Kid Chess News
November 19, 2024
A weekly roundup of happenings in the Kid Chess community
This weekly web publication is designed for the adults in our community who have children enrolled in our classes, camps, and tournaments. It is designed to keep you informed about what your kids are doing in our programs and to teach you a little bit about the chess world. Let us know what content is important to you by writing to dan.lucas@kidchess.com.
In this edition:
Kid Chess Rated Scholastic Event Recap
Meet our Coaches: Ryan Darling
Upcoming Kid Chess Events
Located at Chess.Zone | 2500 Old Alabama Road, Suite 11 | Roswell, GA 30076
Register online here or call to register: 770-575-5802.
No on-site registration. Please register in advance.
- Friday, November 29th – Kid Chess Black Friday Black Light Bonanza
- AM Blacklight Regular Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 5th Grade Open
- PM Blacklight Bughouse Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 5th Grade Open (the photo shows an example from one of our recent Blacklight events!)
- Sunday, December 8th – Kid Chess Blitz Tournament
- AM Blitz Tournament – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Open
- PM Blitz Tournament – 3rd – 5th Grade Open
- Saturday, December 14th – Kid Chess 1st Time Tournament
- AM Regular Chess Tournament – 3rd – 5th Grade Open
- PM Regular Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Open
- Friday, December 27th – Kid Chess Holiday Tournament
- AM Regular Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Open
- PM Regular Chess Tournament – 3rd – 5th Grade Open
- Monday, December 30th – Kid Chess Holiday Black Light Tournament
- AM Blacklight Bughouse Tournament – 3rd – 5th Grade Open
- PM Blacklight Bughouse Tournament – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Open
- Sunday, December 8th – Kid Chess Blitz Tournament
Please click here for even more Kid Chess events.
This Sunday, November 24, the Georgia Chess Association will also be holding their Georgia Open Scholastics as part of the Georgia Open & Amateur Championship. The Scholastics event is open to kids in grades K-8 who are rated under 1200 or unrated. US Chess membership is required.
Kid Chess Rated Scholastic Event
On Sunday, November 10, we had 26 players at our Chess Zone facility in Roswell play in the Chess Zone Scholastic Sunday event. Congratulations to all of our top finishers and we’re glad everyone had so much fun! This event was a rated tournament in the US Chess Federation system, so strict tournament rules were in effect.
You can find the crosstable from this event by clicking here.
The World Chess Championship
The FIDE World Championship starts on Monday, November 25 in Singapore! This is the first world championship in the 138 year history of the event to feature two contestants from Asia. The reigning World Champion is China’s Ding Liren and challenger Dommaraju Gukesh is from India. They will be competing for a prize fund of $2.5 million dollars but of course, the coveted title of “World Champion” is what they most covet.
The schedule takes place over 3 weeks, with 14 match days and 4 rest days planned. All games start at 17:00 local time (Singapore is 13 hours ahead of East Coast Time, so this would be 4 a.m. here), and there are rest days after Games 3, 6, 9 and 12. The first player to reach 7.5 points will be the winner; in the case of a tie after 14 games, tiebreaks will be played the next day to decide the winner.
Helpful links:
(Many platforms besides chess.com will be streaming live with commentary; check your favorite platform!)
Meet our Coaches: Ryan Darling
Ryan Darling
Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He co-owned a family landscaping business with his dad for ten years in Chattanooga before moving to Atlanta in the winter of 2023. He worked in marketing and online outreach for 8 years with the lawn business and with independent comedy show production. His hobbies include writing music, playing in a band, telling jokes, playing chess, and running (he’s currently training for his first marathon!).
Ryan’s grandpa taught him to play chess at the age of 6. He likes playing chess because there’s always something to learn. Ryan is a lifelong student and no matter how often he plays chess, he always feels like he’s learning something new each time he plays. He is currently an unrated player but plans to change that as an adult improver.
Ryan likes working with kids because they are hilarious and give you real reactions. “They can’t really hide how they are feeling, so you know exactly where you stand with them,” he says. “They make him laugh a lot and it’s exciting to see their eyes light up when they finally understand what you have been trying to teach them.”
Do you want to join our team of coaches? See how by clicking here.