By Dan Heisman

A
Parent's
Guide
to
Chess
Dan Heisman

2oO2

Russell Enterprises, lnc.

Milford, CT USA

A Parent's Guide b Ctcs$

@Copyright?/ffi,

Acknowled

DanHeim"

lntroductior

AU Rights Rescrrcn

Chapter 1::

ISBN: l-888690-12:l

Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:

Publishedby:
Russell Enterprises,

Chapter4:

Ir.

234Depot Road

Milfor4 CT 06460USA

Chapter 5:

hQ ://www. chesscafe.o(m

Chapter 6:

hun@chesscafe.com

Cover design by OutExcel! Cory., Al Lawrenoe,

Merz, Art Director.

Printed in the Unitod StaEs

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ofArcht

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Appendix

Appendix

Appendix

Table of Gontents
Acknowledgments

lntroduction

Chapter 1: Why Should My Child PIay Chess?

10

Chapter 2: Getting Started

11

Chapter 3: Chess and Computers

4',|

Chapter 4: Toumament Participation

51

Chapter 5: The Road to lmprovement

93

Chapter 6: The Personal Side of Chess

111

Appendix A: A Glossary of Chess Terms

121

Appendix B: A Guide for Spectator Conduct

145

Appendix C: Special lssues for Moms

147

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Hanon Russell, the publisher of

Ghesscafe.com, for bringing this book to market so that
chess parents, and thus the world of chess, can benefit.
Special kudos to Taylor Kingston, GhessGafe.com's
thoughtful editor, who made the text more readable and
therefore more helpfu!.
Secondly, I would like to thank Brian Karen, who helped
brainstorm the project and lay out the book's structure.
Next, I would like to thank Lois Deckelbaum and Barbara
Schoener, who provided Appendix C, Specra/ /ssues for
Moms, and Michele White, who originally suggested this
very helpful feature. I would also like to thank Steve Shutt,

chess coach of several times national champion

Masterman High School, who suggested using the
spectator guidelines presented in Appendix B.
would also like to thank Jeff Coakley of Canada's Chess'n
Math Association for providing material specific to his
organization.
I

Finally, I would like to thank all the parents, organizers,

tournament directors, and everyone else associated with
the growing world of scholastic chess. Most of them perform
their tasks as volunteers. Their efforts seldom receive any
fanfare, but their contributions are extremely helpfu!, even
necessary and are appreciated more than they probably
will ever know.
Dan Heisman
March 2002

lntroduction

The Che
Charitabl

Welcome to the wonderful world of chess! The royal game

offers many benefits to players of all ages. This book is
intended as a guide to help parents explore this expanding
world and to maximize its benefits for their children. Putting
all this information in one place will, we hope, make your
journey a lot easier.

official G
very simil

The movie Searching for Bobby Fischerwas a phenomenal

success, and served as a catalyst for the growth of

scholastic chess in North America. !n 1990, only about
10% of tournament chess players in the US were under
age 19; today, over half are! So you are one of a large
group of parents who are "searching for More Guidance"

The US(
Scho/asO
programs

calling

1-

booklet is
Therefon

to fill a

individual
involved r

about this wonderfu! hobbY.

What is !
Scholasti

The US and Ganadian Ghess Federations

Most organized chess is played in tournaments run by
affiliates of nationa! chess federations. Part of this book is
aimed at helping a parent learn more about these
federations and how you can use them to maximize your
child's enjoyment and involvement.

students I
sometime
students I
may also

The US Chess Federation (USCF) is a not-for-profit

organization headquartered in Newburgh, New York. It
serves as the official US arm of FIDE, the international

Scholasti
as schod

national,
There an

exclusivel
most club
with rega
players d
unusual a

chess federation. The USCF performs many of the normal

functions of any organization: it coordinates its members,
provides a periodic mag azine, sells equipment, formulates
rules, establishes affiliates, certifies directors, holds
national championships, and promotes the game. lt also
rates the performance of its members in a very scientific

10-yearo
- and ma

manner. Scholastic players usually become keenly

interested in the rating system, os it enables them
accurately to measure their progress. Chapter 4 includes

has a

more information on the rating system.

Besides il

members

The Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) is a Canadian

Charitable organization headquartered in Ottawa. lt is the
official Canadian representative to FIDE and has functions
very similar to the USCF, promoting chess for all ages.

The USCF provides a fine booklet titled A Guide to

Scho/astic Chess. Readers who are involved with school
programs should request a free copy of this booklet by
calling 1-800-388-KING or via www.uschess.org. This
booklet is primarily aimed at administrators and teachers.
Therefore this book, A Parent's Guide to Chess, intends
to fill a scholastic void by helping parents with their
individual concerns; it should also be very helpfu! to anyone
involved with scholastic chess.

What is Scholastic Chess?

Scholastic chess is usually defined to include school-age
students from grades K-12. Even pre-kindergarten children
sometimes compete in scholastic events, and pre-college
students below age 19 who are not affiliated with a school
may also be eligible for scholastic events.
Scholastic chess encompasses a number of activities, such

as school clubs, school team matches, and Iocal, state,

national, and even international tournaments and titles.
There are many private clubs devoted
exclusively to scholastic play, although

olos
also

most clubs and tournaments are "open"

with regard to age; that is, they allow
players of all ages to participate. !t is not
unusual at a chess tournament to see a
1O-year-old playing someone who is 65
- and maybe the 10-year-old is the big favorite!

ly

lhem

Besides its monthly adultmagazine Chess Life, the USCF

has a periodical devoted exclusively to its younger

members: SchoolMates. The CFC's magazine is En

Passanf, which is published bi-monthly. There are many

chess books, web-sites, and software titles aimed primarily
or exclusively at young players; these subjects are
discussed in several sections of this book.

*Pn

rich in
often n

isapc

opport
games
encoul

Besides the official state organizations, there are other

organizations devoted to scholastic chess, for example the
Chess-rn-Schoo/s program (formerly the American Chess
Foundation), The Chess Education Association, oh
independent US chess program, and Chessh Math, a
Canadian organization which has its own magazine,
Scholar's Mate.

many (
chess i
in mon

The Parent's Role

Chess provides an excellent opportunity for a parent to

or two i
in size

strengthen the relationship with his or her child. While some

parents are busy and cannot actively get involved, those
who do often find it both rewarding and interesting. Ways
in which a parent can become involved might include one
or more of the following:

Learn about the world of chess - This helps the parent

guide his child to the maximum benefits and pleasures of
playing and interacting in this arena.

ri. Learn about the game of chess - Learn to play (better)

yourself. This will enable you to play with your child and
understand the games they play with
other children. For example, you mn ,"

purchase a chess book like

Grandmaster Patrick Wolff's l
excellent beginner's work The

G-;

",,

or

Complete ldiot's Guide fo Chess

"*
- i Or
Second
the author's Everyone's
Chess Book, and read out loud or
review what you have learned with your child.
6)

O lr

*Ta
travel

intered

*Pn

and rne
unless
you
or call

spons(
toumar
is that
funding

*Co

in ches
events,
date on
find the
and du

{.w

local sc

drer
the

,?D

Provide encouragement

Chess, like any other activity

rich in content, is filled with highs and lows. Parents are
often rewarded by teaching their children that while winning
is a positive goal, losing is not "bad" - it provides a learning
opportunity, and that even the best players have lost many
games but always learned from them. Parents should
encourage their children to study and play their best; like
many other activities, you get out what you put in - and
chess is attractive in that it is ultimately fair: those who put
in more effort derive more benefits.

.?.

trce

Take the student to chess activities - Visit a Iocal club

or two and attend tournaments. Tournaments vary greatly
in size and type. Parents of serious chess students often
travel with them to out-of-town tournaments for added
interest and enjoyment.

Ways
one

to

sune

Provide local publicity and sponsorship - Local papers

and media outlets usually don't know about the chess world
unless someone notifies them. lf you are a good writer,
you can write media releases, or maybe visit
or ca!! the paper. You can also help find

sponsors, who provide

for

better

tournaments and prizes. One selling point

is that chess sponsorships require less
funding than most other scholastic sports!
a

Communicate with other parents and people involved

in chess. Parents can take turns carpooling students to
events, and often form a network that keeps them up-todate on the activities of the chess world and helps them to
find the best tournaments, books, instructors, web-sites,
and clubs for their students.

Work with schools and scholastic clubs - Help your

local schools and clubs support scholastic chess. Visit with

your child's school to see if it has a chess program and, if

so, what you can do to help. lf it doesn't have one, maybe
you can encourage the administrators to start one by
sharing some of the information provided in this book.

different conEr
to locate, and
worthwhile infu

Who Should Read this Book?

While the intended reader of this book is a parent of a
young chess player, there is plenty of information for:

While most

there is a gru

so please fu

Scholastic organizers and aspiring tournament

directors, School teachers and administrators interested
in organizing a scholastic club; and

Young chess players.

Scope
There inevitably will be something you would have liked to
see in A Parent's Guide to Chess which was omitted, or
information that became out-of-date the moment it was
printed. The references inside, such as chess web-sites,
should provide the reader with upto-date answers to most
questions you may have. I checked all the web references
before the book went to the publisher, but inevitably some
of these addresses may have changed by the time you
read this.

Other media material definitely complements A Parent's

Guide fo Chess. ln particular, my Everyone's 7d Chess
Book can be considered almost a companion volume,
emphasizing the playing side of the game to players of all
ages and their instructors, including specia! sections on
chess etiquette, common misconceptions, misunderstood
rules, etc.

A small amount of important information has

been
intentionally included in two or three different places
because it pertains to multiple subjects, such as Registering

for tournaments and Enhancing your tournament

experience. Usually the material is presented in slightly

Gender

d[

among femalet
was written furi
instead of "hefr
meant to apply

Opinion
It is impossl*
offering oprnir
helpful, or wlri
most popula- I
and do not repr
The reader b t
seek out

otts'

In addition,

itm

to all the myrh

to the readeradditional reu
do web seardu

Contact the Ar
Any commerG
directed to

tfe;

e-mail: danheisrr
web: http://myd

d, if

different contexts. We hope the repetition will make it easier

]be

to locate, and provide different perspectives on this

lby

worthwhile i nformation.

Gender
While most of the chess world is male,
there is a growing interest in chess
among females of all ages. This book
was written for all sons and daughters,
so please forgive my use of "he"
instead of "he/she" - my pronouns are
meant to apply to all!

!
ll'

tsto

f,ot

li""
Es,

lct

F
trne
ryou
l,

rfs
fess
rne,

ilall
Don

bod

Opinion
It is impossible to serve the reader without occasionally
offering opinions, such as which books I feel are most
helpful, or which type of chess clock appears to be the
most popular. The opinions are solely those of the author,
and do not represent those of the publisher or anyone else.
The reader is encouraged to do further research and to
seek out other opinions to help form his own.
ln addition, it would also be impossible to include references
to all the myriad books and web-sites that may be of use

to the reader. An interested parent should reference

additional recommendations, like those at my web-site, or
do web searches to augment my limited lists.

Contact the Author

Any comments or questions are welcome and can be
directed to the author:

Een

e-mail : danheisman@comcast. net

EES

web : http ://mywebpages. comcast. neUd

tu
nent
Ftv

an

Dan Heisman
March 2002

heisma n/chess. htm

CHAPTER

During tlre

answer might be:

selected i
were givs
classrocn
scored i1
of the yea

,
*

Briefly, ttr
factors:

Why Should My Child Play Ghess?

Why should a child play chess? A short and effective

Chess is fun, and

Chess is good for you.

Everyone picks a hobby that is fun, so your child likely

finds chess fun or you would not be reading this book. So
!et's skip directly to why chess is good for you.

1. Chess

2. Chess I
for pradir

There are direct and indirect benefits to playing chess:

Chess, as a mental exercise, strengthens
the brain, resulting in better mental
development in youngsters. For the same
reason, playing chess benefits adults,
especially seniors, who need active mental pastimes to
help them stay alert as they get older.

3. Chess r
for proHel

4. Chess
when usg

playing strr

Participation in chess for youngsters has many social and

emotiona! side benefits. Several are discussed below.

Grades and Standardized Tests

The web pages www.uschess.org/scholastic/scresearch.html and amchess.org/research/ are devoted to

the benefits of chess. The former lists 11 research articles
and 29 supplementary articles. Many cover the direct
benefits, but others concentrate more on the indirect.
Here are the findings of a study cited in one of those articles, Chess in Education Research Summaryby Dr. Robert Ferguson, a leading expert on the benefits of chess:

l0

interest,

students, a

(Stephar
6. A

lead

hasapci
Ieaming.

11

of cognilir

During the 1995-96 school year, two classrooms were

selected in each of five schools. Students (N=112)
were given instruction in chess and reasoning in one
classroom in each school. Pupils in the chess program
scored significantly higher reading scores at the end
of the year ... Why does chess have this impact?
Briefly, there appear to be at Ieast seven significant
factors:
1. Chess accommodates all modality strengths.

2. Chess provides a far greater quantity of problems

for practice.
3. Chess offers immediate punishments and rewards
for problem solving.

tal
same
Its,
to

4. Chess creates a pattern or thinking system that,

when used faithfully, breeds success. The chess
playing students had become accustomed to looking
for more and different alternatives, which
resulted in higher scores in fluency and
originality.

5. Competition. Competition fosters

t"
direct

interest, promotes menta! alertness, challenges all

students, and elicits the highest levels of achievement
(Stephan, 1988).

6. A Iearning environment organized around games

has a positive effect on students' attitudes toward
learning. The affective dimension acts as a facilitator
of cognitive achievement (Allen & Main 1976)

lnstructive gaming is one of the most motivational tools

in the good teacher's repertoire. Children love games.
Chess motivates them to become willing problem
solvers and spend hours quietly immersed in logical
thinking. These same young people often cannot sit
still for fifteen minutes in the traditional classroom.

competition. W
small child

Tearnu

awards, and st
in a positive m

7. Chess supplies a variety and quality of problems.

As Langen (1992) states: "The problems
that arise in the 70-90 positions of the
average chess game are, moreover,

new. Contexts are familiar, themes

repeat, but game positions never do.
This makes chess good grist for the
problem-solving mill."
Another article that appeared in Chess Life magazine in
1998, "Chess and Standard Test Scores" by James M.
Liptrap, began with this summary:

noted positive r
have to orgariz
pieces, boarq
all, he needs

a Iogical rxlu
activities.

*
Regular (non-honors) Elementary students
who participated in a school chess club
showed twice the improvement of nonchessplayers in Reading and Mathematics
between third and fifth grades on the Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills...

lndirect Benefits
While more difficult to prove than academic improvement,
the indirect benefits of playing chess are nonetheless real.
They can help youngsters in many ways, including:

Fair pla

Rewards

- UUf

chess is abul
students uilp s

most almoat d
who is more

t
amount of wl
counter+xilT
another

yotrql

chess you ca
consistently

qt

Dealirg

is so imporffi
on. You rneetd

allows students to deal with the highs and lows of

and old, good

adult durirlg a

Dealing with success and adversity - Whether it be

wins and losses, prizes, or just public performance, chess

I2

bds
trps.
Hem

:ftal
Dt sit

llr.

competition. While most chess activities are low-key, for a

small child even small events may take on significance.

Teamwork - Many scholastic events have team

awards, and students learn to support others on their team
in a positive manner.

My son views chess

Socialization
tournaments as one big pizza and Chinese
food party.

Organization - Several studies have

noted positive results in this area. Not only does a student
have to organize his chess study, but also his game books,
pieces, board, clock, schedule, etc. But perhaps most of
all, he needs to Iearn to organize his thoughts to produce

a logical move, and this carries over to other similar

activities.

Fair Play and Work Yietding Just

- While nothing is perfectly fair,
chess is about as good as it gets. The
students who study the most and play the
most almost always tend to be better players, no matter
who is more talented. Youngsters appreciate this. As a
Rewards

ment,
e real.

counter-example, if they took up sprinting then almost no

amount of work would enable them to win a race against
another youngster who is appreciably faster. However, in
chess you can catch almost anyone whom you are
consistently outworking.

If

be

dress

rcof

Dealing with Others - This aspect of the chess world

is so important that it will have its own sub-section further
on. You meet a!! types of players in the chess world, young
and old, good players and bad. Being paired against an
adult during a chess activity may provide your child his

13

first opportunity to deal with an adult on an equal

basis.

tournameril
quietly ard

It might be a similar experience when playing

There are n
leadership n
club. Depant
when to be

much older or younger children. A youngster also

has to learn how to deal with the occasional irritating opponent, and those lessons are also helpful outside the chess arena.

Respect for the Rules

- Chess has very well-defined

rules, both for playing the game, and for running

tournaments. Not only does the player have to Iearn how
to play within these rules, but the better he understands
them, the more it is to his advantage.

i.

Patience - A good chess player knows when to push

his advantage and how not to try for more than his position
demands. Also, youngsters tend to play too quickly, so
learning to play more slowly (and consequently better) is
one of the most important chess lessons he can learn.

Selflessness - A chess player who

thinks his moves are more important than
his opponent's wil! soon find out that he
needs to think of the other's moves as just
as important. Beginners who only consider
their own moves remain beginners until
they can think about what both sides might be able to do.
ln addition, players who do not respect their opponents
and behave poorly soon get a bad reputation in the chess
community.

- You would not believe how many

parents think this is their youngster's most incredible
achievement. A chess playing hall is kept quiet by the
Playing Quietly

t4

required: a d
each mo\re o
the other pta
You can prct
chess is a d
side benefls

Finally, a

participatirg,
in which tey
their parenl

ft

Searching
theme of tle

Gollege and

st

Chess
h
basis for a fi
the Universil

more we[Iil

admissions (
and partid d

Uniur
(www.utdala

Univen
(www.umbc.t

At the zffn
Univensityf

tournament director, so a young player has to learn to play

quietly and talk only in certain situations.

There are many other indirect benefits. For example,

leadership might come into play if your student joins a
club. Dependability becomes a factor when he has to learn

when to be ready for the next round. Consrstency is

required: a child learns to play in the correct manner on
each move or suffer the consequences. Cooperafion with
the other players and the tournament director is required.
You can probably add a few more. The bottom line is clear:
chess is a disciplined activity with many
side benefits.

Finally, a child who plays chess is

participating in an organized, fun activity
in which they can share their feelings with

their parents. Anyone who has seen

Searching for Bobby Fischer knows that this was a main
theme of the movie and one of its positive messages.

tE
EI

t1pst
der

ntil
do.

rts

College and Scholarships

Chess can help you get into college and can even be the
basis for a full scholarship! Recently both Princeton and
the University of Chicago announced that they are giving
more weight to mental sports, such as chess, in their
admissions considerations, and two universities give full
and partial chess scholarships (!):

a'.

BSS

nv

(unnnru.

*
Ue
Ute

University of Texas, Dallas (honors) campus

University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
umbc.edu/chess/ )

At the 2001 National High School Championship, the

University of Texas offered my son a ful! chess scholarship!

15

No one was more surprised (by their offer

and the entire situation) than l! But this
unexpected offer is great proof that chess
can be much more than a secondary hobby.

and cfrc
us; we'l

Chess? No! Music, of course!

ln Eurq
chess p
their "P
Americi
that is l
playing,
social. I
by no*

But if music and chess are so alike, why does American

culture embrace and encourage music so much, while
almost frowning at times on chess? I would like to relate a
short story illustrating this imbalance.

Almost
the othe
apprecii
idea of

Within the past few years I contacted my son's school

Not so
spectafi

Chess and American Culture

It is a profession for some, but a hobby for
most. lt is primarily a mental activity. Studies
show it is good for you. Young participants
who do well are called "prodigies."

district about hosting chess tournaments. After not returning

my calls over a period of months, the local administration
office finally told me, "We are undergoing construction at
all the district's schools over the next four years and cannot
host any activities." (!)
"At every school at once? All activities? Doesn't that mean
all after-school clubs and football games and fund-raisers
al! have to be cancelled, too? For four years?"

"Well, maybe two.]'

This is a true story. I consider myself one of the better

chess instructors in the country and, os the Scholastic
Coordinator for Pennsylvania, ! was not exactly without
credentials. But I felt like I was being treated as if ! had
offered to host a symposium advocating bad manners!

lf the person making the offer had been Van Cliburn or

Elton John, I don't think that would have been the response.
ln that case, the mayor and a large crowd would have been

part of the welcoming committee. The school district

spends tens of thousands of dollars on band, orchestra,
I6

Finally,
physicd
lower ru
North A
very qu
benefits
Fischer
changin
fact tha
chess g

My wib
given cfr

but nm

scene, il
The yot
smart, n
been a

offer

ut this

and choir at all levels of the district. But chess? "Don't call
us; we'll cal! you."

idtess
lrcbby
1

lty tor
S.rOles

hinnts
:

l,prican
L while

@tea

ln Europe the respect for chess is much greater. ln Russia

chess players receive strong respect and occasionally win
their "Professiona! Athlete of the Year" award. ln North
America chess is often viewed as a hobby for "nerds," and
that is not cool. Secondly, chess players are quiet when
playing, so the activity is looked upon by some as antisocial. But most of all, chess cannot easily be appreciated
by non-players.

Almost everyone likes listening to music of one form or

the other. Music evokes emotions, and good music can be
appreciated even if the person next door has a different
idea of what good music is.

Not so with chess. Non-players cannot follow it, so the

spectator aspect is diminished.

imean

haisers

better

lblastic
iri'thout

ill

had
rrers!

hrm

or
Fponse.
F been

district
dtestra,

Finally, chess is competitive. We see that as good in

physical sports, but somehow it earns a mental sport a
lower rung on the cultural ladder than music. I don't see
North American cultural attitudes toward chess changing
very quickly. Nonetheless, as more studies prove the
benefits of chess, and movies such as Search ing for Bobby
Fischer show it as a legitimate youth activity, attitudes are
changing for the better. Additional support comes from the
fact that more young women are playing as scholastic
chess grows.

My wife put it succinctly: "! wouldn't have

given chess a thought when I was younger,
but now that I am familiar with the chess
scene, if I had to do it all over again, I would have played.
The youngsters who play chess are, for the most part,
smart, we!!-mannered, and good role models. ltwould have
been a great way to meet some attractive guys!"

L]

as "Do you m
touched my

Chapter 2

li

Getting Started

Another prerer

2.1 When is a Child Ready to PIay Ghess?

There is a difference between when a child is ready to
learn chess rules, and when he is ready to play in a social
setting, such as a scholastic tournament. At a tournament
or club the child must be able to play quietly, follow standard
rules, and publicly tolerate losing.

Most children can learn how to play before age seven,

and many can play reasonably before they turn six. ln order
to play a complete game, theY must
understand not only how all the pieces move,
but also the concepts of taking turns,
checkmate, draws (including stalemate),
promotion, and other non-move-related
rules. The idea that players take turns is
usually learned from simpler games, and
likely will not give beginners much difficulty.
On the other hand, understanding checkmate requires a
little more sophistication, as the idea of "checkmating" a
king involves nof its capture, but its inability to avoid capture
on the next move, and this concept often gives youngsters
some difficulty.
Ready to Play in Tournaments
Many youngsters are able to move the pieces correctly,
but are not yet able to sit and play quietly. While this is fine
for games against a relative or friend, it is usually not
tolerated in formal play. Since chess requires concentration,
it is not fair to opponents or players nearby if a player is
attempting conversations. The principal things a player is
allowed to say (quietly) during formal competitions are
restricted to comments directly allowed by the rules, such

l8

that do not irnrc

must recogria
the board, ard
and get the hr
a claim. Marryl
with their opf
the rules, oh
also helptul ifl
pairing sheet,
playing on, ul
how to mark u
continual pau

While many sl
the mental
for the emdh
involve luclq r
easily blamedr
personally. Tl
students only, t
a manner thili
such as cryig
problem sucfi i
this issue in rn

and Lows, hIJ

is often moreh

when the

cl*

world."

There is also a
learn and stnt
become a'Sfn

as "Do you want a draw?" or "That move is illegal" or "You

touched my bishop; you have to take it."

Hy

to
ra social

mament
rlandard

; seven,
;

tst

order

ty rnust
ls move,

turns,
hrnate),
rrelated
D

'trms
tss,

is
and

ffculty.

qlires a
Eling" a
lcapture
lrrtgsters

urectly,
fs is fine
ually not
rilration,
player is
ptayer is

ftrts

are

bs, such

Another prerequisite for formal play is to understand rules

that do not involve moving the pieces. For example, a player
must recognize when something unusual is happening at
the board, and have the presence of mind to stop his game
and get the tournament director, to ask a question or make
a claim. Many young players try to resolve conflicts directly
with their opponents and, without adequate knowledge of
the rules, often arrive at unfair or illegal resolutions. !t is
also helpful if the student learns how to read a tournament
pairing sheet, which tells him which number board he is
playing on, which color pieces he has, and also learns
how to mark up his result at the end of the game without
continual parental or tournament director aid.
While many students are ready at six or seven to handle
the mental aspects of the game, quite a few are not ready
for the emotional side. Since chess does not outwardly
involve luck, many students realize that losses are not
easily blamed on outside factors, and thus take losing very
personally. This fear of losing does not affect young
students only, but they are more likely to react to losses in
a manner that indicates they are not ready to play socially,
such as crying, blaming the opponent, creating a.physical
problem such as upsetting the board, etc. We will address
this issue in more detail in Section 6.3, Dealing with Highs
and Lows, but how a child deals with these emotiona! issues
is often more important than the mental ones in determining
when the child is ready to play chess "with the outside
world."

There is also a similar question: "What is the best age to

learn and start playing in tournaments ff you are going to
become a 'good' player ?"

t9

This is a more difficult question. Bobby Fischer was already

the US Champion by age fourteen, and he started at age
seven. Josh Waitzkin , of Searching for Bobby Fischerfame,
was the US Primary (K-3) Champion and later a master at
13. On the other hand my student Danny Benjamin, who
was in the same grade as Josh, did not start playing in
tournaments until he was 11 , but by the time Danny was
13 he and Josh were the only 13-year-old masters in the
US. This late start for a young master is unusual, so the
answer to the question about when champions start is "The
sooner the better." Most strong players start playing in
tournaments well before age eleven, and seven is probably
closer to the average. But some young prodigies start at
four or five and do very well!

2.2Tllcl

Your cfl
great! lt
titles, an
world ...

FIDE an
We havt

Canadia
real

ph

lnternati
lntemali
goveniq
titles (e-1
chess h
with FIDI

There is not much difference in being ready to play in

scholastic tournaments, and being ready to play in clubs
that allow players of all ages: both require some maturity,
knowing the rules, and the ability to play quietly.

However, participating in scho/asfic clubs clubs that

specializein young players - is quite different. These clubs
are often noisy and a few sniffles are easily tolerated, so
players of any age are usually welcome. While no one
likes a bully or a sore loser, often these clubs are a great
place to find other players of about the same ability or
age, and to learn the kind of discipline and chess etiquette

that will enable them also to play in tournaments.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes easier to find scholastic
tournaments, which are held consistently all over North
America, than it is to find clubs that specializein scholastic
play, unless you are lucky enough either to live in an area
where one already exists or have an ongoing one at your
school.

20

Natioruil
whicfr H

* t-h
'
*

T'U.II

Tqr
to molei

*Sq

Trr

limit)
And rrrrd
is allore

already
at age
at
, who
ino in
was
in the
so the

b The
tn

silart at

play in
h dubs
rity,

that
dubs

,so
no one
a great
ity or
uette
ents.
c
North

tic
an area
at your

2.2 The World of Chess

Your child is ready to play someone outside your home great! lt is a big world full of clubs, tournaments, prizes,
titles, and other neat stuff. Let us introduce you to that
world ...
FIDE and National Ghess Federations

We have already familiarized you with the US and

Canadian Chess Federations in the lntroduction, but the
real place to start is one Ievel above them at the F6d6ration

Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) or, in English, the

lnternational Chess Federation (wvrnru.fide.com). This is the
governing body of world chess, which awards international
titles (e.g. "grandmaster") and handles all international
chess business. There are over 200 countries affiliated
with FIDE, and each affiliate is a nationa! chess federation.
National federations publish their Official Rules of Chess,
which tells everyone things like:

How the pieces move

What is checkmate and stalemate

a'. Touch-move rules (i.e. "lf you touch a piece you have
to move it.")

Score-keeping (writing down and recording of moves)

Time controls (clocked games played under a time

Iimit)

And much, much more, such as how a tournament director

is allowed to hold and direct a chess tournament.

2t

National federations do much more than publish the rules,

of course. The following provides a sample of the USCF
and CFC missions:

the World I
(every sem

The USCF (www.uschess.org).

lndepende
As mentirrt
federation o

of the larges

Sanctions chess tournaments, including 25 national

championship events.

Sponsors participation of Amerins in international

events and helps them petition for FIDE titles, such as
!nternational Grandmaster or lntemational Arbiter.

{.

Maintains the USCF rating system.

Publishes magazines. SchoolMafes is quarterly and

is designed for members 14 and under; Chess Life

is

Education
Membersfii
which caser
game entry

Chess in frt
formerly krr
web-site sta
is a non+ru
City publbs

monthly and is designed for al! members older than 14.

i.

From the USCF web-site: "As a not-for-profit

membership organization, the USCF applies /fs revenue
to seruices and programs benefiting tfs members and chess
in America."
York. I urqfi

The CFC (www.chess,ca):

the PhilaG

.}

From the CFC web-site: "The Chess Federation of

Canada (C.F.C.) is a charitable organization (10691 2058
RR) whose mandate is fo promote and encourage the
knowledge, study and play of the game ofchess in Canada.
The C.F.C. organizes National Championships (Canadian
Closed, Canadian Women's C/osed, Canadian Junior and

Canadian Youth Chess Championship), and provides

f unding for the winners to go on to the World
Championshrps. ln addition, the C.F.C. has senf a team to

22

The Chess
is a par#
Scholasfic
separate

chess in n

dedicatim I
the chess e

The Cand

tfie rules,
USCF

fE

the World Chess Olympiad each time

it has been held

(every second year) srnce 1964."

ndependent Organizations
As mentioned in the lntroduction, there are many nonI

nationa!

such as

federation organizations devoted to scholastic chess. Three

of the largest are the Chess-rn-Schoo/s Program, the Chess
Education Association, and the Canadian Chess'n Math.
Membership in these organizations is sometimes free, in
which case their costs are borne by the tournament or pergame entry fees.

,profit

Chess in the Schoo/s (www.chessintheschools.org), was

formerly known as the American Chess Foundation. Their
web-site states their mission: "Chess-inthe-Schools (ClS)
is a non-profit organization that teaches chess to New York
City public school children as a means of enhancing critical
thinking skills, self-esteem, discipline, and
socialization. Working in close partnership
with Title 1 elementary and junior high
schools, we provide instruction, equipment,

revenue
chess

and the support necessary to achieve

demonstrable student success." I would

and
Life is
tan 14.

add that CIS teaches in more than just New

York. I worked for them for three years as an instructor in
the Philadelphia Public School System

of
1 2058
the

hnada.
(@nadian
"htnbr and
provides
World
a team to

The Chess Education Associafion (www.chesslogic.com)

is a parallel organization to the USCF, which offers their
Scholasfic Chess Webzine to its members and has
separate tournaments and ratings. Their mission: "1) More
chess in more schools for more children, and 2) A
dedication to teach children positive Iife values through
the chess experience."

The Canadian Chessh Math Assocration (www.chessmath.org) is Canada's national scholastic chess
23

organazation. !t was established in 1985 as a non-profit

organization and is dedicated to promoting youth chess in
Canada. They currently have offices in Toronto, Montreal,
and Hul!, with 15 full-time employees and 60 qualified chess

instructors. Chess'n Math runs monthly scholastic

tournaments, conducts regular chess
classes and camps, provides instructors for

On the other h
usually with an

to play in rats

federation, as
and receive a na
information are
back of Chess I

schoo! chess programs, and operates

chess shops in Canada's two largest cities.
Numerous affiliates across Canada run
local Chess'n Math tournaments. lt has its own scholastic
magazine, Scholar's Mate, which is published 5 times per
year.

The toumameil
Tournament Li
members to fit
they are held,

Overview of Glubs and Tournaments

Nationa! federations also certify Tournament Directors

TD will serd h

(TDs) to run tournamenfs, and they affiliate and help organized chess clubs throughout their countries.

The following illustrates the difference between a chess

club and a chess tournament. More information about clubs
can be found in Section 2.6, Where Does One Play?, and
about tournaments in Chapter 5, Tournament Participation.

A club is group of people, usually incorporated as not-forprofit, who meet periodically to play chess. The meeting
period is often weekly, but some large metropolitan clubs
are open daily. One can walk into a chess club and find
people ready and willing to play chess. Some chess clubs
are just for young players, but most allow members of any
age ("open"). Some clubs play "rated," formal games, while
others have little or no organized activities other than
providing a place for its members to play - it is up to each
club to decide how it wants to organize its activities. Clubs
usually charge a nominal fee for annual dues to cover the
costs of the meeting room, correspondence, snacks, etc.

24

information, eb
by the USCF,

participants wf r
the USCF req.i
must be rnent
national federd
you are not a m

Once the tourr

formerly unr#
ratings of
the outcorne
goes up and
higher the playe
etc. More on rd
The CFC ralig

flry
d
d

Most toumans
particular dae,
walk in, pay tre

in some way -

tournamenL
below.

uli

On the other hand, a tournament is a one-time event,

usually with an entry fee and prizes. When a player is ready
I

dless
tic
SS

for
tes
cities.
run

to play in rated tournaments, he will join his national

federation, as is usually required to play in a rated event
and receive a rating. US tournaments and their associated
information are !isted at www.uschess.org/tla and in the
back of Chess Life and School Mates magazines.
The tournament information in US magazines is called the
Tournament Life Announcements (TLAs). TLAs allow
members to find out where the tournaments are, when

per

they are held, entry fees, prizes, eligibility, contact

chess

information, etc. Almost all listed tournaments are "rated"

by the USCF, which is to say that after the tournament the
TD will send in a "Rating Report" to the USCF and all
participants will receive new or updated ratings." ln addition,
the USCF requires that al! participants of rated tournaments
must be members of the USCF (you can always join your
national federation during registration at the tournament if
you are not a member),

dubs
, and

for-

dubs
find

dubs

d any
while
than
each
Clubs
the
etc.

Once the tournament has been rated by the federation, all

formerly unrated participants will be given a rating. The
ratings of players who already are rated will be affected by
the outcome of their games. When they win their rating
goes up and when they lose their rating goes down. The
higher the player you beat, the more your rating goes up,
etc. More on ratings in Section 4.2.5, Ratings and Prizes.
The CFC ratings operate in a similar manner.
Most tournaments are "open" - you do not have to live in a
particular place, or be of any specific age, to play. You just
walk in, pay the entry fee, and play. Others are restricted
in some way the most usual restriction is a scholastic
tournament, which is only open to those in grades 12 and
below.

,T

Most scholastic tournaments are run by the "Swiss" system.

That means that no one is eliminated and in each round a
player is paired with someone who is doing as well as he
is. So if your child is playing in his first tournament and
loses his first three games, he will be paired in the fourth
round against another weak player who has also lost his
first three games. ln this way each participant gets to "find
his level" as the tournament progresses. So in the long
run, players generally find most games competitive and
fun under the Swiss system.

2.3 Typical Progression Through Chess

Now that you know some of the major pieces of the chess
world, here is a typical youngster's progression through
chess:
First he will learn how to play chess from a parent, friend,
beginner's book, or even a couple of Iessons from a local
chess instructor. A parent should make sure he gets all
the common rules correct, especially promotion (multiple
queens allowed), castling (the king moves 2 squares no
matter which side you castle), en passant, the different
kinds of draws (3-fold repetition of position, 50-move rule,
stalemate, lack of mating material, etc.). These are best
learned from an experienced player, a good book, or a
lesson. lt is not a good idea to start playing with the wrong
rules!

Next he should play at least few dozen games in a fairly

short period of time to get to recognize the pieces, how
they move, and the basic rules. This can be done with a
relative, neighbor, computer, or friend. Much of the
information that is picked up during this time, such as "board
vision" and basic playing guidelines, is covered in
Everyone's 2nd Chess Book.

26

lf your chiH
improve, he

{.

Leam h
in most be1i

Purcfr
Section 2-n

Join

scholastic

i.

Join a
competition;

i.

Play

Chess Clul
information,

As a child pr
tournamerG
see that yor
better, tfrcn

professiord
things yotr
method fur

'

greatly facl
coaches wh
cian learns

Do Kids PE
Parents srxr
chess and n
this is norrlE
stop for a
fact, in myer

Ftem.

lf your child really likes the game and wants to continue to

improve, he might:

il and

{.

rrtd a
tG he
,fturth

Et his
D'find
e lcng

and

Learn how to keep score in algebraic notation (covered

in most beginners books and at my web-site);

Purchase a decent set, clock, and scorebook (see

Section 2.1);

Join the national federation and start playing in

scholastic chess tournaments;

dtess
;ough

lbnd,
E

bcal

pts all
rltiple
les no

frrent

t rule,

e best

Lora
trong

a fairly
B, how
uith a

of the
toard
red in

{.

Join a chess club to play periodically against better

competition; and/or

{.

Play on the lnternet with selvers like the lnternet

Chess Club (lCC at www.chessclub.com). For more
information, see Chapter 3.
As a child progresses, he will continue to play in clubs and
tournaments, with the computer, and with friends. lf you
see that your child is serious and wants to work to get
better, then by all means consider taking Iessons from a
professional chess instructor. Lessons will help identify both
things your child is doing that can be improved, and a
method for doing so efficiently, so improvement will be
greatly facilitated. All really good players have had steady
coaches when they were learning, just as a good musician learns from someone who plays the same instrument.

Do Kids Play Without a Break?

Parents sometimes ask me: "My child is losing interest in
chess and wants to stop playing right now - do you think
this is normal?" Answer: yes. Many children start in chess,
stop for a while, decide they miss it, then start again. !n
fact, in my experience it's relatively rare for child, especially
27

a younger one, to stick with chess as a hobby continuously

into his college years, adulthood, or throughout life.

Generally the younger a child starts, the more likely he is
to have one or more periods when he loses interest in
chess. The table below shows some educated estimates
of the trend, based on my experience. On the left is the
age at which the child starts chess, on the right the
percentage of that group that take a break from chess, at
least temporarily, at some point before they reach college
age:
6: 90%
7: 85o/o
8:75o/o

9:

670/o

10:60%
11:50%
12:40%
13: 25o/o
14+: 2Oo/o

ln other words, only one child in ten who starts playing

chess at age 6 will maintain his interest continuously
through age 18. But this does not mean these youngsters
quit chess permanently. lt appears that common scenarios
are for a child to stop around age 7-9 and start again at
10-12, or to stop around age 9-12 and start again as a
adult. So if your child drops chess for a while, do not be
concerned. He'l! come back to it when he's ready.

2.4 ln Loco parentis lssues

It is important for parents to understand which chess
activities are in loco parentis (in lieu of a parent - that is,
situations where someone wi!! watch your children for you)
and which are not. However, nothing written in this section
is guaranteed - if your child is at an age where this is

28

important
or directoro

do NOT

dt

Here are sa
normally se

After+
loco parell,

{.

Schok

{.

Adr^ilt

{.

Schd

Open

How to ts
responsibl
For examfl

local chess
left alone d
year-old ni
mature 1OI
do notlegnrl
that justDcr
scho/asfic

responsitr
2.5 The
Chess

Rr

rcusly
il life.
7he is

Fst

important to you, then you MUST check with the organizer

or director of each activity to make sure and, when in doubt,
do NOT drop off a young child without supervision.

in

@es
ib the
|* tne

Here are sample events and a guide to whether they might

normally serve in loco parentis:

Fs, at

After-school activity: usually (that is, usually wil! be in

parentis
loco
- will not require parental supervision)

ilege
i

{.

i.
..'.

Adult chess club: usually not

Scholastic chess tournament: usually not

Open chess tournament: almost always not

Scholastic chess club: maybe

bying

busly
gsters
tmrios
ph at
DASA
rd be

cftess

His,

How to handle this issue varies widely with the age and
responsibility of the child, and the locale of the chess event.
For example, a child of 10 who can be dropped off at the
local chess club for a couple of hours cannot as easily be
left alone at a big-city open tournament. An immature 12year-old might be more likely to get into trouble than a
mature 10-year-old. So it is worth repeating: When in doubt,
do not leave a child without superuision and never assu/ne
that just because the tournament is "organized" and invites
scho/astic players that someone will automatically be
responsible for watching your child!

2.5 The Role of a National Federation in Scholastic

Chess

!you)
Pciion

lfs is
29

All national federations promote scholastic chess. Section

4.6 addresses National Championships, but a federation's
involvement is much deeper than just running tournaments.
The USCF and CFC do all the things for their scholastic
members that they do for adult members, such as promote
chess, provide ratings, publish amagazine, sell equipment,
etc. However, a federation has an increased focus on its
future members, as it should, for two reasons:
1) The health of any organization is fortified by promoting
its future, and

2) The percentage of scholastic toumament players has

grown enormously in the past few years, again partly due
to the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. For example, in
the USCF:

{.

ln 1991 there were fewer than 10,000 members age

18 or below from a total of about 55,000 (about 18Yo)

i.

SuperNatiql
Canadian Y
events are d
Tournamerfi

i.

More r
both in rnaq

Sped

being cre#
have specid

are unusud

cheating irr
tournameils
and more h
ensure fainx

2.6 Where 0
The first
and friends.
surroundings

ph

By 2001 over 47,000 of the 90,000 members were

below age 18 (about 52o/ol). An ongoing graph of USCF

competition

membership

drawbacks:

is

provided at detroitchess.com/

memgraph.htm.

i.

lf any other large organization had gone from 18% to 52o/o

youth membership, I am sure that would attract growing
attention, too! How has this grovttth been met?

c
6

Dad
Dad/Mom
thinks he s]r
is not usndl

The USCF has established both a Director of

Scholastic Programs and a National Scholastic Advisory
Council.

The USCF now directly oversees its large national

scholastic championships, which are the biggest chess
tournaments in the US every year. 4,700 played at the

30

play much

iection

ilicn's
fmnts.

dastic

fnote

SuperNationals in Kansas City in 2001. The CFC runs the

Canadian Youth Chess Championships; these nationa!
events are discussed in Section 4.6, lmportant Scholastic
Tournament and Titles.

{.

Fnent,
im its

More emphasis is being placed on chess training,

both in manpower and materials.

llrcting

ns has
Ly oue

He,

in

Special rules for scholastic tournaments are now

being created and considered, since many young players
have special concerns (e.9. inability to keep score) that
are unusual in adults. For example, intimidation and
cheating are easier because in beginners' scholastic
tournaments the spectators are more likely to be larger
and more knowledgeable than the players, so rules to
ensure fairness are even more important than with adults.

IS age

ffi)
b were

'USCF

2.6 Where Does One Play?

The first place young players play is at home with parents
and friends. This is a great way to start because the
surroundings are familiar, it is easy to get there, and the

competition is friendly. However, there are potential

drawbacks:

{.

b52Yo
pouring

ctor of
fttisory

Dad or Mom may be a better player than Junior (or

Dad/Mom doesn't want to play Junior), so Dad sometimes
thinks he should throw games to keep Junior happy (this
is not usually a good idea unless the child is very small
and takes losing far too seriously).

{.

lt gets boring playing the same

opponents game after game.

ilional

The neighbor's son or daughter may

chess
at the

play much less often, so when your son becomes

3l

fascinated with chess, he quickly improves, and playing

the neighbor results in a large percentage of wins and
possibly some hard feelings.

N. A young player can get into bad habits by playing only

weaker players. For example, in Everyone's 7d Chess Book
I discuss how players learn to make bad threats because
their weak opponents often don't see them, and when these
succeed they come to believe that making bad threats is a
good idea, and thus develop the bad habit of doing so
regularly.

Games at home are often played without a clock. !n

the long run this is less fun, and in the short run playing
without a clock can lead to bad time-management habits.
Usually playing with clocks helps a child slow down his
play and think more correctly. lronically, when a child first
plays with a clock he may think it is now a "time race" and
play even faster, with disastrous results. A little experience
with clock play will go a long way toward developing better
time-management habits.

i.

Everyone might be playing by the wrong rules. For

example, many young players don't know en passant or
erroneously believe that when promoting a pawn they can
only get back a piece that was captured.
Eventually most parents search for outside for places to
play. Usually a phone book does not list "Chess CIubs," so
what can you do?

Askn

periodic, o1

{.

Seard

I often get

the web an
recommenc

to me.
Clubs

It is only na
the child b j
of schools,l
are exclusi'
closest on
availabiltty t
varies gn
community-

Here in Pe
clubs, r,vtf,e
oriented. Tl

scholastim

and you nra

which may(

CIubs that:
parentis $n

Look in the local paper under "Calenda/' or "Activities."

Check with a library or your child's school.

Look in a book like A Parent's Guide fo Chess!

32

maturity and

how well th

.t Ask neighbors if they know of any places that have

periodic, organized chess.
*

Search for chess places on the World Wide Web.

!ilv

W
tse

ESe

'ls a

lso
Lln

l-s
hs.
I

his

tut
md
tEe

llbr
i

For

for
Gan

sto
,- so
I

F'"

from local people who searched on

the web and found my national federation, which in turn
recommended the state affiliate, which then referred them
to me.
! often get phone calls

Glubs
It is only natural for a parent to seek out a chess club for
the child to join and play. The main problem is that outside
of schools, there are relatively few clubs that
are exclusively for young players, so the
closest one may not be nearby. The
availability of nearby "scholastic-only" clubs
varies greatly from community to
community.

Here in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh has some large youth

clubs, while Philadelphia scholastic chess is more schooloriented. Therefore, your child may not be able to find a
scholastic-only club close enough for your driving comfort,
and you may have to settle for a club open to all ages, but,
which may or may not encourage young players to attend.
Clubs that are primarily for adults are not only not rn loco
parentis (young children have to be supervised), but also
do not tolerate noise or distracting behavior
nearly as well as some scholastic clubs. So
in many cases when a parent asks me if
their child is "good enough" for clubs or
tournaments, the question is really about
maturity and the ability to play quietly, not necessarily about
how well their child plays chess. At our local Main Line

33

Chess Club anyone who can play quietly and remain quiet
when his game is finished, is more than welcome no matter
what his age.

The USCF lists their affiliated clubs at www.uschess.org/

directories/. The CFC Iists theirs at www.chess.cal
chess clubs. htm .
While many American chess clubs - and most of the best
ones are affiliated with the USCF, there are certainly
others not listed. These can, for the most part, be found
by the methods described in the previous section.

What else does a parent need to know about a chess club?

Some of the most important points are:

.:.

Dues are usually assessed on an annual basis.

Activities vary greatly from club to club - some clubs

feature slow, rated games, while others prefer informal,
quicker games. Since federation membership is usually
required to get a rating, clubs that feature rated games
usually require members to join the nationa! federation as
well as the club if they are to participate in these activities.

Many r
the players r
"open" plarf,
week.

Some duh
beginning d

who eorne h
joining the a
are much
plays rated t
that if a
night, that ca
our memben
constant

e
cll
*

Tournarneril
Other than
tournametG

participate h
status, I lrau

Participatirq

Team Tourn
Sometirnes r
I don't rnsill
that multipb

Most clubs do not offer formal instruction, but can

direct you to someone who can. Others, especially some
scholastic clubs, are strongly built around instruction.

ways:

Some clubs supply sets and clocks; others do not.

Bringing a pencil for keeping score and your own
scorebook, if you have one, is a good idea. Most clubs will
supply scoresheets for their members who know how to
keep score (it is a rule in tournament play that those who
know how to keep score must do so).

"match.' Tlil

TeamTo
(or whatevur
of players, a

each team i
against the r
that wins th
several

m*

34

Many clubs witl pair their players for the evening as

the players would be paired for a tournament. Others have
"open" play, where you find yourself an opponent each
week.

Some clubs have formal activities which start near the

beginning of each club's meeting. Members and guests
best
inly
found

dub?

dubs
usually
games

who come later are welcome to play, but may have trouble
joining the activity once it is in progress. Some activities
are much easier to join in progress than others. Our club
plays rated Swiss tournaments each month, which means
that if a club member does not show up on a particular
night, that causes no problems - we expect only some of
our members to be there, and so design events for which
constant attendance is not required.

Tournaments
Other than informal after-school get-togethers, chess
tournaments are the primary places where youngsters
participate in scholastic chess. ln accordance with this lofty
status, I have devoted the entire Chapter 4, Tournament
Participation, to this subject.

can

Team Tournaments, Leagues, and Matches

Sometimes chess can be played as a team game. By that
I don't mean that more than one person plays a side, but
that multiple games count toward one goal, like winning a
"match." This type of team chess can be done in several
ways:

do not.
own

ai' Team Tournaments - tournaments where each school

hrt

will
how to
who

(or whatever constitutes a team) sends a certain number

of players, and designates a Board 1, Board 2, etc., and
each team is paired against another team, its Board 1
against the other team's Board 1, and so on. The team
that wins the most games wins the match. There are
several matches in a team tournament. Teams are paired
35

against each other by match score in a Swiss system similar

to individual tournaments (See Section 4.2).

Kopec's

York and Ja
segment at

il

lndividual Match - A schoo! challenges another school.

There are acertain number of boards and they play against
each other as in a team tournament, but there are only
two schools involved and usually one or two games
between each board.

League

Several schools form a league and

periodically, for example each week, a school plays a match

against one of the other schools. The school that does
best in these matches wins the league title. Scoring is

usually by matches won and lost, not the total of the

individual games. For example, if a team wins 8 of their 10
matches of four boards each and 27 of the 40 games in
those matches, they finish ahead of another school that
won 7 of their 10 matches but won 28 of their 40 games.
Camps
Chess camps are held periodically, often annually in the
summer. The better camps feature instruction from several
well-known masters (up to Grandmaster), and usually
include some athletic opportunities like
swimming or tennis. These camps can last
from a few days up to a couple of weeks.
At larger camps the campers are put into
groups according to age and ability, and
they get a concentrated dose of chess for the duration.
Camps are usually advertised in federation and state/
province magazines. Among the better known camps here
in the Eastern US are:

Castle Chess Camp (www.amchess.org/camp/

index.html) The oldest chess camp of them all

Bradford, PA.

36

- located in

2.7 Equiprne
Standard eq,
following:

{.

Pieces (
"set"; someli
board.)

,
*
,
t
.:.

Board
CIock
Scorebo

Writirgi
Carryhg

With the er

tournamenB r
clocks, but m
good idea b I
to play in tor
be purchased
chess store-'l
web pages.
Chess D'gesn
Chess CentsE

Since a chess
needs to hau
surprised fm
two players n
between thc

msimilar

Kopec's Chess Camp (wvrnrv.kopecchess.com) - New

York and Lawrenceville, NJ. ln 2001 they also had a

segment at the World Open in Philadelphia.
rscfrool.
pagainst
re only
) games

Standard equipment for a chess tournament

following:

;re

t Pieces (All the pieces together can be considered a

"set"; sometimes "set" can also refer to the pieces plus a
board.)

and
ia match
does

lil

uing

is

of the

fteir 10
Fnes

in

bl

that
games.

ly in the
several
I usually
ffes like
i can last
D

f *eeks.
rput into

ny,

and

ilrration.
td state/

rps here

g/ca

p/

mted

in

2.7 Equipment

t
.|.
t
t
t

Board

Clock
Scorebook or scoresheet

Writing instrument (sharpened pencil preferred)

Carrying case (optional)

With the exception of some national events, most

tournaments do NOT supply sets and almost none supply
clocks, but most do make scoresheets available. So it is a
good idea to purchase this equipment if your child is going
to play in tournaments with any regularity. Equipment can
be purchased from your nationa! chess federation or any
chess store. There are many chess stores, and most have
web pages. The following are a sample: ChessCafe.com,
Chess Digest, ChessCo, American Chess Equipment and
Chess Central.
Since a chess game is played by two people, not everyone
needs to have a set and clock. However, you would be
surprised how many scholastic games are played between
two players neither of whom brought sets, and especially
between those who both lack clocks.

37

t_-

Therefore, it is a good idea to purchase all of the above

equipment and bring it to every tournament. lf you purchase
an analog (non-digital) clock and use an inexpensive
carrying case, the total cost can be less than $100.

sefi
and2" is prd
recommend
set. Also, it n
set with an c
3Y4" king

While there is no standard requiring a particular set of

pieces, there is a standard for set design, and this is called
"Staunton." This is the design you see in most sets
throughout the world, with a cross on top of the king, a
crown on the queen, rooks that look like castle turrets,
knights that look like horse heads, etc.

The most popular set for scholastic tournament play is a

"single-weighted" plastic setwith a33/a-inch king and rollup
board, available from almost any chess store.
In general, the heavier (more "weighted") the

pieces, the more stable and desirable, and

the more expensive. There are double- and
triple-weighted plastic sets, but they cost
considerably more than a single-weighted set. The
unweighted sets you can buy for a few dollars at your local
toy store are not recommended: they usually cost almost
as much as a single-weighted set (since toy stores do not
buy chess sets in the volume a chess seller does), and
they are smaller and very easy to knock over, and thus
much harder to play with. Some players choose to play
with the older, more expensive, wood sets. As a guideline,
a set with a king smaller than 2yo" is much too small.
Along with the better plastic sets, players usually purchase
inexpensive roll-up boards that are easy to carry. The most
common colors are buff and green, or buff and brown.
Bright colors such as red are hard on the eyes, and red
and black boards are considered checkerboards. Boards
should be coordinated with the size of the pieces; a piece
should take up most, but not all of a square. The standard

38

Clocks are Ir
and hands) r
as expensivt
digital clockt
analog clod(
before eacfi
A good anal
and the BH
Currently ttx

Chronosn c
read feature
other digitd
Using the

A chess dc
displays corr
of that playr
When a ffiy
side of the d
starting his t

A player nn
the "flag" q'l
hand pass
counts down

lf a player ru
the player kx
material, an
participant in

3y4" king sets usually have boards that have 2-2y4" squares,
and2" is probably a little too small. That is why most sellers

recommend a particular board or group of boards for each

set. Also, it would not make sense to match an inexpensive
set with an expensive board or vice versa.

sets

,a
,

the
and
and
cost

The
local
not
and
thus
play

Clocks are mainly analog (a traditional clock with two faces

and hands) or digital. Today digita! clocks are about twice
as expensive as analog (roughly $t 00 vs. $SO;, but I expect
digita! clocks gradually to become less expensive. Most
analog clocks need to be wound, and need to be checked
before each game; digital clocks usually run on batteries.
A good analog clock is the Rolland rM clock,
and the BHBrM clocks are also popular.
Currently the most popular digital clock is a
ChronosrM clock, which has large, easy-toread features, but retails a little higher than
other digital clocks.

Using the Clock

A chess clock has two faces (or on a digital clock, two time
displays counting down). Each face shows the thinking time
of that player. While a player is thinking, his clock is running.
When a player moves, he then presses the button on his
side of the clock, thus stopping his time from running and
starting his opponent's time.

most

A player runs out of time when: (1) With an analog clock,

the "flag" on his side of the clock falls after the minute
hand passes 12:00, or, (2) with a digital clock, his side
counts down to zero time.

red

If a player runs out of time and his opponent then "calls" it,

the player loses (a "time forfeit") if his opponent has mating

material, and draws if the opponent does not. Only a

participant in the game (or under certain circumstances a

39

TD) can claim that time has run out. A player may have to
make a given number of moves or possibly all his moves
withln the prescribed time period. ln scholastic chess
making all the moves is usually required; this is called a
"sudden death" time contro!.

They alh
the main focus

games, so ha
prerequisite for

! prefer scoreb
On most analog clocks, a mechanical flag is raised by the
minute hand as the top of the hour approaches, and then
falls when the hour is reached. On analog clocks the rule
is that the first time control always ends at 6:00, so when a
player's flag falls at 6:00, he has used all his time and if
his opponent calls attention to this, then the player who
has used all his time loses just as if he had been
checkmated.

Other Equipment: Writing Utensils, Scorebooks, and

Garrying Cases
I suggest bringing at Ieast two sharpened pencils to each
game. Since I advise writing down a move before it is played
so that the planned move can be erased if a further "sanity
check" shows it to be faulty, using a pen can get a little
messy!

Scorebooks are bound scoresheets; they are inexpensive

and allow for easy safekeeping of game scores. Game
scores are important because:

you know how to keep score, rules require you to do

so, to aid in case either player makes a claim (such as
time forfeit, illegal move, threefold repetition of position
draw, etc.)
!f

{.

They provide historical documents for publishing

games in bulletins, magazines, books etc. Many of the
chess books your child purchases would not be possible
unless someone had recorded the games!

40

recording how n
find this exha
scorebook is

il
d

Carrying cases t

hold the

piee

compartmenB n
scorebook, hI r
purchase a cilr
one best meels,

Once you hae I

be as prepared r

They allow for later analysis. As a chess instructor,

the main focus of many of my lessons are my students'

games, so having their scorebooks available is a

prerequisite for a session.

I prefer scorebooks that have additional columns for

recording how much time is left after each move, since I
find this extra information very helpful, but any commercial
scorebook is adequate.
Carrying cases vary greatly in price and style. Some only
hold the pieces (a "bag"), while others have special
compartments not only for pieces, set, clock, board, and
scorebook, but also for additional books. So before you
purchase a carrying case, compare a few to see which
one best meets your child's needs.
Once you have purchased these few items, your child will
be as prepared as any chess veteran!

4t

Chapter 3
Chess and Computers
It is impossible to discuss the world of chess
without mentioning computers. Computers
and chess is such a big subject that several
devoted exclusively to different aspects
been
books have
of their relationship. The subjects presented below are
limited to items of interest to new chess parents. As always,
I have supplied additional references for further exploration.

membership
from minimal b
web search ertri
an excellent
generic chess

EI
I

t
{.
t

ChessryI
Ihe Chess

aulUindex2.hfn)
I

3.1 The World-Wide Web

About Crm

produce a rnorl

for ChessCaG.

Playing
There are many chess "servers" on the web, where anyone
can play against all levels of players from all around the
world. Some of these servers are free and others require
an annual fee. The best ones require you to
download specia! interface programs to

allow easy participation, while others

(usually the ones for the masses) do not.
The best known chess server in the chess community is
the lnternet Chess Club (lCC; wr,ryr,ry.chessclub.com), a feebased and professionally run service. You can also play
for free on the ICC as a guest, with reduced side benefits.
Other popular servers include the USCF's own server (US
Chess Live!), and those at ChessNet, Yahoo, Microsoft
Network, etc.

beginners, but i
While primarilya
a large variety o
to players of iln

Besides instrud
information nta
include:

Chess

ne*

(www.chesserl

Software
Sys (www.inito.r

Fascinaliqg
Curiosities

Learning About Ghess

There are many sites, large and small, that provide chess
information and instruction. Many of these, like my website ( myweb pages. comcast. neUdan hei sma n/chess. htm )
and the excellent on-line chess magazine ChessCafe.com
(www.chesscafe.com) are free, while others charge a

42

Archives
Archives

I
I

Ictress

iuters
hrcral
pects

|r are
f,nys,

ienn.
[,

membership or Iesson fee. These sites range in quality

from minimal to really substantia!. Besides using general
web search engines or using my web-site's Link sub-page,
an excellent way to find all types of chess sites is via large,
generic chess link sites such as:

t
t?.
*

AboutChess (chess.about.com/games/chess)
Chessopo/is (www.chessopolis.com)
The Chess Report (members.aol.com/dals

aulUindex2.htm )
I

produce a monthly instructionalweb column, Novice Nook,

for ChessCafe.com . Novice Nook is aimed at adult

a

pyone

il

the
pqurre

beginners, but is equally suitable for younger students.

While primarily aimed at adults, The Chess Caf6 contains
a large variety of columns and features which are helpful
to players of almost a!! ages and levels.
Besides instruction, there are many other types of chess
information available on the web. Examples of these
include:

ryity is
! a fee-

play
mefits.
Er (US

irosoft

Chess news, e.9., The Week rn Chess

(www. ch essce

te

chess
gr web-

s.htm)
h.com

Ege

co m/twi c/twi c. htm I )

Software to help run chess tournaments,

Sys (wvtry. i n itco. neU-su its/ )

* Fascinating
Curiosities
r

r.

Swis-

Chess lnformation, e.g. Chess

)

* Archives of chess databases, e.g. Pittsburgh Chess

Archives
)

43

For parents more interested in this large subject area, there

is a recent book devoted entirely to it: Chess on the Net,
by Mark Crowther.

Using a Federation Web-site

The USCF website (www.uschess.org) is a very large site

The CFC websibi

in both French
to the USCF ureb
information.

al

3.2 Computer Sr

with a tremendous amount of chess information. Navigating

ch
Tti

this site can sometimes be difficult (for example, state

organizations are currently listed under "Clubs"), but even
browsing around can be exceptionally educational. At the

ptr

top of many pages are links to the main sub-pages

("Tournaments", "Contact Us", etc.), while the left side

pot
Ctr

also has a

usually has sub-links of the browsed page.

Mtil

products listed be
Some of the principal pages I use are:

Overview of the,

i.

Ratings - Current ratings of individuals are posted at

www. 64. com/uscf/rati n gs/

*
*
i.

Upcoming tournaments
Club Listings

- www.uschess.org/tla

State Affiliates

www.uschess.org/directories/

states.html

*
{.

State Scholastic Coordinators

- www.uschess.org/

lnstructional information for scholastic players

www. uschess. org/scholastic/

News

- www.uschess.org/clife/currenU

44

For the past

fetrf

playing progrEilE
these prograrxior
usually availabb I
may be just as lr
excellent bargd:
(the part that cd
commercia! progl
Microprocessor (
level, these hilt+
(C@and ExAurre
strength on mo&
It is also interesl
better than a 1htr'
(BC), it has rnnry
also allow it plily
setting. Therefore,
tuned" to play atC

ea, there
frre Net,

The CFC website is Iocated at www.chess.cal.ltis available

in both French and English and has many sub-pages similar
to the USCF website, but of course with different specific
information.

rge

3.2 Computer Software

site

ri;ating

b,

Chess-Playi n g Programs
This section discusses a few of the major
playing programs for the PC. The most
popular commercial program, Mindscape's
ChessMasferrM (Version 8000 is the Iatest),
also has a Macintosh version, as do some of the other
products listed below.

state
h.lt even
il- At the

bpages

hft side

Overview of the Most Popular Programs

tcted

For the past few years there have been many good chess-

at

playing programs on the market. The latest versions of

these programs cost about $50, and previous versions are
usually available for much less. These previous versions
may be just as helpful for your child, so they are usually
excellent bargains. Many of these have chess "engines"
(the part that calculates the moves) based upon noncommercial programs that have competed for the World
Microprocessor Championships. Set on thelr strongest
level, these high-rated programs, including ChessMaster
(CM and Ertreme ChessrM, can play close to Grandmaster
strength on modern PCs.

flila

l.0s.html
ecto ries/

ress.org/

layers

It is also interesting to note that while CM can play much

better than a "fun" program like lnterplay's BattlechessrM
(BC), it has many settings that BC does not have which
also allow it play much worse than even the lowest BC
setting. Therefore, many of the best programs can be "finetuned" to play at almost any level, from beginner to master.

45

!
Recently, a few companies have been packaging multiple
chess CDs in one package. These might include one or
two of the older versions of chess-playing programs along

{.

with a few chess teaching programs (as described in

Change
moves) or onlyr
Details" use TI
low value)

section 3.2.2). These packages are usually a bargain, as

the older versions are usually just as good for almost all
students any'way, so you get much more for your money.

"Play" item "Stt

Most professional players use a program such as Fritz 7rM

(available at www.chessbaseusa.com). While Fritz'sengine
might be only marginally better than CM, it does have

compatibility with chess-oriented database programs,

notably ChessBaseru, and also has some nice features
specifically designed for strong players. These professional
programs formerly cost about $150, but in the past few
years they also have come down to about $50.

Using the Programs for Maximum Benefit

Learn how to change the settings on the computer to play
different strengths. Be aware that setting an inexpensive
computer (such as the older table-top ones available from
Radio Shack) on a lower "level" usually means it just plays
faster - but it is still playing the best it can, just not thinking
as long. A very good program like CM, even its very fastest
mode, wil! beat a beginning student virtually 100o/o of the
time on its default setting.
Here are various ways to make CM play worse:

Set its level to Newcomer or Novice (Under Menu,

"Play", the first item)

Set it to a weak "personality"such as Novice or

Woodpusher (under Menu "Play" item "Set up game details"

the names scroll over the picture of the board on the
right)

46

Don't let I

Alter ttrc u
"Set up a Perg
you can make C

I suggest sefliq
win about 75% o
(about 2OO USG
to optimum: if
and your chiHd
will not be takiq
will not push

fin

Be aware thd

Therefore, dont j
humans helpso
type mistakes,,
behavior. Them
but playing atts
good chess eliq

Computer chee
"worsg" on H
against hurnar
same speeds- Tl
millions of pc

reasonable nm
instant; even tlp
have this capci

{'

Change its thinking depth to one or two ply (halfmoves) or only a few seconds (Menu "Play" "Set up Game
Details" use "Different Time Controls" and set them to a
low value)

Don't let the computer think on your move (Under

"Play" item "Set up a Personality" click off "Deep Thinking")

Alter the value of its parameters (Under "Play" item

"Set up a Personality" change parameters). For example,
you can make CMthink a queen is worth less than a pawn!
I suggest setting a chess computer's "level" so that it will
win aboutTSo/o of the games against whomever it is playing
(about 200 USCF points above its opponent). This is close
to optimum: if set any stronger the games will not be close
and your child wil! learn !ess; any weaker and the computer
will not be taking advantage of your child's mistakes, and
wi!! not push him to play above his average playing strength.

Be aware that computers "don't play like humans."

Therefore, don't play exclusively with the computer. Playing
humans helps one learn not only how to deal with humantype mistakes, but also how to deal with human-type
behavior. The computer does not care how your child acts,
but playing against a human encourages him to practice
good chess etiquette, with the resulting social benefits.
I

hnu,
r,

Computer chess programs, while playing objectively

"worse" on fast speeds, do comparatively a lot better
against humans if the human is forced to play at those
same speeds. This is because a computer can calculate
millions of possibilities in a second and can play a
reasonable move in a time period that to a human seems
instant; even the best speed-chess-playing humans do not
have this capacity, and thus humans gain comparatively

47

more playing strength than a computer when given more

time. So while the best software programs play about
Grandmaster strength in slow (two-hour) play, they are
definitely World Championship caliber when set to play a
game in five minutes - provided the human they are playing
has to play the entire game in five minutes, also.

have used Chessl

for players of mnry
I

level, and the pro

problems that you

timed to get that e{
and phone supportl
also seems fairty st
11

lnstructional Software
Although today most instruction is done through books and
interactive web-sites, there ls still a market for individually
packaged chess instruction software for all ages. Some
parents swear by these products. Among the commercially
available ones that readily come to mind are:

Maurice Ashley Tu
ROM available d sl
now no longer beiq
packaged with dtc
form is a rea! bargE
capabilities, but tter

Maurice Ashley
recommended fora

t
{.

Chess Mentor 2.0rM

Mauice Ashley Teaches ChessrM
Convekta Products:

to be aimed at a

CHESS SCHOOL FOR BEGINNERSTM

ADVANCED CHESS SCHOOL TM
CHESS TACTICS FOR BEGINNERSTM

The three ConvelG

younger audienoes
www.chessassisfi

Ghess Mentor (www.chess.com0 is one of the oldest

programs. To quote their website:

much more advarc

Tactics Art 3.0, wli
of my students.

Using our patented Learning Enginf environment,

Chess Mentorpresenfs you with challenges crafted
by internationally respected chess teachers. You
actively participate with the Learning Engine to solve
or as little
help
fhese challenges with as much

continuously
as you want. The Learning Engine
monitors your efforts, giving you immediate
feedback, automatically providing you with review
of material you have not yet mastered, and
presenting you with new material only when you
are ready. You learn with confidence and at your
own pace.
48

ing tools, ConvelCa

Many, if not most, o

playing programr
instructional softrr
programs, ChessB

oriented products O
so if your child euer
be aware of these n
Finally, a progftlm

the above categui

;Yen more
*ay about
r, they are
t to play a
re playing
o-

boks and
ndtvidually
ps. Some
nrnercially

have used Chess Mentor and can verify that it is designed

for players of many different Ievels. You can start at any
level, and the program will automatically go back to
problems that you missed or did too slowly (problems are
timed to get that extra dimension of learning). Their e-mail
and phone support for problems, technical and othenruise,
also seems fairly solid.
I

Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess has been a popular CDROM available at stores for many years, but apparently is
now no longer being published. However, it is sometimes
packaged with other inexpensive chess CDs and in this
form is a real bargain. This CD does have some playing
capabilities, but the emphasis is on fun-oriented instruction.

Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess

is probably not

recommended for a teenager, since the instruction seems

to be aimed at a slightly younger audience.

obest
vionment,
W crafted

The three Convekta products listed above are aimed at

younger audiences and are described at their website,
wurw.chessassistant.com. ln addition to these fine learning tools, Convekta (www.chessassistant.com) also has a
much more advanced program, Chess Assisfanf Chess
Tactics Art 3.0, which is highly recommended by several
of my students.
Many, if not most, of the commercially available software

fiers.

playing programs discussed above also include

W-

instructional software. While not strictly instructiona!

programs, ChessBaserM and BookuprM are databaseoriented products that are used by many strong players,

nmediate

so if your child ever becomes really proficient, he should

be aware of these more advanced support tools.

You
tre to solve

help
rrtinuously

ith review
,red, and

rten

you
nd at your

Finally, a program suite that does not fit neatly into any of
the above categories: The Think Like A King@ School

49

Chess Software System has become USCF's Official

Scholastic Software. Designed as a comprehensive

Ghapter 4

solution for schoo! chess programs, the software is aimed

at a parent, coach, or teacher who is running a chess club
or class, and includes management, motivation, and
teaching functions. The foundation program, Chess Club
Manager@ (CCM) contains dozens of time saving and
creative toots. For example, CCM lets you maintain up-tothe-minute club ratings. lt is designed to be easy enough
for students to use (and do most of the actual work!). Other
features include the ability to award bonus points, or to

Tournament

print any of the following: award certificates, club

Active: Yqll
zine or websiE

management forms, and chess puzzle handouts. The

puzzles come from the Chess Workouts@ Series, the
teaching arm of the Think Like A King@ System. Further
information is available at www.schoolchess.com.
The computer is one of the best tools a chess player can
imagine. Learning to use it to enhance both your student's
playing ability and his enjoyment is both beneficial and, in
some instances, educational!

4.1 Finding Outl

Finding about
two ways to

E
n*

Passive:
through an

f]

Hrd

A tournament

a!

lri

your e-mail or
you have conffi
There are rniny '
ment organ2cr+l
nament you diso
nament Direffi (
state scholastho

directories/cooril

Once you jclin an

receive infonr*
cussed earlier,
Magazine to ils o
Mates to its yurq
has a section cd
or "TLAs." Thes
Different leveb d

ll

Nationab
the scholastic
adult events, fld

50

)fiicial
gnsive
aimed
ss club
n, and
s CIub
p and
rup-tonough
- Other
i, or to
j, clu b
s. The
,s, the
urther

ler can
ldent's
and, in

Chapter 4
Tournament Participation
4.1 Finding Out About Tournaments
Finding about tournaments is easy. Basically, there are
two ways to make contact:

Passive: The tournament org anizer contacts you

through an e-mail or a mailing, or

.... Active: You find a tournament by looking in a magazine or web-site.

A tournament organizer can contact you only if he has

your e-mail or home mailing address in his database, or if
you have contacted him to let you know about future events.
There are many ways of finding out about local tournament organizers, but the easiest way is by attending a tournament you discovered via method#2 and asking the Tournament Director (TD) if there is a mailing list. ln the US,
state scholastic coordinators are !isted at rnnrtnrv.uschess.org/
d i rectories/coord i nators. htm I .
Once you join an organization such as the USCF, you will
receive information from them about their events. As discussed earlier, the USCF sends the monthly Chess Life
Magazine to its older members and the quarterly School
Mates to its younger scholastic members. Each magazine
has a section called "Tournament Life Announcements",
or "TLAs." These sections contain listings of tournaments.
Different levels of tournaments might include:

{.

Nationa! championship events, such as

Nationals
the scholastic tournaments discussed in Section 4.6, or
adult events, such as the US or Canadian Open.

5l

I
t

Grand Prix - Large open US events which offer fairly

high cash prizes.

section descrt

i.

4.2.1 A Day in
Time to get upl

State/Province - Local events, listed by each state or

province. States are presented alphabetically.

The CFC (Chess Federation of Canada)

has teamed with the ICC to have joint events on the lntemet.
CFC{CC

There is sometimes a separate section at the end for "unrated" tournaments ones that don't count toward a
player's rating (advertising these nationally is relatively

rare).

Swiss system p

Last night:
www.uschess-o

find the time ft

played at a

Once you find a TLA, it will tell you the pertinent information you need to decide to attend. The TLA section uses
abbreviations to save space, but there is a legend on the
first page to help newcomers decipher the text, e.g. "EF"
is "Entry Fee" and "HR" is "Hote! Rates."

The TLA will say where the tournament is, how much is
the entry fee, whether it is restricted to certain ages or
grades, times of the rounds, the time limit for each game,
etc. Finally, there is "further contact" information. This may
be an address, phone number, web-site, and/or e-mail
address. These are usually excellent places to contact if
you want to get on a Iocal mailing list, or find out about
local clubs and tournaments.
4.2 A Typical Tournament
This section describes a typical rated chess tournament.
First we will present a fictional, humorous walkthrough of
a student's first tournament day. The remainder of this

52

lG

tional federatit
Hoobley's ftiefl
because her g
member

US TLAs are also listed on-line at www.uschess.org/tla

and Canadian ones at www.chess.caltournaments.htm.

alredl

one could Fh
Doobley,

urtros

a chance at an
perienced ldrs I
first toumarnerl
the toumamerl

tl

Upon anival
tion. The good{
you get to the ft
bership fonn b
membership. Tlt
year cost and
part of his rned
on to your reci
ship until Hooil
a few weeks. S
Midnight

Mffi

the TD that lp
should do urfl
Hoobley can pts

room until the Tl

hr fairly

section describes supplemental information, including

Swiss system pairings, byes, ratings, etc.

state or

4,2.1 A Day in the Life (Tournament Version)

Time to get up! Today is little Hoobley's first tournament!

hnada)
lrilemet.

br "unrward a
*atively

s-org/tla
E.htm.

ffirma(Il
d

USES

on the

l-9. "EF"

much is
ages or
h game,
hb may

r email
ontact if
ut about

nament.
rough of
r of this

Last night you double-checked the web at

umnv. u sch ess. org/t! a o r \ /ww. ch ess. calto

rna ments. htm to

find the time for registration. The tournament is being

played at a local hotel, and Hoobley needs to join his national federation, so you want to leave a little early.
Hoobley's friend, Doobley, was initially not going to go
because her parents thought that she needed to be a
member already to play, but you assured them that anyone could join the federation during registration. Maybe
Doobley, who seemed like a pretty good player, would have
a chance at an unrated prize. You had been told that experienced kids have a chess "rating" while those in their
first tournament enter as "unrateds" and get a rating after
the tournament results are sent to the national federation.

Upon arrival at the tournament, you see a line for registration. The good-looking TD is helping people sign up. When
you get to the front of the line, he gives a federation membership form to Hoobley, who chooses to get a scholastic
membership. The TD explains to you that this is a once-ayear cost and that Hoobley will get a nice magazine as
part of his membership privileges. He also tells you to hold
on to your receipt, which will act as your proof of membership until Hoobley's membership card arrives in the mail in
a few weeks. So if Hoobley wants to play in next week's
Midnight Madness tournament, that receipt wil! prove to
the TD that he is a member. You ask the TD what you
should do until the first round starts, and he says that
Hoobley can play some fun, warm-up games in the skittles
room until the TD can post the first-round pairings.

53

ln the skittles room you find Doobley, who is playing blindfold against the loca! chess master. She is giggling as the
master tries to find a way out of her letha! trap. You notice
they are playing with a chess clock.

Hoobley does not own a clock, but he has brought his new
board and set (they told him not to get the one with red
squares). Hoobley is now wonied will he have to play
with a clock? Yes, the friendly chess master says, it is a
tournament rule that you have to play with a clock, but if
you don't have one, your opponent probably will. You can
also start your game without a clock and, if your game
starts to run too long, the TD will assign a clock to you.
The chess master also tells Hoobley to relax, os he will
have plenty of time to play his game, and young players
often play too fast in their first tournament.

has set up tfr

You ask the

he use his rr
choice of eqt
standard (he,
bottom of ea
Therefore, E
Hoobley's sd
cardboard bo
Charlie does

not know

After Doobley announces mate in 17, the TD says that the

first-round pairings are up. There are 2 sections, one primarily for adults, and the other for scholastic. The chess
master is playing in the adult section, and is glad not to be
in the same section with Doobley, who is playing in the
scholastic section.
You find Hoobley's name on the pairing chart. lt has his
name on the right and the line says:
17 C. Brown

(13)

H. Baskerville (33)

What does this mean? Someone explains that this means

that Hoobley is Black on board 17 against little Charlie,
and that Hoobley has pairing number 33, which just means
that he is ranked 33'd among the 40 scholastic players.
Doobley is number 37, and is paired with another young
girl.

Hoobley goes to board 17, and finds that his opponent

54

with both fa
each have il
ment rules rg
time conUol i
Charlie has a

hil

ing score. Th
TD has theq
take five nirl
this.

The TD sayst
parents ane (
Charlie - gE

nir

About 10
lip. Uh-oh!

"What happer
"He

checM

"That was

al

"Well, he

ffi

fp

blindqg as the
hr notice
I

I his new

lrith
F

red
play

p,'itlsa
hh

has set up the board with some very small plastic pieces.
You ask the TD if Hoobley has to play with that set, or can
he use his new set. The TD explains that Black has his
choice of equipment, and besides Hoobley's set is more
standard (he also tells you to put Hoobley's initials on the
bottom of each piece, so that you wil! know they are his).
Therefore, the TD tells Charlie that they should use
Hoobley's set, and Charlie puts his sma!! set away in its
cardboard box.

but if

LYou can

hr game
k m you.
rs he will
g players
that the
me priJp chess
lrct to be
qg in the
E
g

Charlie does have an analog clock, so they set the clock

with both faces at 5:30 so that Charlie and Hoobley will
each have 30 minutes to make all their moves (tournament rules require that the clocks be set so that the first
time control always expires at 6:00 on analog clocks).
Charlie has a scoresheet to keep score, but Hoobley does
not know how to write algebraic notation, so he is not keeping score. The TD explains that in some tournaments a
TD has the option to make a player who cannot keep score
take five minutes off his clock, but that he chooses not do
this.

I has his

The TD says that he will not start the first round unti! all the
parents are out of the room. You wish Hoobley - and
Charlie - good luck and go to the skittles room.

,33)

About 10 minutes later Hoobley comes out with a big lower

!ip. Uh-oh!

is means
I Gharlie,
sl means
; players.

pr young

"What happened?"
"He checkmated me."
"That was aMully fast."

"Well, he played fast, so I played fast, too. But he kept

Dpponent
55

taking all my pieces until his Queen and Bishop got in a

line and checkmated me."
"Maybe that will be a good lesson. You have plenty of time
and all the other kids are still playing, so maybe you should
play a little slower, too."
You ask the TD if Hoobley will play his next game soon, but
the TD says, "No, in a Swiss system you pair a player against
someone who is doing as well as he is, so we have to wait
until all the playerc are done so that we can use the computer to make the next round's pairings. lt should be about 11
o'clock. Did your son and his opponent mark down the results of his game on the pairing sheet?"

They hadn't, so he reminds them to do so as soon as each

game is over. At the TD's suggestion, you also check to
make sure Hoobley has put all of his pieces back into his
bag and that Charlie remembers his set and clock. lt is
only 10:15. So Hoobley and Charlie play another game in
the skittles room, and Hoobley plays slower in the skittles
game that didn't count than he did in the one that just finished, which did count!

in Hoobley's secf
the bottom of fip
who lost in the lis
what that is. The'
players, one of frr
someone cannd;
ln this case it b m
point bye," vvhit i

n
il

b(

I
"That's OK
do."

"l didn't see

By 11 , all the scholastic players are done and the new

pairings posted. Hoobley' is given White on board 16
against a slightly older boy who had also lost. You help
Hoobley set up his pieces, set the clock, and then leave
the room.
Someone has entered the tournament late, and has missed
the first round. So there are now an odd number of players
56

thil

"Did you mark

"No

By 10:30 Doobley also comes out. She says she won with
something called "Philidor's Legacy." You ask what that
is, but her answer about "smothered mate" does not ring a
bell.

- as h

f,b

- he is ma*n

"The TD said ytrr !

check?'

Hoobley chedrsb
as lost, and then y
does not start uil
after that, for a 5t

When you rehrn a

a note on them sa!
clock until 12:t[ I
on her favorite sfl

got in

il of time
u should

mn,

but

in Hoobley's section. When you saw Hoobley's pairing, at

the bottom of the pairing sheet one of the rated players
who lost in the first round is given a "bye." You ask the TD
what that is. The TD explains that with an odd number of
players, one of the players cannot be paired, and any time
someone cannot play for any reason that is called a "bye."
In this case it is not the player's fault, so he gets a "fullpoint bye," which is worth the same as a win.

ragainst
e to wait

This time, Hoobley does not come out right

away. !n fact, one other game finishes first
before Hoobley comes out. Uh-oh! Big
lower lip again!

he com-

dout

11

n the re-

"l played slower, but I still lost!"

each

dteck to
k hto his
Dck.

"That's OK
do."

as long as you try your best, that's all you can

lt is

'game

in

e skittles
tpst fin-

"l didn't see that he could take my queen."

"Did you mark the result of your game?"
"No

Hxl

with
fiat that
rd ring a

lhe new

nard

16

You help
Bn leave

s missed

f players

- he is marking it."

"The TD said you should both mark it, so why don't you go
check?"

Hoobley checks to see that indeed, he has been recorded

as lost, and then you take him to lunch, as the next round
does not start until 12:30. There will be one more round
after that, for a total of four. You should be home by 3.
When you return at 12:20, the pairings are already up, but
a note on them says that you cannot start your opponent's
clock until 12:30. You also see Doobley, who is chewing
on her favorite spinach sandwich, which she brought to
57

the tournament. Apparently she won pretty quickly using a

variation on "Legall's Mate" against someone who plays
for the local high school. She is now the only unrated with
two points.

At 12:30 you help Hoobley set up his pieces (initials under

each piece, as you had been told) to play a very young
girl, also in her first toumament. lt doesn't take too long
after you leave for a sheepish looking Hoobley to emerge
from the playing room.
"What happened?"
"She didn't know how to get out of check."
"What does that mean?"

"Well, I checked her with my Queen, and

she put a bunch of pieces in the way, which
I took off." Then I checked her again and
she said she didn't know how to get out of
check any more, so she resigned. I won!!"

high school jur*r

will play in the frr

After winning h I
up" against an d
ond tournamenl
"Doobley says, 1
better one.' Tdr
ing room and lfe

Luckily, Hoo@t
ers to finish, tr G!!

"l was too tired- I

his rook was
until Doobley

#
frt

"OK, but then

day."

rel

A while Iater [E
had won or lost
Hoobley runs r.p

You smile and give Hoobley a big hug. Then you ask him if
he had posted his result.

"!t was

Zugwu4

"No! Will they give me a loss if I forget?"

"What

is'sooofl

"l don't think so, but you had better go back and post it.
Don't forget to put a'1' by your name and a '0' by hers."

"Tsoog-tsvar1g,' a
when I win becnr
has to make a
face. Somehow I

Hoobley did, and then went off to play in the skittles room.

Later Doobley also emerges. Her game against a local

elementary champion had gone down to the wire, but apparently she had won using the "Lucena" or something
like that. She is now 3-0, and only one other boy, a loca!

58

Before we hare a
all the games re
phies.

sing

I plays
d with

under
young
o long
merge
i

high school junior, had matched her perfect record. They

will play in the final round.

After winning in the third round, Hoobley is now "paired

up" against an older, higher-rated boy playing in his second tournament. You remind Hoobley to play slow:
"Doobley says, 'When you see a good move, look for a
better one.' Take your time." You dutifully leave the playing room and the final round action starts.
Luckily, Hoobley does not emerge with the first pair of players to finish, or even second. But his game is the third.

"l was too tired. I missed that when he moved his bishop
his rook was attacking my queen. Oh wel!. Can we wait
until Doobley finishes her game?"

t which

"OK, but then we have to go shopping for Aunt Tilly's birthday."

t out of
lwon!!"

A while later Doobley comes out. You cannot tell if she

had won or lost, for she is using her best poker face.

n, and

in and

Hoobley runs up to her and says, "Well??"

k him if

"lt was Zugzwang:' she replies.

"What is'soog-svang'?"

post it.
7

hers."
room.

"Tsoog-tsvang," as she corrects our pronunciation, "lt is

when I win because he has no good moves to make and
has to make a bad one." A smile now grows on Doobley's
face. Somehow I think she has a future in this game ...

local
but apnething
a local

Before we have a chance to leave, the TD announces that

all the games are over and he is going to award the trophies.

59

lmagine our surprise when he announced that Hoobley,

although finishing with a 1-3 record, had won the "3'd Unrated" prizel lt is a trophy about a foot high with a chess
king on top. We are all flabbergasted. Good thing we hadn't
left to get Aunt Tilly's present.

if hundreds of plarl
nament. lt takes
current federatiqr I
determine rating, s

2) Pre-registratkxr
space, how many
to run the tournanr
at a nationa! toun
discounted earty
nizers can estirftil
tournament site, ilr
tournament of abo

Later that night, with the new trophy on the mantle and
Aunt Tilly's present in the closet, you tuck Hoobley into
bed.

"Did you have a good time at the tournament?"

"Yes! But I have one question."
"Sure, honey, what is it?"

"Doobley said that she is going to a big

kids' tournament in New York next week.
Can we go, too?"
4.2.2 Pre-Registration and Registration
The method by which you sign up with the TD to play in his
tournament is called "registration." lf you register enough
days in advance of the tournament (usually by regular mail,
unless the TD's web-site can take your entry fee by credit
card), this is usually called "pre-registration" since there is
also almost always a registration period
just before the tournament, for players that
did not pre-register.

As mentioned abc
bers to play in
the only exceptirr
nament Player pq
ship requiremert a
play in toumamert
only players frorn

r*

I
Therefore, one dl

to determine if a rq
USCF memberslil
month. For exarfl
for one year, then y
30, 2003.

lf a participant hG

The general rule is that larger tournaments

encourage pre-registration by offering a
discount for early entry (or else later entries are "penalized"). The reasons for this are twofold:
1) It would be impossible for the first round to start on time

60

federation, or ned
in addition to payh
filling out the nrcrrl
formation (sucfr
I
is needed for rxrrr
extra time. Even

*r

I Hoobley,

"3d Unfi a chess

lre hadn't

tsrfle
nbley

and
into

if hundreds of players had to register just before the tournament. lt takes time to ensure that each registrant is a
current federation member (signing up those who are not),
determine rating, section, contact information, etc.
2) Pre-registration helps organizers to estimate how much
space, how many scoresheets, helpers, etc. are needed
to run the tournament. For example , if 8Oo/o of the entrants
at a national tournament usually take advantage of the
discounted early fee, and if 1 ,600 pre-register, the organizers can estimate that a further 400 will register at the
tournament site, and that they need resources to handle a
tournament of about 2,000.
As mentioned above, the USCF and CFC allow only members to play in rated events. Here is how USCF explains
the only exception to this: "Participants in the Junior Tournament Player program are an exception to the membership requirement and are allowed to participate in rated
play in tournaments run at their school which are limited to
only players from that school."

lflay in his
br enough
Bular mail,
c by credit

re

there is
period
layers that

bn

Therefore, one of the prime activities during registration is

to determine if a registrant is a current USCF member. All
USCF memberships are good through the final day of the
month. For example, if you join USCF on June 17, 2OO2
for one year, then your membership is good through June
30, 2003.

'dering a
ile "penal-

lf a participant has never been a member of his national

federation, or needs to renew, he will be asked to (re-)join
in addition to paying the tournament fee. This will require
filling out the membership form, which requires more in-

formation (such as mailing address for the magazine) than

is needed for normal registration, and thus takes a Iittle
extra time. Even when one is required to join a federation,

rmaments

on time

61

{
registering usually takes less than five minutes. Consider,
however, that tf 200 people need to register and each takes
only two minutes, that is almost seven hours of work! This
enormous amount of labor explains why many large tournaments require pre-registration before the first day of play.

registrant's pri

Some very large toumaments even have "tiers" of pre-registration periods. For example, in our 2001 PA State Chess
Federation Scholastic Championships held on March 1011, the least expensive registration was until Feb 17, $10
more was required if received between Feb 18 and March
3, and $20 more after that. We don't want the extra money
- we set the higher entry fees to encourage early registration so we can get the tournament started on time!

Latest o
ratings beqn
ratings later h

When registering by mail, the following should be included:

Federalh
Members

Contad i
oE

in case the

ln addition, if (l
needed. For eo

Address (

Name of registering player (exactly as spelled on the

registrant's federation membership card)

Name/date of tournament - the organizer may have

more than one event for which he is taking registration

Section name (if there is more than one section)

Schedule (if the tournament offers more than one

schedule, such as one-day or two-day options)

it is a scholastic event, usually include your child's

school, grade, and/or age.
ffi

1'

Any bye rounds (if you know the participant will miss
certain rounds for travel, prior commitment, etc.) Tournaments limit the number of bye rounds for which they will
give a Tr-point bye, so be aware of how this may affect the

62

i.

Date d b
sive scholasilb

Whetirert

I
lt

the old USCF

many years,

Membesli

bership is $13
School Matxa
Life.

4.2.3 Swiss
Most scholast
"Swiss"

systal

with another fl
score. So, if I i

Consider,
Dach takes
rork! This
Hge tourlay of play.

registrant's prize chances.

.i.

pre-regtsfte Chess

llarch

10-

Eb 17, $10
rtd March
dra money
ly registra-

ine!
e

hcluded:

iled on the

Federation membership lD Number (if a member).

Membership expiration date (if a member).

Latest official rating (if none, then "unrated"). The

ratings become official periodica!!y - see the section on
ratings later in this chapter.

....

Contact information - phone or, even better, e-mail,

in case the organizer has a question.
ln addition, if (re-)joining a federation, extra information is
needed. For example, the USCF also requires:

Address (for mag azine)

'may have
istration
ection)
D
I

than one

Date of birth (to determine eligibility for less expensive scholastic memberships, etc.)

Whether it is a new membership or renewa! (and if so,

the old USCF ID#). Even if you haven't been a memberfor
many years, your former lD and rating are still correct.

{'

FxJr child's

Membership fees. As of January 1 ,2001 , USCF membership is $13 annually for age 14 and under who select
School Mates and $20 for under age 19 who select Chess
Life.

nt wil! miss
;.) Tournathey will
y afiect the

4.2.3 Swiss System, Pairings, and Posting Results

Most scholastic tournaments are held according to the
"Swiss" system. ln the Swiss system, each player is paired
with another player who has (approximately) the same
score. So, if it is a seven-round tournament and a player

fi

63

has lost his first three games ("0-3"), he will be paired with
someone else who is 0-3. The other main concepts of a
Swiss system are:

A player will not play the same opponent twice.

For color allocation, the director will try to keep the

number of each player's games as White and as Black
about equal.

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
0:
11:
12:
3:
14:
15:
16:
1

Wherever possible, colors wi!! be alternated.

For each score group (such as one Ioss and no wins

after the first round), the upper half of the players will be
paired with the lower half.

One advantage of a Swiss system is that it can handle any

number of players, which is important, because chess organizers do not know how many players might show up to
play in their "open" tournament. Also, everyone plays all
the rounds no one wants to trave! to a chess tournament, Iose and be eliminated, and have to trave! immediately back home.

To figure out the opponent for each player in each round,

players are "seeded" according to their official ratings (see
the section below explaining ratings). Players who have
never played before or have played so recently that their
ratings have not yet become official, are paired as "unrated."

This is easily shown by example. Suppose sixteen students show up for a tournament and their ratings are:

64

500
1450
1400
1 350
1 300
1250
1200
1150
1 000
950
900
850
800
1

Unrated'A'

B
G
The numbers on t
Unrated
Unrated

Once these are eC

coin" to see ufio I
the top-rated 1flID
will alternate colai
the top of the ssr
#9, #2 will play ts!
first round pairirgs

w?*
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

#1
#1O

ffi

#12
#5
#11
trT

#16

500
1450
1400
1 350
1 300
1250
1200
1150
1 000
950
900
850
800
Unrated "A"
Unrated "B"
Unrated "C"
1

the
Black

wns
will be
any
orup to
all

round,
(see
have
their
6 "un-

The numbers on the left are called the "pairing numbers."

Once these are established, the TD or computer will "flip a
coin" to see who has White on the first board. Suppose
the top-rated 1500 wins the flip; the rest of the top players
will alternate color and the top of the first half (#1) wil! play
the top of the second half (#9), so #1 has White against
#9, #2 will play Black against #10, etc. The entire set of
first round pairings:

Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board
Board

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

White
#1
#10
#3
#12
#5
#14
#7
#16

BIack

#9
#2
#11

#13
#6
#15
#8

The actual pairings will be posted on a "pairing sheet" on

the wall, looking very similar to the above chart. ln order to
figure out a person's board, color, and opponent, first !ocate the player's name (where it says "#1" above, instead
it will Iiterally show player #1's name). Then look to the far
left - that will be his board number, usually in a column
with the header "Board#" or "Bd". lf his name is in the left
column he wil! be White and if in the right column Black.
The other name at his board is that of his opponent.

The player should then go to his board (the number is

usually taped to the table). lf his opponent is already there,
he should tell him his name and ask the opponent his, so
that he is sure that he is playing the correct person. The
player with Black has the choice of equipment, assuming
it is standard. lf neither player has a clock, they can ask
nearby players to borrow one, or can start the game without one. lf the game is running Iate, the TD will give the
players a clock later.
Suppose in the first round all the favorites (#1-8) win. Then
for the second round, the players that won (players #1
#8) and the players that lost (players #9 - #16) are put in
separate pairing groups, and the same idea, top-halfagainst-bottom-half of each score group is applied, with
colors alternating so that as many players as possible have
one White and one Black after two rounds. The resulting
pairings:
Black
White
#1
#6
Board 1
#5
#2
Board 2
#3
#8
Board 3
#7
H
Board 4
#9
#14
Board 5
#13
#10
Board 6
#11
#16
Board 7
#15
Board 8
#12

66

Notice that even tlm

2-6,3-7, 4-8), tlb b
ers had White in
have to get a seotrrr
and #6 (which is
players end up uuft
rounds.

tr
d

As the toumarner* p
level." The best ptal
each other. The w(rc
ing each other, too-A
will win about hdftrrc
(against lower+aH
(against higher+aEt

After the game b

the pairing chart (tE
playing) and mark tr
columns for resultso
numbers. lf one
players should rnnt
winner and "0' in lle

ffi

gt|l

phrr
t+, t
theft

ciot

dicates a forfeit!) rX
It is very imporffi I
after every round.
lf the TD sees thda
to assume that rrclr

as a double-forbit
will be paired for

tr

Iteet" on
order to
L first loH, instead
b the far
I column
h the left
m Black.
Ent.
n

lrnber

is

{y there,
:* his, so
tpn. The
Esuming
y can ask

rne with! give the

f,I.

Then
lyers #1
put in

re
,

bp-half-

Ied,

with
sDle have
I resulting

Notice that even though #1 would normally play #5 (1-5,

2-6,3-7,4-8), this is not the best pairing, since both players had White in the first round and one of them would
have to get a second consecutive White. By switching #5
and #6 (which is allowed under many conditions), both
players end up with one White and one Black after two
rounds.

As the tournament progresses, players tend to "find their

Ievel." The best players keep winning and end up playing
each other. The worst players keep losing and end up playing each other, too. And players who are close to the middle
will win about half their games, winning when "paired down"
(against lower-rated players) and losing when "paired up"
(against higher-rated players), assuming few upsets.
After the game is over, BOTH players should go back to
the pairing chart (the one which told them where they were
playing) and mark their result. There are usually separate
columns for results on the same row that showed the board
numbers. lf one player won and the other lost, then the
players should mark "1" in the results column next to the
winner and "0" in the results column next to the loser. lf the
game was a draw, mark "/r" next to both
players. lf one of the players never showed
up, then mark "1F" by the player who was
there (and you can even circle it, but never
circle a result othenruise, since circling indicates a forfeit!) and 0F by the player who was not there.
It is very important for both players to mark their results
after every round.
lf the TD sees that a game is not marked, he has the right
to assume that neither player ever showed up and score it
as a double-forfeit, which would mean that neither player
will be paired for the next round! So even if you !ose, it is

67

il
important to mark your result!

4.2.4 Guide to Chess "Byes"

What is a Bye?
A "bye" is easily defined: it is what happens when one
does not play a round in a chess tournament! For a variety
of reasons, not all players are able to attend or play every
round of a tournament. For example, if there are an odd
number of players in your section, someone will probably
be given a bye,
How Much is a Bye Worth?
Byes can result in any of the three possible chess scores:
O, Tz, or 1 point. lt depends upon the situation.
When is a Bye worth 1 Point?
ln round-robin tournaments, where everyone plays everyone else, the organizers usually invite an even number of
players so that there are no byes unless someone gets ill
in the middle of the tournament. However, in "open" tournaments where anyone can play, each section may have
an odd or even number of players. Without going into the
specifics of tournament rules, if there are an odd number
of players ready to play, generally the player who has the
least number of points with the lowest rating does not get
paired and instead may be given a 1-point ("full-point") bye.

How Many l-Point Byes Can You Gef?

Unless there are more rounds than players (rare), a player
can only get one 1-point bye per tournament. lf a player
has missed a round due to a bye, then if there are still an
odd number of players, he will play all the remaining rounds.

What About Tr-Point Byes?

Many tournament organizers offer Tz-point byes for some
of the rounds which you know in advance you cannot play.

68

The main stipl

before a speci
tournament's n

Example: The
Tz-point byes
byes for round
hour prior to
quests for a )L
be requested I
needs a draw
to win).

I
t
t

Do all touman

miss?
Many do, hrt n
Tournament
or announced t
tournaments m
cannot play.

Ll

What are 0aci

Zero-point byes
make, but wtft
are different fiu
TD that he can
not show up.
player from a I
rounds), but
from the orgaii
one of their hr
ered bad spat
are worth 0 pci
that matter), a
the tournamert
he is withdra*

ft
t

The main stipulation is that the player has to tell the TD

before a specific time, which varies according to each
tournament's rules.

lEn

one
e variety
[y every
p an odd
probably

b scores:

ilE every-

rrnber of
rc gets ill
tsn'tour-

ry

have
g hto the
il number
o has the
Fn not get

tr)bye.

I a player
I a player
re still an
p rounds.

Example: The tournament is six rounds and the TD offers

Tz-point byes for a total of up to two rounds. All %-point
byes for rounds 1-4 have to be requested at least one
hour prior to the posted starting time of the round. Requests for a Tr-point bye for either rounds 5 or 6 have to
be requested before round 4 (to prevent someone who
needs a draw to win the tournament from just taking a bye
to win).
Do all tournamenfs offer %-point byes for rounds you will
miss?
Many do, but not all. The bye policy may be stated in the
Tournament Life Announcement (TLA) or it may be posted
or announced before the first round. Some less important
tournaments may offer lz-point byes for all the rounds you
cannot play.
What are }-point byes?
Zero-point byes are given for rounds that a player cannot
make, but which do not qualify for a Tr-point bye. These
are different from forfeits, when a player does NOT tell the
TD that he cannot make a round, and is paired but does
not show up. Forfeits not only require the TD to withdraw a
player from a tournament (not pair him for subsequent
rounds), but also may subject the player to a small fine
from the organizers next time the player wishes to play in
one of their tournaments. lntentional forfeits are considered bad sportsmanship. Both 0-point byes and forfeits
are worth 0 points, but after a 0-point bye (or any bye, for
that matter), a player continues to be paired until either
the tournament is over or he tells the tournament director
he is withdrawing from the tournament.

69

What if you do have to withdraw from the tournament?

Are you ineligible for prizes?
lf a player has to withdraw from the tournament, or knows
that he will not be playing the final N rounds, he should
notify the tournament director as soon as he is aware that
he will not be playing. The tournament director will then
assign the proper bye value to the missed rounds and
award the prizes based on his total.

Example: Suppose the tournament is seven rounds and

the tournament director offers Tz-point byes for a total of
up to two rounds, but byes for rounds 6 and 7 have to be
requested before round 5. A player has a score of 2-2 and
gets ill. He tells the director after his fourth round that he
have to leave. The director will give you him two %-point
byes (the maximum) and one O-point bye. His final score
will be 3-4.

Are Byes Rated?

No, byes cannot be rated! A rating system is a scientific
method of determining playing performance. Rating an
unplayed game is not a measure of performance, so of
course byes cannot affect someone's rating.
4.2.5 Ratings and Prizes
Ratings are numerical assignments that measure the playing performance of an individual. The higher the rating,
the better the player. Ratings are generally in the range of

100-2800. Here

is what the USCF web-site

(unrvw.uschess.org) says about ratings:

"The rating system described here is for over-theboard competition only ... The basic theory of the
USCF's rating system is that the difference between
the ratings of players is a guide to predicting the
outcome of a contest between those two players.

70

"The spe
ing to sild
however"
strengthmanogs a
within a rE

USCF Rd
Senior lla
Master
Expert
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class D
Class E
Class F
Class G
Class H
Class I

There is a nw ir
complicated thil
of th is book (
system.html). SI
ing goes up, atd
The higher the m
goes up; the
more it goes

lil
dil
It takes four gilr

published ratirgs

at www.&1.conrfrs

ratings.htm. !n lh
games, his ratiqg
accurate than
games or more-

tr

lament?

knows
E should
Fre that
ruill then
and

"The specific formula has been worked out according to statistical and probability theory. No rating,

however, is a precise evaluation of a player's

strength. lnstead, ratings are averages of performances and should be viewed as approximations
within a range ..."

Hs

lnds and
3 total of
lue to be
fr2-2 and
d that he
Trpoint
iral score
O

scientific

USCF Rating Classification

Senior Master above 2399
2200-2399
Master
2000-2199
Expert
1 800-1 999
CIass A
1600-1799
Class B
1400-1599
Class C
1200-1399
CIass D
1000-1199
Class E
800- 999
Class F
600- 799
Class G
400- 599
Class H
200- 399
Class I

lating an
rce, so of

There is a new rating algorithm which is somewhat more

complicated than the old system, but it is outside the scope

of this book (see www.uschess.org/ratings/info/

rthe play-

l,r

rating,

I range of

web-site
'over-theuy of the
I between
Hing the
r ptayers.

system.html). Suffice it to say that when one wins, his rating goes up, and when one loses, his rating goes down.
The higher the rating of the opponent beaten, the more it
goes up; the lower the rating of the opponent lost to, the
more it goes down.
It takes four games (lifetime, not per tournament) to get a
published rating. USCF publishes the ratings on the web
at wvrnru.64.com/uscf/ratings and the CFC at www.chess.cal
ratings.htm. ln the US, if one has played Iess than 25
games, his rating is considered "provisional" and is less
accurate than the ratings of those who have played 25
games or more.

7l

In many tournaments, ratings are used to determine eligibility for prizes. For example, in the Rating Classification
Table above, each rating is part of a "class." lt is easy to
use these classes for prize eligibility. For example, one
might have a scholastic tournament and give out prizes
for the Top Three overall finishers, plus for the Top Two
finishers in Class D, Class E, and Class F. Or, if you want
to include multiple classes in one prize, such as for "Class
F and Below," this is often advertised as an "Under-1000"
prize, because everyone with a rating under 1000 is eligible, as opposed to a "Class F prize," where only players
in the range 800-999 should be eligible.

lf multiple players who are eligible for the

same prize should end the tournament with
the same number of points, and the prize
is indivisible (like a trophy), then tiebreaks
are used to determine the prize. Tiebreaks
usually involve "strength of opposition"
the player who has played opponents who
in that tournament have the highest
best
have done the
tiebreaks. For example, the usual "first tiebreak" in USCF
tournaments is "Modified Median," which adds up the fina!
scores of all your opponents (except one or two, as specified by the rule). So a player who plays several opponents
who did very well will have a higher modified median
tiebreak than one who played opponents who did not do
as well.

While the USCF has the oldest rating system, other scholastic organizations (CFC, CEA, Chess'n Math, etc.) all
have independent systems that are similar, based on results in their non-USCF tournaments.
One final important thing about ratings - don't get too carried away with them. ln fact, most students should forget

72

their rating aM

ta

much chess as thery

worrying more abql
improve nearly reE
ing.

One does not get a

ing and "protectirgi
gains a better ralht
nents (but not dt^rc*i
learning as mucfi

4.2.6 The Skittles I

The "skittles" room i
but near, the torrrm
after the game b m
the next round. By e
fun, or chess played
skittles room is, b1r I
for serious chessUnlike the tournang

quiet, the skittles m

allowed in the sldf
after their garnes
(the so-called "pos$n

At large toumamerG
often features a
equipment, videc,
sell food.

dr
t

4.2.7 Enhancing Yo
So your child is g3i
gratulations - it yyt b
his - and your - erp

; eligi-

cation
by to
), one
prizes
p Two
I want

Class
11(D0"

.b elilayers

br the
filwith
I prize
heaks
treaks

hn"

ls who

f,f,test
T.ISCF

final
ispeci-

ments
redian

rpt do
r

scho-

t.)
'(Il

all
re-

in carI

forget

their rating and that of their opponent, and just play as

much chess as they can against anyone. Players who start
worrying more about their rating than about learning don't
improve nearly as fast as those who concentrate on learning.

One does not get a good rating by worrying about his rating and "protecting" it by playing only certain players. One
gains a better rating by seeking out the strongest opponents (but not ducking the weaker ones) and playing and
learning as much as you can.

4.2.6 The Skittles Room

The "skittles" room is usually located somewhere outside,
but near, the tournament room. lt is where one may go
after the game is over and when awaiting the pairings for
the next round. By some definitions, "skittles" is chess for
fun, or chess played without a clock - so a
skittles room is, by definition, not a place
for serious chess.
Unlike the tournament room, which is kept
quiet, the skittles room is usually very noisy. Anyone is
allowed in the skittles room, and many players go there
after their games to analyze them with their opponents
(the so-called "post-mortem"; one can learn a lot that way!).

At large tournaments, the skittles room (or a nearby area)

often features a chess bookseller, who also sells chess
equipment, videos, t-shirts, etc. Other skittles areas might
sell food.
4.2.7 Enhancing Your Tournament Experience
So your child is going to a live chess tournament! Congratulations - it will be fun. Here are some tips to enhance
his - and your - experience:

73

t
1. Register by mail ahead of time - This is allowed in most
tournaments and serves several purposes. It helps the
tournament director get the first round started on time, and
also gives him time to check your registration information
more thoroughly. lt also usually entitles you to a discount.
While almost all tournaments allow you to register on the
same day as the first round (and by all means if you need
to wait until then, please do and register then - most registrants do), "pre-registration" lets you sleep a little later. lf
you do pre-register, make sure you check your registration when you get to the tournament, flo less than 15-30
minutes before the first round is scheduled. One exception: lf you are joining your federation for the first time and
it is a small tournament, it is easier to join at the tournament, since you will need to supply additional information over and above that
needed for normal pre-registration. Make
sure all your registration information is
clear, complete, and correct as described
in Section 4.2.2.

2. Have your child get plenty of sleep. Playing chess correctly is fun, but tiring - there is a lot of mental work required, Iike taking a test! A wel!-rested player is a much
better player.
3. Know the directions to the tournament location and give
yourself a little extra time - no sense missing the first round
because of a traffic jam, a detour, etc.
4. Bring chess equipment! Except for national tournaments,
most tournaments do not supply anything but scoresheets.
So bring a standard Staunton chess set and board, a chess
clock (if you have one), and a couple of pencils/pens to
record your games (if you know how).

74

Many playens
are lost or let
to have then
scorebook, u
recorded gan

5. Leam ahe
clock. lf it Is i

the clock in a
tournament I
means play d

standard tinre
is set at "Gf2
minutes to re
set to delay I
chased an an
G/30 simpty I
each face d I
should aluay:

6. Have yotr
in almost eue
and go over
everyone wlr
game until d

minutes lefr, s
way. lt also he
providing a T
algebraic nG

! h most

eps the
irre, and
mnation
Iscount.
r on the
ur need
rrct rege later. lf
registran 15-30
g excepLne and
I buma-

ESS COrrcrk rel a much

ild

give
ist round

rEnents,
rcsheets.
L a chess
stpens to

Please put your name and contact information on the back of your board,
your name on your clock, and your initials on the bottom of each chess piece.
Many players have similar pieces and boards, and if yours
are Iost or left somewhere too long, it helps tremendously
to have them labeled. lt is a good idea to purchase a
scorebook, with many bound scoresheets, to save your
recorded games for later study.

5. Learn ahead of time how to set and use your chess

clock. lf it is a digital clock, read the instructions and set
the clock in advance to the time limit adveftised for your
tournament. For example, if the time limit is "G/30" that
means play all your moves in 30 minutes. If that includes a
standard time delay of 5 seconds per move, then the clock
is set at "Gl25; T/D 5" meaning it counts down from 25
minutes to zero on each side of the clock and the clock is
set to delay five seconds before each move. If you purchased an analog clock, then it cannot use time delay, so
G/30 simply means each player has 30 minutes, so set
each face of the clock to 5:30, since the first time control
should always expire at 6:00.

6. Have your child learn algebraic notation (this is taught

in almost every beginner's book) so he can keep score
and go over his games later. Tournament rules require
everyone who knows how to keep score during a rated
game until at least one of the players has less than five
minutes left, so older kids will be expected to do so, anyway. lt also helps them during any disputes over the game,
providing a "proof of record" that the TD can use. Here is
algebraic notation for "Scholar's Mate":

75

I
White
1. e4
2. Qhs
3. Bc4

ship infonndh

Black
e5
NcG

Nf6??

4. QxfT#

2Y

lvH
2

8. Help your c
sheet is po*
left. The left{r
name will
start the clods

ffi

After the first

with your cff,d

check these

the TD imns
told me AFTE

4
3
v

,/rr6Vr{
7

a b c d e f g

7. Make sure to check the date/time of registration and the

times of the rounds. Tournament information is posted at
www. uschess. org/tla, www. ch ess. caltou rna ments. htm, a nd
elsewhere. lf you must, call or e-mail the TD or registration person to confirm needed information. For multipleday tournaments be aware that rounds may start on different times on different daysr.

lf your child is joining the federation, fill out a membership

form - in the US, the less expensive membership includes
the children's School Mates Magazine and the more expensive membership (required for students over the age
of 14) entitles them to the adult Chess Life. Keep a copy
of the "member's" form - it will be your proof of membership at other tournaments until you get your membership
card in a few weeks. lf you cannot prove current membership at a tournament, the TD may require you to join for an
additional year - he cannot let you play without proof (which
can be your membership card, your membership form copy,
your magazine mailing label, or a copy of your member76

rating was iru

had two dals
the entire tirr
was over. To

10. During tlr

teach your cli
NAMENTDn!
even experienq

a problem iu

lfl

the players.
and get the TD

11 . Etiquetb
game, introdr
make sure yut
Shake hands t
begin the garr

ship information as printed outfrom the web-site ratings page).

8. Help your child learn to find his pairing after the pairing
sheet is posted. His board number will be on the extreme
left. The left-hand name will play White and the right-hand
name will play Black. Play will start when the TD says to
start the clocks, usually about the time posted for the round.
After the first round starts, the TD will post a "Wall Chart"
with your child's name, membership ID, and rating. Doublecheck these to make sure they are correct - if not, notify
the TD immediately. At a recent tournament one player
told me AFTER I GAVE OUT THE TROPHIES that his
rating was incorrect and he should have won a trophy. He
had two days to tell me, and his rating had been posted
the entire time, but he waited until after the tournament
was over. Too late. Please let the TD know ASAP ...

utd the

ded at
Itn, and
legistrarrruttiple-

differ-

bership
hdudes
firre ex-

tte age
a copy
lrernber-

9. Bring a small snack to eat during long

games - most tournaments allow players
to eat quietly (no chips!) during a game,
and it is important not to get too hungry.
10. During the game, if there is any question at all,
teach your child to stop his game and GET THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR. I have seen dozens of cases where
even experienced tournament players "decide" how to solve
a problem incorrectly, always to the detriment of one of
the players. When in doubt, your child should stop his clock
and get the TD.

Dership
lernber-

ir

for an

il(which

rn

copy,

11. Etiquette - teach your child the following:

game, introduce yourself to your opponent to
make sure you are playing the correct person.
Shake hands before BIack starts the clock to
begin the game.

rember77

During the game, limit talking to such things as "Would

you Iike a draw?" or "That is an illegal move" or "You
touched that piece, you have to move it." A player may
say "check," but it is not necessary, and against strong
opponents it is considered an insult (they
ck). !f a player is in a hope, he may resign by saying "l
rposely turning down his king
roper, but you should instruct
your child never to resign to a beginner who might not
know how to finish the game with checkmate!). lf you need
to adjust a piece that has fallen down or is not centered,
do so on your time, but before you do, say "l adjust" or
'J'adoube." More on etiquette in Section 4.5.

12. After the game, BOTH players, win or Iose, must report their result by putting a"1" next to the winner and a "0"
next to the loser (or % by each in the case of a draw) on
the pairing sheet. !f the result is not reported, the TD may
assume that the game was not played, it was a doubleforfeit and that both players went home. Therefore, they
may not be paired for the next round. So mark your results, win or lose!
13. !f your child has to Ieave (whether you are coming back
or not) and will miss a round (or more) or is withdrawing,
you should one, notify the TD as soon as you are aware of
this, and two, also remind the TD at the time you leave
(and when you come back, if applicable).

14. Tell the tournament director what you liked about the
tournament and, constructively, what might have worked
better - he will appreciate both your consideration and your
comments!

4.3 Gommon His

Scholastic Ches

Misconception: I
enough to play h
for the kids that a
Fact: There is rp
quired. Participarl

the pieces move a

mate! They also I
quietly.

Misconception:

nament, lose in tlx

disconsolate.
Fact: No one is et
are how almost fl,
tournaments were
other types of
not eliminate

hr
ffi

Misconception: lt!
the day of the brr
Fact: While pre{e[
expensive, most G
ments are made d
play on the day

Misconception: V

nament in order
conception).
Fact: Of course, n
lf you do plan qr h
director about rJUhE
and then notiff ttn

Misconception: To
for every participcr
78

hlould
r You

f maY
ffiong
] (they

tppef,irg "l

b king
[sfuct

fit

not
u need

frred,
irsf, or
i'

l,st reid a "0"

Urr re-

p back
fawing,
mre of

I bave
ufi

the

rcrked

ld

your

4.3 Gommon Misconceptions About Tournaments and

Scholastic Chess
Misconception: Parents often think their child is not good
enough to play in tournaments, or "Tournaments are just
for the kids that are really good."
Fact: There is no minimum skill level required. Participants do have to know how
the pieces move and the rules, like checkmate! They also have to be able to play
quietly.

Misconception: Parents think their child will go to a tournament, lose in the first round, be eliminated, and go home
disconsolate.
Fact: No one is eliminated from Swiss tournaments, which
are how almost all scholastic tournaments are held. Swiss
tournaments were explained above in Section 4.2.3. Even
other types of tournament formats, like round-robins, do
not eliminate players.

Misconception: You have to pre-register (register before

the day of the tournament) to play in a tournament.
Fact: While pre-registration is encouraged and is often less
expensive, most entries for small and mid-sized tournaments are made during a registration period just prior to
play on the day of the tournament.

Misconception: You have to play all the rounds in a tournament in order to participate (this is a very common misconception).
Fact: Of course, no one forces you to play all the rounds.
If you do plan on leaving, please notifying the tournament
director about when you plan to leave (and come back)
and then notify him each time you do.

Misconception: Tournaments will provide a board and set

for every participant.
79

Fact: Few tournaments provide equipment (except for

scoresheets)! So at least bring a set, board, and pencil.
The exceptions would be the big national tournaments,
which supply boards and sets, but not clocks. At the end
of the tournament, these "used" and specially designated
boards (with the name of the tournament on them) are
usually sold, along with the sets, at a slight discount.
Misconception: Younger students shouldn't or can't play
in clubs or tournaments with adults.
Fact: Many students play regularly in tournaments with
adults, and sometimes beat them!
Misconception: Most tournaments have age or residency
restrictions.
Fact: Most tournaments are open to anyone; tournaments
just for students are restricted to "scholastic" players, which
means grades 12 or below. There are rarely residence
restrictions.

Misconception: You have to have a rating to play in a

tournament.
Fact: The USCF requires membership to play in their rated
tournaments. Therefore, everyone starts his first tournament as "unrated" - it is impossible to get an official USCF
rating before playing in a tournament, so that would be a
Catch-22! And you don't have to be a member before registration - you can always join as part of registration.

Misconception: A player who has not played in a long

time loses his rating, or his rating decreases.
Fact: The USCF has a slogan "Once rated, always rated."
And when you don't play, your rating does not change.

draws), most nrxl

volving the morres
ment players do. I
there are a few dr
especially those i
Some of these nI
under their res@
Everyone's
dt
importance, the m

The USCF's Offici

pages, but nobody
even most of them
know: lf anything
happening at yqr
your opponent, yo
stop your clocilr r
"claim." The TD
"ls this checkmabl
ing options during a
ask, and will detenr
don't understand b
contacting the TD
child to stop his gu
is what the TD inst
" l would like to
na
"lllegal move" or

t)

sclr
erd

be*

ffi

sbp

1.c

4.4 Tournament Rules

With a few exceptions (en passant, promotion, castling,

*
face runs at a tine-

80

rept for
pencil.

ments,
Ure end

ignated
m) are

rrt.

rr't play
nts with

sidency
raments
s, which
sldence

lay in a
dr
I

rated

burna-

d USCF

ddbea
bre reg]bn.

n a long
ts rated."

draws), most non-tournament players know the rules involving the moves of the pieces about as well as tournament players do. However, when playing in tournaments,
there are a few other pertinent rules that are good to know,
especially those involving the clock and scorekeeping.
Some of these rules are covered elsewhere in this book
under their respective topics. I devote an entire chapter of
Everyone's 7d Chess Book to this but, because of their
importance, the most common are summarized below.
The USCF's OfficialRules of Chess runs several hundred
pages, but nobody expects a player to know them all, or
even most of them. But there is one rule every player must
know: lf anything strange, unusual, or misunderstood is
happening at your board, or if you have a dispute with
your opponent, you have the right to - and should -

stop your clock and ask a TD a question or make

"claim." The TD cannot answer general questions like

"ls this checkmate?" or educate you about various drawing options during a game, but he can explain any rule you
ask, and will determine the proper action if something you
don't understand is brought to his attention. This rule about
contacting the TD is VERY IMPORTANT, so teach your
child to stop his game, get the TD (or raise his hand, if that
is what the TD instructed), and say "/ have a question." or
"l would like to make a claim.". Examples of claims are
"lllegal move" or "Draw by three-fold repetition." At every
scholastic tournament the results of several games are affected because a player
believes something his opponent says or
fails to contact the TD. So when in doubt stop the game and get the TD!

Enge.
1. Chess is played with a clock:
castling,

The clock has two faces, and only one

runs at a time. After each player moves, he hits his
81

side of the clock to stop it from running and start his

opponent's side. ln a "sudden death" time control (where
al! the moves must be made within a specific amount of
time on the clock; this is how almost all scholastic events
are held), if a player runs out of time (usually indicated on
a digital clock by "0:00", or on an analog clock by a "flag"
falling) and the opponent calls it before his time runs out
as well, then if the opponent has any possible mating material, such as a pawn or a Rook, the opponent wins the
game. lf the opponent does not have mating material, it is
a draw.

lf neither player has a clock, and they

cannot easily borrow one, they can start their

game without a clock. lf the game is running
long, the TD will find a clock and give it to
them, splitting the remaining time in the
round equally between the two players.

The accepted standard for a USCF game is to use a

digital clock with a time-delayfeature. A time-delay means
the clock does not run for a certain number of seconds
(usually 5 seconds in a longer tournament game) after it is
pressed. This delay allows completion of extremely long
games in sudden death time limits, as a player can play
indefinitely without his clock running out, so long as he
takes less than 5 seconds per move. Usually if a clock has
time delay on, the TD requires that the first time control be
shortened proportionately, so that the entire session takes
about the same time. For example, if the session is "Game
in 30 minutes," then with a S-second time delay, each player
would start with 25 minutes, but still the game should take
about one hour, the same as a game played without the
time delay feature.

2. lf You Know How to Record Your Game, Then You

Must
82

ln a toumam
must. lf he d
players abovr
notation quid

players; for e:
the clock for;
so you may r
tournament
chess score{s

recorded pra
score, that is
right to reque
player bonw
running. Bofri
player gets b

3. Avoiding t
lf parents or o
do so from be

r
t

allow the TD
interfere with
should say srr
ing by a player
seen (such
reported to ttre
TD in for a
fere or act as a
use them as a
spectator

e
ql

ur

tart

his
(where
punt of
; events
ated on

a flag"
uns out

lhg marins the

rial, it is

rtd they
ilart their
i running
give it to
e in the
uers.

to use a
y means
seconds
after it is
rely long
can play

pashe

Jock has
mtrol be
ion takes
b "Game
ch player
onld take
Itrcut the

ln a tournament, if a player knows how to keep score, he

must. lf he does not know how, he can't. However, most
players above the age of 8 are expected to learn algebraic
notation quickly. This rule is sometimes altered for young
players; for example, some TDs subtract five minutes from
the clock for players who do not know how to keep score,
so you may wish to check with the TD at the start of the
tournament to see how he is enforcing this rule. Note that
chess scorekeeping does not depend on having correctly
recorded previous moves, so if someone messes up his
score, that is not an excuse to stop. A player also has the
right to request an opponent's scoresheet so long as the
player borrowing the scoresheet does so while his clock is
running. Both players may stop keeping score when either
player gets to five minutes or less left on his clock.
3. Avoiding Spectator lnterference
lf parents or coaches are allowed to spectate, they should
do so from behind their child or student, so that body language is not an issue. Even if they see
illegal moves, they should not interfere.
One way to look at it is that spectators
should not do anything a wall wouldn't do!
Chess is a game between the two players. Under certain conditions, the rules
allow the TD to interfere, but in no case may another party
interfere with the players. The only time an outside party
should say something is if he observes the type of cheating by a player which his opponent could not possibly have
seen (such as secretly using a computer). This should be
reported to the TD immediately. Even after a player calls a
TD in for a question, coaches or parents should not interfere or act as a "!awyer" for their player. lf the TD wishes to
use them as a witness, the TD may do so. Guidelines for
spectator conduct are presented in Appendix B.

hen You

83

4. Touch Move
1i' lf you touch a piece you must move it.

lf you take your hand off your piece

you must leave it there.

lf you touch or purposely displace an

opponent's piece and you can capture

it,

you must.
5. Types of Draws (* = Automatic; others must be claimed
before the player presses his clock)

Three-fold repetition of position (NOT 3-fold repetition of moves). There is no "perpetual check" draw, but it
always leads to a three-fold repetition.

lnsufficient Mating Material* (Just a King, King and

Bishop, King and Knight, or King and Two Knights)

Stalemate" - The side to move is not in check and

NONE of his pieces can make a legal move.

Agreement - One player makes a move, offers a

draw, and hits his clock. lf the opponent agrees before
making a responding move, the game is a draw.

l.

S0-move Rule If at any time during the game both

players complete 50 consecutive moves without a pawn
being moved or any piece being captured.

Both Players Run Out of Time - lf both players run

out of time, and neither had claimed a win before his time
ran out, the game is declared a draw.

84

lnsufficiert

less than five ni

to claim a draw
might lose on tim

4.5 Tournament
Players
For the most pr

dh

since outside
more toumameil
rule is that if then
board, get the Tl
that a player mry

disturbs a persil
let the TD knw I

Similar[, it is nd
that his opponertl

a piece and has

pected of all ches
that their opporu
vantage.

Declaring "cfiedf
cially outside
players knowilbr
ing "You may nd
tell you." Ther*
bid one from sryi

dh

Good sportrsnranC
and identify yolmr
hands and say
the end. lt is aho
not end a gann, I
you agree that

ll-

rur plece

flace an
apture

it,

daimed

repetiaur, but it

King and
ils)

heck and

l, ofiers a
es before
I

Ene both
rt a pawn

fuers run
e his time

lnsufficient Losing Chances - AIlows a player with

less than five minutes left and without a time-delay clock
to claim a draw if he is clearly not losing, but thinks he
might lose on time if he continues playing for a win or draw.
4.5 Tournament Etiquette
Players
For the most part, chess is played on the honor system,
since outside of international events, there are usually many
more tournament players than TDs at an event. So the #1
rule is that if there is anything unusual happening at your
board, get the TD. The most important etiquette rule is
that a player may not disturb his opponent, but since what
disturbs a person varies widely, it is up to each player to
let the TD know if something is bothering him.

Similarly, it is not bad sportsmanship if a player points out

that his opponent has made an illegal move, or has touched
a piece and has to move it. On the contrary, this is expected of all chess players, and players who do not insist
that their opponent follow the rules are at a definite disadvantage.

Declaring "check" is sometimes considered rude, especially outside of beginner play. The reason is that al! good
players know it is check, so saying check may be like saying "You may not be good enough to realize this, so I will
tell you." Therefore, the rules discourage, but do not forbid one from saying "check."
Good sportsmanship usually requires you to shake hands
and identify yourself at the start of a game, and to shake
hands and say something like "thanks" or "good game" at
the end. lt is also worth noting that shaking hands does
not end a game, but you should not shake hands unless
you agree that the game is over; doing so othenruise may

85

lead to arguments. The correct way to resign is to say "!

resign" or purposely tip over your king.

Spectators
This can be easily summarized. Spectators should do their
best imitation of a wall! See Appendix B for a complete set
of rules.

Just then, one of I

of the participant
position and inrn
such play was m
he was interferir4
players to decide I
need to call for
which had not trq

it

A lot of adults think if they stand by quietly that probably

has no effect. Unfortunately, an adult can easily intimidate
a child's young opponent just by standing next to the game.
While tournament rules require such an interested spectator to stand behind his child or student, so as to not give
inadvertent information via body language, that position
still may result in upsetting the opponent. Therefore, ! forbid parents from even being in the room for championship
scholastic events, and non-championship ones that involve
young children. At national events involving young scholastic players, it is standard procedure that only the tournament directors and other approved spectators be allowed
in the playing room.

To make a long sil

testing and I hd
because the fath
but profoundly

4.6 lmportant Sc
This section addr
tional toumarnerG
ber of annual euet
earn titles u/hich I
them when they a

Local TournarrH
As an example, I once held a small, unrated prtze tournament in one of my beginner classes. While I had taught
my students to stop the game if anything unusual happened, neither of the young participants remembered this
when they got into a heated battle. Just as the clock on
both player's sides were getting !ow, one of the players
made an illegal move, moving into check. The other player
did not see this, but since they were playing for prizes, I
did not intervene (by the way, in events where tournament
directors cannot watch all the games, the TD has the right
to stop the game in this circumstance, but since he cannot
do so in al! cases fairly, he may simply refrain from doing
so and act as a witness, as I was doing).

86

Aside from the'TI

on many weeker!
chess organizatir
clubs, sponsor lm
might be for yorr
gion. Clever ortpt
can of these tiUes,
awarded.

For example, in th
Greater Philaddpn
Greater Philadelpfi
(where only the lq
a Greater Philadd

t
gy

"l

o their
rte set

obably
rnidate
game.
specof give

reition
;, I foronship
nvolve
I schoe tour-

Iowed

[rumataught
il haped this
ock on
rlayers

'flayer
rizes, I
tament
re right
cannot
t doing

Just then, one of the fathers arrived to pick up his son, one
of the participants in this game. He looked at the illegal
position and immediately started protesting that allowing
such play was not right. I tried to tell the irate parent that
he was interfering with the game and that it was up to the
players to decide the game, and that the participants would
need to call for intervention, as they had been taught, but
which had not happened.
To make a long story short, the father refused to stop protesting and I had to stop the game, declaring it a draw
because the father was not only disturbing the players,
but profoundly affecting the result.

4.6 Important Scholastic Tournament and Titles

This section addresses local, state, national, and international tournaments for scholastic players. There are a number of annual events at each level that enable students to
earn titles which they will cherish - and even might help
them when they apply for admission to college!

Local Tournaments
Aside from the "TD Tom special" local tournaments found
on many weekends, many areas which feature strong
chess organizations, such as active USCF affiliates and
clubs, sponsor local championships. These championships
might be for your town, city, county, or even a larger region. Clever organizers should make as much use as they
can of these titles, as that allows many different titles to be
awarded.

For example, in the Philadelphia area, we could have the

Greater Philadelphia Open Scholastic Championship, the
Greater Philadelphia Scholastic lnvitational Championship
(where only the highest-rated players are invited to play),
a Greater Philadelphia Junior Championship (for players

87

Under age 19, including some that may be in college), and

other tournaments with a wider geographic scope, such
as a Delaware Valley Scholastic Championship or a Southeastern PA Scholastic Championship. We don't do all of
these because it takes a Iot of organization to run so many
championship events, but some areas do feature many
such local tournaments, and then there are plenty of titles
to go around!

Furthermore, within each tournament there are multiple

champions. There can be champions based on age, grade,
school leve!, or rating class, for example:

*
{.
t
,

pants don't have

Sometimes this d
well known sports
Sampras plays fo
he was good erx)
at least make it b
plays "for the stal
even know mucfr
Sammy may nd t
certainly did conl

ln 1967 Pennsytvz
Greater Philadelphia Under-10 Champion;
Greater Philadelphia 7th grade Champion;
Greater Philadelphia Middle School Champion; or
Greater Philadelphia Under-1400 Scholastic Cham-

pion

State and Province Ghampionships

Each state has a state chess federation (California has
two: Northern and Southern) that is the state's official arm
of the USCF. These state chess federations usually host
an annual state scholastic chess championship, often in
late winter or early spring. The scholastic chess championships are usually held as separate events from the adult
"State Championship," though a small state might consider
combining these events.
At the scholastic state/province championships the annual
titles are awarded to the winners in various scholastic categories, similar to those discussed in the previous section. So if someone you meet says he knows the state
Middle School Champion, that title was won at your state's
scholastic championship. These tournaments are almost
always open, which means that anyone can play; partici-

88

ship and in 1968 I

ond in the high sd
tournament playe
the subsequent P
ons during the ner
all of them persor
tances found or.il
often told me, "l lxl
Champion." But i
PA High Schml C
stemmed from the
ing an open toum
championship" arr
dreds who may oo

National Scholas
The USCF and C

events that are op(

USCF offers:

National HSG

I
dlege), and

pants don't have to qualify or be "good" players.

BCOpe, SUch

, or a South-

m't do all of
run so many
rafure many
bnty of titles

are multiple
r age, grade,

m;
h;

rnpion; or

htic

Cham-

kililomia has
s official arm
usually host
*rip, often in
ESS champiiorn the adult
rght consider

ps the annual

dtolastic cat-

revious sec-

ns

the state

il your state's
ts are almost
r play; partici-

Sometimes this difference between chess and other more

well known sports leads to confusion. For example, if Pete
Sampras plays for the Wimbledon title, that usually means
he was good enough to be invited to the tournament and
at least make it to the final. But if Sammy Down-the-Street
plays "for the state scholastic championship" he may not
even know much more than how to move the pieces! So
Sammy may not be the state scholastic champion, but he
certainly did compete for it!

ln 1967 Pennsylvania reinstated its Scholastic Championship and in 1968 I played and finished second in the high school division. As a strong
tournament player, I was aware of all of
the subsequent PA High School Champions during the next several years - I knew
all of them personally. Yet when some friends and acquaintances found out that I was a strong chess player, they
often told me, "l knew a kid who was the state High School
Champion." But in no case had that person ever won the
PA High School Championship! Obviously the confusion
stemmed from the "whisper-down-the-lane" aspect of having an open tournament where anyone can play "for the
championship" and the fact that each year out of the hundreds who may compete, only one can win the title.

National Scholastic Ghampionships

The USCF and CFC sponsor several annual national
events that are open to any young player. For example the
USCF offers:

{.

National High School Championship

the National HS Champion

89

determines

ffi@r
*

National Elementary Championship - Determines the

National Elementary (K-6 and K-5) Champions and the
National Primary (K-3) Champion

invitational everG
pions. The oldes
ship, which wffi
annually ever sln

The Chess Edtn

CEA Grand Natir

their Annual All A

{.

National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championship

termines the Nationa! Champion for each grade.

- De-

i.

U.S. Junior Chess Congress - Open to all players

under age 1 9

US Junior Open - Open to all players under age 21

Determines US Jr. Open Champion

ln years like 2001, when the High School, Jr. High, and
Elementary are played at the same time and place, that

combined tournament has been designated

"SuperNational." At these gigantic events several thousand students from all over the US participate! The 2001
event in Kansas City drew about 4,700 participants, making it the largest chess tournament ever held in the US.
National tournaments are held in a different location each
year, with cities submitting competitive bids to become the
host. One can find detailed information on each year's
event by going to your federation's web-site. There may
be one near you this year, or you may want to plan on
traveling to one, just for the fun of it. For example, the US
2000 K-12 was in Orlando, so it was a good chance for the
parents to visit Disney World - with or without the young
chess player!
ln addition to these open events, there are several "closed"

90

The CFC runs th

ships." These cfi
program, the Wbt
FIDE. The Card
called the Canad
nized by the GfH
13 years ago. Cc
gional, provincid,
Challenge, is an
by Chess'n Mafrri

lnternationa! Scl
At the intematirn
tional," that is, tlr
pl

te

G
b

eration calculates
is unable to atten
the federation ha

However, many cl
not just the

top+d

Championships

tr

t
invitational events that are held to determine national champions. The oldest example is the US Junior Championship, which was revived in 1966 and has been running
annually ever since.
nes the
md the

The Chess Education Association (CEA) holds their own

CEA Grand National Scholastic Chess Championship and
their Annual AII America Cup.

p-

De-

players

ge21

gh, and

m, that

rted a
d thoure 2001

b, mak-

US.

rt each
orne the
h year's
Dre may
plan on
, the US
e for the
e young

-dosed"

The CFC runs their "Canadlan Youth Chess Championships." These championships are part of an international
program, the World Youth Chess Championships, run by
FIDE. The Canadian national scholastic championship is
called the Canadian Chess Challenge. lt has been organized by the Chessh Math Assocrafion since its inception
13 years ago. Competition is in four stages: school, regional, provincial, and nationa!. The North American Chess
Challenge, is an international scholastic tournament run
by Chess'n Math in the United States each year.

lnternational Scholastic Events

At the international Ievel, most of the events are "invitational," that is, the USCF and CFC invite their top-rated
players who qualify to represent their country at that event. For example, the US and
Canada might each have one or two rep-

resentatives invited to the World Junior

based on ratings and other factors, the federation calculates who the top candidates are. lf a player
is unable to attend, then they invite the next in line, until
the federation has filled all of its positions.

However, many of these events have age restrictions, so

not just the top-rated players are invited. The World Youth
Championships has multiple sections by age and gender,

9T

such as Boys Under-16 and Girls Under-10. For example,

AIisa Melekhina, one of the top-rated elementary school
students in Philadelphia, and at this writing the country's
fourth-rated nine-year-old girl, got a chance to represent
the US at that tournament late in 2000 (by the way, Alisa
did very well in her first international competition, scoring
six of 11 points for 17th place! And in 2002, she improved
to 4th!).
Besides World Championships, there are also champlonships of continents or hemispheres. ln 2000 Noah Belcher
of New York became the "Pan-Am" champion for his age
group by representing the US in Brazil and winning his
section. The next yearAlisa Melekhina did the same. There
are European and Asian Championships as well.

There are also international team tournaments, where

groups of four represent thelr countries. The most famous
is the World Student Team Championship. ln this case
most of the players are college students, as the definition
of "student" extends beyond scholastic, and so many of
the best players in the world are eligible.
If a player performs wel! enough in these events, he or
she gets a FIDE (international) rating and maybe even a
FIDE title. You may have heard of these, which are, in
ascending order: FIDE Master (FM), lnternational Master
(!M), and lnternational Grandmaster (GM).
So if your child aspires to the highest title, Grandmaster,
tell him he will have to work his way up the ladder and do
extremely wel! in international chess events. Becoming a
Grandmaster always takes many years of difficult study
and play, so we wish him or her good luck!

92

E--

Chapter 5
The Road to

5.1 ldentifying

Beginners in dr
very skilltul. Th
to age and ndl
the experiene
patterns that ar
play; that cutr
So his skills
progress.

rs

Each child tueh

to improve. Tlm
or uninteresiliqg
those who H
desire to impror
wish to do so
stand that )lou g
who wants to bc
fair amount d I
learn, a lifetlre
many other o(m

i
*

piano.

So many yorm[
chess or fed 0rr
natural and rcr
ing this book IG
who are lookirqg
get them starH

t
xample,
y school
Dtrntry's

present

ry

Alisa
, scoring
nproved

rnpionBelcher
his age
r*ng his
e. There
I

r.

1 where
t famous

lis

case
ilefinition
lnany of

ts, he or
E

even a

h are, in

I Master

Chapter 5
The Road to lmprovement
5.1 ldentifying lndividual Needs
Beginners in chess, as in most similar endeavors, are not
very skillful. Their initial capability varies widely according
to age and nature. A beginning chess player does not have
the experience to recognize the recurring
patterns that are necessary for competent
play; that comes with time and practice.
So his skills need to be nurtured if he is to
progress.
Each child feels differently about the need
to improve. Those who find the game dull
or uninteresting wil! likely not wish to get better at all. Even
those who fall in Iove with the game differ greatly in their
desire to improve. Among those eager to improve, some
wish to do so with a minimum of work, while others understand that you get out what you put in. Almost any player
who wants to become really proficient will have to put in a
fair amount of work. A saying goes "Chess: an hour to
learn, a lifetime to master." In this sense chess is like
many other complex activities, like playing baseball or the
piano.

So many youngsters never find the urge to improve at

frnaster,
r and do

uning

r.lt study

chess or feel the need to work at it - and that is certainly

natural and acceptable. But many parents who are reading this book likely have enthusiastic young chess players
who are looking to improve. This chapter should help you
get them started.

93

5.2 Studying at Home

All young chess players love to play, but can be divided

into two groups: 1 ) youngsters that only like to play, and 2)
those that also Iike to read chess books, watch chess videos, solve chess problems, etc.
!f your child only likes to play, that is fine! ln fact, students
who believe that studying chess is work, not fun, are probably in the great majority of young players. You may have

a menta! picture of the stereotypical chess student, locking himself in his room reading chess books, but though
they usually turn out to be some of the best players, these
"chess work is fun" students, Iike Josh Waitzkin in Searching for Bobby Fischer, are relatively rare. Students who do
not wish to study problems and famous games are much
more common. These students should slowly improve as
they play more games, and will do so somewhat quicker if
they at least attempt to recognize their mistakes and try to
minimize repeating them in future play. The remainder of
this section addresses the student who likes to study chess.
Like becoming good at anything else, chess requires both
theory and practice to make steady progress. Practice involves playing, while theory might mean studying books
or videos, or taking lessons. The main part of theory is to
study chess concepts at home on a steady basis; the other
part is instruction (see Section 5.3). For example, in 11th
and 1 2th grade I spent about 5 to 10 times as much time
studying chess as I did on schoolwork and ! was my
class valedictorian! But ! never expect my students to be
as gung-ho as I was - I thought all that chess "work" was
fun!

For all beginners, there are two things you must do at home
to make progress. The first is to play at least two slow
games a week. Students age 8 or older should learn to

record their garx

play (if the gam
record of the gan
is an important p
Recording requin
both players. N
but this feeling n
tices for sever:al I
color) in a short p
games in a weel(
is hardly noticeat
easier than with
White in all the g
Once recording w
should be played

Ready-made sco
for recording. lt b
the information d
White and Bladq
("none" if not ffi
dent should reco
either no clock (s
hour on the dod(

ln my experienoe,
a week tends to I
necessary tor pfr

dr

a!,

]-h

lnt

should be relatird
mum would be b
playing a coupka o

be divided
Dlay, and 2)
r

cfress vid-

t' students
n, are prob-

may have
rdent, lockbut though
ryers, these
r in Sea rchmts who do
s are much
improve as
at quicker if
s and try to
mainder of
tudy chess.
J

quires both
Practice intyrng books
theory is to
b; the other
nple, in 11th
; much time

dlwasmy
dents to be
; \flork" was

do at home
st two slow
uld learn to
t

record their games so they can study every game they

play (if the game is slow enough - see below). Having a
record of the game allows them to review their play, which
is an important part of improvement.
Recording requires a student to write down each move for
both players. At first recording may seem like a burden,
but this feeling will quickly disappear if the student practices for several hundred moves (about 7 games for each
color) in a short period of time. Recording about five or six
games in a week's time is effective, at least until the effort
is hardly noticeable. Since recording with White is slightly
easier than with Black, the student should initially play
White in all the games where scorekeeping is practiced.
Once recording with White seems easy, then all the games
should be played as Black unti! that also seems easy.
Ready-made scoresheets and scorebooks are available
for recording. lt is a good idea before each game to fill out
the information at the top of the scoresheet: who played
White and Black, the date, the time control for the game
("none" if not played with a clock), etc. If possible, a student should record every game he plays when there is
either no clock (skittles) or when he has at least half an
hour on the clock (Game/30 or slower).
ln my experience, a student who plays less than one game
a week tends to regress; more than one game a week is
necessary for progress. For students who love to play
chess, it should not be a problem to average two games a week - he can play
against his dog or the wal!, if necessary.
However today, with computers and the
Internet providing ready opponents, it
should be relatively easy to find an opponent. A good minimum would be to spend at least an hour or two per week
playing a couple of games.

95

The second part of the homework is to do tactical problems from a tactics book. Tactics are the most important
part of chess - especially for beginners. I suggest that

beginning students start with John Bain's book Chess Tac'

tics for Sfudenfs, which features basic tactical motifs |
recommend these over checkmate books since tactical
motifs occur on a high percentage of moves, while checkmates occur less frequently. Bain also has a checkmate book,
or the student can try Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. Even
students initally reluctant to study may find doing these problems is fun!

A student should do as many of these problems as he can

each week (hiding all the clues unless he needs them; just
read the "White to play" or "Black to play" part). Some of
my students even finish an entire book in the first few weeks
(l). At a minimum a student should do at least a few problems every week, and then when finished, should repeat
the book until he can solve almost all of the problems
quickly. The student should not spend a lot of time doing a
problem - no more than about five minutes. lf he does not
solve the problem, he should look in the answer section
for the solution. The goal is to get the pattern into his memory, not to prove that he
can solve the problem in a few hours. A
student should try not to set up a board
and move the pieces. After al!, in a real chess game, a
player does not get to move the pieces to analyze, so it is
a good idea not to move the pieces in practice. However, if
the student does not understand or cannot visualize
the answer, then by all means get out a set and play it out
until there is recognition of why that answer works; if there
is still a problem, ask a stronger player or give the problem
to the computer!

Like learning multiplication tables, the repetition of these

basic chess patterns, until they are quickly recognizable,

will fOrm a sil

One of the p
which of the
given your le,
adults and s
wrong boolcq
provement T
coaching. Th

5.3 lnstructi

The Best frr

lf your chiU d

bl

sues: how
one is right fr
Fischer, lon I

ti

You might
three levels: a
chess club, o
master levd o

I offer the fuf

proficient at

when your dr
most experiem

decent club pt
help him getilr
get serious
your area, I u
least 1700 (Er
The reason b
allow, or even r
child may

ill

l#

It should not

I probportant
st that
ss lac-

rih-l

tactical
checktsbook,
n Even
e prob-

he can
m; just
Une of
lweeks
r problrepeat
oblems
doing a
res not
section

ilne, a
,soitis
rever, if

diize ry it out

;ilthere
rcblem

these
ilzable,

will form a strong basis for improvement in chess!

One of the problems with studying by yourself is deciding
which of the thousands of chess books are right for you,
given your level of proficiency. ln fact, many players, both
adults and students, make the mistake of studying the
wrong books, spending Iots of time but showing little improvement. That is a major reason for getting some strong
coaching. That option will be covered next.

5.3 lnstruction

The Best lnstructor for Your Child

lf your child does wish instruction, there are two main issues: how to find potential instructors, and how to tell which
one is right for your child. lf you saw Searching for Bobby
Fischer, you know how important this process can be.
You might think of chess instructors as being available in
three levels: a Iocal friend or teacher, a member of a Iocal
chess club, or a professional instructor (usually expert or
master level or above).
I offer the following rule of thumb for how
proficient at chess an instructor has to be:
when your child is still a beginner, then
most experienced tournament players or
decent club players (rated 1300-1500) can
help him get the basics down. But once your child starts to
get serious and is one of the better players for his age in
your area, I would suggest that his instructor be rated at
least 1700 (Expert starts at 2000 and master at 2200).
The reason is that weaker instructors are more likely to
allow, or even encourage, unwittingly, bad habits that your
child may later find hard to break.
It should not be hard locating a teacher who runs a club at

97

I
your child's schoo! (or one close by) who can help your
child learn mostof the rules. Usuallythese instructors have
never heard of the USCF and don't have a rating. Many of
these helpers sometimes do not fully understand such rules
as en passant or that you can get multiple queens upon
promotion. Also, they may be very weak players who will
let your child get into bad habits, or worse, may inadvertently provide misguided instruction.
Many of the above problems can be avoided by looking
for help at local chess clubs (see Section 2.6).There are
usuatly competent players at a local club who can probably provide free and kind help. Their knowledge of the
rules and guidelines should be adequate.
However, like most things in life, you tend
to get what you pay for, and in chess almost all the best instructors charge for their
time and likely teach chess for a living.
Besides generally providing the highest
level of instruction, they also usually have
the most experience dealing with youngsters of all capabilities. Please note that
not all professiona! instructors are good; many strong players offer paid lessons but are not good teachers. The suggestions below will help you find one.
!f you do choose to seek out a professional instructor, first
ask yourself, "Do the lessons have to be live, or can we do
them over the lnternet?" There are several pros and cons:

lnternet lessons are usually more flexible since you don't

have to travel, nor possibly pay extra for an instructor to
visit your home.
ln-person lessons are, on average, more effective, since
your child gets the full benefit of the instructor's body lan98

guage, tone c
your child supf
or chess vider
Of course, on(
sons do not re
lnternet lessor
simultaneousll
you have to p
your instructor'
occasionally h
be able to get

lnternet lessor
(and bad) inst
center, the bet
much more co
are the main f,
lnternet-based

Another key pc
rating does nol
as a higher lQ
lege professor"
are great tead
lastic chess is b
a living that wa
good teachers.
chess instructo
Tyson was a gt
would be the be

that the best b

best managers.

experts are \rro

players and fu
There is no sul

can help your

silructors have
rating. Many of

fid

such rules
) queens upon
hyers who will
, tnly inadvert-

ded by looking
tG). There are
nfro can probiwledge of the

guage, tone of voice, etc., and the instructor can show

your child supporting information, !ike what a particular book
or chess video looks Iike, or how to fill out a scoresheet.
Of course, one advantage of this method is that "live" lessons do not require a computer with lnternet access!
lnternet lessons may have hidden charges if your child
simultaneously talks with the instructor on the phone or
you have to pay for extra web access time. And your (or
your instructor's) lnternet Service Provider or computer may
occasionally have technica! difficulties and you may not
be able to get access when you want it.
Internet lessons offer a much wider range of really good
(and bad) instructors. Unless you live near a major chess
center, the better instructors on the lnternet are probably
much more competent than your local instructors. These
are the main factors in deciding whether to use a live or
nternet-based instructor.
I

rty strong playilters. The sug-

I hstructor, first

t, or can we do
lpros and cons:

shce you don't

ar instructor

to

effective, since

trr's body lan-

Another key point in choosing an instructor is that a higher

rating does not necessarily make for a better teacher, just
as a higher lQ does not necessarily make for a better college professor. Some top-notch players teach because they
are great teachers, but others teach just because scholastic chess is becoming a big business and they can make
a living that way. They may be good players, but not very
good teachers. While the analogy is not perfect, think of a
chess instructor like a boxing trainer - just because Mike
Tyson was a great fighter does not necessarily mean he
would be the best boxing coach for you, and it is well known
that the best baseball players did not always make the
best managers. Similarly, some lower-echelon masters and
experts are wonderful teachers while others are weaker
players and bad teachers.

There is no sure way to tell ahead of time who will be a

99

great instructor for your son. Therefore, you

might wish to ask for references from students who are similar in age and/or ability
a good teacher should be able to supply you
with these without much trouble.

aw
ufio

Besides chess ability, what are some attributes of a good instructor? A good instructor:

{.

Has good communication skills, including listening

and talking. lf he cannot listen wel! to you when you are
deciding whether to hire him, what makes you think he will
tisten wel! to your child when he has a question?
Can constructively criticize your child's play without
having your child take it personally (some children - and
adults! - are very sensitive, and this can sometimes be a
concern).

ls able to recognize weaknesses and come up with a

homework/study plan to address those weaknesses.

Does not just provide "canned" lessons - he tailors

the lessons to your child's needs, and looks over your
child's games to see how lessons from previous sessions
are being incorporated.

Takes a personal interest in your child. Any good

instructor wants his students to learn happlly and do well,
and not just make sure he gets Paid.

ls able to match parent and student goals. A laid-back

instructor may not be the best for a go-go student and
parent; similarly, a very aggressive instructor may not match

100

Sird

gerE
I do not give my sil

think they know it) h

tions (or hints) to lx

themselves. This b
philosophy "if you g
eats supper, but if yr
he can eat forever.'
find it frustrating,
know the answer, fr
answer." Of coulE
adjust my normd b

ilr

A good sense d
Any time there is a
nice that your insmr
that chess may be I
and your child.

The final three

iH!

bj

Sometimes there
tor and family. I hat
have run into
sliced bread or (nrr
ers that didn't like my
ing method and iusn

far*

Locating an

lnstu

You are probably

best place to find a

ally some are theefind clubs; if you ae
ing one or two locd

a parent who is Iooking for a "fun" instructor

who de-emphasizes competition.

Istening
you are
il< he will

without
en - and
nes be a

Similarly, teaching method is important. I

generally use the Socratic method, whereby
give
I do not
my students the answer to a question (if I
think they know it) but rather lead them through other questions (or hints) to help them figure it out for
themselves. This is in accordance with the
philosophy "if you give someone a fish, he
eats supper, but if you teach him how to fish
he can eat forever." But occasionally some
find it frustrating, and even if I know they well
know the answer, they give up and say, "Just tell me the
answer." Of course, if they are always that way, I have to
adjust my norma! teaching method.

with a
ses.
r^p

le tailors
Her your
sessions

Vry good
I do well,

bkj-back
dent and

rd

match

A good sense of humor is not required, but very helpful.

Any time there is a potentially long-term relationship, it is
nice that your instructor has a lighter side and understands
that chess may be more serious for him than it is for you
and your child.

The final three items fall into the "chemistry" category.

Sometimes there is just a good chemistry between instructor and family. I have been teaching long enough that I
have run into families that think I am the best thing since
sliced bread or (much more rarely, thank goodness) others that didn't like my sense of humor or my Socratic teaching method and just could not get in sync.

Locating an lnstructor
You are probably aware that the Yellow Pages are not the
best place to find a chess instructor, although occasionally some are there. ln Section 2.4 we discussed how to
find clubs; if you are looking for a "live" instructor, contacting one or two local clubs will usually get you a recom-

101

mendation. Or if that fails you can contact your state affiliate; their contact information is at www.uschess.org/directories/states.htm!. Once you decide to use "outside" instruction, then your options widen considerably. Federation magazines have ads for instruction in their classified
sections, and many web-sites feature a list of instructors,
like the lnternet Chess Club at www.chessclub.com, Chess

Links at www.chesslinks.org/scholastic/index.html, oI
Chessopolis at www.chessopolis.com.
Ghess Lessons and Fun
ldeatly, chess lessons should always be fun. After all, chess
is a fun game, students perceive that winning adds to the
fun, and lessons help you win, So chess lessons should
be fun. A good guideline is "lf you are not having fun, you
are in the wrong place!" - and most professional instructors do their best to ensure that lessons are fun for each
and every student. It is a job for them, but a game to their
students and their parents.
However, not everything is always ideal. Most students
and parents pick general improvement as their goal; if so,
you are paying your instructor to help your child get better
and most instructors take that responsibility very seriously.
lf students want to improve as much as the best young
players do, then a lot of work is involved.
All chess masters did that work, primarily
because they thought it was fun - but not
everyone feels this way.
Not everyone wants to pay the price to get
better - and that is OK! Many students do
NOT really want to get better if they actua!!y have to work at it, or if they must take time to think
during every move of a game. However, a good instructor
should expect his students to try their best when playing.

t02

There is no magic
exists: for those re
requires effort. Be
and record ganu
While this work ru
is a game, so s(n
pect that they nrr
fairy dust an insfru
him magically beil

Think out your gt

tournaments ru
Some young shrd
those below age g
sional lesson, cur
in tournamenB, o
becomes great err
students, playirg i
without work, rgr
ciplined thinking, r
efforts, etc. - are

tr

not to throw orft

tournaments for

tt

lf the work is frm,l

aaa

Students who erfi!

the ones with the n
joy the work. Nd o
the ones who reryl
of self-esteem an
ning. A good petcr
the work, but for g
tations are reasilr
beneficial. The ih
fun game for all!

ilate affiliorg/direcilside" inr. Federadassified

Efr.rctors,
En, Chess
r.html, or

rall, chess
dds to the
ns should
$ fun, you
d instrucn for each
le to their

I students
goal; if so,
get better
r seriously.
est young
; involved.
; primarily
but not
r

rice to get

ldents do
ttey acture to think
lhstructor

playing.

There is no magic to getting better ... So a basic dilemma

exists: for those really expecting to improve, getting better
requires effort. Beginners might be asked at least to play
and record games and/or to do some tactical problems.
While this workwould be expected for music lessons, chess
is a game, so sometimes parents and students don't expect that they must make that same effort. There is no
fairy dust an instructor can sprinkle on the student to make
hirn magically better!

Think out your goals carefully - maybe just playing in

tournaments would be better ...
Some young students who love to play chess, especially
those below age 9, would be better off with just an occasional lesson, concentrating instead primarily on playing
in tournaments, or at a club, until their desire to improve
becomes great enough to motivate them to work. For most
students, playing in tournaments is great fun. Of course,
without work, many of chess' beneficial side effects - disciplined thinking, organizational skills, rewards from your
efforts, etc. are diminished, but sometimes it is better
not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Keep playing
tournaments for fun!

lf the work is fun, then the work will get done

Students who enjoy the lessons the most are

the ones with the most lofty goals and who enjoy the work. Not coincidentally, these are also
the ones who reap the biggest benefits, in terms
of self-esteem and satisfaction, not just winning. A good percentage of students do enjoy
the work, but for some more moderate expectations are reasonable and maybe even more
beneficial. The ideal is for chess to remain a
fun game for all!

103

r
5.4 Multimedia: Books, Videos, etc.

I once read that chess has more books written about it

than all the other games put together (although this was
before they wrote books about video-gaming strategy!).
Opinions vary greatly about which books, videos, and software are best (see chapter 3). A lot depends upon the
following factors:

%'.

ls your child better at aural or visual input? lf visual

only, he may prefer books; if he listens better, then videotapes may be a better way to go. Most chess book sellers
also stock videos. Today there are dozens of videos available for all levels of play.

Age of the reader. Some children are so young that

the parents need an adult-level beginners book, so that
they can transfer the information to the child. Older children can read for themselves with books targeted for the
8-10 year old range.

..'.

How advanced is the player? Some players are way

beyond pure beginner books, while many others could certainly benefit from reading some good elementary texts!

Everya
Board Visior
that has all
intermediate
one place!

Squan
teaching va

Pandd
straightforw
of a game.

.}

Comp
Alburt (Vol I I
sters can usl
for a real go

....

Chess I
Bain - My fir
(pins, forks,
mates, etc.)

The

ch

For beginner chess books, here are some of my recommendations:

what simihr
and more nI

{.

The Complete ldiot's Guide fo Chess (2no Edition), by

Grandmaster Patrick Wolff Don't let the title fool you!
This is an excellent book for beginners over the age of 10
(youngsters would have to be helped by an older reader
it is not written at their level). lt covers not only how to play,

but many of the same tips I give my students. Good for

students up to the 1000-1 200 level!

t04

Logiat

classic whici

For more ad

{. 1,001 |
by Fred Rein
vanced" to lr
learn the rnot

I about it
this was
frategy!).
and softlpon the
r

, Everyone's Second Chess Book, by Dan Heisman Board Vision, Tips, Etiquette, Rules, etc. This is the book
that has all my recommendations for both beginning and
intermediate adults, and younger students all rolled into
one place!

? lf visual

en videook sellers
tbs avail-

Square One, by Bruce Pandolfini - A detailed book

teaching very young beginners how to play.

{.

Pandolfini's Endgame Course, by Bruce Pandolfini straightfonrvard examples of basic ideas for the final part
of a game.

{.

urng that
t so that

Ider chiled for the

s are way
muld cer-

ry texts!
ry recom-

dtion), by
fuo! you!
ee of 10
r reader -

to play,
. Good for

Comprehensive Chess Course, Vol ll , by GM Lev

AIburt (Vol I primarily just teaches you how to play) - Youngsters can use this in conjunction with Bain's book (see next)
for a real good start.

Chess Tactics for Studenfs (Student Edition), by John

Bain - My first recommendation for learning tactical motifs
(pins, forks, double attacks, discovered checks, back-rank
mates, etc.)

The Chess Iacfics Workbook, by A! Wollum - Somewhat similar to Bain's book but with more problems overall
and more mate problems, but less single-motif problems.

Logical Chess Move by Move, by lrving Chernev

classic which explains each move in delightful detail!

-A

For more advanced students:

1,001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations,

by Fred Reinfeld - The best way for all players below "advanced" to improve is to do tactical problems. Once you
learn the motifs, you learn about "combinations" of motifs,
105

t
and this is a bookwith Iots of them. Use after Bain's Chess
Tactics for Studenfs. This book uses the older descriptive
notation.

Nunn's Chess Openings (NCO) , by Nunn, Burgess,

Emms & Gallagher - Every intermediate can use a onevolume encyclopedia covering all the openings. This 1999
book is up-to-date and edited by Dr. John Nunn, one of
the best chess writers today (although this particular work
has very little text). The updated Modern Chess Openings
(14tn edition, a.k.a. MCO-I4) is also good.

Chess Endings. Essential Knowledge, by GM Yuri

Averbakh - This small book contains all the basics for chess
endgames.

Chess Training Pocket Book, by GM Lev Alburt

300 most instructive Positions.

- the

Most lnstructive Games of Chess Ever Played, by

Irving Chernev - 62 annotated games, each with an instructive theme - written at a good intermediate level.

lJnderstanding Chess Move by Move, by GM John

Nunn - sort of a modern cross between Chernev's Mosf
lnstructive Games of Chess Every Played and Logical
Chess Move by Move but more advanced than either.
Another good one by Nunn.

{.

The Amateur's Mind, by lM Jeremy Silman

- Great

book that goes through many of the faulty thinking proCESSES.

{.

Pawn Power in Chess, by Hans Kmoch (or, similarly,

Andrew Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess) - a book about how

106

to use paw

Eleme
explains so
get their va
12.

5.5 Top

Ti1

Many boolc
ning studer
this book, U
young playe
tips for part
1. The mm
all your pieo

that are nol

fore you tor
that sometr
you touch a

2.The 2a m
ACTIVITY =
doing some{
ample, movr
move any pl
goal). Often
with no tacti
doing mucfr

3. You are E
a good mov
can't see!

4. After youl

il's

Chess
descriptive

r, Burgess,
use a one. This 1999
rrt, one of
hular work
t Openings

,y GM Yuri
ls fur chess

lburt - the
by
in-

to use pawns. Archaic nomenclature, but great ideas.

Elements of Positional Evaluation, by Dan Heisman

explains some of the most basic ideas about how pieces
get their value and power written for those above age

tEv's Most

fi

Logical

han either.

ill - Great
i*ing pro-

r" simitarty,
t$out how

12.

5.5 Top Tips for Young Players

Many books have tips, guidelines, or principles for beginning students. While these are not a primary purpose of
this book, the author has extensive experience instructing
young players, so I thought it would be nice to include some
tips for parents to share with their kids:
1. The most important chess guideline: SAFETY = Keep
all your pieces safe! (and consider taking opponent's pieces
that are not safe). You must make all your decisions be-

fore you touch a piece. lf you touch a piece and then see
that something will not be safe, it is too late, because if
you touch a piece you must move it.
2. The

f GM John

most important chess guideline:

ACTlVlry = Make sure al! your pieces are
doing something all the time! - So, for example, move every piece once before you
move any piece twice in the opening (as a
goa!). Often the best strategy in a position
with no tactics is to take a piece that is not
doing much and find a move that helps it to do more!
2no

3. You are trying to find the BEST move, so when you see
a good move, look for a better one. lf you don't look, you
can't see!

4. After your opponent makes a move, ask yourself "Why

107

did he do that?" and "What can he do to me now that he

couldn't do to me before?" See what has changed and
how that affects everything. And check to see if that piece
or any other opponent's piece is not safe.
5. TAKE YOUR TIME - if world championship players always take several minutes to find a good move, what
makes you think that you can find a better one faster?
Look at it this way: NOTHING is preventing you from playing like stronger players do, and taking your time to look at
as many possibilities as you can.

6. The way to keep your pieces safe and to win your

opponent's pieces is through tactics, the science of chess
safety. Tactics are the most important part of a chess game
- every good player knows basic tactics cold.
The most basic tactic is counting - that is,

making sure each piece is adequately

guarded enough times by other pieces.

ffi

for a bishop or
is worth a Iittle nu

8. When you are o

sider first your clre
when trying to ser
for hrs checks,

9. Your opponent
sure you pay just
to what you are

fi

10. Eliminate ft@l

visible. Somethirp i
to do the work b I
like, "l think his pb
be in trouble or il u

Studying the other tactics: Pins, forks, check-

mates, skewers, removal of the guard,

queening combinations, double threats, discovered checks,
etc. can be done first through a book like Bain's Tactics for
Sfudenfs or Wollum's Ihe Chess Tactics Workbook, and
then Reinfeld's 7 ,001 Sacrifices and Combinations. lf you
like doing the puzzles in those books, you will probably do
all of them and become a good player! By the way, the
player who gets the most pieces out first usually finds himself on the good side of the tactics!

7. For piece values, start with pawn = 1 pawn; bishop and

knight = 3 pawns; rook = 5 pawns; and queen = 9 pawns.
More advanced players should think of bishops and knights
as worth about 3To pawns, a queen about 9To. Having two
bishops when your opponent does not is called "the bishop
paid' and is worth'about an extra T, pawn Winning a rook

108

B. Get soflE
C. Caste yu

12. Other openirg

before bishops - a

move out the

kn(fnr

to castle, then the

move your other h

move the queen rp:

rooks where theyd
an attack unti! ALI yr

move up your qut

opponent's knigtils

rrlw that he
hanged and
if that piece

p players a!-

Irxlve, what

trre faster?
u from playrE to look at

win your

rre of chess
{fiess game

for a bishop or knight is called winning the Exchange and

is worth a little more than half a piece (bishop or knight).
8. When you are considering which move to make, consider first your checks, captures, and threats - similarly,
when trying to see what your opponent can do to you, look
for his checks, captures, and threats first.

9. Your opponent is just as important as you are. Make

sure you pay just as much attention to what he is doing as
to what you are doing.
10. Eliminate fuzzy thinking - everything on the board is
visible. Something is either a threat or it is not - you have
to do the work to figure it out. Don't fall for lazy thinking
like, "l think his piece might get into danged'; either it will
be in trouble or it won't, and if you can figure it out in your
available time, you should!
. Three things you should try to do in the
opening:
11

ered checks,
ls Tactics for
fldcook, and
frns. lf you
lprobably do
Ere way, the
ly finds him-

f bishop

and
n = 9 pawns.
sand knights
L Having two
d ilhe bishop
ining a rook

A. Get ALL your pieces into play ("development")

B. Get some control of the center
C. Castle your king into safety

12. Other opening guidelines: Move knights

before bishops - as a general move order,

move out the knight on the side where you want

to castle, then the bishop, then castle, then
move your other knight, your other bishop,
move the queen up a little and then move both
rooks where they will do some good. Don't start
an attack until ALL your pieces are ready. Don't

move up your queen too far where your

opponent's knights and bishops can attack her and win
109

tempi (time). The player who makes the besf use of his
rooks (and the fasfesf use) usually wins the opening!

Chapter 6
The Personal

13. A few good endgame tips are: 1) The king is a strong

piece make sure you use it. 2) Rooks belong behind
passed pawns, 3) Passed pawns usually should be pushed.

14. Many things in chess are easy! Taking your time to

look for more reasonable moves - and what your opponent can do lF you make them - is a habit that all good
players have, and you can, too, if you just try on each and
every move, without fail!

Sii

6.1 Ghess, Kids

This is a tricky sru
Jo

-l
tr

ui

AI
15. A good attitude is important. No matter how strong my
opponent is, I never think, "l am going to lose this game"
before it even starts! I just fee! like I have to take my time
and play my best no matter whom I am playing. lf I win,
fine; if ! lose, then ! want to learn why ! lost so I won't ever
lose that way again!

shouldn't matEr r
keeping score, tr
both the compefl
the feeling that
young kids, and r
get older."

More helpfu! beginner tips can be found

Luckily for pareril

ther way, and
between.

at

umnry.uschess.org/beginners/ and other instructional websites.

ti

Sure, chess tras r

loss, or draw,
you can, and wir
or Iosing.

But "doing the

take your tine an
the result. My sfid
when they harre fi
then they were ld
whether they Hur
and long, then I
what the result E

110

use of his
cning!

Chapter 6
The Personal Side of Chess

b a strong

rp

behind
pushed.
be

rur time to
Iour oppoat all good
n each and

6.1 Chess, Kids, and Competition

This is a tricky subject. There are two extreme views:
John Wayne: "Competition is good for kids
- they may as well get used to it. The sooner
they learn to play and win the sooner they
will be ready for real life."

Alan Alda: "Games are for fun and it

sffong my
.this game"
ke my time
qg. lf I win,
!won't ever

shouldn't matter whether you win or lose. Once you start

keeping score, then the pressure to win negatively affects
both the competitors and their parents. This pressure and
the feeling that 'if you don't win it is bad' is not good for
young kids, and maybe not even good for them as they
get older."

.found at

Luckily for parents of both views, chess can be taken either way, and for most of us the truth lies somewhere in
between.

lbnal web-

Sure, chess has rules that say when the game is a win,
!oss, or draw, and of course the object is to do the best
you can, and winning is considered "better" than drawing
or losing.
But "doing the best you can" can also mean learning to
take your time and play the best you can, no matter what
the result. My students know that I always look at my watch
when they have finished a game. lf they played too fast,
then they were not trying their best, and ! don't really care
whether they won or !ost. When my students play hard
and long, then I tell them I am proud of them no matter
what the result. But for those John Waynes out there, I
t1l

1
ir

might add that if you try your best you are much more
likely to win, too!
One thing is certain: parents should teach their child as
early as possible that Iosses are part of the chess experience and should be viewed as a learning experience. Any
child who views a loss as something to be forgotten wil!
never become a really good PlaYer.
Both extremes are bad: if someone does not mind losing
at all, he will likely make the same mistake over and over;
on the other hand, if losing is taken so personally that the
loser gets upset and cannot Iearn from his losses, then
that also is not good emotionally, nor conducive to learning.

A child should review the game later with a better player

(ideally an instructor) to learn what he did wrong, so he
can apply that lesson to later games. What really makes
someone better is identifying one's mistakes and minimizing or eliminating them. Personally, I was very good at doing
this for myself, and that is one reason why I think I became a good player quickly. The best players have lost
more games than most people will ever dream of playing,
so it is part of the game: losing should be a positive learning experience.
6.2 Making Friends
The world of chess is am azing. You meet many people
from different areas of the country and even the world,
with a variety of backgrounds and cultures, who all share
the same hobby and speak a common cultural language. I
could relate many stories of how my son or I were helped
out by others whom we met through chess. So could most
experienced tournament players. My son views tournaments as giant pizza and Chinese food parties where he
meets with old friends from all over the East Coast. Whenever he goes to a tournament, one of the first topics is
t12

o
h

sociable and fur

skittles room is
game. At first it r
else and you dor
means there is r
and unless for s<
and your family r
join the fun!

6.3 Handling Up
The Swiss systa
- the better playr
the weaker playe
is obvious that th
est players lose I
one goes throug
playing his besn,
players have gre
human.

But dealing with t

be difficult. A slur
can get depressr
not act as a gotx

ally make him a

chess altogether.
differently, but so
or someone corni

"lt is only a g
something and yo

"Who else is playin g?" .Now that my son is

in college he knows players at dozens of
other colleges who played with him during
his scholastic tournament days.

I much more

heir child

as
iltess experi-

rerience.Any
brgotten will

mind losing
rer and over;
pally that the
, bsses, then
t to leaming.
better player
trrong, so he
really makes
iand minimizgood at doing

plthinklbeers have lost

rn of playing,
rcitive learn-

many people
en the world,

uho all share

d language.

I were helped

lo could most

rbws tourna-

bs

where he
Cmst. Whenfrst topics is

So when you go to a tournament, it is both

sociable and fun to get to know the other players. The
skittles room is a great place to chat and find a friendly
game. At first it may seem like everyone knows everyone
else and you don't, but if you think about it, that is good! !t
means there is one big community which is open to all,
and unless for some reason you don't wish to belong, you
and your family will soon become a welcome part of it. So
join the fun!

6.3 Handling Ups and Downs

The Swiss system generally helps a player "find his level"
- the better players end up playing the better players and
the weaker players the other weak ones. Nevertheless, it
is obvious that the better players win more and the weakest players lose the most. However, everyone goes through periods when he is not
playing his best, and often even mediocre
players have great days - it is nice to be
human.
But dealing with these slumps and streaks can sometimes
be difficult. A slumping chess player, like a basebatl hltter,
can get depressed: he may want to quit the tournament,
not act as a good sport, ignore advice which will eventually make him a better player, or even feel like giving up
chess altogether. Different personalities need to be handled
differently, but some general advice can help a "slumper"
or someone coming off a tough loss:

"lt is only a game - what is important is that you learned

something and you can apply it to do better next time."

113

i.

"Cheer up! Everyone has bad days and you are just
getting yours out of your sYstem."

"Won't you feel good when you continue to study and

next time you play these players you can show them how
much you have imProved?"

t.l

"Next time just remember some of the most important

principles, and if you apply them on every move you are
sure to do better: take your time, think before you touch,
make SUre all your pieces are safe and active, and when
you see a good move, look for a better one."

Next time e
section. The Lr
of the lntermec

Remind hi
ing someone d
more than a fa
anything excep

Tell him t
head, so he sl
times when he':
with these sarn

"So you lost a chess game - if that is the worst thing

that happens to you,you will be the happiest person on
the planet! So relax, get something to eat, and go in there
and try your best next time. We love you the same whether
you win or lose."

* Tell him
their best, so il
better avoid fed

him in a fun

"ln every game there is only one point to be shared

among two players, so at least half the players end up not
winning no matter how good they are. So long as you did
the best you can, you can be proud of your result and in
the long run you will get your share of those points."

A swelled head can sometimes be tougher to deal with

than a depressed loser. Players who beat others consistently sometimes attach more than just chess prowess to
their success. They might believe it is their natural superiority. Of course, Albert Einstein was not a very good chess
player because he did not study chess, and outside of tournaments you can almost always hand-pick opponents who
know less about chess than you do. lf your child does get
a swelled head, here are some possible remedies.

a'.

Sneak in a r

works wonders I
rated player ren
but when all els
6.4 Dealing

wit

like opponents

Everyone has tl

the opponents

(some people p
opponents are v
but in scholastic
than we would i

First, how sorne

Shake han

rl4

tr are just
rstud! and
,frtem how

-rnportant

i. Next time enter him in a tougher tournament or tougher

section. The Lord of the Beginners might be the Doormat
of the lntermediates.
{.

Remind him that chess is just a game, and that beating someone does not make him superior in any way, any
more than a fast sprinter is "superior" to most runners in
anything except foot speed.

ne you are

you touch,
'and
when

xtrst thing
person on
go in there
lp whether

,be shared
end up not
as you did
sult and in
tints."
o deal with
ers consisprowess to
lral superifood chess
Sde of tourments who
ld does get

des:

Tell him that no one likes someone with a swelled

head, so he should keep things in perspective for other
times when he's not doing so well, or when he has to deal
with these same people away from a chess board!

Tel! him overconfident players do not always play

their best, so if he wants to continue to do we!|, he had
better avoid feeling he can win by doing whatever he wants.

{.

Sneak in a much higher-rated player (a "ringed') against

him in a fun game. Getting soundly beaten sometimes
works wonders to restore perspective, especially if the highrated player remains anonymous. This may seem drastic,
but when all else fails, it sometimes works!
6.4 Dealing with Opponents (and spectators who seem

like opponents)
Everyone has to interact with his opponents, especially if
the opponents are human, and not a computer at home
(some people prefer the computers for that reason!). Most
opponents are very nice and conscious of chess etiquette,
but in scholastic tournaments this percentage may be lower
than we would all wish.
First, how someone should deal with a normal opponent:

Shake hands before and after the game.

115

{. Do not say anything during the game except gameoriented comments like, "Would you like a draw?" or "Touch
move" or "l resign." Chatting during the game is not only
forbidden, but also bothers those playing around you.

..'.

{.

Before the game a little chat is OK.

lf your opponent insists on talking or is doing anything

non-malicious to disturb you and will not stop upon polite

request, stop your clock and get the TD.

After the game, wait until the set owner puts the set
away. Then both players should mark the results on the
pairing sheet. After that, if you have time, sometimes it is
fun to go over the game in the skittles room.

Do not stop the clock unless you either 1) have finished the game,2) have messed up the board and need
to have the TD help you reset it, or 3) have a claim or
question for the tournament director. The clock cannot be
stopped for recording moves, going to the bathroom, etc.

lf anything strange, or which you don't know how to

handle, is going on, stop the clock and get the TD. This
includes illegal positions, questions, claims, strange moves,
whatever!

Dealing with a difficult opponent:

First, it is NOT up to the player to deal with a difficult

opponent. lf ignoring an opponent is not possible, then a
player should get the TD. The correct way to do this is to
get the TD while your opponent is thinking or, if it is your
turn, stop the clock and get the TD. Some scholastic TDs
prefer that you just raise your hand, so if the TD has announced this policy, a player should raise his hand and
wait instead of getting up.

tt6
lr.

NEVER
opponent. Onc
thing, quickly S
For example, il
gal" and your o
discuss it! Stop

lf a person
against that! 01
like breathe qui
he is making nr
blocking your \
him what he is r

quietly first, brr

opponent is dor
director handle
ensure that yot

In the long run,

to disturb your r
the TD. Since :
disturbances of
to support your
Remember, t.le
everywhere nor
ents must not ir

notifying the TI
breaks out, inte
fects the game
train your child I
lem is. Occasio
will not give yol
just because ire
have the authq
that case, you c
the senior TD in

lopt gameft or "Touch

not only

ld yor.

anything
lnon polite
l
t

the set
Frts
Itnts on the
pirnes it is
I
l

have finb and need

ia claim or
cannot be
f,
lroom, etc.

l)

to

[ptt, how
E TD. ThiS

rue moves,

b hand and

NEVER have an argument with an

opponent. Once you do not agree on something, quickly stop the clock and get the TD.
For example, if you say "That move is illegal" and your opponent says it is not, do not
discuss it! Stop the clock, get the TD, and let him decide.

!f a person is bothering you in any way, there is a rule

against that! Of course, he is allowed to do normal things,

like breathe quietly. If that bothers you, then too bad. But if
he is making noises or kicking you or shaking the table or
blocking your view or saying things, get the TD and tell
him what he is doing. You can try to deal with it quickly and
quietly first, but if it fails (and it probably will fail if your
opponent is doing it on purpose), then let the tournament
director handle it. The TD can take a variety of steps to
ensure that your opponent will stop.
ln the long run, it is very difficult for someone deliberately
to disturb yourchild, so long as you have taught him to get
the TD. Since all the relevant rules require quiet with no
disturbances of any kind, these rules can usually be used
to support your child's wish to play without disturbance.
Remember, the TD may have a Iot of power, but he is not
evenywhere nor is he a mind-reader. Remember that parents must not lnterfere with a game in any way, including
notifying the TD if there is a "game" problem (if a fight
breaks out, interference is OK!). lnterfering in any way affects the game and is not allowed. Therefore, you should
train your child to get him and let him know what the problem is. Occasionally in a big tournament an assistant TD
will not give you the proper help or satisfaction, sometimes
just because he is not as familiar with the rules or does not
have the authority to put a strong penalty on a player. ln
that case, you can always have your child request to talk to
the senior TD in charge of the tournament.

tt7

It is important to teach your child not to believe his opponent when the subject is chess rules. Often older kids will
tell younger kids a!! kinds of things that are just for the
older kid's advantage, especially if they feel that is the only
way to get a draw - or a win. Of course, almost none of
these kids understand the rules any better
than yours, so your child should not be intimidated, but Iearn to rely on what he already knows and especially what the TD tells

Almost all the adu

children as wellrer
start lessons or

other hand his Er

prevent him frorn d
ability might not }r
ing" his developnre

him.

Having stated d
done with a chess'

Dealing with Spectators

{.

any scholastic tou rnaments do not al low spectators. !f you have

seen Searching for Bobby Fischer, hen you know why spectators - especially parents! - can strongly affect young players.
M

Secondly, tournament rules state that spectators basically

have no rights, compared to a player. lf a player complains
that a spectator is bothering him, it really does not matter
if that is true or not - the TD should tell the spectator to
keep a distance from that board or politely ask him to leave
the room. So if your child is bothered by a spectator, he
should certainly not be intimidated - even if it is an adult
but instead promptly alert the TD. Spectator rules are listed
in Appendix B.

6.5 Exceptional Children

It may not be surprising that a high percent-

age of parents whose children play chess

consider them "exceptional children" - and
many of them are! While chess is a great game for everyone and its benefits extend to all, there is no doubt that an
extremely bright, competitive child might find chess his ideal
sport, since he does not have to be as big and strong as a
football star, nor as tall as many basketball players.

118

Find him the h

coaches back
original choice
have a talented pt
offers to help, hfi

{.

rd
m
I
}ir

Have him
against players abr
the better players i
him after he finistres
on an lnternet seruE
develop bad habib
also necessary fu
nents rated 10(}2O
win against reslstil

Play as mant/
"up" (against stoq
but also occasiord
cially in champkrnsl
vorite against we*
prizes and titles. lt i
for a young flayert
and analyze the nu
like a free lesson!

Almost all the advice in this book applies to exceptional

children as well as normal ones. The exceptional child might
start lessons or tournaments at an earlier age, but on the
other hand his temperament, not his mental ability, may
prevent him from doing so. A child with exceptional chess
ability might not have exceptional maturity, so that "rushing" his development may be detrimental.

Having stated all that, here are some things that can be
done with a chess "prodigy":

ns lfyou have
Inrtry spectahg dayers.

brs basically
Frcomplains
p not matter
;spectator to

ltim

to leave
lpectator, he
Ib an adult
fts are listed

Find him the best coach you can afford - don't switch
coaches back and forth unless you are convinced your
original choice was incorrect. Once someone finds you
have a talented player, you may be tempted with many
offers to help, but too many cooks may spoil the broth.

Have him join a club and play slow chess regularly

against players about 200 points stronger than he is. Ask
the better players in the club to go over his games with
him after he finishes, if they are willing. Playing extra games
on an lnternet server is also helpful so long as he does not
develop bad habits by playing too many "blitz" games.lt is
also necessary for your child occasionally to play opponents rated 100-200 points lower, so he will Iearn how to
win against resistant, but weaker competition.

{.

Egh percenth play chess

Idren" - and
ilre tor everyhrbt that an
lEss his ideal
p stong as a

Play as many strong tournaments as possible. Play

"up" (against stronger competition) as much as possible,
but also occasionally Iet him play at his own level (especially in championships) to learn how to compete as a favorite against weaker players and how to play for possible
prizes and titles. lt is especially helpful in games like this
for a young player to go to the skittles room after the game
and analyze the moves with his stronger opponent, almost
Iike a free lesson!

l@ers.
r19

Make sure he doesn't worry about his rating - tell him

to play as much as possible and learn and enjoy himself!
lf he does, the rating gains will come naturally and with
less stress.

Consider attending a chess camp or two in the sum-

mer.

Appendix A

A Glossary of (

This section b n
vocabulary of dr
player is likely
game. Some
for centuries, d
face in a defirll

t
E

Summary for All Parents

The world of chess can be a wonderfu! place for parents

and their children. lt offers a great opportunity to expand
your mind and develop social and menta! skills. I hope the
information in this book will help you and your child get
started on this fascinating path and continue on it successfully.

Action

Chs/
il

utes to make

Adjust:

cerG
intend to rnorrefl

or "J'

To

adoube,'il

touch-move

nt

own time, and slt

quently, or it rnq
opponent. i.leiln
badly off-cenErs

Algebraic

Nfl

which the ralE

a-h, starting at S
diagram
8
7
6
5

3
2

I
120

rating - tell him

I enjoy himself!
lrally and with

t*o

in the sum-

hce for parents

ulnity to expand
*<ills. ! hope the
I your child get
Erue on it suc-

Appendix A
A Glossary of Chess Terms
This section is not an attempt to define the entire special
vocabulary of chess, but it does include most terms a new
player is likely to encounter in his early exploration of the
game. Some terms here have been officially established
for centuries, others are modern slang. Words in boldface in a definition have their own definitions elsewhere.

Action Chess: A game in which each player has 30 minutes to make all his moves.

Adjust: To center a piece in its square. lf a player does not

intend to move the adjusted piece, he must first say "l adjust"
or "J' adoube," otherwise he can be required to move it by the
touch-move rule. Adjusting should be done only on one's
own time, and should not be done unnecessarily or too frequently, or it may be considered an attempt to annoy the
opponent. Neither should a player purposely set his pieces
badly off-center so that they require frequent adjusting.

Algebraic Notation: A method for recording moves, in

which the ranks are numbered 1-8 and files are labeled
a-h, starting at White's lower left corner, as shown in the
diagram.
8
7
6
5

4
3
2
1

121

or in long
ln this position, white's last move was 2.BcA,
square
the
from
form, 2-.E,t1-c4, meaning the bishop moved
f1 to c4. Originated in t gtn-century Europe. Now used
descripthroughout most of the world, replacing the older
tive notation in the USA circa 1970'

Amateur: ln chess, this generally denotes a non-master,

i.e.apersonratedunder22o0.AttheUSAmateur,mas.
ters cannot play. At the US Amateur Team tournaments,
Note: in
the average teim rating must be below 2200.

quite a bit at
chess, amateurs can win money, sometimes
the world open and other large tournaments.

8
7
6
5

4
3

)
1

White to move cqft

Black to move col.5
ticularly prone to

a
Analysis: A major part of the process of thinking about
of
cnesi position. lt can involve both a general evaluation
moves
the position, and a detailed examination of specific

thatcanorshouldbeplayedatagivenpoint.
good
Annotation: written analysis, usually in a book. A

points out
annotator explains the reasons behind moves,
Much of
errors and finds improvements for both players'
chess literature consists of annotated games.

not actually covered

not see any board(sl
verbally.

two

Attack: This can have several meanings. Probably the

to
most common are: (1) To make a move that threatens
piece' (2) A
capture an undefended or under-defended
in the
coordinated series of moves aimed at a target
to check'
opponent's position, especially when the goal is
mate the king.
"back
Back Rank: For White, the squares a1 to h1 are his
rank"; for Black, the squares a8 to h8'
with
Back-Rank Mate: A checkmate on the 1't or 8th rank
a rook or queen. ln this Position

r22

Blitz: Fast chess. E

utes per player Per!

Blunder: A bad mn

fi

loss or draw, or a
der is usually indicd

Book: ln chessingl
well-analyzed open
decades and Publsfi
and "book lines'an
played without frrU

, or in long

tre square
Now used

7.

descrip-

m-master,
Eur, masrnaments,
). Note: in
tite a bit at

ip about a

Za/

a.,

a b c d e f g

White to move could mate immediately with 1.Rc8, while

BIack to move could do so by 1...Qd1. Beginners are particularly prone to overlooking this kind of mate.

laluation of
cffic moves

Blindfold play: To play without sight of the

board, envisioning the position in one's

ok. A good
, points out
s. Much of

mind. Difficult or impossible for most players, but some masters have excelled at it,
playing several dozen such games simultaneously. The "blindfold" player's eyes are
not actually covered; he simply is situated where he cannot see any board(s), and the moves are conveyed to him
verbally.

5ly the two

lreatens to
iece. (2) A
rget in the
bto check-

Blitz: Fast chess. Blitz games are often played at five minutes per player per game.
Blunder: A bad move, primarily one that turns a win into a
loss or draw, or a draw into a loss. ln annotations a blunder is usually indicated by "??"
.

rc his "back

Book: ln chess jargon, this usually refers to tried-and-true,

well-analyzed opening lines that have been played for
rank with

decades and published in chess books. Thus "book moves"

and "book Iines" are usually sound and can generally be
played without further thought (though not always!). A

123

player who has studied many openings in detail is said to

be "wel!-booked." Also certain well-analyzed endgames
may be known as "book wins" or "book draws."

Brilliancy: A series of moves, usually involving a sacri'

Center: Usually d

the board: d4, e4, r

Some authorities
d6 and e6 (marlu

fice, which shows impressive creativity, originality, artistry,

and powers of calculation. An especially beautiful kind of
combination. Some tournaments award "brilliancy prizes,"
and games containing great brilliancies are considered "immortll games." ln annotations, a brilliant move is usually
indicated by "!!".

Bughouse: A variant of chess with two-man teams playing against each other on two separate boards. Pieces
captured by a player on one board can be used by his
teammate on the other board. Very popular among scholastic players.

v
6

t
4
3
2

I
Control of the ceil
in the opening
most of the ceflhd

in

Bye: Special provision for a player who can't or won't play

a round at some point in a tournament, but who still wants
to continue in the tournament. See Chapter 4 for a full
explanation.

Calculation: The specific kind of analysis: detailed examination of possible moves and their consequences.
Commonly called "seeing ahead." A learned skill that can
be developed by practice and study of tactics.

Capture (or Take): To remove a piece from the board by

a legal move. Nof to be called "kill" or 'Jump." ln a game
score, captures are usually indicated by "x", e.g. BxgT
would mean a bishop captured something on 97.

Gastle: "Castling" is a special move designed to protect

the king. The king is moved two squares toward an unmoved rook, and the rook moved to the other side of the
King. This is nof another term for a rook, though that is a
common mistake.
t24

GFG: Chess

FeG

Gheapo: Slarg tsn

Check: A move rl
so attacked is s*l
announce "checlf
usually indicated

Checkmate: A pc

no legal move cil!

final goal in chess,
ply "mate." Frorn f,'t
ing "The king b
usually indicated by

Chopping

Woot

letail is said to
d endgames

fs."
ilving a sacriimlity, artistry,
eautiful kind of
Iancy prizes,"
gtsidered "imrrye is usually

lt teams playmrds.

Pieces
p used by his
r among scho-

lt or won't play
uf,to still wants

br 4 for a ful!

Genter: Usually defined as the four innermost squares of

the board. d4, e4, d5, and e5 (marked "+" in the diagram).
Some authorities include the squares d3, e3, c4, c5,f4,f5,
d6 and e6 (marked "x" in the diagram).
,,ru

7e

\:
t':

-t

tru

It

tlc:
a b c d e f g

Control of the center is very important in chess, especially

in the opening and middlegame. A player who controls
most of the central squares usually has a big advantage.

GFC: Chess Federation of Canada.

Cheapo: Slang term for a trap, especially a superficial one.

s: detailed exDnsequences.
d skill that can

lics.

Check: A move which attacks the opposing king. A king

so attacked is said to be "in check." You do not have to
announce "check" out loud. ln a game score, check is
usually indicated by "+".

m the board by
lp." ln a game
1C, e.g. BxgT
m 97.

Fed to protect
bward an un[rer side of the
lnugh that is a

Gheckmate: A position in which a king is in check, and

no legal move can get him out of check. Checkmate is the
final goal in chess, and ends the game. Often called simply "mate." From the Persian shah mat, meaning "The king is dead." ln a game score, mate is
usually indicated by "#".

Ghopping Wood: Slang term for simplification.

t25

Clock: A chess timer, with two faces. Each face shows

the thinking time of one player. When a player moves, he
hits a button on his side of the clock, thus stopping his
clock and starting his opponent's. Clocks can be analog
(face and hands) or digital. lf a player runs out of time
before making the prescribed number of moves, and his
opponent points this out, he loses if his opponent still has
mating material on the board.

Counting: A n
safe on a squa
sible. lf the nur

number of attar
fended. For exi

Coffee-house: A slang term covering a variety of chess

styles and behaviors, all somewhat suspect or secondrate. "Coffee-house moves" are supedicially impressive but
unsound. "Coffee-house openings" are generally unorthodox. "Coffee-housing" means to feign exaggerated reactions to moves on the board, trying to distract or deceive
the opponent (not permitted in serious games). A reference to chess in 18th- and 19th-century Europe, when it
was often played in coffee houses and taverns.

Combination: A series of forcing moves, usually involving a sacrifice, to achieve a certain goal, often the win of
material or checkmate of the opposing king, and usually
combining two or more tactical motifs (hence the name
"combination").

Correspondence chess: Chess played by opponents at

a distance from each other, and involving long periods
(sometimes days or weeks) between moves. Played by
letter and postcard, and now increasingly by fax or e-mail.
Some different rules apply than in over-the-board chess,
for example players are allowed to consult books.

Counterplay: A player under attack may seek only to

defend his own position, or he may be able also (or instead) to attack the opponent's position. ln the latter case
he is said to "have counterplay."

126

the knight on e
queen on e7. th

it is also defendr
pa'n
fended for the n

f4, and the

Defense: (1) A
threat. (2) An og
ticular opening
King's lndian

De

Development: '
active play, usui
The player who

veloped to activr

Diagonal: A ror
angle to a rank
their starting and
squares here

tace shows

r moves,

he
stopping his
m be analog
; out of time
Mes, and his
nent still has

iety of chess
t or secondrlpressive but
ally unorthoprated reacd or deceive
ps). A refer-

ope, when it
ns.
sually involvEn the win of
;, and usually
ce the name

opponents at
lnng periods
s. Played by
fax or e-mail.
Doard chess,
poks.

seek only to
b also (or inhe latter case

Counting: A method of determining whether a piece is

safe on a square on which a series of captures is possible. lf the number of defenders equals or exceeds the
number of attackers, the piece is usually adequately defended. For example, in this diagram

a b c d e f g h
the knight on e5 is attacked by three black pieces (the
queen on e7, the bishop on d6, and the knight on d7), but
it is also defended by three (the knight on f3, the bishop on
f4, and the pawn on d4).Therefore it is adequately defended for the moment.

Defense: (1) A move or moves intended to counter a

threat. (2) An opening by Black, chosen to counter a particular opening by White, e.g. the Sicilian Defense, the
King's lndian Defense, etc.

Development: The process of getting one's pieces into

active play, usually in the opening phase of the game.
The player who gets his pieces off the back rank and developed to active posts sooner usually has an advantage.

Diagonal: A row of connected squares at a 45-degree

angle to a rank or file. Diagonals are usually named for
their starting and ending squares; for example the x-marked
squares here

t27

Doubled

same file,

Pawr
restli

RooE

Doubled

less often, the

srl

4
3
2

a b c d e f g

are the "a2-g8 diagonal." The a1-h8 and a8-h1 lines are
called the "!ong diagonals."

Diagram: A pictorial representation of a chess position.

Discovery: An attack by a line piece occurring when a

pawn or piece moves out of its way. If the piece thus at-

tacked is a king, it is called "discovered check." ln this position,

Draw: Any gilnn

stalemate, Jadro
fold repetition, nu
point for both phtr

Elo: The rating q

devised by Dr- A
player's rating b r
ply his "Elo."

Endgame: Theh
ing and midCq
and the kings cilr
is often a malrg

En Passant: Fnr
original square a
emy pawn on
only one square" I
if in this positftm

7
6

tp

4
3
2

a b c d e f g

any move by the bishop on 92 creates a discovered check

on the black king.

,
1
3

Double Attack: A single move that carries out an attack

on two (or more) pieces. In the above diagram, the move
BdS+ would attack both Black's king and queen, allowing
White to play Bxc4 next move.
r28

Doubled Pawns: Two pawns of the same color on the

same file, resulting from a capture.
Doubled Rooks: Two rooks standing on the same file, or
less often, the same rank, with no obstruction between them.

Draw: Any game that ends in neither player winning, by

stalemate, lack of mating material, 50-Move Rule, threefold repetition, mutual agreement, etc. A draw scores 7zpoint for both players.
h1 lines are
B position.
ryIg when a
bce thus atL' ln this po-

Elo: The rating system used by the USCF and FIDE was
devised by Dr. Arpad Elo, a mathematician. Therefore a
player's rating is sometimes called his "Elo rating" or simply his "EIo."
Endgame: The last stage of a chess game, after the opening and middlegame, when material is greatly reduced
and the kings can safely become active. Pawn promotion
is often a major goal in the endgame.
En Passant: French for "in passing." When a pawn on its
original square advances two squares, oh adjacent enemy pawn on the same rank may capture it as if it moved
only one square, but on the next move only. For example,
if in this position
8
7
6

rered check

4
3

nil an attack

in, the move

lgJr, allowing

129

Black were to play d7-d5, White could, on his next move

only, play e5xd6, capturing the pawn as if it had moved
only one square. Pronounced "on pah-SOHNT."

En prise: From French, referring to an undefended (or

Five-Minute: A
to make all his n

FIag: The part ol

hand nears the
means a player

under-defended) piece (other than the king) that is vulnerable to capture. "You were doing fine unti! you put that
rook en prise." Pronounced "on preez."

Flanks: The twr

Exchange: A series of captures, at the end of which neither side has gained material. For example, if White moves
his queen to capture Black's queen, then BIack captures
White's queen with another piece, they are said to "exchange queens."

d- and e-files, i.e

c1 (sometimes c
(sometimes calk
ing play in these
d- and e-pawns,
advance in one c

attack."
Exchange, the: To "win the Exchange" means to capture
a rook, while losing a minor piece. To give up a rook intentionally for a minor piece is to "sacrifice the Exchange."
Synonyms include "trade" and "swap."

Expert A playerwith a USGF rating between 2000 and 2199.

Fianchetto: An Italian word, meaning to develop a bishop
on one of the two long diagonals, at b2 or 92for White, or
b7 or 97 for Black. Pronounced "fee-ahn-KET-toe."

Fool's Mate: Tl
being 1 .f3? e5 2

Forfeit: (1) A 9a
up, or (2) a garn

Fork: A double
or pawn. ln the d

FIDE: Acronym for the F6d6ration lnternationale des

Echecs, or lnternational Chess Federation. Pronounced
"fee-day."
FIDE Master (FM): The lowest international chess title
bestowed by FIDE.
File: Any of the vertical rows of a chessboard. Usually called
by their letter designation, e.g. the squares e1 to e8 are called
"the e-file." Also sometimes named for the piece occupying
that file in the opening array, i.e. "king file" instead of e-file.
r30

iF

White has two fo

and queen , ot 92

next move
had moved

Five-Minute: A game where each player has five minutes

to make all his moves.

[r.'
Etunded (or
st is vulneryor,r put that

which nei-

f,tite moves
rck captures
said to "ex-

Flag: The part of an analog clock that rises when the minute
hand nears the hour and fa!!s at the hour. "His flag fell"
means a player ran out of time.

Flanks: The two areas of the chessboard other than the

d- and e-files, i.e. the rectangles with corners atalla$lc9l
cl (sometimes called "the queen's flank") and fllf$lhSlhl
(sometimes called "the king's flank"). An opening involving play in these areas, and which delays advance of the
d- and e-pawns, is sometimes called a "flank opening." An
advance in one of these areas is sometimes called a "flank

attack."
s to capture
tp a rook inI Exchange."

Fool's Mate: The shortest possible game, one sample

being 1.t3? e5 2.94?? Qh4#.

Forfeit: (1) A game lost because a player failed to show

ID and 2199.

up, or (2) a game lost by exceeding the time limit.

Sp

Fork: A double attack by a single man, usually a knight

or pawn. In the diagrammed position,

a bishop

furWhite, or
T{oe."

rtionale des
honounced
2Pt

I chess title
Usrally called
le8 are called
Ee occupying
ead of e-file.

a b c d e f g

White has two forks at his disposal: 1 Ne7+, forking king

and queen, or 92-93, forking bishop and rook.

131

Gambit: An opening involving an early offer of material,

usually a pawn, sometimes two, more rarely a minor piece.
For example 1 e4 e5 2 f4 is called the King's Gambit. From
the ltalian gambetta, a wrestling maneuver that trips the
opponent.

Game score: The record of the moves of a game. Not to

be confused with a player's score, i,e. his won/losUdrawn
record in a match or tournament.

Grandmaster: (GM): The highest international chess title

awarded by FIDE.
Hang a piece: Slang for putting a piece en prise and losing it, or for overlooking a simple combination that loses a
piece. "He was playing well, but then he hung his queen."

Lilr
called because tfs

rd

Major piece: A
generally stronger I
Man: Any chess

pi

Master: A player;
2399. Also called ll

Heavy piece: see major piece.

Match: A series d
opposed to a torrri
playing each otts-

lllegal Move: One that either (a) moves a piece in an ille-

individual games-

gal manner, e.g. moving a bishop like a rook, or (b) results

in an illegal position, such as putting one's king in check.

International Master: (lM): The intermediate international

chess title, above FM but below GM.

lsolated Pawn: A pawn with no other pawns of the same

color on adjacent files.
Kibitzer: A German word, meaning a spectator who offers unasked-for advice about a game in progress. Sometimes acceptable in a skittles game, never in a serious
game.

Kingside: The half of the board on which the kings stand

in the opening array, i.e. the rectangle with corners at e1,
e8, h8 and h1.

132

Material: The nEm

excluding kings. Tol
pieces of a greabr
mula: pawn = 1, tthfi
This formula does m
should be used orll

Mating material: H
board, forcing cH
at least a queen, q

different-colored sril
one pawn (whicfi m
neither player hc
other only a knigttf
out of time, but hb q
ria!, the game is dnar

d material,
l5or piece.
innbit. From
hat trips the

Knight: Nof to be called a "horse," though

in most sets it looks like one. lt begins the
game between the bishop and rook and
moves like an "L".

Line piece: A rook, bishop, or queen. So

Iame. Not to
nllosUdrawn

C chess title
dse and lost that loses a
g his queen."

cce in an ille,tr (b) results

iB in check.

rhtemational

s of

the same

tator who ofgress. Somer in a serious

rc kings stand
ouners at e1,

called because they always move in straight lines.

Major piece: A rook or queen. So called because they are
generally stronger than the minor pieces.
Man: Any chess piece, including pawns.

Master: A player with a USGF rating between 22OO and

2399. Also called "National Master" or NM.
Match: A series of games between two players only, as
opposed to a tournament, which involves three or more
playing each other. A "team match" is actually a set of
individual games.

Material: The men on the board at any point in a game,

excluding kings. To have a "material advantage" is to have
pieces of a greater tota! value, usually figured by the formula: pawn = 1 , bishop or knight = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9.
This formula does not apply in all positions, however, and
should be used only as a rough guide.

Mating material: With all other men except kings off the
board, forcing checkmate requires that one player have
at least a queen, or a rook, or two bishops (moving on
different-colored squares), or bishop and knight, or at least
one pawn (which may be promoted to rook or queen). lf
neither player has this (e.9. one has only a bishop, the
other only a knight), the game is drawn. lf a player runs
out of time, but his opponent does not have mating material, the game is drawn.
r33

Middlegame: The phase of the game following the open'

ing and preceding the endgame. Very hard to define precisLly, but usually, roughly, beginning around move 10 or
20, when most or all pieces have been developed, and
ending around move 40 or whenever material is reduced
to the endgame stage. Usually the most complex phase of
a game.

front of it on the sant

has advanced b ilu

Minor piece: A knight or bishoP.

Odds:Any method of compensating for different skill lev-

els between opponents. Decades ago material odds were

commonly given; the stronger player might start without
one of his pawns, knights, or rooks. More common today
are time odds, where the weaker player is given more time
than the stronger, e.g. 10 minutes to 5.

Open File: A file containing no pawns of either side.

Opening: The first phase of a game, roughly the first 10

or 20 moves. Development and control of the center are

White has passed g

pawns at c5 and hi
important in the
Two passed prrffis(
called "connected g
pawns here).

ed

Pafz:er= Slang for

clude fish, woodprd

important goals in the opening. Over the years a multitude

of standard openings have been devised, named and analyzed to a high degree, some of the most popular being
the Ruy Lopez, the French Defense, the Queen's Gambit,
etc. Study of openings becomes more important after one
has learned chess fundamentals.

Perpetua! checlc A
does not force
ries of checks. lrsu
repetition of a post

Over-the-board chess: Chess played face-to-face, aS

opposed to correspondence chess. Abbreviated "OTB

Piece: (1) Any dUr

out of the bag.' (4
velop all your pier=
wins a piece.' or'l a

chess."

Pairing: A specific set of opponents for a round. A pairing list tells the players who has White or Black, and which
board number each is to PlaY on.

Passed pawn: A pawn which has no enemy pawns in

t34

clu

Pin: A situation in r
emy man due to Or
beyond it. ln this pq

openpre10 or
pd, and
reduced
phase of

front of it on the same or adjacent files. How far the pawn

has advanced is irrelevant. ln this position,

a b c d e f g

White has passed pawns at d6 and e4, Black has passed

pawns at c5 and h7. Passed pawns become especially
important in the endgame due to the threat of promotion.
Two passed pawns of the same color on adjacent files are
called "connected passed pawns" (e.9. White's d- and epawns here).

r side.
10

are

Patzer= Slang fior a weak player. Other similar terms include fish, woodpusher, and woodshifter.

Perpetual check: A situation in which a player cannot or

does not force checkmate, but can give an endless series of checks. Usually done to force a draw bythree-fold
repetition of a position.

bface, as
bd "orB
l'

Piece: (1) Any of the chess men, as in "Get all the pieces
out of the bag." (2) A non-pawn, as in "You have to develop all your pieces." (3) A bishop or knight, as in "That
wins a piece." or "l am up a piece."

!'

A pairl'and which

lrd
I

h,

h pr*ns

Pin: A situation in which a line-piece holds down an enemy man due to the fact that a more valuable piece lies
beyond it. ln this position,

in

135

Promotion: Wl

cannot remain i
other than a
a rook, bishop, r

&

der-promotion]
to a piece alrea
Thus one may i
etc.) on the b

BIack's knight at f6 is pinned by the bishop on 95, since

any move by the knight would allow capture of the queen.
Black's knight on cG is also pinned, since to move it would
expose the king to check (this is called an "absolute pin").
A move such as Be7 or b7-b5 would be said to "break the
pin."

Ply: A half-move, or the move of one player. When both

players move, that is two ply, or one ful! move. To calculate "l take, then he takes, then I take," is to look 3 ply
ahead.

Queenside: Th
stand in the ope

ata1,a8,d8an

Rank: Any of tlr

board. ln algetr
through 8 starll
ever, in a holdor
is sometimes cC

Rating: A milr
The USCF and
retically ratings I

- no one gE
the highest r*.r
low

Position: The placem.ent of men on the board at any given

point in the game. Various terms are used to describe different kinds of positions: "free" or "cramPed"; "open" or
"closed"; "simple" or "complicated"; "developed" or "undeveloped" etc. "Positional judgement," the ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a position, is a skill
good players develop.

Post-mortem: Slang term for a discussion of a game after it is over, trying to determine critical mistakes and better moves that might have been played. Young players
should always do this whenever possible, especially when
the opponent is a stronger player, as they can often learn
from it.
t36

Bobby Fiscfrerar
scholastic begir
can adult ratirB i
in the 250G.265[

Recapture: To c
another.

Resign: To qp
to checkmaE. U
position hopeles
one's king, or sq
or stopping the

Promotion: When a pawn is moved to the last rank, it

cannot remain a pawn, but must be promoted to a piece
other than a king. Promotions are usually to a queen, but
a rook, bishop, or knight can be chosen (this is called "under-promotion"). Note: the promotion does not have to be
to a piece already removed from the board by capture.
Thus one may have two or more queens (or three rooks,
etc.) on the board at once.

Queenside: The half of the board on which the queens

stand in the opening array, i.e. the rectangle with corners
at a1, a8, d8 and d1.

['break the
h
F
F

L
t,

lWtren both
h ro calcul, nor 3 ply

Rank: Any of the horizontal rows of squares on the chessboard. ln algebraic notation the ranks are numbered 1
through 8 starting from White's side of the board. However, in a holdover from descriptive notation, the 2nd rank
is sometimes called "Black's 7th rank."

Rating: A mathematical measure of chess performance.

The USCF and FIDE use the Elo Rating System. Theoretically ratings start at 0 (basically impossible to get this

tsany given
lescriOe Oitl! 'open" or
or "undeFy to evalulm, it a skill

- no one ever has) and range upward indefinitely,

but
the highest ratings achieved so far (by such players as
Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov) are around 2800. Most
scholastic beginners start around 500; the average American adult rating is around 1500. Most grandmasters are
in the 2500-2650 range.
low

Recapture: To capture a piece which had just captured

another.

[r

onen learn

Resign: To concede defeat in a game, without playing on

to checkmate. Usually done when a player considers his
position hopeless. One resigns by purposely laying down
one's king, or saying "l resign." Note that shaking hands
or stopping the clock does not end a game.
t37

Round: A set of games in a tournament, normally beginning all at the same time, with pairings made by the TD.
Round Robin: A tournament in which each player eventually plays every other player; also called "all-play-all."
Common in professional chess, but rare in scholastic
chess. Unlike a Swiss system tournament, it calls for a
commitment by the players to complete all their games.

Sacrifice: A move in which one player deliberately gives

up a man of higher value for one of lower value, or gives
up a man for nothing, in order to gain a more important
goal. For example, in this Position

Section: A de

ment. !n a rnuill
tion are usuafl
be classified t
lastic, etc.

Semi-Open Fi
- it is "semiq

Senior MasE

Simplificatirrr
the board by

player with a m
pawn ahead, it
with only kirgs
the extra pilEt

8
7
6
5

Shot: Slang ts
ponent by strp

4
3
2

Simul: Slargfr

a b c d e f g

White has two winning sacrifices: either 1.Qxc6!, since no

matter how Black recaptures, White can force a back'
rank mate by 2.Rd8 next move; or even better, White can
play 1.Rd8+!, forcing 1...Nxd8, after which White mates
by 2.Qe1#.

Scholar's Mate: To mate on fT (or, for Black, f2) with a

queen and bishop in 4 moves (see chapter 4 for an example). Usually a very bad thing to try for. When teaching
Scholar's Mate, I ca!! it "Dumb and Dumber."

Scoresheet: A paper on which the moves of a game are

recorded.

138

event in whicfi
better, plays se
walking from bt
have played $
winning about S
to watch, and y

Skewer: The n
piece attacks i

and expose a n
White to move
Black's queen
1 ...897+ and 2
called "X-ray

il

Section: A designated group of players in a chess tourna-

r evenay-all."

scholastic
calls for a
games.
grves
or grves
important

ment. ln a multi-section tournament players in a given section are usually paired only with each other. Sections may
be classified by rating, oge, grade, scholastic/non-scholastic, etc.

Semi-Open File: A file containing pawns of only one color

- it is "semi-open" for the other player.

Senior Master: A player with a USGF rating over 2399.

Simplification: The process of lessening the material on

the board by exchanges. Usually advantageous for a
player with a material advantage. For example, if one is a
pawn ahead, it is often wise to simplify down to a position
with only kings and pawns, to make it easier to promote
the extra pawn.

Shot: Slang term for a strong move that catches the opponent by surprise.

Simul: Slang for "simultaneous exhibition," a special chess

event in which a player, usually one of master strength or
rc6!, since no

orce a backEr, White can

White mates

f2) with a
1 for an exteaching

a game are

better, plays severa! different opponents "simultaneously,"

walking from board to board, moving quickly. Some GMs
have played simuls vs. hundreds of opponents, usually
winning about 90% of the games. Usually very interesting
to watch, and very instructive for the participants.

Skewer: The reverse of a pin. A tactic in which a linepiece attacks an enemy man, which is forced to move
and expose a man beyond it to capture. ln this position,
White to move could play 1 Rd1+ and 2 Rxd8, winning
Black's queen by skewer, or BIack to move could play
1...897+ and 2...8xa1 , skewering the white queen. Also
called "X-ray attack."

139

sometimes let gu
allowing stalenu*

Strategy: (1) TfE

cess of deciding qr
to achieve thern;
to be useful in a g

development,'c

tion."
a b c d e f g

skitrles: chess for fun or chess without a clock. A sktff/es

room is where you go and play for fun while waiting for
your next formal Pairing.

space: ln chess, to have a "space advantage" means to

control more of the board than the opponent. Often the

player with more space has the more mobile pieces and is
better able to create or defend against threats.

Stalemate: A position in which a player has no legal move,

but is not in check. By rule the game is a draw. For example in this Position,
8

Strategy
means by whicfi

i
I

Sudden Dea0r: A

ing moves must E

on a player's dod
has 30 minutes fu
he must make liBl
one hour, and if I
another 30 mimft
game.

Swindle: A sitrt
but by clever rsir
he manages to

de

Swiss System: A
ers are paired rcq

ally against otheer

ever possible, a
Black and WhiE (r
number of rounds[
twice. See ChaE

fi

4
3
2
1

a b c d e f g

if it is Black's move he is stalemated: his pawn is blocked,

and any move by king or knight puts him in check. This is
a rule commonly misunderstood by young players, who

140

Tactics: The ffif

prevention of tru

White threatens
2...Nc6 that threil
the pawn. Where r

sometimes let games they could win become draws by

allowing stalemate.

Strategy: (1) The more general kind of analysis: the process of deciding on long-term objectives and devising plans
to achieve them; (2) any of several standard plans known
to be useful in a given position, e.g."a strategy of rapid
development," or of "gaining space," or of "simplification." Strategy involves setting goals; tactics are the
means by which the goals are carried out.

fuck. A skiffles

ife

waiting for

tage" means to
rent. Often the
h pieces and is

tats.
no legal move,
I draw. For exE

Sudden Death: A time control period in which all remaining moves must be played within a certain amount of time
on a player's clock. For example, "G/30" means a player
has 30 minutes for the whole game; "4011, SD/30" means
he must make his first 40 moves before his clock advances
one hour, and if the game continues beyond move 40,
another 30 minutes is added to his clock for the rest of the
game.

Swindle: A situation in which a player is theoretically lost,

but by clever resistance, and mistakes by his opponent,
he manages to draw or win.

Swiss System: A method for tournament pairings. Players are paired according to their scores and ratings, usually against others who are doing about equally wel!. Whenever possible, a player gets an equal number of games as
Black and White (or as near equal as possible in an odd
number of rounds), and does not play the same opponent
twice. See Chapter 4 for details.

larrn is blocked,
h check. This is
Eg players, who

Tactics: The aspect of chess that involves threats and

prevention of threats. For example after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3,
White threatens to take Black's e-pawn; if Black replies
2...NcG that threat is prevented by the knight's defending
the pawn. Where strategy involves general plans, tactics
141

invotve specific calculation. lf strategies are the ends,

tactics are the means. There are many tactical motifs: pins,
forks, double attacks, skewers, and countless others.
lmprovement in chess requires learning as many of these
as possible.

TD: Tournament Director

Team Tournament: An event in which teams of players
are matched against other teams. lndividual pairings are
usually in rating order, i.e. the highest-rated player on Team
A plays against the highest-rated of Team B on Board 1,
the second-highest play on Board 2, etc. Standings are
based primarily on team-match results, not individual
points. For example, in a S-round tournament of 4-man
teams, a team that won 5 matches, a!! by 2%-1% scores,
places higher than one that won 4 matches by 4-0 scores
and drew one match 2-2.

Tempo: A move by one player, i.e. a ply or "half-move."

The gain or loss of one or more tempi can be important.
To "gain a tempO" means to reach a position in N mOveS
that otherwise would require N+1 moves; to "lose a tempo"
is do in N+1 moves what othenruise could be done in N
moves. Tempi are often gained by threats, for example,
after 1 e4 d5 2 exdS Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qd8, White has gained a
tempo due to the threat to Black'S queen. New players are
sometimes confused when they read about "an advantage
in time"; this usually does not refer to clock time, but means
that one player has gained several tempi at his opponent's
expense. An advantage of three tempi is generally considered equivalent to being a pawn ahead.

Threat: A move which can win material, force checkmate,

gain tempi, gain space, or obtain some sort of advantage
if the opponent does not counter it. Attacks on under-de-

t42

fended pieces rr
Time Gontrol: Tl
e.g. "40 moves h

Time Delay: AfrE

whereby the dod
(usually 2 to 30 s
thus a player's d
moves before the
the mad sort d I
death.

Time trouble: A r

many moves in
lncreases the cha
prone to time trul

qr

the clock that

must Ieam to aw
take enough tire

TL: Common
advertisements.

time control wu
and G/60.

Trap: A deceptiw
low a strong reply,
counter-blow in hr
Touch-move

n*

you must move iE i

it on that square; I
piece, you musil
touched piece an
legal move to a
touched enemy 1li

are the ends

d motifs: Pins,

ntess others.

fended pieces are an example of a threat.

Time Control: The time limit(s) in effect for a given game,
e.g. "40 moves in 2 hours" or "Game in 60."

many of these

lns of players

pairings are
flayer on Team
B on Board 1,
Handings are
individual
hent of 4-man
7b17, scores,
}by 4-0 scores

pt
t
I
t

il'half-move."
i U. important.
bn in N moves
itose a tempo"
I be done in N
B for example,
ts has gained a
players are
J'an advantage
lme, but means
llis opponent's
pgenerally con-

fa

L
I

i,,

checkmate,
It of advantage
b o, under-de-

Time Delay: A feature of many computerized digital clocks,

whereby the clock does not start to run for a short interval
(usually 2to 30 seconds) after a player pushes his button;
thus a player's clock will not advance if he consistently
moves before the delay interval expires. Designed to avoid
the mad sort of time trouble that can arise in sudden
death.

Time trouble: A situation where a player must make too

many moves in too Iittle time, e.g. one minute for 20 moves.
lncreases the chance of blunders. Some players are more
prone to time trouble than others, and may lose games on
the clock that could be won on the board. Young players
must learn to avoid time trouble, but also must learn to
take enough time to find good moves.

TL: Common abbreviation for "time limit" in tournament

advertisements. The TLs in the entry on
time control would be abbreviated 4012
and G/60.

Trap: A deceptive move that seems to allow a strong reply, but prepares a stronger
counter-blow in turn.
Touch-move rule: The rule that says: if you touch a piece
you must move it; if you let go of a piece you have to leave
it on that square; if you purposely displace an opponent's
piece, you must take it. The only exceptions occur if a
touched piece cannot be legally moved, a player has no
legal move to a touched square, or no legal way to take a
touched enemy piece. A very common misconception is

143

that a player may move a piece, then, if he

did not fully release it, may return it to its
original square and move another piece. ln
a serious game he would be required to
move the piece he first touched, if it could
be legally moved. lf no legal move involving touched pieces
can be made, no PenaltY is enforced.

Unrated: Someone who has never played a rated game,

or whose rating has not yet been made official by the USCF

APPENDIX B

A Guide for Speclr

(taken from the l.ffl(
ment Regulations)
1. Do NOT stard h
player whose garr

(ratings become officia! every two months). An unrated

game is one that is not played for a rating'

2. Do NOT "canp

USGF: United States Chess Federation.

way an opinion

Wall Chart: lnformation posted during a tournament showing all players, usually in order of section and rating, with
what color and result they had in each round. Results are
shown cumulatively, so that a result line reading "1 1 2"
means the player won in the first round, lost in the second
(and thus still has 1), and won in the third'

4. Do NOT discuss

Wing: Synonym for flank.

Zeitnot: German for time trouble. Pronounced "TSITEnote."

3. Do NOT

makefu

da

being observed.

5. Do NOT speak pi
the board while tisf,

6. Do NOT assrflrr.
reason such as ffi

7. Do NOT make a
potato chips,

wifiir

8. Do NOT discussa

zugzwang: German for "move compulsion"; a position in

wnlcn any of a player's possible moves leads to a loss or
disadvantage. Pronounced "TSOOGtsvahng'"

are being played h

game at a board h I

Zwischenzug: German for "in-between move." For example, giving check before an immediate recapture. Pro-

9. Do NOT take ffi

using flash or a czrrt

nounced "TSVISH-en-tsoog."

144

10. Do NOT take 1*tr

makes you an obvir

aece, then, if he
y return it to its
nother piece. ln

be required to
nhed, if it could
;buched pieces
il a rated game,
ial by the USGF
rc). An unrated
l.

APPENDIX B

A Guide for Spectator Gonduct

(taken from the USCF National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations)
1. Do NOT stand in front of or make eye contact with the
player whose game you are observing.

2. Do NOT "camp out" at one game.

3. Do NOT make faces or gestures or convey in any graphic
way an opinion of a game being observed.

urnament showand rating, with

nd. Results are
reading "1 1 2"
st in the second
t.

4. Do NOT discuss or even whisper opinions of a game

being observed.
5. Do NOT speak privately with any player at or away from
the board while his/her game is in progress.

6. Do NOT assume the role of TD and intervene for any

reason such as pointing out illegal moves.

urnced "TSITE-

7. Do NOT make any noise, such as opening a bag of

n'; a position in

8. Do NOT discuss a game at its conclusion if other games

are being played in the vicinity, and do NOT analyze a
game at a board in the tournament room.

eads to a loss or

iltng."
I

rpve." For ex-

recapture. Pro-

potato chips, within earshot of a game in progress.

9. Do NOT take pictures after the first ten minutes when

using flash or a camera with an audible shutter.
10. Do NOT take pictures at any time from a Iocation which
makes you an obvious distraction to the players.

145

11

. Do NOT attempt to enforce rules yourself.

12. DO report instances of cheating or rule violations by

players or other spectators to the TD staff. Do NOT discuss instances of cheating or rules violations with the perpetrators.
13. DO comply with any requests or instructions issued by
tournament staff.

Appendix C
Special

lssuer

By Lois

Ded(et

Our sons* enbn

an age where kil
sport, acadenll
felt that chess
ture. The kids 1,r
good player, ttsl
What they wero I
lessons, discil
all part of "he gn

There are manyl

chess can doother chess bod
tics explored, etd
understood.
is the suppodtuBr

tl

l-|il

The role of apnl

dren require a lotr
having Mom Erur
are very timest
last 5 days.
ments /asf only o
dinner. Champin
and impoftarrt
than one day.-Iil
can run to hunfr

lHil
*

lrt

"For somewhat
are male. Altho4h
courage all

146

girlsAmr

I
Appendix
i*ations bY
o NOT disith the per-

b bsued by

Special lssues for Moms: "Chess Moms Speak"

By Lois Deckelbaum and Barbara Schoener

Our sons* entered the chess world with some naivet6. In

an age where kids are struggling to find an identity through
sport, academics, or social experiences, we, as parents,
felt that chess was an acceptable forum into which to venture. The kids had a preconception that, in order to be a
good player, they would only have to play a lot of games.
What they were unprepared for was the amount of study,
lessons, discipline and inevitable disappointment that is
all part of "the game."
There are many things a child who is interested in playing
chess can do. The basics are outlined in this and many
other chess books. Basic openings must be learned, tactics explored, endgames mastered, and time-management
understood. However, a more subtle and less defined area
is the supportive role a parent can play in the game.

t
.

i
F

The role of a parent varies from child to child. Some children require a lot of attention while others shun the idea of
having Mom around. The truth is that some tournaments
are very time-consuming, expensive ventures. They can
Iast 5 days. lHowever many, if not most, scho/astic tournaments /asf only one day, often from about morning until
dinner. Championship events may be two or three days
and important adult tournamenfs are almost always more
than one day.- DHI Registration, hotel, and food expenses
can run to hundreds of dollars. The time spent can leave
*For somewhat unclear reasons, the vast majority of chess players
are male. Although we use "he" in denoting the chess player, we encourage all girls/women to get involved in chess and enjoy!

147

the child emotionally and physically drained. Some carefu! planning and attention to the overall well-being of the
child can make the experience considerably more enjoyable.

Among parents, the emotional and physical strain involved

in chess is often underestimated. Although
there is a difference between the needs of
a four-year old child and those of a teenager, the basic concerns are the same. How
the needs are met is the crucial difference.
For example, all kids need to eat properly.
Whether you come with food for a younger
child or just make sure the older child has the money to
buy food, the basic need must be addressed.

Sometimes decent food is scarce. Some parents pack a

cooler. Depending on the tournament, it may be necessary to pack drinks, fruit and power bars. For longer tournaments, whole picnics can be taken (you'll get envious
glances from the other families). Packing comfort foods
for the tough or unexpected loss can help. lt is important
not to let your child's hunger leve! get too severe or else
fatigue will set in. The result can be a less-than-optimum
tournament outcome.
As you go to more and more tournaments, you will be surprised at the different conditions under which games are
held. Some are in plush hotels with plenty of comfortable
seating. Others are in back rooms of schools or churches.
While the kids are fine, many times you wil! be relegated
to the hard floor. Some people take lightweight beach chairs
and leave them in their cars. ln this way, your comfort is
always assured.
It's to be hoped that your child wil! get proficient at using
the time allotted for his game efficiently. lf this is the happy
case, you will need a distraction. You can almost lose your
148

mind if you go enl

zines or newspal
terruptions, a il*
limits you from n
make wonderfrrl fr
families can also
camps, clubs,
using the resfoo
idea. Many garE
through moves d,
is possible to r.s
ders his next rrrt
minutes per playe

ilt

ln the event y<xr

game can steHr
embroiled in tre"
enjoyable readiqg
also provide an q
pave the way to

Alterations of deen
tournaments, gflfl
scholastic-only U4
if your child is phyi
possible. - DHI Gat
did take heed from
1:30 AM. He eked r
even though he Wt
The next moming (r

uncharacteristicily

better to take fre lE

feeling better hrt
and it was hard b n

fr

When tournamerls
they don't), it wr I

lsome careheing of the

penjoyable.
I
I

hdn involved
Fd. Although
l$e needs of
ts of a teenlusame. How
p difference.
Foat properlY.

hr a younger
he money to

I
h

fents pack a
Fy be neceshtonger tourI get envious
hntort foods
h ls important
Evere or else
han-optimum
I

hl will be surlilr games are

f comfortable

or churches.
I te relegated
Ibeach chairs
ulr comfort is
b

mind if you go empty-handed. Bringing needlepoint, magazines or newspapers works well. Because of potential interruptions, a thick novel can be hard to get into. lt also
limits you from networking with other families. You can
make wonderful friends during the course of a game. These
families can also be a great source of information about
camps, clubs, and tournaments. For the younger player,
using the restroom before the round starts can be a good
idea. Many games have been lost due to a child rushing
through moves due to "floating teeth." ln longer games, it
is possible to use a restroom while your opponent ponders his next move, but in a game with a time limit of 30
minutes per player, it can be detrimental to walk about.

ln the event your child is done early, the time to the next
game can stretch out boringly while his friends are still
embroiled in their own games. A Gameboy, toys, or any
enjoyable reading material wil! help pass the time. lt will
also provide an opportunity to share with other kids and
pave the way to new friendships.
Alterations of sleep patterns can also be a concern. ln some
tournaments, games can go well past midnight. [Games in
scholastic-only tournaments do not go Iate into the night, but
if your child is playing in an adult tournament this is certainly
possible. - DH] Controlling this variable is obviously difficult. I
did take heed from one tournament when my son played to
1:30 AM. He eked out a victory in a tough match. However,
even though he got to bed by 2:00, he was way off schedule.
The next morning (even though play began at 12:00), he got
uncharacteristicallywhipped. ln this case, itwould have been
better to take the half-point bye and rest. By evening, he was
feeling better but the whole tournament got off to a bad start
and it was hard to recover.

When tournaments go for days (and even sometimes when

they don't), it can be difficult for a parent to stay around.
t49

Most people have complicated and hectic schedules. One

possible solution is to share the "parenting." ln otherwords,
perhaps one mom or dad could be there from registration
to lunch and another later on. This way, safety, food, and
support issues can be easily addressed.

gesture goes fi
I believe it is up to each parent to determine if it is safe to
leave his or her child. However, these are some of the
variables you should consider. The age of the child is critica!. lt is not the tournament director's responsibility to assure the safety of your child. Accidents can happen when
the time control is long and players finish early. Behavior
must remain in accordance with tournament standards.
Kids can venture outside. You must determine if the environment is safe, and determine what the consequences
would be if your child did not listen and perhaps crossed
the street to get food. Can he cross the street safely; can
he pay attention to the time to make sure he is back in
time to start his clock for the next round?

Registration is very often a confusing experience for firsttime chess players. Often the fee is forgotten, USCF membership cards are misplaced, chess clocks broken, or chess
pieces lost. Often, the child ends up rushing in at the last
moment. Al! this can be very disconcerting for a child who
is anxious about playing the game. These distractions can
be almost overwhelming. Having a parent around who can
find a solution is most reassuring.

One very important aspect of chess tournaments is the

"social graces." These are basic rules of conduct applicable to any sport. lt is always nice to have your child introduce himself and shake hands with his opponent prior
to play. At the completion of the game, win or lose, he
should know to shake hands again. lf he lost, he is to congratulate his opponent graciously and say "good game" or
something similarly appropriate. lf he has been fortunate
150

Teaching your c
as well as a Jrr
him well in the il

Having covered
adults also c:rr
always going b
you go. To deC
tournament rmr
an older chiH u
off). Then, wistt
back of the Kxn
ents take andrr
take a low
however, hover
crossed in an
I am not sure il I
his opponent ca
to oversee the ul
priate to revier
though you mqf
game. Don't ptr

pr*

aI

It is wise to leare

own game. The t

stand the role
ing the game, il
gardless of how r
clock, raise his h

dl

Another area

hrtes. One

IErwords,
iogistration
l, bod, and
t
I

is safe to
Drte of the
HrtO is critiDnily to asipen when
[. eenavior
l'standards.
) if the enviFequences
ps crossed
safely; can
f
b b back in
I

trce for firstUscr membt, or chess

h at the last
ta child who
hctions can
nd who can

Ftts

trluct

Fr

is the
aPPli-

child in-

[onent Prior
I or lose, he

ilp ls to con-

)d

game" or
bn fortunate

enough to win, he can try to find something

positive to say about play during the game.
Whether it is a compliment about a specific move or an invitation to go over the
game in the skittles room, the good-natured
gesture goes far to soften an othenruise painful defeat.
Teaching your child to be a gracious and composed Ioser
as well as a humble victor is a life-lesson that wil! serve
him well in the future.
Having covered manners for children, it can be stated that
adults also can display inappropriate behavior. There is
always going to be the occasional "bad apple" wherever
you go. To deal with this situation, you can go into the
tournament room to help your child set up his board (though
an older child wil! not Iike this idea and it is best to back
off). Then, wish both players good Iuck and retreat to the
back of the room or out of the room. However, some parents take another approach. They stay al! the time. Some
take a Iow profile being around only when needed. Some,
however, hover around the chess board with their arms
crossed in an authoritarian, supervisory manner. In the end,
I am not sure if this benefits anyone. Both your child and
his opponent can get very nervous. ls it really necessary
to oversee the whole game? Would it not be just as appropriate to review the game after the completion? Even
though you may be anxious, let the kids play their own
game. Don't place an extra burden on them.
It is wise to leave during play and let the children play their
own game. The best advice to give your child is to under-

stand the role of the tournament director. At any time during the game, if your child feels there is a question, regardless of how simple it may seem, he should stop the
clock, raise his hand and get an answer from the TD.

Another area of difficulty is determining how the child

151

should prepare before going to a tournament. !t is glorious

for a child to state he/she is going to The Nationals. However, in fairness to and respect for the parents who must
share the financial and time burden of such events, I feel it
imperative that the child accept some responsibility. This
can vary among families. Whether it be helping with registration fees or making a commitment to study beyond the
normal scope, is for the family to decide. However, I do
believe that it is not enough just to show up and not have
the child show due diligence to the task at hand.

other areruls
is a game. I
you child wi
cess is his st
fortunately, t
However, th(
learn from H
face of defe
the excitenre
!enge.

Going to tournaments is one of the best ways to Iearn

chess. However, getting into a club or camp, and having
lessons has also proven to be very wise. Lessons can be
found locally or on the lnternet. Many community centers
have lessons or clubs. lf you cannot find any chess club in
your area, then start one! This does not mean that you
have to be proficient in chess. Some Moms have started
meetings at the local library. Last year I wanted a daytime
chess camp for my son. Since there wasn't one established, my son's chess coach and l'teamed up and made
one for ourselves. lt was a wonderful success!

!t is most wJ
complishrnen
determine lis
sonable. ]f Ur
ing higher fi
challenge.
Perhaps mtxr
Do not
available to m

As parents who want to protect their children, we often

fear their failure. When we realized that playing in tournaments was necessary the question arose,
"!s my child good enough?". How could he
be expected to win if he had never played
before? ln other sports, there are team
members to cushion a defeat. lf your softball team Ioses, it can be mellowed by the
fact that "Johnny dropped the ball" or "Sammy struck out."
In chess, if you lose, you must accept all responsibility.
Your win is your win, your loss is your loss. It can be a
scary proposition for both parent and child.
Perhaps the most important advice we can give applies to
152

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other arenas as well. lt should be remembered that chess

is a game. It is competitive in nature. However, whether
you child wins or loses, it is your child's game. His success is his success alone. His failures are his failures. (Unfortunately, this is usually defined by an unexpected loss.
However, the truth is that the true victor is the one who can
learn from his experiences and gain strength even in the
face of defeat). ln all sports, upsets occur frequently. lt is
the excitement of the play and the battle that is the challenge.
It is most unhealthy to live vicariously from your child's accomplishments and feel defeated by his failures. Let the child
determine his goals. Discuss them and see if they are reasonable. !f they are !ow, discuss the work involved with aiming higher and the satisfaction that can come from meeting a
challenge. lf they are too high, discuss a more realistic dream.
Perhaps more time is needed to reach the lofty expectiations.
Do not shatter aspirations but try to ensure that the tools are
available to make them attainable.

, we often
in tournaarose,
could he
played

are team
lf your softby the
struck out."
ibility.

ftcanbea
applies to

153

Beginner to Master!
-GM

Lev

Alburtt

Comprebensiae Chess

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Seaet Matches: Tbe Unpublisbed Games of Mihbail Boninnih Selected Games Annotated and
Theoretical Section byJrrr Timman
Mikhail Bowinnik is one of the towering figures in chess of the 20th century. One of the ways he prepared for matches and tournaments was to play serious-and secret-games. These clandestine games
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105 instructively explained games with openings index

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The career of one of chess'brightest young stars, forced to give up the game
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your child has discovered chess. You've probably

heard the good news from teachers and other parents:
kids who play chess do better in school and learn
self-reliance and analytical skills. It's great that your
kid is interested in an activity that offers such
lifelong benefits and provides so many chances to
learn real-life lessons-and is so much fun!
So

But you need to know some basics to help. This book

is the roadmap for you and your child to get the most
out of a sometimes confusing but extremely rewarding opportunity.
The questions will come fast and sometimes sound
like another language. What do you think of the
Petroff Defense, Dad? What do I do with an isolated
pawt4 Mom? Where carl I find other kids to play chess
with and a good coach? How can I play in a
tournament to get an offi,cial rating?

A Parent)s Guide to Chess

helps you make the

most of an important opportunity to teach your child
important skills while strengthening your relationship and sharing an activity that can serve as a
life-Iong bond.

I SBN 1-888