Bateman Chess Club Newsletter

Jan. 9, 2020
 
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
 
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break!  Let’s get ready for a successful 2020 for the Bateman Chess Team!  Here are some updates as we look ahead:
 

• Please remember that we are now in our new after-school practice schedule on Mondays and Tuesdays.  There are no more Thursday afternoon practices.  Every Bateman chess player is required to attend two practices per week, so if one of the afternoons is not available, please choose either Tue. or Thu. morning to attend the extra practice.  In addition, as we prepare for more competitions, I encourage players to get some extra practice outside of our scheduled practice times.  That can be on chesskid.com (gold memberships have been renewed!), coming to Free Chess Fridays, playing friends or family members with chess sets, or participating in other chess activities like the Northwest Side Chess Club (https://www.facebook.com/groups/nwsidechess/).
• As a reminder, this Saturday’s CPS Kings & Queens tournament at Whitney Young allows for only limited entries.  I have contacted those players who have been offered an invitation to play.
• Our next free CCF tournament is the following Saturday, Jan. 18 at Rickover Naval Academy.  The information is on the back of this letter and a permission slip has been included for that event. 
• Don’t forget that all of the different chess announcements, documents, and information are available on the Bateman Chess Team website.  You can also use the website to find any forms that may have gotten lost in those book bag black holes, as well as plan ahead for upcoming events.  Bookmark: http://bateman.cps.edu/chess-team.html
• I am excited to announce that we have been awarded another CCF Pawns to Queens grant.  This will give us the opportunity to have an advanced instructor once a week.  International Master (IM) Arjun Vishnuvardhan will be coming to Bateman on Friday afternoons for the next 10 weeks to offer more advanced lessons.  All Intermediate and Advanced players are expected to attend, unless they have a conflicting activity.  All other Bateman chess team members are invited to attend.  This special program will begin next Fri. 1/17 at 3:30pm.
• We have the Greater Chicago Championships in early February (2/1/2020), which is an excellent opportunity to play in a rated tournament.  Our school qualifies for free entries (which includes a free annual membership to the official US Chess).  A flyer for that event will also be sent home soon, but please plan ahead.
• Chess March Madness is just around the bend, with city and state playoffs and championships!  All of the tournament dates and locations are on the complete Chess Team calendar on our website.
• For the past seven years Bateman has had students represented at national tournaments.  After March, we have a couple of these events for you to consider: the National K-12 Championships in Columbus, OH (4/3-5), and the National Elementary (K-6) Championships in Nashville, TN (5/8-10).  We will begin planning for those events soon, so mark your calendar.
• Students will be receiving an updated calendar that includes all of the practices and events from now until the end of March.  Please keep that schedule in a handy place to plan ahead.  You may also check the Bateman Chess Team website for any practice updates. 
• We are nearly finished in our new Chess Team track jackets.  Look for an update soon on ordering information.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact me at [email protected] or (773)534-5055.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Geisler [Member: U.S. Chess Federation, Illinois Chess Association (Youth Committee), Chicago Chess Foundation (Board member)]
Here are the details about the upcoming CCF tournament:
 
January 18th at Rickover Naval Academy*
*New address: 5700 W Berteau Ave, Chicago, IL 60634
 
 
Schedule:  Registration   8:30 - 9:15a.m.  -All players must check-in at the tournament site by 9:15!
                  Tournament  10:00a.m. - 3:15p.m.          -Late arrivals will not be paired in the first round.
                  Trophy Presentation  4:00p.m. (estimated)
  
5 Sections:  Novice K-1 (Pawns), Novice 2-3 (Knights), Novice 4-5 (Bishops), Novice 6-8 (Rooks), Intermediate, Advanced
   Unrated, no entry fee; Swiss-style, 5 rounds (est.), USCF standard tie-breaks
 
Awards:  Individual trophies to the top 7 in all sections.  Team trophies to the top two teams in all novice sections; top team in Intermediate and Advanced.  Team score calculated by top four scores in novice sections, top three scores in advanced.
 
Behavior: Remember that you are representing yourself and your school.  You are expected to follow the Blaze Ways and our Core Values wherever you go. 

chess_club_letter_01_09_2020.pdf
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permission_slip_ccf_jan._2020_at_rickover_naval.pdf
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