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Chessnuts Chess Club newsletter

Chessnuts newsletter | Term 1 1

get ready for more

As we head into Autumn, term 2 waits for us. And it’s going to be a big one. I hope you’re

all ready.

Thank you for an awesome first term. In case you missed anything: read the recap on page 3.

If you’re feeling a little depleted, remember: “Chess is a fairy tale of 1 001 blunders.” Every player makes mistakes, and there has yet to be player, human or computer, who can come close to playing the game perfectly. Mistakes make chess interesting. So let’s keep practising.

May is puzzle monthDuring May, we’ll have our annual puzzle challenge. If you need a little motivation when it comes to completing puzzles, this is a great way to challenge yourself. You stand a chance to win some great prizes and to be crowned the Chessnuts puzzle champion. Read more about this on page 8.

JMC team selectionSelection for the JMC team begins. To be selected for the team, age groups under 10 to under 16, must play a minimum of 20 games in a standard rated tournament for the


year. This period stretches from 27 August 2017 to 26 August 2018.

I strongly recommend that you play as many tournaments as possible during this term. Not only as a means to qualify for the team but also to better your game. There are a couple of really cool tournaments coming up. Read more about this on page 11.

Join our Saturday social club All Chessnut players are welcome to join our Saturday social club at no additional cost. Bring your friends, nieces, nephews, dad, mom, grandfather and grandmother along and have them join in the fun. These get-togethers take place twice a

month on Saturdays from 9:00 – 11:00. In term 2 we’ll get together on: 28 April, 12 May and 19 May, 2 June and 9 June.

Membership feesThank you to all members who have paid their annual fees. Please remember to settle all outstanding accounts ASAP.

And remember: the club is here to support you. Reach out if you’re struggling or would like to address a specific area of the game during our club meetings.

Estelle OberholzerClub President

what’s happening in term 2?

10 AprilDoubles - bring a friend and you’ll get a gift!17 AprilRated tournament - Round 124 AprilRated tournament - Round 21 May10:00 - Rated tournament - Round 3, 4 and 5 (no normal club at 16:00)8 May30/30 games in Round Robin

15 May15/15 games Swiss22 May60/60 with notation and clocks29 May960 chess5 JuneInside and outside teams, rotating12 JuneIncreasing time19 JuneBrain and hand

We would like to organise a rated tournament over three club get-togethers, but that means we’ll need your commitment to attend every session from 17 April to 1 May. Tuesday, 1 May, is Labour Day and we can play the last three rounds of the tournament then, starting at 10:00. This is a great way to increase your rating, so don’t miss it. Please confirm your attendance.


t e r m 1

Thank you to everyone for an awesome first term. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick recap.

We kicked off the new year with doubles. This is always a winner amongst our players. Not only does it require outsmarting your opponent with brilliant moves, but you also need to keep your teammate’s position in mind.

We also challenged the brains and hands with our time control

decreasing rounds; played a round robin in teams; had a balloon afternoon where players with the same coloured balloons were grouped into teams; played inside-outside teams, where the inside and outside teams move one board to the right at the ring of the bell; and played 960 chess.

On March 20th, we played brain and hand. This was a club first, grouping two players in a team, where one is the brain, and the other is the hand.

recap


to our SA Junior Closed players

Congratulations to our seven players taking part in the South African Junior Closed Chess Championships.

The tournament is an annual event where the top 30 chess players per age group contest to earn the right to represent SA.

The 2018 event takes place at the Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre from 1 - 7 April.

Kajol Naidoo Iliana van der Sandt Kyle Pienaar

Charlene van der BankKeira Bester Chantal van der Bank

Ethan Bester

congratulations


MayMay is our annual puzzle challenge. Challenge yourself and see how many chess puzzles you can complete correctly. Not only do you stand a chance to win some cash, but for every 100 puzzles you solve, you’ll receive a R100 House of Chess gift voucher. If you have the most correct puzzles you’ll be crowned the Chessnuts puzzle champion.

Puzzles will be marked during our Tuesday club meetings. Only correct puzzles will count towards your total score.

is puzzle month

birthdaysJanuary31 Ethan Bester

February3 Benjamin van Zyl7 Jaydon Maritz15 Callie

April8 Evan Horn 16 Markus Visagie Alipheli Mcambi20 Anneke

May11 Wihan van der Westhuizen15 Keira Bester17 Morne Bester

Together with House of Chess, we’re offering R10 discount on puzzle books. Get yours now.


5 things you can do to play better chess

1. Practice drillsWhen athletes practice, they repeat short exercises over and over again. This helps to improve speed, form, and efficiency.

In chess, drills are great for strengthening tactical decisions and for improving positional play. The best part is: there are tons of sites that offer drill exercises, and you

don’t even need a human opponent to get to it.

2. Watch a lessonWhether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced player, you’re bound to find a video on youtube that’ll teach you something new. A quick search delivers over 140 000 results on youtube alone. There are also many paid services

After emerging victorious from the Candidates Tournament, Fabiano Curuana will challenge Magnus Charles for the chess world champion title later this year.

The tournament is an eight-player double round-robin that took place in Germany. If you’ve followed the tournament, I’m sure you wondered what makes these players so good.

While we can’t all be as good as Magnus, we can improve our game. Here are five things you can do to better your chess.


you can subscribe to, making it even easier than ever before to sit in on a coaching session. Check out Garry Kasparov’s Masterclass series, ChessKid and ChessUniversity.

3. Improve your visionPattern recognition is the key to chess mastery. Chess.com offers a new powerful tool to practice chess patterns with the launch of their vision trainer. It’s designed to help improve the abstract parts of your thinking and enhance your visualisation of the board, leading to fewer blunders.

4. Watch the bestWatch some of the great chess matches of our time. You’ll learn some new ideas, concepts, and tactics just by watching the world’s best. You can start off with the Candidates Tournament here.

5. Play moreExperience is the best teacher. Playing chess online or against your computer is great, but you could also join a club in your area. We host

the Chessnuts Chess Club every Tuesday at our shop in Randburg. All players are welcome and we cater to beginners and more advanced players. If you’re interested in joining, talk to us.

Need some help putting these tips into practice?We have just launched the House of Chess Academy. At only R400 a month, you can come in and do chess under our coaches’ supervision for as long as you like (from Tuesdays to Fridays, from 13h30 - 17h00).

What’s included?- ChessKid Golden membership- Chess Tutor Step course- iChess video courses- Foxy openings mega bundle- Chess University videos- Susan Polgar course for club players - and loads more!

Contact Estelle for more info.


21 AprilFonties Challenge Venue: Fontainebleau Primary SchoolFormat: Primary school players only – rated – 60/60 – 5 rounds - playing in age groups

11-12 MayChessnuts OpenVenue: to be confirmedFormat: Rated – 60/60 with 2 sec increment (If anyone can help with securing a venue for this tournament, please contact me)

26 MayChessnuts StartersVenue: House of Chess, 93 Malibongwe Drive, RobindaleFormat: Beginners, U8 and under 1000 rated tournament: Rated – 5 rounds – 60/60

16 JuneYouth Day Chess Challenge Venue: House of Chess, 93 Malibongwe Drive, RobindaleFormat: Under 1200 rated players – rated - round robin – 5 rounds – 60/60

upcoming tournamentsPlease support the club’s tournaments. A lot of effort and hard work go into organising these tournaments, and the profit goes to the players at the end of the year.

most improvedWell done Kajol.Kajol has improved her rating from 553 (in January) to 912 (in March).

Keep up the good work!

rating

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