Chess Club Update

It was another great week for chess club.  This week we discussed many things.  All players should now know how to properly set up a chess board.  Ask your student if s/he knows what "white on right" means. 

We also moved onto some chess strategies.  We discussed how a "pin" can be useful.  See if your student remembers how we used a pin to get a checkmate.

The beginners group have been quick learners.  They have started playing games with each other and should be able to join the rest of the group soon!

Thank you to all who have completed and returned the northshore school district activities emergency information form.  Starting this week, October 20th, there will be an attendance sheet.  Students will have to sign into chess club and will not be allowed to stay without a completed form on file.  If you still need one, there are some in the office or you can contact me, dawn.furukawa@gmail.com

Quite a few people were interested in ordering Chess Club T-shirts this year.  The order was placed last week.  It takes about two weeks for the shirts to be ready and they will be distributed at chess club.

The Chess Club trophies have moved.  Mrs. Newton gave us permission to use the glass cabinet in the library to display the trophies and awards chess club has earned.  There are also some fun chess quotes and in keeping with Mrs. Newton's "question of the month," there is a "puzzle of the month" in the display.  Check it out and let us know if you have the answer!

Frank Love Chess Club Off to a Great Start!

Check out the plaque in the school office!  Frank Love Chess Club performed very well at the 2011 Washington State Elementary Chess Championship.  Nine students represented our school and as a team they won 25th place in the state for grades 1-3! Congratulations to our players!

This year Frank Love Chess Club has grown dramatically. We ordered 15 new chess boards to accommodate all the players. We are very excited to have such a large chess club and are hoping this will help us continue to perform well at more tournaments this year. But we can't do it without your help.

Currently we have just two adult chess players who have committed to volunteering each week for our chess club meetings. If you know how to play chess and can attend our meetings please do so. We meet in the Frank Love library on Thursdays after school from 3:10-4:10.

A big thanks to Ms. Martin who has dedicated her time and chess skills to help with chess club and to Amy Cabrera who is learning to play chess and helps with our club every week.

Even if you don't know how to play chess, your help is very much needed and appreciated. Please contact me to volunteer: dawn.furukawa@gmail.com

The Northshore School District Emergency Information form was given to students the last two weeks.   Please make sure that you have completely filled out, signed and returned the form. You can get one at chess club or contact me for a new one. dawn.furukawa@gmail.com

We are also collecting T-shirt order forms. Frank Love Chess Club T-shirts are great to wear to tournaments, school spirit day or chess club. The cost is $10 are available in youth and adult sizes. We are extending the deadline to this Thursday 10/13. Again, please contact me if you need a form.

Local chess tournaments have already begun. You can register for tournaments through the chess4life website.   Beginner tournaments are for students who have competed in 3 or fewer tournaments.  There is a beginner's tournament on November 5th in Bellevue.  Also on November 5th in Bellevue, there is a Round Robin State Qualifying tournament.  Students will be grouped into a team of 6 players.  We're hoping to have enough students register so that we can have a Frank Love team compete in the tournament.

Frank Love Chess Club is off to a great start and we're excited about the upcoming year!

Go Cheetahs!