Prairieland Cougar Chess Club

Prairieland Chess Club Coordinator – Ben Davis E-mail --bendavis71@me.com Home phone – 452-4306 Cell phone -- 846-3821

The primary goal of the Prairieland Chess Club -- Learn how to play chess or get better at playing chess in an encouraging, fun, and safe environment. The benefits of chess are numerous -- it encourages life skills such as critical thinking, strategy, pattern recognition, and friendly competition. General Information No chess experience necessary to participate in the club. If you or your child doesn’t know how to play chess, but is interested in playing then please sign them up. Everyone is welcome! The fee for the 2012/2013 school year is $40. Checks can be made payable to “Prairieland Chess Club.” Your fee covers: a minimum of 15 lessons; informational chess handouts; a chess notating pad and two tournament entry fees - your first non-Prairieland regular tournament and the Parkside/Prairieland Tournament. Practices Practices will be Tuesdays after school until 4:45. Please pick up your children by 4:45 on Tuesdays! Practice Schedule

October 23 and 30 November 6,13, and 27 (no practice on November 20) December 4, 11 & 18 January 8, 15, 22 & 29 February 2, 12, 19 & 26 (for State Tournament players only)

Club Organization We will place students into practice groups based on their ability. We will likely have 4 groups again this year with the groups meeting in the commons areas of the school. The number of students signing up and their level of experience and ability will determine group placement. We want practices to be fun for everyone! Students are welcome to pack a snack. We will allow them to eat the snack before they begin playing. Once play begins, snacks will have to be put away. Please do not send drinks. There will be adequate adult supervision at chess club practices. We will be asking each family to volunteer some time towards chess club. We will work to ensure all students can learn in a friendly environment. We don’t anticipate any problems, but if there is a discipline problem we will follow the Prairieland discipline policy including involving Prairieland administration and/or speaking with a parent. Tournaments Children from all age groups are welcome to participate in tournaments (most are in town or close to town), but it is not required by any means. Tournaments can be a lot of fun in a very friendly encouraging atmosphere. You get a chance to play students outside of our club, learn a lot about chess and sportsmanship, along with many other skills. And, yes, you may get a chance to win a trophy! With the exception of the two free tournaments mentioned above, students are responsible for the fee for each tournament you enter -- typically $15-$20 per tournament. The tournament schedule for 2012/2013 is still to be finalized. There is also a State Tournament and National Tournament that Prairieland players participate in. More information to come!

Prairieland Cougar Chess Club 2012 / 2013 Sign -Up Sheet

Player’s Name ______________________________________________ Home Phone # ____________________________ Date of Birth _______________________ Grade ____________ Teacher _______________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Mother’s Name _____________________________________________ Work Phone # ____________________________ Father’s Name ______________________________________________ Work Phone # ____________________________ Mother’s Cell Phone # ____________________________ Father’s Cell Phone # __________________________________ Most communications for chess club will occur over e-mail. Please provide a primary and secondary e-mail address where we can contact you for chess-related information. Primary E-mail _______________________________________ Secondary E-mail ________________________________ Emergency Contact Name _____________________________ Relationship ________________ Phone # ______________ I give my child ___________________________________________ permission to stay after school on Tuesdays to participate in the Cougar Chess Club. My child will be picked up following chess___________ My child will return to the after school program_________________ Parent Signature _____________________________________________ Date _____________________________________ So we can accurately determine which group your child should be in, please take a few minutes for your child or you to help your child answer the following questions. Check one of the below: ___ I am a new chess player. I’ve never played before, but I’m ready to learn! ___ I’ve played chess before. I know the basic rules of moving pieces, but I need some help at times. ___ I’ve played chess quite a bit. I know the rules of piece movement and some basic to intermediate strategy. ___ I’ve played chess extensively and am pretty good. I can easily beat most people and I know intermediate to advanced strategy. Check all that apply: ___ I know how much each piece is worth. ___ I know what “Check” is. ___ I know what “Checkmate” is ___ I can explain this saying -- “Queen on her own color.” I understand the following terms: ___ Rank ___ File ___ Diagonal ___ Promotion ___ En Passant ___ Stalemate ___ Castling Kingside ___Castling Queenside ___ Draw Using algebraic notation I can: ___ name each square ___ record my moves ___ I know the restrictions of Castling ___ I can name the common ways a game can end in a draw I understand the following tactics: ___ En Prise ___ Fork ___ Pin ___ Skewer ___ Discovery ___ Trapping ___ I know the “Fools Mate” ___ I can defend against it