Muskego and Mr. Reese Rules at Blair

Lake Denoon took first place in both the highly-populated K-6 division as well as the small Open division at the Blair Elementary WSCF tournament on Feb 21st.
LDMS' team of Kolt, Brian, Josh, Zeke, and Rachel took first place by only 1/2 point over the brand-new Coach Reese-coached team at Bay Lane, led by Greg Jr. Kolt and Brian won 4, Josh and Zeke 3, and Rachel 2.5 out of the 5-round weather-shortened tournament.
Coach Reese also instructed and coached many of LDMS' players when they were part of the dominant Mill Valley squad. Not only does the momentum he inspired continue at LDMS, it now springs up in a new Muskego school! LDMS congratulates the Knights of Bay Lane on a fantastic beginning.
LDMS took the Open Division easily, winning 1st, 3rd, and 5th place trophies. Evan, Reid, and Jacob did very well. Evan took 1st place by winning 5 out of 5 games including a comeback win against Troy Z. Jacob won his first trophy!

Is Muskego the Chess Capital of Wisconsin? Is Coach Reese its founding Father?

Popular Vote Game so far

In chess class last Monday, we played a "Popular Vote" team vs. team game on the big board.
LDMS players divided into two teams, White and Black. When it was their turn, each player on the team wrote down the move they personally wanted to do. I collected the votes, and the most popular move won. The captain of each team broke any ties.

After the move, the other team talked about why that team made that move and what they might be thinking. They then voted for their own move as a response.

This exercise created lots of talk around our tournament mantra "why did they move there, and what can they do to me?" It also inspired confidence among the more beginning kids who found that the move they voted for was often the same as the move chosen by the stronger players.

Surprisingly, sometimes there were three or more alternatives voted at any particular time. Two ties so far were broken by the team captains. Below is our game so far, which is fairly even. Interested in comments on who is ahead and why. We will continue this game in two weeks. WHITE TO MOVE.

RSVP for Blair Elementary

This Saturday, LDMS will be playing at Blair Elementary in Waukesha. Click here for details.

This is a WSCF tournament and will be more widely attended than other recent WSCF tournaments. This is great practice for the GRADE LEVEL tournament coming in 2 weeks!!! And, dont forget the New Berlin tournament between now and then.

We'll have a K-6 and an Open team at Blair. Location: 301 Hyde Park, Waukesha , WI 53188

Here is the Map:

View Larger Map

Garry Kasparov To Appear at SuperNationals!

Kasparov Showing the Computer Who's Boss

We are looking for ONE MORE K-5 U900 player to play at the Nationals! So far we have Kolt, Chris T, and Rachel (tentative). One more would give us a team, and a good shot at a trophy. Reid and Evan going and playing in the Open.
Below is an article about Kasparov attending the SuperNationals. He has been a hero to me, not just because of his historic chess talent, but also because of the man he is, and what he represents to Russia and to the world. He ran for President against Putin, risking his life to denounce what Kasparov felt was a fascist regime comparable to that of Nazi Germany. He has leveraged his global celebrity status to write about today's Russia and to fight for what he believes. Here is an example. Of course, in the election, he was not allowed to win... at least through some very careful examination of his food before every meal he ate, he has been able to stay alive...

(below is an article from USchess.org site)
Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess legend of our time and to many, the greatest player ever, will appear at the 2009 SuperNationals in Nashville, Tennessee (April 3-5)!
The appearance is in conjunction with the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the United States Chess Federation. Kasparov said, "SuperNationals is the apex of scholastic chess competitions in the United States and I'm excited to have an opportunity to give encouragement to the thousands of kids participating."
The former World Champion was ranked #1 in the world for 20 years straight. Kasparov is now the chairman of the board of Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF), a non profit that promotes chess in education in the U.S. Kasparov told CLO, "The Kasparov Chess Foundation is the preeminent non-profit organization promoting scholastic chess. I believe that our continuous cooperation with the USCF through scholastic events and our in-school chess education program will reach as many students as possible." Kasparov is a Wall Street Journal columnist, where he writes about chess and political activities associated with the opposition coalition of which he is a leader, "The Other Russia." Kasparov is also the author of numerous books including the acclaimed series, My Great Predecessors.
Kasparov will appear at the SuperNationals opening ceremony and will participate in other events throughout the weekend, which will be outlined later. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a hero to millions, and also to be a part of what may be a record-shattering event!
Four years ago, the SuperNationals, also held in Nashville, was the largest tournament in history, with 5,320 participants. Bill Hall, the executive director of the United States Chess Federation, thinks that Kasparov's appearance may result in a new record. "I am beyond excited that Kasparov, a living chess legend and one of the most inspiring figures of our times, will be at the SuperNationals." The majority of rooms at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel are sold out. Reserve immediately for a chance to stay at the host hotel. Information on overflow hotels will be posted when necessary. Click here for the official press release on Kasparov's appearance, register at the official site, and stay tuned for further updates on activities by all the stars in Nashville.

Stars Confirmed to Appear at the SuperNationals:

• Living Chess Legend Garry Kasparov


• Women's World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk


• U.S. Champion GM Yury Shulman


• Grandmaster Alexander Stripunsky


• U.S. Women's Champion Anna Zatonskih


• Grandmaster Maurice Ashley


• Four-time U.S. Champion Alexander Shabalov

Comments on this blog

While I heartily welcome comments on this blog,
This is a moderated blog.

This means that comments are either accepted or rejected by me depending on my view of how useful or informative a comment might be.
I delete spam, advertisements and any comment that is mean-spirited and intentionally combative.
And having nothing to do with chess.

This is a positive informational site for LDMS players, family and followers.
While I welcome positive and constructive comments, I simply reject the rest.

Thank you!

LDMS Players Compete in National Team Tournament

Several LDMS players competed in the national team tournament yesterday on Valentine's Day.

Competing in the National USCF Team Tournament event were: Evan, Kolt, Reid, Rachel, Chris T, Josh and Jacob.

This was not an LDMS event... it was a generic United States Chess Federation event, wherein each participant was playing on their own. In this case, as part of a four-player team (and regardless of school name/city/etc.

16 teams participated in the four-round scholastic division. The team of four 5th graders Gregory Reese, Jr (Bay Lane), Evan Seghers, Reid Seghers, and Kolt Otterbacher (called the Muskego Knights) won their first three games, and were playing for the overall national championship against four high-schoolers from the prestigious University School of Milwaukee. Unfortunately, though they fought hard, the Muskego Knights took 1.5 out of 4 points in that round, to lose to US-M. The Muskego Knights took first place in the Elementary Division and second place overall.

Rachel Gomoll took a nice trophy as part of the 3rd place elementary team, and Chris Tillson also took home an award as part of his team. Jacob Glumm, in his first USCF tournament, took 2 out of 4. Reid Seghers took 1st place of all board 3 players, going 4-0 in his four games, and winning a year's subscription to the Internet Chess Club.

Next week- back to regular WSCF tournament circuit, see schedule below.

Updated CHESS SCHEDULE

Below are the events LDMS is expected to attend for the remainder of the season. WSCF tournaments are great for Beginners. The very important tournaments are in larger font.

The big two for us this spring are the Grade Level tournament, March 7^th, where we have a great shot to take the WI 5^th Grade title, and Supernationals April 3,4,5 at the fabulous Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, where we will have a K5 Under 900 and a K5 Open team. Some of the tournaments have information available in links, others have no information yet. – Mr. Seghers.

February 14- Loyola Academy High School – WSCF – Milwaukee – great for beginners - would like to have a K-6 team here!
February 14- US Amateur Team Championship – USCF – Milwaukee – May involve 3-5 LDMS advanced players. USCF rating for 4-person team must average close to 1200. Click on link for details.

Feb 21- Blair Elementary School - WSCF - Waukesha

Feb 28 – Wisconsin All Girls Chess Tournament- WSCF- Milwaukee- Rachel and Willa, can you find any other girl players between now and then?
Feb 28th - New Berlin Open - Independent and USCF - Saturday, Feb 28th, 2009 -Elmwood Elementary, 5900 S. Sunny Slope Rd. Flyer coming soon. Will have a K-3, K-5, K-8 unrated Scholastic. Also Rated USCF, I am still evaluating options. Might have a YouthFriend partnership awarrds categories. An adult could pair with a student for a team of two prize in each category. Any Lake Denoon parents who would play if their score could be combined with a child?

Mar 7^th – Wisconsin Grade Level Championships – WSCF - St Francis - This is a great tournament, where each player competes only with kids in his/her own grade level.

Mar 14^th – Rose Glen Elementary – WSCF - Waukesha

Mar 21^st – 22^nd - 2009 Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Championships – USCF – An important scholastic tournament. See link for details. A K-5 division we should be able to do VERY well in. In Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Gruenhagen Hall.

Apr 3,4,5 – Supernationals IV- Nashville, TN- This is the BIG ONE! So far, Reid, Evan, Kolt and Chris T. are going. Josh and Jason are considering… Please see Mr. Seghers, we are looking for both K-5 Open players (unlimited rating) and K-5 Under 900 players (USCF rating must be under 900 or unrated).

Apr 18, 19 - WSCF Wisconsin State Championships – Wisconsin Dells – Kalahari Resort – The Seghers family will be out of town this weekend most likely, but What a great way to end the WSCF season! Chess at a Water Park! Looking for one or more of the parents to lead the chess team this weekend.

Jacob Saratt

If Jacob Saratt would like to talk, Mr. Seghers asks that he use email Seghers@gmail.com or telephone. Or, talk to me at any upcoming tournament. We will be there, and you can count on it!

Loyola Academy

Rachel will be attending the Loyola Academy tournament this Saturday- I would like to see if we can get a K6 and/or K12 team for this WSCF tournament! The link is below, with details.http://www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org/websource/web/flyer/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Loyola%20Academy%20Flyer%20-%20for%20merge.pdf

This tournament is the place to be for growing players! Dan Gomoll will be the on-site coach for this event. I will also be there during the day, sharing time with the other event. We also have a National Team Scholastic tournament. Three kids are on a team- Reid, Kolt and Evan, playing with Gregory Reese of Bay Lane. I am trying to match up one LDMS player to a team, please let me know if there are others I can match up. While this is an advanced tournament, a lower-rated player can match up with higher-rated players to get close to the 1000+ average that would make a team competitive. Please let me know if I can help to match your child to a team... no guarantees but I will do all I can!!!!! Otherwise please consider the Loyola Academy tournament listed above!

LDMS Knights Dominate Last Two Weeks

Sat Feb 6:
Congratulations again to the LDMS chess team, the Knights of LDMS, who took first place in BOTH the K-5 and K-8 divisions at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Port Washington. Our K-5 team of Brian Schroeder, Kolt Otterbacher, Brady Megal and Zeke Baker edged out the tough Golda Meir team, and our K-8 team of Reid and Evan Seghers, Chris Tillson and Jacob Glumm dominated what turned out to be a K-12 field by scoring 22 out of a possible 24 points.
Here is a link to the full results: http://www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org/websource/web/results/2009-02-07-tjms-results.pdf
In the K-5 division, Brian trophied at 3rd place, tied with 4.5 wins with Kolt and also with Jorin McGuire, a former Mill Valley teammate. In K-8, LDMS took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th place. A special congratulations to two of our newcomers- Zeke Baker, who has improved each tournament and got 3 wins for the first time, and Jacob Glumm who took 5 wins!

Sat Jan 30:
Last week, LDMS also dominated at the Youth Leadership Academy in Milwaukee. Another three first place finishes! At the Youth Leadership Academy in Milwaukee, the LDMS Knights took first place in the Open Division, and second place in K-6. Evan Seghers and Reid Seghers each took first place trophies in those divisions. Chris Tillson took home a third place trophy in K-6. Also participating for the Knights this week were Jacob Glumm, Kolt Otterbacher, and Zeke Baker. Everybody contributed to the victories!!!

Chess Class next three Mondays

There will be chess class for the next 2 weeks, Feb 9 and 16, but not on the 23rd