News
Blitzers Opening Southside Chicago Chess Club July 1
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- Written by Eva Harrison Eva Harrison
- Created: 30 June 2017 30 June 2017
If you follow the Chicago chess scene on Facebook, chances are that you have heard about the Chicago Chess Blitzers. Thanks to enthusiastic promotion by Nathan Kelly on YouTube and social media, word is spreading fast about this strong chess club on Chicago's southside.
While blitz players on Chicago's southside have been meeting at McDonald's at 95th and Halsted for a long time, ten Chicago Chess Blitzers recently pitched in to secure the lease on a storefront at 8622 S. Pulaski in Chicago.
The doors of the Chicago Chess Club will open on July 1, 2017 and will remain open from noon to midnight daily.
CCF Launches Coaching Marketplace Website
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 13 June 2017 13 June 2017
The Chicago Chess Foundation has launched a Coaching Marketplace under their existing website at ChicagoLandChess.org.
Coaches can submit their information -- and potential students can access the data -- for free.
The website is http://chicagolandchess.org/resources/marketplace/
The ICA maintains its own statewide listing of coaches -- and tournament staffing -- at http://il-chess.org/coaches-and-tds-155.
Question of the Day: Have You Always Wanted to Be a TD?
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 16 May 2017 16 May 2017
Have you wondered what the crazy letters "TD" stands for? (Sorry, in this context, I don't mean touchdown!)
Have you laid awake at night pondering how those people who resolve disputes and keep things moving along at chess tournaments got their clearly high paying and powerful jobs?
Well, I'm sure each and every TD has their own answer to that question but it's never too late to get started in this exciting and rewarding "career" (although if you actually begin to think of it as a vocation instead of a hobby, you probably need some career advice).
ICA Recognizes, Applauds Chess Moms on Their Special Day
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 14 May 2017 14 May 2017
It's been over a decade since I lost my own mother, but the Illinois chess community has in many ways been a second mother to me. The support of many has gotten me through the loss of my father within the past year, and I'm humbled with appreciation.
I've often wondered where chess would be without the chess moms out there who wait patiently for their little bundles of joy to emerge from the tournament room. Long before the tell-tale thumbs up or down is flashed for the benefit of others, these chess moms can tell by the way their sons or daughters carry themselves what the result at the board has been.
Notes From Nashville: The Diary of a Chicago Chess Coach
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- Written by Bill Feldman Bill Feldman
- Created: 14 May 2017 14 May 2017
Chicago Public School teacher and Newton Bateman Elementary Chess Coach Adam Geisler has been kind enough to share his "coaches notebook" from Nashville, TN where his team is competing in SuperNationals VI. Over 90 Illinois schools are competing and the ICA would love to hear from all their coaches (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Heading into Day 1: Bateman will have 11 players, which is our largest contingent to date for a national tournament. To prepare, we have been busy with tactics puzzles, tournament strategy and game analysis, including some gems from the recent Lozano Spring Scholastic tournament. Here's hoping for some great results!
Heading into Day 2: "It's not WHO you play; it's HOW you play."