Saturday online tourneys sharpen chess skills

MADISON – Due to threat of the COVID-19 virus, players in Madison City Chess League or MCCL are continuing to switch their chess activity to online platforms. On Saturdays this summer, players of varying ages can engage in online tournaments.

“While a number of our students played online chess before, supplementing what we did in face-to-face meetings, online chess has proven to be a great way to give our kids access to continue an extra-curricular activity they enjoyed before school closure,” MCCL Executive Director Ranae Bartlett said.

The MCCL Saturday Online Chess Tournament for kindergartners through third-graders will start at 9 a.m. Players use ChessKid.com to compete in these games.

MCCL members on ChessKid are eligible to play. Contact Bartlett to add players to the tournament roster.

The tournament will involve Game 15 with four rounds. After the tournament is completed, medals will be awarded online.

Players must use a computer browser to access Live Chess. Do not use a mobile device of any kind.

To join a tournament, visit Play vs. Kid and click the tournament that you want to join. The available tournaments are displayed on the right of the window. Players can join a ChessKid tournament 15 minutes before start time. “Join early so you don’t miss the first round,” Bartlett said.

Tournaments have various time controls and numbers of rounds. “Before you join, be sure you can commit to playing for the duration. When your round is over, you can watch other games still in progress. The next round will be paired when everyone has finished playing the current round, so stay online,” Bartlett said.

In addition, players in kindergarten through sixth grade can enter another tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays. The format and guidelines for this session will match the 9 a.m. session.

In other activity on Mondays, MCCL is offering two different online chess tournaments. At 6:15 p.m., the ChessKid K6 Fun Tournament will open for younger players (who formerly attended Monday night chess sessions at Madison Public Library. At 7 p.m., the ChessKid Monday Night Blitz tends to attract more middle and high school students

For more information, visit madisonchess.com, click the “Events” dropdown menu and then click “Upcoming Events.”