OCBCF Newsletter September 2005
A1
By OCBCF President George Tintera
When Mr. Rios asked me to contribute to the newsletter in a 'President's Corner,' right away I told him I would have to nickname the spot A1. The square A1 on a chessboard is one of four corners on the board and the starting position for White's Queen-side Rook. That rook often comes into play early in a game through castling to provide protection for the king.
First let me introduce myself as the President of the OCBCF. Outside of the OCBCF I am a mathematics professor, husband and father of 2. I am known to the world of chess as 12927233, my US Chess Federation ID. You can learn my entire history with organized chess as my record as a player and tournament director is on display at the USCF's website. You will see that it is not, comparatively speaking, that long. There are many active scholastic players in our area that have more experience than me. Despite this I have learned a great deal about chess in those few years, and I am dedicated to making sure that the OCBCF meets its primary goal of supporting scholastic chess.
Recently I had a part in the OCBCF getting tax-exempt status. I will be working this year to firm up other organizational issues from sales tax exemption to finalization of our constitution. On the operational side, I believe you can expect a great slate of tournaments this year. There has been a great growth in the number of chess clubs and support for scholastic chess. The OCBCF has plans to bid on state tournaments. We will be working this year to increase our capacity to provide tournaments and support school clubs.
A1 is not the only square on the board. A president is only as good as the organization he or she runs. I encourage you to look at the activities of the OCBCF as a measure of my presidency. But, I will have to tell you that the best vantage point for watching the OCBCF is from the inside, as a member. Just let me know and we'll get you the best seat in the house as a member of the OCBCF and a contributor to its efforts.
Here's to a great year of chess,
George Tintera, President
HELLO EVERYONE: Welcome to the first installation of the OCBCF newsletter. My name is Eddie R. Rios Sr. and I will be working with Ken Muir, Veronica Adams, Bob James, and Dr. George Tintera, and many others, to bring you interesting articles and informative updates from the world of CHESS in the Coastal Bend area.
The Optimist Coastal Bend Chess Federation is an organization of some very unique individuals who have chosen to dedicate their time and effort to promote chess in the Coastal Bend area. They are all volunteers and at no time is any one individual compensated for their contribution. Enclosed is some information about the fine organization and how you too can become a member and help the federation grow and achieve its’ goals.
OCBCF is the Optimist Coast Bend Chess Federation. Simply put, the OCBCF is a group of people who are concerned enough about kids that we give of our time and talents to help them. Recognizing the educational and social benefits gained from playing chess, we use chess as a means to work with children from many different walks of life.
The OCBCF began operations in 1995 under the auspices of the Optimist Foundation, and specifically the Optimist Club of Downtown Corpus Christi. Initially, there was no formal organization, and all the financial aspects of the OCBCF were handled through the Optimist Foundation. It reported all of the chess activity as part of the Foundation. In July, 2002, the OCBCF obtained a corporate charter issued by Texas, which effectively separated itself from the Foundation.
OCBCF organizes and runs a number of large tournaments each year. In March of 1999 and again in March 2002, OCBCF hosted the Texas Scholastic Chess Championships in Corpus Christi. OCBCF was also the host for the First Texas Girls Scholastic Chess Championships in 2001, and in 2002 in Houston, and in 2003 in San Antonio. In addition, OCBCF members assist school clubs to set up their own tournaments. In 1997, the OCBCF was the 3rd highest rated organization in the United States in registering new United States Chess Federation members, and in 1998 the OCBCF remained in the top 20 with fewer tournaments.
We view each of these registrations as a child we have helped improve in school and avoid trouble on the streets. OCBCF is committed to continuing to hold and assist with a number of local and regional tournaments.
As I mentioned before, we are strictly a volunteer organization. Our success depends largely on your participation. You do not need to know how to play chess, you simply need to be willing to contribute some of your time to help. If you would like to do this, please contact me at: www.edrios54@hotmail.com . Also, you can keep up to date with mailings if you subscribe to the www.ocbcf.org website. My home phone is 595-7736. My cell phone is 455-3682. Or simply contact any member that you might know. Again thank you for your patronage. If you know any corporate entity that might have an interest in offering their help and participation, don’t hesitate to notify me or your president: Dr. George Tintera.
How To Prepare For Your Child’s Upcoming Chess Tournament
by Ken Muir
“There just isn't enough televised chess” – David Letterman
"My problem with chess was that all my pieces wanted to end the game as soon as possible." – Dave Barry
"I don't know what I am going to play, so how can he know what I am going to play!" – Bisguier
Humor aside, your consternation is readily understandable, considering that you’ve never been to a tournament and are about to jump off the proverbial plank into the abyss of scholastic chessdom. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a tournament, what to expect, and how to behave, from my perspective as a parent and tournament director.
First, register on time to avoid any glitches, and bring a copy of your USCF membership receipt to the tournament. Arrive early, and bring your standard-type chess set (or two for spares when you lose a piece) in case the tournament does not provide them. This is also useful for “skittles” (practice or analysis between rounds). Bring a chess clock if you have one (make sure your child knows how to use it), a few sharpened pencils and paper in case notation sheets are lacking. Some tournaments will penalize players for not notating or using clocks, and all chess students absolutely must learn to notate as soon as practicable.
Bring plenty of snacks, beverages, and distractions to occupy your time, as a tournament is an all day event lasting 10 hours at times. Newspapers, a good book, headache medication, games to occupy your children during breaks, and folding chairs (the school may lack enough seating) are all quite useful. Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes.
Bring a heavy dose of patience and understanding. You’re likely to feel bored and frustrated waiting in the hall, as parents are not allowed to remain in the tournament hall (unless they’re volunteering as tournament directors or scorekeepers—hint hint). Your child is likely to become upset when he or she loses all or some of their games. Realize and accept that your child will be paired by a computer “Swiss” pairing system with opponents whose ability may well be substantially above or below theirs, at least for the first few rounds, and that complicated mathematical formulas lie behind this system which are certainly too complicated for a tournament director to easily explain. The tournament directors are all volunteers, and engaging in argument with them beyond initially bringing problems to their attention is unlikely to make their day.
Talk to your children in advance and explain that it’s perfectly all right to lose games, and that the most important thing is to finish the game and simply do their best. My biggest regrets as a chess player include the games I never finished. Losing, ironically, is the best way to learn. Help them realize that in chess, someone will always either be better or have a better game, and there is no limit to the ability to improve. As an unknown player said once, "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made." Improvement in one’s game is a bit like walking faster on a treadmill with infinite variable speeds.
Remind your children that if unsure about anything, they should raise their hand and ask a tournament director, rather than letting their opponent intimidate them. If not satisfied with the answer from the TD, they can ask to speak to a more senior level TD. It is the players who must address issues with the TD, rather than the parents.
Between rounds, check the wall charts to ensure that scores and schools are correctly noted. Make sure your child has gone to the restroom before the round starts; this will save valuable time during the round. Make sure they know where to find you after the round. Before the round starts, make sure they’re ready to play, give them a hug and wish them luck. And then, leave the room. Don’t press your face and hands against the windows trying to peer inside the tournament hall, as this not only looks unseemly for someone your age but also smears the glass. Help keep the noise pollution down outside the door as players are trying to concentrate inside.
Above all, try to have fun, and try to help your children have fun! Life is too short to do otherwise – tomorrow turns into yesterday in the blink of an eye, and these are wonderful moments to treasure.
Facts about Chess By Veronica Adams
Have you ever played chess? Did you know that chess is the oldest skill game in the world? But chess is more than just a game of skill. It can tell you much about the way people lived in medieval times. If you look at the way a chess board is set up, then study the pieces and how they are used, you will realize that chess is a history of medieval times in miniature. The six different chess pieces on the board represent a cross section of medieval life with its many ceremonies, grandeur, and wars.
Chess was played many centuries ago in China, India, and Persia. No one really knows for sure in which country it originated. Then, in the eighth century, armies of Arabs known as Moors invaded Persia. The Moors learned chess from the Persians. When the Moors later invaded Spain, the soldiers brought the game of chess with them. Soon the Spanish were playing chess, too. From Spain, chess quickly spread throughout all of Europe.
Europeans gave chess pieces the names we know today; they probably had trouble pronouncing and spelling the Persian names, so they modernized them to reflect the way they lived. Today, the names certainly aren’t modern but a thousand years ago they represented the very way in which both ordinary people and persons of rank lived their lives.
The pawns on the chess board represent serfs, or laborers. There are more of them than any other piece on the board, and often they are sacrificed to save the more valuable pieces. In medieval times, serfs were considered no more than property of landowners, or chattel. Life was brutally hard for serfs during this era of history. They worked hard and died young. They were often left unprotected while wars raged around them. They could be traded, used as a diversion, or even sacrificed to allow the landowners to escape harm.
The castle piece on a chess board is the home, or the refuge, just as it was a home in medieval times. In chess, each side has two castles, or rooks, as they are sometimes called.
The knight on a chess board represents the professional soldier of medieval times whose job it was to protect persons of rank, and there are two of them per each side in a game of chess. Knights in a game of chess are more important than pawns, but less important than bishops, kings, or queens. Their purpose in the game of chess is to protect the more important pieces, and they can be sacrificed to save those pieces just as pawns can. There is a bishop in the game of chess, who represents the church. The church was a rich and mighty force in medieval times, and religion played a large part in every person’s life. It is no wonder that a figure that represented the concept of religion found its way into the game. A bishop was the name for a priest in the Catholic church who had risen through the ranks to a more powerful position. In the game of chess, there are two bishops for each side.
The queen is the only piece on the board during a chess game that represents a woman, and she is the most powerful piece of the game. In the game of chess, there is only one queen for each side. Many people do not realize that queens in medieval times often held a powerful, yet precarious, position. The king was often guided by her advice, and in many cases the queen played games of intrigue at court. But kings could set wives aside or even imprison them in nunneries with the approval of the church (and without the queen’s approval), and many women schemed merely to hold her place at court. The machinations of queens working either for or against their kings are well noted in history throughout medieval times, and often she held more power than the king did.
The king is the tallest piece on the board, and is as well defended on the chessboard as in medieval life. In medieval times, the surrender of the king would mean the loss of the kingdom to invading armies and that could mean change for the worse. It was to everyone’s advantage, from the lowest serf to the highest-ranking official, to keep the king safe from harm. The king is the most important, but not the most powerful piece in chess. If you do not protect your king, you lose the game.
The next time you set up your chessboard and get ready to play a friendly game or two, think of chess as a history lesson. The pieces on the board represent a way of life that is no more, and the real life dramas that occurred in medieval times are now only a game.