. Michael K. 692
8. Plus 9 more unrated players

The way the tournament works is, the top four scores from each team are counted. We started out well enough in the first round, going 5-3, tied with USM at 4 points each. Then we had a tough second round, and only two players were 2-0. USM had four at 2-0. We had a great third round, going 6-2 and took a half-point lead which we held until round 5. In round five, we went 4-3-1, and our top four players either lost or drew! It seemed like we were completely out of it at that time. We were down 1.5, 14.5 to USM's 16.0. In round 6, we went 5-2-1, including some very important wins by Brian and Brady to bring their records to 4-2.

Would it be enough? Just barely!!!!

Evan said "I think the people who really stepped up were Brady and Brian. They haven't played in a while, but they got back on track to where they used to be!"

Actually, the entire team stepped up. None of the kids on our 8-person team had a losing record! Evan had 5 points, Reid 4.5, Brady and Brian had 4. Chris T. had 3.5, and Josh, Kolt and Rachel had 3 each.

Way to go LDMS Knights! I will post some pictures later today!

LDMS Roll Call for USM

Playing in the USM tournament tomorrow for LDMS are:

K-9 Division

• Reid Seghers
• Kolt Otterbacher
• Chris Tillson

K-6 Division

• Evan Seghers
• Rachel Gomoll * needs USCF registration
• Josh Bartz
• Brian Schroeder
• Brady Megal * needs USCF registration
• (Zeke Baker tentative) *needs USCF registration

LDMS is going for a team trophy in both K-9 and K-6. The arrangement above gives us a good chance. There will be over 150 kids in this tournament, and the K-6 division is PACKED with good players. The K-9 division is surprisingly small- three experienced players will give us a good shot there- any more than that might be overkill, and we need as many players as possible in the crowded K-6 field.

Click on http://www.wscachess.org/wscachess/custom/signed_up.php?id=1 to see many of the registered participants. We're not shown on the list yet, but the above players have been locked in at the lower registration price (pending payment for tournament and USCF registration.

To play in this tournament, a person must first be registered to the USCF. The WSCA and USM is offering a discount on USCF registration for this tournament. This is a cheap way to sign up for the USCF and get a rating!

Thanks and hope to see many of you there tomorrow!

LDMS Prepared to Rock the WSCA at USM

Is that enough acronyms for you??

This Saturday, LDMS will field a good-sized team at the new WSCA's USM tournament. So far, confirmed we have Reid, Evan, Kolt, Josh, Brady, Chris T, Rachel and Brian.

Still wish to register? No problem, just give me a call or email, thanks! - Mark

Reid takes 2nd Place Trophy in USCF Junior Reserve!

A little out of date (sorry Reid!) but Reid Seghers took 2nd place in the Reserve Section of the recent USCF Wisconsin Junior tournament (under age 20, under 1100 rating for Reserve). Reid won 4.5 out of 5 of his games to boost his rating to over 1000! Great job Reid!
Also attending were Evan Seghers and Josh Bartz, who had some great games and very tough opponents- and took notation to learn from their defeats! Since the tournament, Josh has been working very hard on his game. Way to go Josh!

Next tournament: USM November 22!!!

The next tournament for LDMS as a team is NEXT WEEKEND, November 22, at the prestigious University School of Milwaukee. Last year at USM, Mill Valley Elementary's team took first place! Maybe some of those same players - and some of our new players - can contribute to helping LDMS do it this year! This promises to be a GREAT tournament by a new Chess Association, the WSCA. The tournament flyer can be accessed by clicking here.

Gregory Reese, Sr., who has done so much for Muskego chess and for many of our LDMS players, is one of the organizers of this new Chess Association. Ashish Vaja, a Wisconsin Master and top-flight trainer, and Mike Neitman, a Wisconsin USCF leader, will be tournament directors. I would like very much for us to support this new Chess Association through our attendance and of course through our best efforts as players.

I'd like for us to have a big showing at this tournament!!! Please let me know if your child would like to play. If your child is on the fence, or perhaps fearful of attending their first tournament, let's talk! This would be a great one to start. Remember Chris M's success just a few weeks ago in his first tournament!!! There is a K-6 and a K-9 division- I know we will at least have a K-6.

Thank you very much.

Mark Seghers
(262) 679-4051 home
(414) 379-7401 cell
seghers@gmail.com

Kasparov v. Topalov (1999)

Did you ever hear of Garry Kasparov? An amazing chess player and amazing leader. Actually had the guts to challenge Putin for Prime Minister of Russia (although of course due to the facade of democracy they have over there, Mr. Kasparov was not allowed to win). Sort of like playing chess with no Rooks or a Queen.

Here is an amazing game of his from 1999, rated by some as one of the best games of chess ever played. Click on the controls to move through the game. Check out the Rook sacrifice on move 24! After black takes with pawn, Kasparov makes a devastating check with his remaining Rook- Question here- why doesn't black take back? Give it a little thought... then enjoy the rest of the game...

No Chess Team on Nov 10

NO CHESS ON MONDAY Nov 10. Mr. Seghers will be out of town. Class resumes the following week, on Nov 17.

Watch for the announcements for the beginning of Mr. Antoniewicz' Thursday Chess Club! I strongly recommend this club for players of all skills to learn and practice!

- Mr. Seghers/ Mark

The Internet Chess Club

One thing I strongly recommend to the LDMS players is the Internet Chess Club. You can find the Internet Chess Club, or ICC, at http://www.chessclub.com/.
To register for the ICC, you go to this site, read about it, and then download the "Dasher" software to your computer. There is a free trial, or you can pay right away. For students, the fee is $29 for a full year.
The ICC Dasher is your window into the online chess world. Over 100,000 games are played each day. There's usually about 3,000 people online at any time, sitting at their computers somewhere in the world. To play, you simply ask for a game. The Dasher asks what kind of opponent you want, what color you want to play, how long of a game, etc. You submit your request and wait- usually just a few minutes- and your game begins!
After you're done with the game, you can save and/or print the notation so you can replay the game! In fact, if you EMAIL that notation to me, I can post the ACTUAL GAME here on our blog site!!! Below as an example of how a game looks when it is posted on the Internet. A very sloppy late night game I played recently... I look forward to posting our own games soon as soon as I get some notation from you!

Nov 3 Class Update

Great class today from 3-4 in Room 419.

13 kids today- very attentive, one and all. Thanks to parents for encouragement on your side!

Today, we talked about the great tournament last Saturday, and the two coming up- this weekend in Oshkosh, and the weekend after at Goodrich. Chris said he enjoyed his first tournament and everybody got to see the trophy.
We walked thru a couple of the tournament games, and talked about 1) the scholar's mate and 2) the fools' mate. Kolt had a three-move win on Saturday! We talked about how that happened.
We then talked about decoys leading to wins, and leading to forks which can win at least a piece.
Then, Evan came up and taught the kids a little about ENDGAMES... Evan showed how a pawn can be escorted to the end of the board by a King, and how best to protect the pawn along the way, either with a King or a Rook. The other kids were very respectful and attentive to Evan.

Some kids (Rachel, Brady, Zeke, and others) mentioned they want to become registered for the USCF- this is a great move! I'm awarding 5 chess points for registration. Almost every kid got 3 points today for a great class. I am keeping track of the chess point accumulation and will be posting the tallies very soon.

Mr. Seghers / Mark

LDMS Knights Take First in K5 at Holy Trinity WSCF!!

LDMS Rocks the WSCF!!

On Saturday, Nov 1, Lake Denoon took first place at Holy Trinity Lutheran School in Okauchee, in the WSCF K-8 Championship.

The team of Kolt, Reid, Chris M, and Rachel took 13.5 points, winning by 2.5 over Brookfield Acadamy. Kolt and Reid took 4 points, Rachel won 2.5 points, and...
The big news in this tournament was Chris Mangan, who in his FIRST TOURNAMENT EVER, got THREE WINS!!! This is a great beginning for Chris!! Our goal for new tournament players is usually to win ONE game... that is hard enough... but Chris won THREE! Way to go Chris! Without his wins, we would not have won the tournament!

It is a little nervewracking to play in your first tournament. Chris put aside his nerves, and got it done! In his last game, he was behind, when he saw the opponent's weak point! Sliding his rook to the back row, Chris trapped his overconfident opponent's King in the corner behind his pawns.

Kolt Otterbacher took fifth place to win a trophy in K5! In tiebreakers, Reid took sixth place. Chris took 18th and Rachel took 20th in the crowded K5 field.

The top K-5 teams were as follows:

1 LAKE DENOON MIDDLE SCHOOL, MUSKEGO (4) 13.5

• OTTERBACHER, KOLTON (4.0,546)
• SEGHERS, REID N (4.0,885)
• MANGAN, CHRIS (3.0,369)
• GOMOLL, RACHEL (2.5,345)

2 BROOKFIELD ACADEMY, BROKFIELD (4) 11
KULKARNI, PRANAV (5.0,1122)
ULATOSKI, HANNAH (3.0,457)
YAHIAOUI, SAMMY (2.0,286)
ULATOWSKI, GRETA (1.0,100)

3 TOSA SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES (6) 10.5
WIJETUNGE, ROSHAN (4.0,704)
TOYE, BRANDON (3.0,497)
MINIX, SAM (2.0,291)
McGEE, MAYA (1.5,202)

4 BLAIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WAUKES (9) 10.5
BUE, BEN (3.0,437)
SOLFEST, MIKE (3.0,380)
SOTO, RICARDO (2.5,489)
HAUSER, NICK (2.0,260)
GRAYSON, JON (2.0,221)

In the K-8 division, Evan Seghers played alone and did very well, winning 4 out of his 5 games. His only loss came against the very tough Magellan player Troy Z, who was able to create a passed pawn and promote to win. We'll see you again, Mr. Z! *smile*

November and December Tournaments!

Tournament schedule for LDMS Knights is below. CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFO!

Nov 1- WSCF K8 Championship - Holy Trinity - a great place to start your tournament career! We'll have a team for this one for sure!
Nov 8-9 - USCF - Wisconsin Junior Championship - Must be registered USCF- see Mr. Seghers- best for more experienced players. In Oshkosh, two days, Sat and Sun. Reid and Evan are going so far, anyone else?
Nov 15 - WSCF - Goodrich Elementary - WSCF tournament, both WSCF and USCF divisions, grouped by skill level.
Nov 22 - USM Chess Club (University School of Milwaukee) - USCF but scholastic- this is a great tournament from the new WSCA (www.wscachess.org). This would be a great tournament to get a USCF rating for, to allow you to be in other USCF tournaments in the future!
Dec 6 - Mequon Scholastic Chess Club - WSCF - Mequon - Map it! - Info
Dec 13 - St. Thomas More High School - WSCF - St. Frances - Map it! - Info
Dec 20 - Messmer High School - WSCF - Milwaukee - Map it!

Congrats to Reid!

Congratulations to Reid Seghers, who took first place in the under 1600 section of the Southwest chess club spookhouse chess event last Thursday. Reid took 2 out of 3 in the event, including a hard-fought draw against the tough Sarfaraz Muhammad.

NEXT: Nov 1 WSCF K-8 Tournament!

1st Annual WSCF K – 8

Contact Mr. Seghers at 262-679-4051 or seghers@gmail.com to register!!!

Holy Trinity Lutheran School
N50 W35181 Wisconsin Ave.
Okauchee, WI 53069
(262) 567-0669

Format: K–3, K-5 and K- 8 divisions, Wisconsin rated, 5 round Swiss, G30.
WSCF membership not required. Rounds 1 and 2 may be G20 or G25.

Awards: K–3: Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players; and medals to all
K–5: Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players; and medals to all
K-8: Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 3 players; and medals to all
Award Ceremony begins around 4:00.

Entry: $10 per player for advance registration, $15 on site registration

Check-in from 7:45 to 8:45. Round 1 begins at 9:30 or before. Players not checked in by 8:45 will begin play in round 2. Please check in as early as possible. For advance registration, register online at www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org before midnight on October 30th. Registration fee will be paid at the tournament. Make checks payable to Holy Trinity Lutheran School. Coaches and parents only at registration table, please. Coaches, please do not register until all of your players have arrived.
.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch available for purchase on-site.
Supervision: At least one designated adult supervisor must be present at all times during the tournament
to oversee your school’s team, or individual participants who are in K through 8th grade.
Bring: Pencils, chess sets and clocks if you have them. Chess boards and other chess items will be
available for purchase on site.
Questions: WSCF at webmaster@wisconsinscholasticchess.org
Chess Notation: Chess notation required in all USCF divisions and in all WSCF divisions with students over 3rd grade.

Update Oct 21 2008

This week, we divided into two groups- tournament beginners, and tournament veterans.

The vets played openings, until a player was up a "piece" (knight, bishop, rook, or queen). Each player was awarded one chess point for each opening-game "won."

The beginners had some instruction, then joined the same opening game exercise, practicing on opening tactics to achieve advantages (or minimally, equality) while avoiding the traps that sometimes bite beginners!

See you next Monday! Let me know if anyone either NEEDS a ride or can GIVE a ride! Thank you.

- Mark Seghers

Evan Takes First Place at Southwest

Congratulations to Evan Seghers, who took First Place in the U1600 division of the Southwest Chess Club! Results
Evan took 3.5 out of 4 possible points to become the top finisher! In the process, Evan boosted his USCF rating from 1366 to 1419.
Reid Seghers also did well, taking 2 out 4 including a great victory against the 1200+ rated Alena Huang. Reid also raised his USCF rating and is ready to go crashing thru the 1000 barrier!

USCF: Spook House Action

USCF Rated Players: Check it out: 3 Quick Games in one Night!
Southwest Chess Club. Layton State Bank, Broad St., Greendale, 7PM Thu Oct 23

Spook House Action: October 23
3-Round Swiss: Game/29 Minutes (G/30 possible if enough players).
USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (½ Point Bye available for
only first round if requested prior to round) TD is Becker; ATD is
Fogec/Wright.

Chess Team Update!!!

We had a good meeting on Monday from 3-4 and we are meeting again next Monday.

This Monday, we spent most of the class playing chess. I walked around to determine the various skill levels of the players on the team. This was very helpful.

Next Monday, we will be dividing the class into two sections. One section will focus on beginning concepts- movement of pieces, castling, etc. The other section will focus on advanced tactics. The key point to our players right now - DONT GET DISCOURAGED! Chess is a very complex game. Our sequence for the class is 1) learning the game, 2) Getting past the opening- many tricks and traps to learn, then 3) it's all about TACTICS- seeing what will happen if you move here, then they do that, etc., without moving the pieces.

RIDE SHARE: We have 1 opening in ride share after school- possibly more. Please let me know if there are 1) kids who would LIKE to attend chess class but need a ride, or 2) parents who can bring 1 or 2 kids home after class. This is greatly appreciated!!

Chess tournaments resume in NOVEMBER! The time is now to practice!!!

Thank you.

NO CHESS FOR LDMS at Port Washington

Due to competing priorities for LDMS Chess players (football!), we will not be attending the Port Washington WSCF event as a team. Thank you!
- Mr. Seghers

Port Washington this weekend!

Hello Chess Parents and Players,

While we had a tough go of things at the very difficult New Berlin Open last weekend, we had some good wins and ties. A big GIANT welcome to promising new tournament player Howard Tan!!! In his first tournament, a very difficult tournament against some of the top players in Wisconsin, Howard fought very hard and played very slowly and intelligently, earning a draw against a tough 900+ rated player! Howard "forked" his opponent's King and Rook, threatening both at once... when the player moved out of check, Howard took the rook to earn the draw!

This weekend there is a good WSCF (scholastic) tournament in Port Washington, WI. Here is the link again with information: Thomas Jefferson WSCF Tournament

This tournament is at Thomas Jefferson Middle School on 1403 Holden St. in Port Washington. There is a K-5 Division and a K-8 Division. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER by calling 414-379-7401 this week, or by emailing me at seghers@gmail.com - I will handle the team registration. I have to get kids registered by THURSDAY to save us $5 per kid. Advance registration is $10. Check-in from 7:45 to 8:45. Round 1 begins at 9:30 or before.

USCF vs. WSCF: We recommend that children begin their tournament play in a WSCF (Wisconsin, school vs. school) tournament rather than a USCF (US, open, all ages) tournament which tend to have tougher players overall. Then, once they are comfortable, they can expand their horizons and join USCF tournaments.

Chess club resumes next week Monday from 3-4pm in room 419. We have a parent who volunteered to give RIDES to children who may need one! Two spots open! In our next class, we will have open play for half of the class this time. We will also cover opening concepts.

Thank you!
Mark/Mr. Seghers

2008 Tournament Schedule!

Below are the tournaments we will attend for the rest of the year. This list is subject to CHANGE and discussion. This is just what I am thinking right now. Please call me at 262-679-4051 or email me at seghers@gmail.com if you would like to either register or if you have questions! - Mark Seghers

Oct 4 - This Saturday!
Hales Corners Challenge VIII
USCF Tournament- must be USCF Member- call/email me if you would like to register.
Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel
4747 S. Howell Avenue
Milwaukee 414-481-8000

Oct 11
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
WSCF
Port Washington
Map it!
Info

Nov 1
Holy Trinity Lutheran School
WSCF
Okachee
Map it!
Info

Nov 15
Goodrich Elementaray
WSCF
Milwaukee
Map it!

Nov 22
Assata High School
WSCF
Milwaukee
Map it!

Dec 6
Donges Bay Elementary School
WSCF
Mequon
Map it!

Dec 13
St. Thomas Moore High School
St. Frances
Map it!

Dec 20
Messmer High School
WSCF
Milwaukee
Map it!

LMDS Takes First at Museum

The Knights of LDMS Take Home First Place!

The team of Rachel Gomoll, Chris Tillson and Reid Seghers took first place at the Milwaukee Museum Tri-state Tournament (WSCF Open Section) this Saturday!
Reid and Chris took 3 points to take 5th and 10th. Rachel took 2 points to take 14th. Rachel beat the VERY tough Erik Rokni in the second round. Way to go Rachel!!!

Chess Points

Players in the the LDMS Chess Team will be able to earn (and occasionally lose) "chess points"... these points are earned by performing valuable chess-related activities. Below are some examples. Later in the year, students will be able to redeem their points for chess related prizes!

Example Point values
-5 = asked to sit out of class (third warning)
0 = very poor behavior in class (two warnings)
1 = notated game
not so good behavior in class (one warning)
2 = class attended, good behavior
notated tournament game
3 = tournament game won
class attended, great, interactive, helpful behavior
4 = prepared and taught short lesson in class
in tournament, beat player with >100 higher USCF rating

Team Play at LDMS

In the LDMS Chess Team, we are all teachers, and we are all students.

Our early classes have been great, and we have a nice mix of players experienced with chess tournaments, and others who have played chess but never in a tournament setting.

We have 22 kids signed up for the Chess Team, about half of them from the powerful Mill Valley program which was coached by Mr. Reese (now coach at Bay Lane).

In our second class, we played a team game. Above is the team who played the black pieces, studying and considering their next move. One team made a blunder and that was all it took! Several powerful lessons were revealed through this exercise.

The game of chess is an oracle which reveals itself through our focus and our attention. These discoveries lead to tactics, which lead to improvement.

Next week we will be focusing on chess notation and chess puzzles. We hope you will join us!

- Mr. Seghers

Chess Club Meeting Minutes

Today was a great chess team meeting!

We talked about our success at the Badger Open (scholastic division), and welcomed several new members! We have about 20 members already!

Then, we divided into two teams and played one team vs. the other, Family Feud style, using the instructional board. Each team had a line, and the first person in each line made their move, and then moved to the back of their line. The person in the front of each line was allowed to listen to suggestions from his teammates, which he/she could either follow or ignore.

The result was a very interesting game with one key blunder we were able to discuss. At the end of the game, students gave their ideas about what they saw during the game.

This weekend, there is a tournament at the Milwaukee Museum. Click here for details, and please let me know if your child can attend!!! You can email me at seghers@gmail.com, or you can call me at 262-679-4051. Next week, our chess class will again be on Monday from 3-4pm. See you there!

New: Southwest Chess Club Tournament

From the SW Chess Club (web site located at http://home.wi.rr.com/swcc/ ) -

Hello Chess Players,
This Thursday, September 25, marks the start of a new tournament, the Cool Autumn Breezes Blowing Swiss, a four round event with one game each night of the tournament. There will be two sections. Register at the playing site between 6:20 and 6:50 pm. If you know you will be late but wish to enter, please contact me in advance. Remember, we are now meeting at the Layton State Bank in Greendale, located at 5850 Broad Street (lower level). Details below.
Cool Autumn Breezes Blowing Swiss: Sept. 25, Oct 2, 9, 16 4-Round Swiss in Two Sections (Open and Under 1600). Game/100 minutes. USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (One ½ Point Bye Available for any round (except round four) if requested at least 2- days prior to round). TD is Fogec; ATD is Grochowski Tom Fogec Southwest Chess Club 414-425-6742 tfogec@wi.rr.com

LDMS Takes 2nd!

In the Badger Open, we had 2 and a half boys play. Reid and Chris played all 6, and Evan played 3 games after showing up late. Mr. Seghers could not attend due to a prescheduled annual event out of town. Thanks to Mrs. Tillson and Mrs. Seghers for driving the boys and holding down the fort.

We took 2nd place in the scholastic division with some great wins! While we are not judging ourselves based on the number of trophies we win, this showing proved that we did not get too rusty over the Summer, and that our boys retained their skills!

Evan and Reid have participated in the Southwest Chess club over the Summer, and the Green Bay Open. This helped keep their skills sharp. Chris also did a little practicing, and is a tough player. Our team begins the season with some strong players as our foundation.

Great Job boys!!!!!!!!!!

Milwaukee Museum Chess Sept 27!!

Milwaukee Museum Chess Tournament - WSCF and USCF

Another OPTIONAL warm-up for LDMS players!

Location: Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 Wells Street Milwaukee, WI 53233
Format: Five Sections
WSCF K – 3 5 Round Swiss G20, G25, G30, G30, G30
WSCF under 600 5 Round Swiss G30
WSCF Open 5 Round Swiss G30
USCF under 800 4 Round Swiss G45
USCF Open 4 Round Swiss (3) G45, G60 (This division begins at 9:00 am)

Pairings: Players will be paired according to USCF rule 28d1. Please notify TD if you have a rating other than a
USCF or Wisconsin rating. The higher rating will be used to determine pairing order per WinTD selections.

Awards: WSCF K - 3 Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players.
WSCF K – 12 under 600 Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players.
WSCF K – 12 Open Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players.
USCF K – 12 under 800 Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players.
USCF K – 12 Open Three Team Trophies. Individual trophies to top 5 players.

Medals to all non trophy winners.

Entry Fees: WSCF Divisions: $10 before Sept 1, $15 by Sept 13, $20 by Sept 25, $25 on site.
USCF Divisions: $15 before Sept 1, $20 by Sept 13, $25 by Sept 25, $30 on site.
(post marks by Sept 20 for $20 & $25 price )

Entry: Please contact Coach Mark at 262-679-4051 or seghers@gmail.com

The Knights ?

I posted recently that we were going to be The Rookies... However, there is a Muskego concept that is brewing... we might be The Knights... stay tuned...

See you Monday 3-4, Room 419. Be there!

Coach Mark Seghers 262-679-4051.. Call me if you have any questions.

First Meeting Minutes, Next Meeting...

Our irst Meeting at LDMS Goes Well...

Today after school, the LDMS Chess Team had our first meeting. While some key members were unable to attend, the meeting went well, and we welcome some newcomers including Zeke Baker to the squad!

We talked about the new school year and the upcoming tournaments (the WSCF schedule is still unpublished) and much more.

We picked a team name - the Rookies, which Reid came up with and Rachel immediately seconded... We liked this name because 1) it continues the "chess piece" theme from Mr. Reese's Mill Valley Knights, 2) promotes it from Knight to Rook as the children get more experienced, and also 3) this is our first year as a team, like true rookies in a way, and 4) Rooks work best when they work together, protecting and supporting each other.

(NOTE- we may choose to change our team name to The Knights of LDMS based on a continued conversation with Coach Reese of Bay Lane. Stay Tuned!)

The attending members of the team each get 10 chess points for attending this first meeting. The points system will run throughout the year, and point totals will be posted on this site for all members. The points will translate later in the year to something valuable for the children, to be announced....

NEXT MEETING: Our next meeting is a week from today, MONDAY (we will stick with this day), September 22, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM in Room 419.

USCF TOURNAMENT THIS SATURDAY- OPTIONAL: This weekend is the Badger Open. Reid and Chris will be attending, and possibly others- let me know ASAP if you would like to attend!!! If we get 4 or more, we will participate as a team. This is an unofficial LDMS team event, however, as I will be unable to attend myself, unfortunately.

First Meeting MONDAY Sept 15, 3pm Rm 419

Something New this Year! Announcing the LDMS Competitive Chess Program!

Starting MONDAY, September 15th, at 3pm in Room 419, we will be forming a competitive chess team that will play against other schools in WSCF and USCF events! This team is coached by Mr. Seghers, an LDMS parent with two boys at LDMS, Reid and Evan. Reid and Evan come from the powerful Mill Valley Knights, who won the State Championship earlier this year! Several other LDMS students were also members of that great team, coached by Mr. Gregory Reese.

We will be meeting most weeks after school, on either Monday or Wednesdays, to be determined. I will print a schedule that I will hand out in our first meeting on the 17th. I will also print out a TOURNAMENT schedule showing which tournaments our team will be participating in as a team. Note that this COMPETITIVE Chess program is IN ADDITION to Mr. Antoniewicz’ existing Thursday night social chess program (which begins in November). We hope you will attend both! It’s always good to enjoy a good game of chess.

The Mon/Wed meetings will involve 1) announcements of upcoming tournaments, 2) a lesson, taught by Mr. Seghers OR one of the team!, and 3) 20-minute games matched with players of similar skills. Early on, we will learn how to play in tournaments – it’s a little different! – and also learn how to play with a clock, and finally how to take chess notation so you can re-play and learn from past games.

Regarding tournaments, they are all OPTIONAL for team members. Whoever can make it, that is our LDMS team for that tournament. The first chess tournament is September 20th already! This is the BADGER OPEN. This tournament is located at the Marriott Milwaukee West, in Waukesha. Fee is $15. I will bring more detailed information on this event to our first chess team meeting. There is also a tournament on September 27th, at the Milwaukee Museum. These tournaments are not “official” LDMS tournaments- consider them “warm-ups!!”…

Does your Dad or Mom play chess??? I am looking for co-coaches, parents who play chess and would like to help out! Want to be an assistant coach?? I am looking for players who want to help teach beginning players- more details to come next MONDAY.

SIGN UP TODAY!!! The sign-up sheet is posted by Room 118, OR you can just show up at our first meeting on Wednesday, September 17th, at 3pm in Room 419.

Check out our web site! http://ldmschess.blogspot.com/ … Post your own articles, or comments!

WSCF tournaments

In a recent email, I linked to the WSCF tournament list. I guess that is LAST YEAR's LIST. The new list has not yet been published.

This from Bob Patterson-Summwalt:

Mark, thanks for including us on your list. Please note that the schedule you are directing people to is last years schedule. We need to take it down. New one will be up in a couple of weeks. Three highlights of this years schedule are Milwaukee Public Museum Tournament on Saturday Sept 27. $10 entry fee before Sept 1 on line. Flyer on front page . Two WSCF divisions and two USCF divisions. March 7th is Wisconsin Gradelevel at Marion Center in St. Francis and April 17th and 18th is the WSCF State Tournamet at the Kalahari in WI Dells. We will offer tours to Supernationals via Coach and Rooms at the Opryland. Rooms are already secure.

- Bob Patterson-Sumwalt WSCF President 262-573-5624

Stay tuned for an updated tournament list, including some USCF tournaments and maybe even other tournaments we may consider.
- Mark

There is no Such Thing as One Game of Chess.

If you are playing a game, you must think about your opponents moves also. You are not only playing your own side of the board. In order for you to win, you must play your opponents game as well as your own.

I went to a tournament in Green Bay and I was in the first round of a tournament. I was so focused on my own attack that I did not look at his plans. As a result, I lost the game. You must look at your opponents moves also!

The saying is "Check yourself before you wreck yourself!". Follow that rule and you will have lots of successful victories!

Team player,
Evan Seghers.

Watch out for Traps and Sacs!

When you are playing chess, you should always check for traps like forks, skewers and pins.

If someone gives away a piece it could be a trap! Always think before you move.

Once, in a tournament, I took a piece without thinking , and it was a trap for my Queen, followed by Mate.

- by Reid Seghers

2008-2009 Chess at Lake Denoon

LDMS Chess is Coming!!!

June is upon us, and with it comes Summer activities! Baseball, picnics, family get togethers. Summer is so precious in Wisconsin, and of course... brief.

ENJOY it!

We will be having ONE Summer event... a combination chess and pool party! Watch for details coming up.

Next year, Lake Denoon will be having both a SOCIAL and an Instructional/Competitive league. We look forward to playing and learning together.

Please let me know if you or your child would like to be on the Instructional/Competitive league next year. you can email me at s e g h e r s @ g m a i l . c o m (without the spaces). Emailing me will also add you to our email list for chess club notifications. We are inviting players of ALL skill levels. While casual ("skittles") games are fun and help us learn, I believe the best way to learn is to play against others in a competitive, quiet, setting where the games all "matter." As with the Mr.Reese-coached Mill Valley team last year, our goal for children in their first tournament is to win ONE game out of the 6 usually played in a scholastic tournament. There's nothing like winning your first tournament game!

Later this Summer, I will add new posts including what chess means to me (life lessons to be translated and employed in other activities and pursuits), and what coaching means to me (promoting a positive environment focused on continual personal improvement). I welcome parental AND student input, and the entire club will active participants in our club meetings, not passive listeners. To promote teamwork, top rated students (or quickly improving students with something to say) will be providing "mini-lessons" during the club meetings for open discussion.

We look forward to next year's chess season! Enjoy the summer!

Mr. Seghers presents to Joe's Social Club!

Today, Mr. Seghers presents to LDMS' social chess club!

I will update how that went later in the day.

Welcome to the LDMS Chess Blog!

This is the new BLOG SITE for the Lake Denoon Middle School Chess Team!

This chess team will begin meeting and playing in the 2008-2009 school year. Mark Seghers, father of Reid and Evan Seghers, will be the coach. Joe Antoniewicz will continue to host his social chess club at Lake Denoon. Mark and Joe will work together to help Lake Denoon kids get the most out of chess, both as a social activity and as a competitive event.

Look for more articles as time goes on, and feel free to add your comments!

Mark Seghers
Coach, Lake Denoon Middle School Chess Team
Webmaster, Lake Denoon Middle School Chess Blog