Chess4Life

Chess4Life and the Seattle Mariners

Hello chess players!

This is an announcement regarding Chess4Life's upcoming group outing to see the Seattle Mariners take on the San Diego Padres on Friday May 18th. 

The Chess4Life staff and coaches will all be attending, and we encourage all Chess4Life parents, students and friends to come along and enjoy the game with us!  it will be a great opportunity to see and interact with your coaches before the end of the year, and to make many more friends through chess in the process!

Tickets will be $10 plus a $1 online registration fee, and if you'd like to sit next to some of your friends specifically, please order tickets together...Chess4Life will be occupying three seating sections at the ballpark, and we'll all be able to sit together.

If you're interested, tickets can be ordered by e-mailing Chess4LifeGroup@SeattleMariners.com with the number of tickets you'd like to order.

If you prefer, you can order tickets through myself – if you do so, we will try to group the tickets so that friends are sitting together… (Either way, once we are at the game, I’m sure that people will be moving around a bit in the sections that are reserved for us.) Just send us $11/person, a list of names, and a contact phone #, and we will handle ordering for you!

Look forward to seeing you all there!   

Preparing for State!

Hello chess players!  With state right around the corner, and many players going, Chess4Life has a number of tips to help you prepare for state and gain the edge against your opponents!

• Sharpen your tactics!  Solve 20 puzzles quickly each day, 3-5 days per week.  Resources we recommend:  TASC Tutor CD II, Chess Tactics for beginners (cd), CT-Art 3.0 (Cd for advanced players), Poglar's big book of 5,334 checkmates or other tactics books.

• Do the following while playing:

            -  Move slowly; utilize all available time.

            -  Every turn, look carefully at WHY the opponent made their last move, identifying any threats

            -  Look for at least 3 options for oneself before deciding which one is best...don't just play the first good move you see!

            -  Remember the BASICS:  develop all pieces, even if tempted to attack sooner...trade down pieces when ahead in material...keep aware of stalemate options!

            -  Be mindful of your opponent's time and use it!  During your opponent's time, think about general plans and what the targets are.  on your own time, think about specific moves and threats.

• Make sure to write down competition games and review each game to find out improvements before state...

We hope everyone gets in all the training that they need before state, and the best of luck to you all!