Shenandoah Valley Chess Club News
Greetings Shenandoah Valley Chess Players
 
“Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.” 
-- Garry Kasparov
 

Congratulations to the Shenandoah Valley Chess Team!


Three members of the Shenandoah Valley Chess team competed in the Virginia Scholastic Championships on March 7th and 8th. Daniela, Ryan, and Joseph all did exceptionally well and we are very proud of their efforts.

  • Daniela scored 3 out of 5 points and placed 35th out of 87 players in the K-3 Under 600 section.

  • Joseph scored 3 out of 5 points and placed 44th out of 93 players in the K-8 Under 1200 section.

  • Ryan scored 4 out of 5 points and placed 11th out of 87 players in the K-3 Under 600 section.

 

The experience was fantastic and the chess club was excited to participate this year. Plans are already in place to build upon this year's team experience and we hope many more players will participate in the competition team next year.

 

New Format for our Regular Weekly Meetings

 

 

We've made some changes to our regular club meetings!

Wednesdays

Our Wednesday night meetings will now be much more lesson focused. Each week will emphasize a particular Chesskid lesson. Of course, our more experienced players are welcome to continue to use the lesson times for some friendly games. In addition, brand new players will have access to one-on-one instruction in the basics of the game.

The planned itinerary for the Wednesday evening meetings is:

  • 5:30 to 6:00 Welcome and warm-up
  • 6:00 to 6:30 Weekly Lesson using Chesskid
  • 6:30 to 6:45 Break
  • 6:45 to 7:30 Club Member's Choice (games, team chess, puzzles, etc)

Saturdays

Our Saturday morning meetings will remain relatively the same as they are now with the primary focus on playing games and applying the weekly lesson in practice. There will be a review of Wednesday night's lesson available as well as basic instrution for new players.

We will continue to focus on the club ladder at the Saturday meetings so make sure to come out and play some games to see if you can climb to the top and be SVCC's best player.

In addition to the ladder, we will be adding a twist. Players will be able to earn "club points" on Saturdays. Players can use these points to purchase various items periodically throughout the year.

 

 

ChessKid a big hit with our members!

 


In 2019, the kids and teens who participated in our Chess Kid training program completed 235 lessons and solved 2,684 puzzles.

(They attempted 5,351 puzzles and much, much more. Way to go, Chess Kids!)

Thanks to parent feedback, we have strengthened our curriculum to enhance the learning experience for younger participants at library meetings in 2020.

We are encouraging sign-ups for the 2020 Winter/Spring session from January 15 to March 4. 

You can sign-up in person at the next library chess meeting.

The cost is free.

Students will receive in-person coaching and opportunities to learn at their own pace in-between meetings.

Participants will also receive special recognition at the Awards Ceremony of the 5th Annual Scholastic Tournament which takes place on Saturday, February 29 at Handley Library.

The Scholastic chess community recognizes hard work over victories and we have many creative ways to celebrate achievements. This will be an especially fun year.