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We talked about the new school year and the upcoming tournaments (the WSCF schedule is still unpublished) and much more.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