Author Archives: Doug Campbell
March the Pawns Registeration
You may now pre-register for the March the Pawns Tournament by clicking the following button. Please put your USCF Membership Number and desired section in the comments.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=K6Q9KDE7TDPZG
John Nealy’s how-to essay for 6th grade composition class
JT
2-27-17
How to Play Chess
Chess is a game of strategy. In this fun game, you can trap your opponent’s king and dominate the board. This game is hard to learn, but it is still fun. You are supposed to protect your king and attack theirs.
The board is an 8 square by 8 square board. The queens start on their color, while the kings are placed on the opposite color. Pawns are placed in front of every piece. Rooks (castles) are placed in the corners. Knights (horses) are placed next to the rooks, and next to the knights are the bishops.
There are many different pieces in chess. A pawn, your first line of defense, can jump two squares on their first move. The other ones are one square forward. They cannot take pieces in front of them. Instead, the pawns take diagonally. (But, only if the diagonal is one square ahead.) En Passant is an uncommon but useful pawn formation in chess. If you move two squares with a pawn and move another square forward, then the opponent moves two squares with their pawn, you can take the pawn even if it has passed your pawn. Pawns are the least valuable piece, but if you get a pawn to the end of the board, then POOF! You get a queen, knight, bishop, or rook.
Queens are the most valuable piece on the board except for the king. Queens can move anywhere horizontally or diagonally based on its position. Kings are one of the worst pieces (Except for the fact they are the game.) They can move into one of the eight squares around the king. You cannot move into a place covered by an enemy piece with the king. If a piece moves and puts a king in danger, you are supposed to say “Check.” If you check the king and the king has nowhere to move, the game is over. The position is called “checkmate.”
Horses (also called knights) are the only piece that can jump over their own pieces (or enemy pieces). Knights move in a L shape two squares one way and then one square to the left or right. Bishops are pieces that can move anywhere diagonally all over the board. If a bishop starts a game on a white square, it stays on a white square.
The final pieces are rooks. Rooks are a powerful piece, but I recommend not to use them until the end of the game. The rook also has a very special move with the king. If there are no pieces in the way, and neither the rook nor the king have moved, you can castle. When this happens, the king moves two squares, jumps over the rook, and the rook moves past the king. This is a nice protection tactic, but don’t do it too early, or too late.
That is how to play chess. We went over the pieces (The king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn). There were some special moves such as promoting, En Passant, and castling. No matter what your tactic is, chess is a fun game for all. Practice this game, and you will become a better player, and perhaps even win a few tournaments!
March the Pawns Tournament
Keokuk Spring Tournament
Fall Harvest Cross Table and Results
Here are the results! Thank you all for a great tournament!
Fall Harvest Games Part 1
Fall Harvest Tournament
4 rounds Swiss—G/60 d5—Open—U1200
Where: Faith Assembly of God, 1645 Keokuk St., Hamilton, IL 62341
When: November 7, 2015 Registration at 8am—First Round 9am
Entry Fee: $15 plus one canned good for the local food pantry.
Prizes: Trophies for Top 2 in each division. Metals for top two in class U1600, U1400, U1000, U800, U600, U400, U200, and Unrated
Contact: Tournament Director—Arnie Gatton (319) 795-4134
USCF Membership is required and can be purchased on site.
School Has Started!
School has started and it would be a great time to work chess club at Hy-Vee on Monday evenings into your routine! We’d love to see you if you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in-between.
Lee County Fair VanWinkle Chess Tournament X-Table
Here are the cross tables of the Lee County Fair VanWinkle Tournament…