The new year is off to a racing start and the kids are back in school. Winter is oh-so-slowly drifting towards spring, while our kids oh-so-rapidly develop mentally, emotionally, and physically. Every time parents turn around; they’ve grown another inch. As a parent I sometimes feel like if I blink, I miss half my son’s childhood. How does the time pass so rapidly?
Chess is different. It takes ongoing study and perseverance to advance. A rating is like the stock market. A person can go insane checking their investment portfolio or chess rating every day. They aren’t meant to be constantly checked and re-checked. Even grandmasters have periods where their rating slumps for a while. Expecting a constant and fast rate of increase on chess study and instruction isn’t realistic. Growth does come, but it takes time. Everyone - including the handful of world-famous grandmasters under age 18 - needs time to develop their skills and grow their rating..
There were no grandmasters in today’s tournament, but we did have 28 growing children that ran the gamut from “tiny and cute” to “way taller than me”. Chess skills similarly varied from “just getting the hang of the game” to “may someday become an ICA coach”. It was a nice mix, and each player made their own unique contribution to today’s tournament fun..
Section 1 (grades K-2, unrated games) very much fell in the “tiny and cute” category. This section is for those kids who want to become acclimated to chess tournaments while learning to handle the powerful emotions associated along with competitive play. The unrated nature of the group lowers the stress level and keeps the event more friendly and less competitive. We also waive the requirement that these kids maintain a scoresheet. We understand it’s hard to write a scoresheet when you’re still learning to read and write.
Young kids usually play chess in a speedy fashion, and today was no exception. The four players in Section 1 raced through their games. In the time it would take me to get another section started I’d turn around and someone in Section 1 would complete an entire game. Just how fast these kids sometimes play is a real sight to see. Would that we could harness their speed and energy to combat global warming.
In the end Rohan Manivasagan Sinthujaa won the coveted first place trophy, although all four kids went home bearing an award and beaming with happiness.
Section 2 (K-4, unrated games) was a lot like the previous section, but the kids are now a bit older. They also play fast, but not as much as their younger brethren. They also tend to be more inquisitive, so they were frequently peppering the tournament staff with questions, particularly about the trophies. They’re friendly and energetic, and it pleases me to work with each one of them. All six children received an award, but Anish Shrivastava went home with the first place trophy.
Section 3 (under 800 rating, rated games) had 13 players making it our largest section for the day. The players had an even greater sense of inquisitiveness as Section 2. How do we determine pairings? How are ties broken? Will their rating go up or down based on how they did that day? What does it mean if they win just one game? These kids often have more questions than an apprentice tournament director.
They’re also the fastest section to summon a tournament director if there’s a problem at the table. Older kids and adults often try to work out the issue with their opponent. Younger kids are often oblivious that anything is amiss. But at this stage they’re very rules-focused. If they spot anything wrong, they become deeply concerned and let us know fast.
Here’s an example from today. Players normally move a piece then press the button on their clock. One player was overly rapid, moving his piece before the opponent had pressed the clock to end his turn. This upset the opponent who summoned a tournament director to complain his opponent wasn’t waiting until the button was pushed. An easily solvable problem, but an example of the sort of thing that concerns these players.
One player that was not overly concerned with the rules was Claire Li. Age wise Claire might have played in Section 1, but skill wise she was looking for a challenge, so she played in section 3. She was more concerned with her own performance than how opponents were interacting with the game. Ultimately, she did not win the section, but she held her own against the other kids. With her pink jacket and little pink backpack, it was easy for her opponents to underestimate her. Well done, Claire.
The winner of Section 3 was Ethan Karni. He’s been doing well at our tournaments lately. I foresee a promotion to Section 4 in his not-too-distant future. Congratulations are definitely in order. This is an example of that ongoing play and study paying off. Bravo, Ethan. I suggest preparing yourself for the challenges that await you. The games in Section 4 will definitely be tougher.
Speaking of Section 4 (under 1400 rating, rated games), we had five kids in the section today. By this level the kids are often taller than I am. They play highly-focused and technical games in which they seek out any advantage they can spot.
The players in this group today were all fun characters in different ways. Bentley Zee is a recent promotion to the Under 1400 section. Although his rating was 570, his instructors believe he’s ready for a stronger challenge than his rating indicates. He placed third today. Not a bad showing for someone who, at least on paper, was the weakest of the five players.
Abhiram Vasanthavada was by far the youngest. He spent much of the tournament wide-eyed taking in anything and everything. When he had a bye he quietly watched the other players’ games. He clearly has a knack for learning chess and is eager to learn more.
Bentley tied with Daniel Bronstein for second place. Normally the computer breaks the ties in line with USCF rules (it’s a long explanation, but basically the player who played the better-performing opponents wins the tie). Daniel and Bentley were up for a bit of fun though, so without looking at the computer’s decision they elected to break their tie with a five-minute blitz game. The result? A draw. So, we went back to the computer tie-break and Daniel came away with the second-place trophy. The first-place trophy went to Kush Mody.
All in all, a fun day for everyone involved. Not everyone won all their chess games, but everyone still went home a winner in my book. From my perspective as tournament director, kids never lose a tournament when they have fun trying their best.
The final winners list for today (click HERE to view rating reports):
Section 1: Roham Manivasagan Sinthujaa (1st), Yuvaan Nai (2nd), and Roman Cox (3rd)
Section 2: Anish Shrivastava (1st), Marcelo Navas (2nd), and Isabella Jolie Lebersfeld (3rd)
Section 3: Ethan Karni (1st), Udeg Ahuja (2nd), and Athreya Manivasagan Sinthujaa (3rd)
Section 4: Kush Mody (1st), Daniel Bronstein (2nd), and Bentley Joseph Zee (3rd)
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