The 8th Annual Clearwater Family Chess Tounament
Yes, it's time for another tournament!
Lots has been happening since the last tournament to make things better:
1. We secured a $1000 grant from Freedom Northwest Credit Union for prizes 2. I have been madly working on my tournament management tool to help me handle larger tournaments better. |
3. I spent so much time trying to automate the rating process for the previous tournament that I took too long and NWRatings.com would not rate last years event. (Sorry Guys!)
4. We changed the name of the tournament to be a little more clear on our area. This year's tournament will be held at the same place as last year. |
Here is a snapshot of my new online registration form for the event which shows the tournament info:
(Click on this snapshot to go to the registration form and save some bucks)
(Click on this snapshot to go to the registration form and save some bucks)
Our Online Pre-Registration Form
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Tournament Rules
This tournament is for beginners but some minimal rules will apply:
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Parent and Observer Rules
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How we manage to give away a ton of prizes
This tournament will have the following sections:
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Notice the heiarchy. All players are in the Open root section so anyone can play anyone.
Within a few rounds most players will be playing others near their same level of skill. Prizes are awarded per sub-section. There are prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each section plus there is a sportsmanship prize for some sections and we might throw in some random awards on top of that. So we have 21 sections x 4 prizes / section - 84 prizes MINIMUM! Below are some shots of some of the prizes we have ready so far:
And don't forget, there is about $500 in CASH being given away too!
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Introducing the "Player Report"
The tournament management tool should prove to save a lot of time in runing the tournament. It has the ability to add photos of players and games and prizes. This lets us create nice player reports of the games and stats that every player will recieve at the end of the tournament.
For this reason, every player must sign a model release form so we can take the pictures for the player's report.
Below is a test example of what these might look like:
For this reason, every player must sign a model release form so we can take the pictures for the player's report.
Below is a test example of what these might look like:
Our Poster for spreading the word. Feel free to print and pass around!
7th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament (3/24/2023)
I posted all the details on this tournament here.
This post is more about the status of the tournament as it could be in danger of being canceled due to a health emergency which The Chess Guy is suffering right now.
On 2/7/23 an infection appeared on my foot (I am diabetic and have been for about 30 years) and quickly (within days) this infection became quite serious and forced me to be admitted into the hosiptal for pic-line antibiotics. I, just today, 2/24/23 got out of the hospital and am making frequent drives to the Syringa Hospital for continued anti-biotics. The infection appears to be gone but my doctors are watching it closely. I have a vacuum pump on my right foot to aid healing and cannot walk due to the foot healing. This has really shut things down for me.
The tournament is still ON but that could change if I can't walk soon.
I need to distribute and collect many more donation jars to raise funds for prizes and advertising. I was teaching several chess classes to help promote the tournament and for now that has been shut down.
I have not recieved a single pre-registration yet (go here to pre-register) but this is not unusual. In the past, each year I have seen more people participate than the last and more that I had expected. Because this year, we have an excellent venue for the tournament, both location and quality, I expect a higher turnout.
I could use a few (1-3) volunteers to help with running the tournament which would mostly consist of being available to help players resolve conflicts, to enforce quiet and to help me record games. Anyone that knows how to play chess can do this and I will have some training for volunteers before the tournament starts.
This year, I decided to attempt to create a tournament managent website for this and future tournaments. This is because using SwissSys in the past has lacked some features I wanted and is a bit clumsy to use. However, all that development has been suspended due to my hospital stay and lack of time to apply myself to the project.
If enough donations come in over the next few weeks, I should be able to pull the tournament off. I must be off the antibiotics and at least able to hobble around by the time we do the tournament.
Pre-registrations will help me get details up front and save me time on the day of the tournament.
Another big help is simply telling your friends about the tournament. Try printing up this poster and puting it out where ever you shop and live.
This post is more about the status of the tournament as it could be in danger of being canceled due to a health emergency which The Chess Guy is suffering right now.
On 2/7/23 an infection appeared on my foot (I am diabetic and have been for about 30 years) and quickly (within days) this infection became quite serious and forced me to be admitted into the hosiptal for pic-line antibiotics. I, just today, 2/24/23 got out of the hospital and am making frequent drives to the Syringa Hospital for continued anti-biotics. The infection appears to be gone but my doctors are watching it closely. I have a vacuum pump on my right foot to aid healing and cannot walk due to the foot healing. This has really shut things down for me.
The tournament is still ON but that could change if I can't walk soon.
I need to distribute and collect many more donation jars to raise funds for prizes and advertising. I was teaching several chess classes to help promote the tournament and for now that has been shut down.
I have not recieved a single pre-registration yet (go here to pre-register) but this is not unusual. In the past, each year I have seen more people participate than the last and more that I had expected. Because this year, we have an excellent venue for the tournament, both location and quality, I expect a higher turnout.
I could use a few (1-3) volunteers to help with running the tournament which would mostly consist of being available to help players resolve conflicts, to enforce quiet and to help me record games. Anyone that knows how to play chess can do this and I will have some training for volunteers before the tournament starts.
This year, I decided to attempt to create a tournament managent website for this and future tournaments. This is because using SwissSys in the past has lacked some features I wanted and is a bit clumsy to use. However, all that development has been suspended due to my hospital stay and lack of time to apply myself to the project.
If enough donations come in over the next few weeks, I should be able to pull the tournament off. I must be off the antibiotics and at least able to hobble around by the time we do the tournament.
Pre-registrations will help me get details up front and save me time on the day of the tournament.
Another big help is simply telling your friends about the tournament. Try printing up this poster and puting it out where ever you shop and live.
Thanks for all your prayers and support! We shall see how things go.
No 7th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament this year (2019)
Sad to say, the Chess guy has a temproary health issue that is preventing him from doing promotion for the next tournament. So we will be skipping it this year and will continue next year.
Results of the 6th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament
First of all, I wanted to thank our corporate sponsors, many of which stepped up at the last minute to make our prizes possible. Please thank them and give them your business!
Next I would like to thank the many donors that gave through our donation jars. We raised several hundred dollars through the generous donations of the community!
We had 27 participants in this year's tournament from as far as Clarkston. 16 cash prizes were given out.
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George Watson of Summit Academy also raffled off nearly a dozen chess sets so almost all players came home with a prize.
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Doors open at 9AM for registration, Round 1 starts at 10AM
Saved by the community!
This year was interesting. All was looking well till on 12/23 I came down with this lung infection - what perfect timing! My plan was to collect donation jars and pitch donations to businesses over the holidays but that wasn't happening. Soon I had coughed out my voice and couldn't even make phone calls. After new years I only had one week to get it all done. I tried to call in help from some friends but no one had the time to speak for me as I traveled to pick up jars and make pitches to some 50 businesses in the palouse area. So I printed up a pitch and handed it to various businesses.
The jars this year had more than in the past. In fact, one jar had over $125 in it! This was really encouraging. Also, many businesses gave this year, possibly because I set a lower limit of only $20 to get onto our sponsor list. This was a good amount to ask for and many gave. Many more might have given had I had time to go back and meet up with the owners but I really didn't have the time to do that.
We had hoped for a large donation from one business but they decided to decline due to the fact that I do everything myself. The Chess Guy is strictly and simply a one-man non-profit. Perhaps I can create some kind of oversight board so alleviate these trust problems.
Anyway, I am slowly recovering from my cough and hope to have a voice come Saturday (Tomorrow!).
I was so encouraged by the jar donations! This is an amazing community. The money collected will enable us to do a pretty good prize fund and will defray some of my expenses in promotion.
Thank You Donors!
The jars this year had more than in the past. In fact, one jar had over $125 in it! This was really encouraging. Also, many businesses gave this year, possibly because I set a lower limit of only $20 to get onto our sponsor list. This was a good amount to ask for and many gave. Many more might have given had I had time to go back and meet up with the owners but I really didn't have the time to do that.
We had hoped for a large donation from one business but they decided to decline due to the fact that I do everything myself. The Chess Guy is strictly and simply a one-man non-profit. Perhaps I can create some kind of oversight board so alleviate these trust problems.
Anyway, I am slowly recovering from my cough and hope to have a voice come Saturday (Tomorrow!).
I was so encouraged by the jar donations! This is an amazing community. The money collected will enable us to do a pretty good prize fund and will defray some of my expenses in promotion.
Thank You Donors!
6th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament will be held starting at 9AM at Summit Academy in Cottonwood on January 5th, 2019.
Tournament Details: |
Entrance Fee:
$10 (This helps defray last minute costs that could not be calculated before the tournament) Rules: 5-6 Round Swiss tournament, No clocks except to finish off late boards, Touch Move, One Hand Rule, and near silence are enforced. All Players play in a single open section. Ratings: All players will be rated using Ratings Northwest Scholastic rating service (free!) No USCF or other chess membership is required. Prizes: The top 3 players overall will be placed onto the perpetual trophy of death. 5 Sections of players are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Grades 1-3 Grades 4-6 Grades 7-9 Grades 10-12 Adult |
Note that we could use carpooling help for a lot of kids in remote areas like Orofino, Nezperce or Kamiah. If you can help or need a ride, please fill in this form below:
Got in the paper today!
Results of the 5th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament
The 5th Annual Holiday Chess Tournament this year was a great success. 28 students and 3 adults enrolled as players at Summit Academy in Cottonwood on Saturday December 2nd to try their hand at obtaining recognition and prizes in a contest of pure mental combat. We had participants from as far as Missoula and Lewiston.
I was especially pleased to give Sportsmanship Award recognition to Alden Brunson who demonstrated a very unselfish act by allowing his opponent to receive a draw in a situation where he could easily have demanded a win. I saw much grace given by others as well and all players showed excellent character and attitude.
Winners and prizes given are as follows:
Sportsmanship Award for no wins went to Dori Sonnen who showed excellent attitude in light of this tough outcome. She received a $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card.
Special Sportsmanship recognition also went to Alden Brunson and Carter Hull.
Grades 1-3:
1st Catherine Seubert, $40
2nd Will Mahoney, $15 and a fishing pole
3rd Wyatt Crea, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 4-6:
1st Noah Beckman, $40
2nd Levi Wassmuth, $15 and a Gold Panning Kit
3rd Gryer Hollibough, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 7-9:
Preston Amerman, $40
Kerri Villamor, $15 and a lunch for 2 coupon
Cassidy Hamilton, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 10-12:
1st-3rd were shared between James Villamor and Robert Jensen (There were only two participants in this grade category.), $40, $15, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card and a Hydration Backpack.
Adults:
1st Larry Prince, $25
2nd John Hughes, A free PC tuneup coupon.
3rd Bryan Mahoney
Overall Student Winner:
Tied for first: Preston Amerman and Noah Beckman. Preston came up on top on rank and received $60 cash. Only after prizes were awarded was it discovered that due to a technical error, Noah should have received this prize. To compensate, Noah received a personal gift from The Chess Guy and will have his name on the "Perpetual Trophy of Death" for this year.
All winners listed above also received a free ice cream cone coupon.
We wish to officially and publicly thank our sponsor businesses who generously donated items and cash for the prizes:
Augie's Ice Cream Parlor of Orofino (16 Ice Cream Cone coupons)
Buds Power Sports of Cottonwood ($100)
Builders Supply of Kamiah, Orofino and Grangeville ($50 total)
Clearwater Valley Marketplace of Kooskia (Fishing Pole)
Cloningers Market of Kamiah (Hydration Backpack)
Grangeville ACE Hardware (5 $5 gift cards)
Kamiah ACE Hardware (Gold Panning Kit)
The Computer Guy of Orofino (Free PC Tuneup coupon)
The Hearthstone Grill of Kamiah (free Lunch for 2 coupon)
The Kamiah Pit Stop ($25)
The Kooskia Cafe ($20)
I (The Chess Guy) also wish to thank the community and numerous businesses that consented to put out donation jars and a few generous private donors who raised a total of $405.86!
I also wish to thank the Clearwater Progress for donating space for The Chess Guy to both promote and make this announcement without cost.
I also want to thank the parents that transported their kids out to the tournament and the adult players that participated who set a high standard in both conduct and playing strength to challenge the students.
Thanks to Amy Rose and George Watson for their time and help during the tournament and to Summit Academy for donating the venue for the event.
I also want to thank all those school teachers, librarians and principles and several parents who encouraged me with open access and assistance while promoting the tournament at our schools, libraries and restaurants.
I also want to thank The Pizza Factory of Grangeville and Kamiah for opening up their establishments to me to train people in chess over Pizza during the month of November.
Note: 1/31/2018: Just noticed the ratings are in for the event. See http://chess.ratingsnw.com/report17-18/KamiahHoliday.html
I was especially pleased to give Sportsmanship Award recognition to Alden Brunson who demonstrated a very unselfish act by allowing his opponent to receive a draw in a situation where he could easily have demanded a win. I saw much grace given by others as well and all players showed excellent character and attitude.
Winners and prizes given are as follows:
Sportsmanship Award for no wins went to Dori Sonnen who showed excellent attitude in light of this tough outcome. She received a $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card.
Special Sportsmanship recognition also went to Alden Brunson and Carter Hull.
Grades 1-3:
1st Catherine Seubert, $40
2nd Will Mahoney, $15 and a fishing pole
3rd Wyatt Crea, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 4-6:
1st Noah Beckman, $40
2nd Levi Wassmuth, $15 and a Gold Panning Kit
3rd Gryer Hollibough, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 7-9:
Preston Amerman, $40
Kerri Villamor, $15 and a lunch for 2 coupon
Cassidy Hamilton, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card
Grades 10-12:
1st-3rd were shared between James Villamor and Robert Jensen (There were only two participants in this grade category.), $40, $15, $5 Grangeville Ace Hardware gift card and a Hydration Backpack.
Adults:
1st Larry Prince, $25
2nd John Hughes, A free PC tuneup coupon.
3rd Bryan Mahoney
Overall Student Winner:
Tied for first: Preston Amerman and Noah Beckman. Preston came up on top on rank and received $60 cash. Only after prizes were awarded was it discovered that due to a technical error, Noah should have received this prize. To compensate, Noah received a personal gift from The Chess Guy and will have his name on the "Perpetual Trophy of Death" for this year.
All winners listed above also received a free ice cream cone coupon.
We wish to officially and publicly thank our sponsor businesses who generously donated items and cash for the prizes:
Augie's Ice Cream Parlor of Orofino (16 Ice Cream Cone coupons)
Buds Power Sports of Cottonwood ($100)
Builders Supply of Kamiah, Orofino and Grangeville ($50 total)
Clearwater Valley Marketplace of Kooskia (Fishing Pole)
Cloningers Market of Kamiah (Hydration Backpack)
Grangeville ACE Hardware (5 $5 gift cards)
Kamiah ACE Hardware (Gold Panning Kit)
The Computer Guy of Orofino (Free PC Tuneup coupon)
The Hearthstone Grill of Kamiah (free Lunch for 2 coupon)
The Kamiah Pit Stop ($25)
The Kooskia Cafe ($20)
I (The Chess Guy) also wish to thank the community and numerous businesses that consented to put out donation jars and a few generous private donors who raised a total of $405.86!
I also wish to thank the Clearwater Progress for donating space for The Chess Guy to both promote and make this announcement without cost.
I also want to thank the parents that transported their kids out to the tournament and the adult players that participated who set a high standard in both conduct and playing strength to challenge the students.
Thanks to Amy Rose and George Watson for their time and help during the tournament and to Summit Academy for donating the venue for the event.
I also want to thank all those school teachers, librarians and principles and several parents who encouraged me with open access and assistance while promoting the tournament at our schools, libraries and restaurants.
I also want to thank The Pizza Factory of Grangeville and Kamiah for opening up their establishments to me to train people in chess over Pizza during the month of November.
Note: 1/31/2018: Just noticed the ratings are in for the event. See http://chess.ratingsnw.com/report17-18/KamiahHoliday.html
Press Release for the 5th Annual Holiday Family Chess Tournament
Download this .docx file for the release:
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Like last year, it will be held at the Summit Academy School Gym in Cottonwood.
Unlike last year, we will not give cash prizes or trophys to Adults. We want this tournament to be kid focused, yet open to all. All players will be in a single section but awards will be given by the categories listed below:
Update: we just recieved a big donaton that will allow me to guarantee at least $50 first place prize!
UPDATE 2: We just got an even BIGGER donation and we now have a budget of $350! $100 has already been spent on trophys and advertising so that leaves $250 for prizes IF WE DONT GET ANY MORE DONATIONS! Here's where our prize matrix sits right now:
Unlike last year, we will not give cash prizes or trophys to Adults. We want this tournament to be kid focused, yet open to all. All players will be in a single section but awards will be given by the categories listed below:
Update: we just recieved a big donaton that will allow me to guarantee at least $50 first place prize!
UPDATE 2: We just got an even BIGGER donation and we now have a budget of $350! $100 has already been spent on trophys and advertising so that leaves $250 for prizes IF WE DONT GET ANY MORE DONATIONS! Here's where our prize matrix sits right now:
All games are scholastically rated via http://www.ratingsnw.com/. Touch move will be enforced. Clocks will be used on boards taking too long at the end of each round.
We hope to have lunch provided either free or at cost but, just in case we don't have enough to go around, bring something to eat at lunchtime.
The doors open at 9AM. Like last year, I will be setting up and offering free instruction to new players. The tournament starts at 10AM and will likely run till around 3PM. We will play enough Swiss style rounds to break all ties.
And of course, the tournament will be held on Saturday, December 10th - that's one month from my writing of this blog!
We have a $5 entry fee for each player which will defray much of the costs - but no one will be refused for lack of money to play.
I really want to encourage principles, teachers, parents and players to do all they can to promote attendance. This is a community-family-friendly event that encourages kids to compete in a deep and fair thinking game. Chess is such a wonderful context for teaching life lessons!
If anyone wants The Chess Guy to hold lessons or talks on chess at schools, parks, or in homes, please don't hesitate to drop me an email or call me.
Last year we had 30 players. This year I hope to get to 50 but I really will have no idea how many we will have till it happens. I remember last year it was snowing and close to the holidays and nobody showed up till about 9:30. I thought it was going to be a total fail - but then people came and it turned out fantastic!
Parents - please come! (Bring your cameras)
Friends - please come and encourage your playing frineds!
Students and players - please come and do your best - odds are very good that any effort will result in a reward!
Retirees - please come - feel young again as you see kids having fun playing a game you can play too!
To raise funds, I am placing donation jars like this at businesses all around the Palouse area.
We hope to have lunch provided either free or at cost but, just in case we don't have enough to go around, bring something to eat at lunchtime.
The doors open at 9AM. Like last year, I will be setting up and offering free instruction to new players. The tournament starts at 10AM and will likely run till around 3PM. We will play enough Swiss style rounds to break all ties.
And of course, the tournament will be held on Saturday, December 10th - that's one month from my writing of this blog!
We have a $5 entry fee for each player which will defray much of the costs - but no one will be refused for lack of money to play.
I really want to encourage principles, teachers, parents and players to do all they can to promote attendance. This is a community-family-friendly event that encourages kids to compete in a deep and fair thinking game. Chess is such a wonderful context for teaching life lessons!
If anyone wants The Chess Guy to hold lessons or talks on chess at schools, parks, or in homes, please don't hesitate to drop me an email or call me.
Last year we had 30 players. This year I hope to get to 50 but I really will have no idea how many we will have till it happens. I remember last year it was snowing and close to the holidays and nobody showed up till about 9:30. I thought it was going to be a total fail - but then people came and it turned out fantastic!
Parents - please come! (Bring your cameras)
Friends - please come and encourage your playing frineds!
Students and players - please come and do your best - odds are very good that any effort will result in a reward!
Retirees - please come - feel young again as you see kids having fun playing a game you can play too!
To raise funds, I am placing donation jars like this at businesses all around the Palouse area.
If you see one, please give generously so we can have great prizes and make this tournament a memorable experience for all involved.
Thank you for your support!!!
Thank you for your support!!!
First Chess Dancing Tournament
Bug house (also known as Siamese) chess is a really fun chess variant which is played with 4 players.
Typically this game is done with chess clocks and proceeds at a fast pace. I thought it would be cool to have an end-of-the-school-year "chess dance" this year.
This tournament will be on May 28th at 1:00 PM at the Kooskia High School Library. It will likely only last an hour or two because a typical bug house game only lasts 10 minutes.
There will be simple medallion trophies for the top three teams. Entry fee is $5/team to pay for these.
So practice up on bug house and come with a friend to the dance. Boy-Girl couples are encouraged to come but that is not necessary. No age limits - all are welcome.
Learn how to play bug-house here.
See you there!
Typically this game is done with chess clocks and proceeds at a fast pace. I thought it would be cool to have an end-of-the-school-year "chess dance" this year.
This tournament will be on May 28th at 1:00 PM at the Kooskia High School Library. It will likely only last an hour or two because a typical bug house game only lasts 10 minutes.
There will be simple medallion trophies for the top three teams. Entry fee is $5/team to pay for these.
So practice up on bug house and come with a friend to the dance. Boy-Girl couples are encouraged to come but that is not necessary. No age limits - all are welcome.
Learn how to play bug-house here.
See you there!
Chess Dance Results
The Chess Dance barely came off as we only had 3 players and a helper made it possible to run the tournament.
Participants where: Flash Team: Asher Smith and Courtney Herada and Invincible Team: Rachael Jones and Wyatt Harada. We did a double round robin tournament with all possible player and color combinations resulting in 8 exciting rounds of wacky Siamese/Bughouse chess! The tournament was followed by a Siamese exhibition with the Chess Guy playing one side against all participants. Flash beat Invincible 6-2.
Participants where: Flash Team: Asher Smith and Courtney Herada and Invincible Team: Rachael Jones and Wyatt Harada. We did a double round robin tournament with all possible player and color combinations resulting in 8 exciting rounds of wacky Siamese/Bughouse chess! The tournament was followed by a Siamese exhibition with the Chess Guy playing one side against all participants. Flash beat Invincible 6-2.
Third Annual Holiday Chess Tournament
Sanford Staab, otherwise known as “The Chess Guy” is hosting the third annual “Holiday Chess Tournament” this year on January 16th at the Summit Academy just north of Cottonwood.
Last year’s tournament was a great success and had roughly 30 participants. Says Sanford: “Our sponsors really helped make it work. We were able to give prizes to every participating student and even had a small adult section. This year we can offer bigger cash prizes for the top winners ($100/$50/$20 for 1st/2nd and 3rd!) and we hope to exceed last year’s attendance.” Winners: |
George Watson, Cody Wassmuth and Preston Amerman are now on the perpetual trophy for 2015!
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Why Chess?
Mr. Staab has played the game since he was 5 and taught chess in the Seattle area for a company called Chess4Life (http://chess4life.com). During that time he got to coach hundreds of kids in the ancient art of “brain-to-brain combat” where the blood that is spilt is “just your pride and some serious mental effort”.
The tournament doors open at 9:00 AM with player registration and some simple instruction on how to play and the etiquette of tournament play. Sets will be provided but if you have a Staunton Style Chess set, bring it in case we run short. The tournament proper starts at 10 and should end by 3pm with a half-hour lunch break. |
It will be a 4 round Swiss style, scholastically rated, tournament. Lots of prizes will be awarded in many categories – everyone should be a winner at this event. Lunch will be available at the school for a small fee or you can bring your own lunch. Scholarships will be granted for those not being able to afford the $5 entrance fee. Ages 5-500 are welcome. Parents and friends are encouraged to come and watch and get to know each other.
Mr. Staab is available for group chess lectures, simultaneous exhibitions and personal coaching. He can be reached online at [email protected] or see his facebook page at http://facebook.com/thechessguy or website at http://sandythechessguy.weebly.com. |
2nd Annual Kamiah Holiday Chess Tournament
December 27th, 2014
Kamiah Welcome Center
9AM Registration and Basic Insctruction
10AM Tournament begins
12 Noon : lunch break
2PM expected end time - awards ceremony
Kamiah Welcome Center
9AM Registration and Basic Insctruction
10AM Tournament begins
12 Noon : lunch break
2PM expected end time - awards ceremony
press_release.docx | |
File Size: | 467 kb |
File Type: | docx |
christmas_tournament_poster.docx | |
File Size: | 366 kb |
File Type: | docx |