Young Master Chess 2011-12 Online League
The secret to improving in chess is by playing, and now your child can play as much as he/she wants - in the 2nd Season of the Young Master Chess Online League!
Give your child a chance to learn & play much more than in just clubs & tournaments. He/she can play online against other area students for fun, practice & prizes.
The overall goal of the league is participation. There is no limit on the number of games a student can play, and no points are ever deducted for losses.
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Who can play?
The league is open to all Charlotte area K-8 students (public, private, charter & parochial). - Is my child playing for a team or as an individual?
Both! Each school counts as a team, but your child’s individual scores are recorded too.
Plus, the online league counts ALL players from a school, so even beginners can help a team's score. The more players from each school that participate, the higher the team score. Tell your classmates! - When does the league start?
The league begins Saturday, October 1, 2011 and ends Friday, April 13, 2012. But you can join anytime - even if the league period has already started. Sign up today!
- I played last year, do I need to sign up again?
Yes. Click on the 2011-12 League Registration Form. You'll keep the same username and password (and all of your stats will remain in your account), but League play begins Oct 1.
- How do I sign up?
Click here for the Young Master Chess League Registration Form.
The educational website ChessKid.com hosts the games and records the results. (Players in the Young Master Chess League will become members of ChessKid.com. Register online through Young Master Chess to receive your League login & password from League Director, Mike Klein.) - Who takes care of the League?
Mike Klein is the Young Master Chess League director. - Are there prizes?
There will be individual and team trophies - plus a pizza party for the overall top scoring school! - What is ChessKid.com?
ChessKid.com is an awesome educational Web site that allows for blitz chess, slow games, video lessons and tactics training. It was designed by two strong chess players/teachers specifically for children. If I had the time to make a chess site, I would have made it look like ChessKid!
ChessKid.com has easy-to-understand, very affordable interactive chess resources with it's Gold Membership: unlimited access to its tactics trainer, video lessons, articles, computer workout tools & the ability for students to review all the games they ever play online. Thanks to the partnership with the online league, Young Master Chess League players can receive a Gold Membership for a special rate of $30/year (less than the cost of one private lesson!).
Basic Membership is free, but the Gold Membership offers some great learning tools - available to you anytime.
Rules:
How to play & earn points:
The League requires that your child have a ChessKid.com membership. (Sign up here with League Director Mike Klein to be added to the Young Master Chess Online League). The site is very user-friendly.
Players earn points by winning games on their ChessKid.com accounts. There are no deductions for losses, so participation is much more important than anything else!
Points this year will only be awarded for 5, 10 or 30 minute "live" blitz games.
The League begins Saturday, October 1, 2011 and ends Friday, April 13, 2012. However, you can join anytime - even if the league period has already started.
The League is open to all Charlotte area K-8 students. Teams are by school.
Scoring:
- If a player wins a 5-minute or a 10-minute "live" blitz game, then 20 league points are awarded (10 points for a draw).
- If a player wins a 30-minute blitz game, then 50 league points are awarded (25 points for a draw).
No points are ever deducted for losses.
Wins will be tabulated on a player’s “stat” page, which ChessKid.com automatically tracks.
(ChessKid.com also offers "standard" games (moves played over several days), and a chess variation called 960Chess, which involves a random starting positions. No points are awarded for these types of games.)
Bonus Points:
This year, the League offers 2 ways to win monthly bonus points!
- 1) "Best Online Game"
- Submit one of your games to be reviewed as the monthly "Best Online Game." Each month, Mike will review games submitted & select one to win 200 bonus points! (Games must have been played on ChessKid.com during that calendar month. You may submit any game played on ChessKid.com (live or turn-based) except Chess960 games. A player cannot win 2 consecutive months.)
- Click here, or find the "Best Online Game" submission form on the right side of the Young Master Chess homepage.
- 2) "Puzzle of the Month"
- Complete the "Puzzle of the Month." Each month, a new puzzle will be posted to solve on the Young Master Chess website. Points awarded for each puzzle will vary based on difficulty.
- Click here, or find the "Puzzle of the Month" submission form on the right side of the Young Master Chess homepage.
Again, as this is a participation-based league, there is no limit on the number of games a student can play.
Students can play other members of the League or players outside the League (who are members of ChessKid.com). They may also play members of their own school, though they may not play more than 25 percent of their games against teammates. Also, the League Director will track games to ensure that players do not play intentionally short games meant to acquire quick points.
Items not covered in the rules that help ensure fairness may be amended as needed by the League Director.
Prizes:
There will be individual and team prizes:
- The top three finishing elementary schools (K-5) earn team trophies. First place school wins the Young Master Cup, to be retained by the school’s chess team until the end of next season!
- The top middle school also earns a Middle School Young Master Cup!
- The top overall school, regardless of grade, wins a pizza party at its chess club!
- The top 5 individual point scorers of any age win trophies!
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section for more information about ChessKid.com and the Young Master Chess Online League.
Good luck to all!