Bateman Chess Club & All-Stars Newsletter

Nov. 20, 2018
 
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
 
          Congratulations to the players who participated in their first tournament last weekend at Brooks High School.  Two of our teams got 2nd place, and we had four individuals earn trophies!  Please see several important updates below and on the back of this letter:

• Many flyers have been and will be sent home for other chess events.  Some of these are rated tournaments that require entry fees, while others are free events offered by a variety of organizations like the Chicago Chess Center, the Knights Move Chess Club in Pilsen, among others.  Whenever the event is a team event that is open to all of our players, I will attach a permission slip.  Otherwise, the participation is optional.  As always, if you ever have any questions about any of the upcoming chess events, do not hesitate to contact me.
• One of the recent flyers is for a free event happening during the Thanksgiving break, if you are interested.  The Chicago Latino Chess Championship is happening at the Lozano branch of the Chicago Public Library in the Pilsen neighborhood on Sat. Nov. 24.  It is not a full team event, but if you are free and want your child to have another chance for chess competition, this is a good opportunity.  If you plan to participate in this event or if you have questions about it, please email me to let me know (acgeisler@cps.edu).
• There is also a rated tournament over the break with a 1, 2 or 3 day option called the Sevan Memorial.  The one-day event is on Friday, and is called Black (and White) Friday Scholastic.  You should have already received a flyer about these events, but if you have questions about them, you may email me.
• Please save the date of Sat. Dec. 1.  That will be the next Chicago Chess Foundation (CCF) tournament at Rickover Naval Academy.  More details are on the back of this letter, as well as a permission slip.
• Many parents have expressed an eagerness for more chess apparel, so I have contacted our hoodie vendor, and we are also working on a new design for chess team shirts.  Next week, I will be sending home an interest form if you are considering an order for a shirt or hoodie.  More information will be on the form, but if you have any questions, let me know. 
• There will be more tournaments in 2019.  In December, I will be sending home an updated calendar of practices and upcoming events to allow parents and guardians time to mark their calendars.  One date that is confirmed in January is Sat. Jan. 19 for the first CCF tournament of 2019 at De La Salle Institute.
• Every Chess team member now has their Chesskid.com Gold membership.  Students should be using their accounts for additional practice and sharpening of their skills.  Family and homework should always come first, but the Chesskid memberships were paid for by school fundraising, and therefore should be used when possible.
• Thanks to the help of some intrepid parent volunteers, we will be revamping the Bateman Chess Team website, and linking that to a Bateman Facebook parent page.  As soon as they are live, I will be sending out more information on how to use these great resources, but in the meantime, please continue to check the Bateman School website and its Google calendar for updates.
• Finally, in case you haven’t heard, the Chess World Championship is happening right now in London, England.  For the first time in 46 years, an American is competing for the title!  If you would like to root on Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana as he challenges the current World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, you can follow the games on a variety of platforms, including chess.com and the main tournament website, worldchess.com.  We have even taken some time during our lessons to analyze some of the great games the two have already played.

 
 
    Thank you for involving your child in this program.  If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact me at acgeisler@cps.edu or (773)534-5055.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Geisler
Member: U.S. Chess Federation, Illinois Chess Association (Youth Committee), Chicago Chess Foundation (Board member)
 
 
CCF at Rickover Naval Academy (connected to Senn High School)
5900 N. Glenwood (1400 West), just south of Thorndale
 
Entrance/Parking:  We'll be using Door 10 on the west side of the building, facing Ridge Ave. and the athletic fields.  We have use of the small parking lot adjacent to the entrance at Door 10.  The entrance to the lot is off of Thorndale, on the north side of the school.  Thorndale is a one-way street headed west, so you will need to approach the school from the east on Thorndale to enter the lot.  There should also be some street parking available.
 
Schedule:  Sign-in  8:30 - 9:30am      -All players must check-in at the tournament site by 9:30!
                  Tournament  10:00am - 3:15pm  -Late arrivals will not be paired in the first round.
                  Trophy Presentation  3:30 (est.)
 
5 Sections:  Novice K-2, Novice 3-4, Novice 5-6, Novice 7-8, Advanced
 
   Non-rated, no entry fee, sets provided, Swiss-style, 5 rounds, USCF standard tiebreaks
   G/20 + 5 sec. increment in Advanced section when clocks are available
  Advanced players please bring clocks if possible; Notation required in the Advanced section
 
Awards:  Individual trophies to the top 7 in all sections.  Team trophies to the top two teams in all sections.  Team score calculated by top four scores in novice sections, top three scores in advanced.
 
Please complete the attached permission slip by Tue. Nov. 27 if your child is planning to participate. 
 

Download Newsletter

Download Chicago Latino Chess Championship Flyer

Download Black (& White) Friday Scholastic Flyer

Download Annual Sevan Memorial Tournament Flyer

Download Permission Slip                                                                                                                                  CC_AS_3