Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Chess Season in the Northwest

by Joanna Nesbit1/25/2008 2:54:19 PM

A chess tournament in Lynden, WA.

You might not be aware of this, but we are in the middle of chess tournament season. Yep, chess has a season, too. From November to April, you can find a number of tournaments in our area that will culminate with the state tournament, to be held this year in Redmond on April 26, 2008.

My eight-year-old son, Ty, plays chess and has become something of a regular at local tournaments. His first tourney was last year’s Lynden tournament, held at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in January. We heard about the tournament from an older boy at Ty’s school who also plays chess and thought Ty might be interested.

When my husband and I proposed the tournament to Ty, we were not so much interested in the competition as much as the possibility of Ty playing someone besides us. Anyone. Ty fell in love with chess at age four and has been playing us (mostly Dad now) ever since. At one point, he and I played every day.

Chess fun for the whole family. (Photo courtesy of JennyChatterton.com.)

But kids don’t have to have played chess for years to go to a tournament. They do need to know the rules, of course, but the local tournaments welcome and encourage all levels. Kids are placed in brackets according to age, sometimes as narrow as K-1, 2-3, and so on, sometimes as broad as K-4 and on up. Whatcom and Skagit County offer competitions for kids in grades K-12, with all-ages tournaments occurring approximately every two weeks in locations such as Sedro-Woolley, Lynden, Ferndale, and Bellingham.

At first glance, tournaments might seem overwhelming, but they’re family-friendly and welcoming to siblings who don’t play chess themselves. Some venues provide extra fun, such as a climbing wall, for between chess matches. The general atmosphere is festive and casual. Over this last year, Ty has befriended a number of kids his age, and he looks forward to seeing them when he signs up to play.

Ty’s knowledge of chess has taken a leap as a result of tournaments. He’s comfortable with tournament rules, and he’s learning some formal strategies, but more importantly, he has found a community of kids who love chess just as much as he does.

Do you have a child who loves to play chess? But how do you know if they are ready for a tournament? See Joanna's thoughts on the subject in Considerations Before Competing.

A Note About the Author: Joanna Nesbit

Joanna Nesbit is a home-based freelance writer. She thinks she can write and parent at the same time. She and her husband, Curt, are developing interests through their two kids, including chess, Girl Scouts, soccer, and horses. In her limited spare time, she enjoys reading, running, and good beer.