ChessBase 11 is finally on the way! The popular database program is expected to be released October 15, 2010.
Read on for more information about what you can expect from ChessBase 11:
What is ChessBase?
ChessBase is the tool that will take your chess game to the next level. ChessBase 11 will show you which variations are really being played these days, help you find your opponents weak points and prepare for your next game, and spice up your repertoire with new tricks and traps. ChessBase 11 makes chess Read more �
Written by guest author Erik Czerwin for Wholesale Chess
Coaching any sport can be a challenging endeavor, but coaching chess entails a great many unique complications aside from knowing how to teach this many-layered game. Over the years, I find myself more frustrated at snarky comments made by uninformed colleagues whenever I mention difficulty in coaching my chess team. They laugh at the idea that it is even possible to coach a “board game” (as they call it). I wish I could say that adults are more mature than that, but that reality simply doesn’t exist. Coaching chess can be an amazingly challenging process for a wide variety of less-than-predictable reasons. Read more �
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Save $20 on 5 Mini-Game Chess Keychains
These mini chess boards on a keychain are a sure hit with your chess club or program.
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This is the fourth posting in a series of 4 articles comprising A Parent’s Guide to Tournament Chess:
1. Preparing for a Chess Tournament
2. During a Chess Tournament
3. Understanding Chess Ratings
4. The Swiss System for Chess Tournaments
Written by Robert N. Bernard for Wholesale Chess
Here’s a short description of the Swiss System of pairing opponents in chess tournaments. Refer also to the diagram provided.
Step 1: At the beginning of the tournament, rank all the players from highest rating to lowest rating. Unrated players should be ranked lowest. The number given is called the “pairing number”. In the example, Helen has pairing number 1 and David has pairing number 4.
Step 2: Split the list of players into two equally sized groups, where the split occurs between the two middle pairing numbers. If there are an odd number of players, one player is given a “bye”, which means that they get a full point for the round, but they do not have an opponent.
Step 3: Pair the top half of the group with the bottom half of the group, but maintain the rankings in the top and bottom halves. You might expect that for 8 players, 1 would play 8, 2 would play 7, and so forth, but in a Swiss, 1 plays 5, 2 plays 6, etc. Alternate colors so that if 1 gets white, 2 gets black, and so on. Post these pairings on the pairing sheet.
Step 4: Once the round is complete, record the results. 1-0 means white won, 0-1 means black won, and 0.5-0.5 is a draw. In the example, Helen beat Sadie, Mateo beat Dhiren, Julie beat Ming, and Chris beat David.
Step 5: In the next round (and all subsequent rounds), group players again, but this time by their total score. In the example, there are four players with 1 point, and four players with 0 points. Each of these is called a “score group”. Within each score group, use the players’ ranking numbers, and split them again.
Step 6: For each score group, pair the top half of that score group with the bottom half of that score group. In this way, players with the same score will play each other. Try and maintain alternation of colors for each player (so they get white, black, white, black, etc., in each round).
Step 7: Post the pairing sheet with the new pairings. In the example, Chris has white against Helen with black. Notice that both Chris and Helen have the same score (1 point) and that Helen was “due” black this round.
(Click on the image below for full sized image)
Swiss System for Chess Tournaments
Robert N. Bernard is the manager of the New Jersey Knockouts of the United States Chess League, where he started three years ago as the Knockouts’ blogger. For the USCL, he also compiles an unofficial rating list and weekly power rankings. Frequently, he can be found on the Internet Chess Club, where he has a weird tendency to win a lot of their trivia contests. He is also a member of the United State Chess Federation’s Ratings Committee and coaches his son’s chess team. He has a very nice plaque from the 1982 US Amateur Team Championship, where he captained the team that won the Under 1400 prize.
This is the third posting in a series of 4 articles comprising A Parent’s Guide to Tournament Chess:
1. Preparing for a Chess Tournament
2. During a Chess Tournament
3. Understanding Chess Ratings
4. The Swiss System for Chess Tournaments
Written by Robert N. Bernard for Wholesale Chess
Inevitably, your child will be asked “What’s your rating?” and the child will then ask you about ratings. Chess ratings are a statistical measure of a player’s approximate skill level, and in the USA, chess ratings range from a low of 100 to 2800 or more. (Note that it is improper to use the term “chess ranking” when you mean a chess rating instead. When you rank something, a low number (i.e. 1) indicates that it is the best. Higher numbers are better in a rating scale.) A player receives a rating if they play in a rated tournament.
For the first 25 games or so, ratings are determined by Read more �
This is the second posting in a series of 4 articles comprising A Parent’s Guide to Tournament Chess:
1. Preparing for a Chess Tournament
2. During a Chess Tournament
3. Understanding Chess Ratings
4. The Swiss System for Chess Tournaments
Written by Robert N. Bernard for Wholesale Chess
Pairings are determined using a method called the Swiss system. Essentially, the Swiss System dictates that kids should play other kids with the same score as themselves (where a win is worth 1 point, a draw 0.5 point, and a loss 0 points). For example, after three rounds of play, there may be a few kids who have won all their games and have 3 points. In the fourth round, they would play each other, while those kids with 1 total point (i.e., 1 win and 2 losses, or 2 draws and 1 loss) would play each other. In this way, kids with the same performance (and presumably similar skill levels) are more likely to play each other as the tournament progresses.
After the pairings are posted Read more �
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Read more �
This is the first posting in a series of 4 articles comprising A Parent’s Guide to Tournament Chess:
1. Preparing for a Chess Tournament
2. During a Chess Tournament
3. Understanding Chess Ratings
4. The Swiss System for Chess Tournaments
Written by Robert N. Bernard for Wholesale Chess
So your child has been playing chess for a while, and his or her chess teacher has suggested they play in a tournament. Your child begs you to play; “They even have trophies – big ones!” the child exclaims. You relent, and the chess teacher provides the time and place. How should you prepare? Once you get there, what should you expect?
Many kids’ first tournaments are small, local gatherings (of perhaps 10-20 participants), but some are noticeably larger. Most of what’s written here applies to most of the tournaments in the USA and Canada, but there will always be some variation. Read more �
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