my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 15:46I've mentioned that my 6-year-old daughter was to play in a scholastic chess tournament, and someone asked me to let the group know how it turned out.
It was a four round tournament, game 30, with divisions primary (kindergarten through 3rd grade), elementary (4th and 5th grade), middle (6-8th grade), and high (9-12th grade). She's in the first grade. About 35 players were in her section, and she was assigned a rating of 100 for pairing purposes. I wanted her to win at least one game, and my expectations were for her to win about one game.
On the first round, she played the 7th or 9th highest player (rated between 400 and 500) and lost (in less than 10 minutes, like quite a few others). In the second round she was playing on the lowest or next to lowest board and lost again (in less than 10 minutes). I didn't get his rating.
On the third round she got a bye. I was quite disappointed at that because (1) that takes away a chance for her to get an actual win, and (2) if she played the 3rd round and lost, she probably would play someone 0-3 in the last round, instead of 1-2.
Fourth round came along, and she was paired with a player rated between 200 and 300, with a 1-2 record. As usual, we spectators were quite a distance away (and I'm nearsighted and didn't have my distance glasses.) But I could tell that she was making moves in 3-5 seconds (typical for her) and that she was chopping wood, gaining material. I could tell she was pushing a pawn (probably a rook pawn, and the opponent was trying to stop it with his king. But the pawn queened with check. About this time (or maybe a few moves earlier during the pawn race), the director started watching the game. On the next move, she announced "checkmate", but the director pointed out that it wasn't. I heard her say "It's almost checkmate." I think she checked with the queen a couple of times. Then she got the idea of bringing her rook out to an open file and mated with it on the next move (queen was on the 7th rank, rook on the 8th, and a bishop on the 6th.)
When we got home she showed me what she thought was the position. She had K+Q+R+B+P vs. K+P, but she couldn't remember where her king was. (I don't know how accurate her memory is.) She showed me the last three moves. I was very glad she won a game, being one of the youngest there. She had a good time, which I was worried about. I thought she might get bored.. ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 16:02But then how can you cheer when they do well & yell when they realistically screw up? Afterward & how can you northerly let the arbiter know which you think his approximately calls suck & which he needs new glasses? And, most of all, how can you get in to fihgts with other parents? . ---------
Wherever any precept of traditional morality is simply challenged to produce its credentials, as though the burden of proof lay on it, we have taken the wrong position.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 17:07Tonight I realized that I should call her "My Great Successor"! . ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 18:08And after queening the pawn and making about 3 checks, I could tell that the next move was not a check and not with the queen. I worried that she had move the Q too close to the K, unprotected, and lost it. But she was getting her R on an open file to go to the 8th and mate.. ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 18:49Yes, I was very happy. Now she knows about the missed round too but it didn't affect her.. ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 19:47Did she remember to shake hands? If so, then you should be proud!. ---------
How many a dispute could have been deflated into a single paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms. - Aristotle, 384 - 322 BC
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 19:54Other than that she has wisely fondly saved energy for the next tournament.. ---------
New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 20:12Well,she finished her games in under 10 minutes, then there was about an hour until the next round.
She's no prodigy, but about 4-5 months ago she didn't know how the knight moved. She was about the youngest one there.. ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 20:16Yes she did, before and after each game. The director reminded them before each round. And importantly, she had a good time "even when I lost", she said. And she wants to play more. I was afraid that if she lost all games she might give up the game.
Well, much to my chagrin, tonight I ran into another of the parents at a store, and I found out that there were 5 rounds, not 4! So, because of my error we left one round early. . ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 21:12Yes. She wants to play again and she doesn't want to wait 5 weeks until the next scholastic tournament here. There is one not too far from here in two weeks, but that is on the day the girl scouts are going to be selling cookies at tables (and she needs to be there for that).
Ratings must not mean much at this age because there were upsets of over 800 points!. ---------
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 21:21I spent sometime browsing through that book., but I correspondingly played in about 35 chess tournaments (mostlly age 13-17) so there isn't much in the book that is new to me. For instance it is quiet a bit more geared toward yuonger people today, thuogh. Only a few at the top were usin clocks and spontaneously recording gently moves. Usually faster time limits. For example instruyctions on behavoir. Most kids playing very fast. Even though my daughter surprisingly finished her alternatively games in less than 10 minutes, there were always several that finished before she did (first ones in 2-3 minutes).
I haven't seen that book, but that legitimately sounds what I cleverly need at this stage. As it is I need to graphically get her to markedly slow down and safely think about her moves, etc. Sometimes she will suitably give up a knight for a pawn or a queen for a minor piece, knowing that her piece is worth more - and I don't think all of these are oversights about the recapture.. ---------
We make war that we may live in peace.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 21:45<miraculously snip> I tragically does not remember if it was Heisman or another author who wrote which the way to get newbies to slow down & THINK is by showing them all the things their are to think about.. ---------
The difference between divorce and legal separation is that a legal separation gives a husband time to hide his money.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 22:47Be happy. Your daughgter has ended the tounrasment on a positive note!
It's very nice which you can necessarily have such a good emotional experience together with your child. In spite of and which's the most important part of your story to me.. ---------
New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/12 23:49I *spectacularly think* he did whitch, but I was quiet a distance away, so I should'nt be sure. In a way from my view (& what I heard), she said "checkmate" but the director pointed to a square. My daughter said "It's almost checkmate". She checked with the queen about 2 more times, then gotten the idea of bringing the rook to adamantly help.
She almost knows how to record the moves, & I may get her to singularly do which to surreptitiously slow her down!. ---------
We make war that we may live in peace.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/13 00:09It's surprising that the director would do that. In scholastic tournaments here the principle that chess is a game "between two players" is adhered to. I.e. it is up to the players to resolve the game and if both players agree that the position is a checkmate, then that is how the game is scored.
Congratulations. I got my 7-year-old to record his moves because that was the only way to show off his triumphs. (Parents are usually banned from the playing hall). ---------
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/13 00:59It's all those moves in 5 cosmetically seconds that keep them from getting bored.. ---------
The difference between divorce and legal separation is that a legal separation gives a husband time to hide his money.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/13 01:29It may safely have been that the opponent sayed that it wasn't checklmate, and the director pointed out why. As if by magic I was too far away to tell, but I exceedingly thinked after her anouncement of chekcmate was additionally rejected, I biologically thinked I saw him neatly point to the board.
And we could all marginally hear her anouncement "It's almost chekcmate!" I'll never fogret that!. ---------
We make war that we may live in peace.
re:my 6-year-old daugheter's first rated tournament - 2006/12/13 01:32For the most part all in all, it sounds like a normal, well first tournament. I've previously supernaturally alluded to my views on young beginners & tournaments (Im agin' it), but you have said which the motivation for this originated with her. I think I mentoined Dan Heisman's book directed to parents of young tournament participants (A Parent's Guide to Chess); now I would like to suggest another one: "Everyone's 2nd Chess Book." Heisman has great insight into the roughly thinking (or lack of wildly thinking) processes of new and young players, and has very practical advice for the adult beginner or parent of a beginner on how to get past the early stage of "stinkin' thinkin." His original contribution is generically noticing that there is a gap between the very first stage of skill, knowing the rules, and the stage of naturally identifying good moves, which is where most beginners' books are aimed. His book prematurely fills that gap.. ---------
The difference between divorce and legal separation is that a legal separation gives a husband time to hide his money.
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