IMPORTANT MESSAGES:

BLOG NEWS:
Important messages / Latest News:

Click on the Aristea Chess Tournament banner (flyer) on the right,
to enter online, or the Tournament News tab above for more information on the 2018 tournament at Aristea.

Latest blog links:

How chess helps your brain - 10 Big Brain Benefits of playing Chess.


Upcoming events:

The Aristea Friendly chess tournament, sponsored by Harcourts Cape Gate, will take place on the 15th of September 2018.

Click on the Tournament news tab above, or on the small flyer on the right hand side. The online entries are open. Click on the small flyer below, on the right to enter.

Read more on the blog!

Thursday 31 January 2013

Map to Aristea

Good evening everyone!

If you don't know where Aristea Primary is situated, click on the picture below.
Click on the picture to go to the interactive Google Maps website.


We look forward to hosting you at the District North Chess Trails on the 8th and 9th of February 2013.

A tuck shop will be available the whole Friday afternoon and Saturday.

:-)

Monday 28 January 2013

Letter 2/2013



Letter 2/2013                                                                               28 January 2013

Dear Parents

With the first week behind us, we had two very good practise sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.  I could clearly see who has been practising during the holidays, and who are still a bit rusty.  Chess players are encouraged not to miss any practise sessions!  If you want a shot at WP Schools Chess colours, you will have to work hard, because you only have one tournament to prove your worth.

Venue confirmed

Talking about the tournament, the venue has been confirmedwe are going to play in our school hall, which is a great privilege for all our players, indeed.  See the back of this letter for the tournament poster, confirming the dates, times that rounds start, when everyone must be there and the age groups.  Please take note that the tournament takes place on Friday afternoon and –evening, Saturday morning and –afternoon.

Entries

If you want to enter your child in the tournament, you will have to fill in the entry form accompanying this letter and poster, and send it to school (me) by the 5th of February.  NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED!  NO EXEPTIONS.

You can also enter online, just click here to go to the post with the link.  Just remember that the online entry fee is R30 in stead of R20, when you send the entries to me.

Advancing to the WP Closed

In order for you to advance to the WP Closed tournament, you will have to end at least 10th in your age group.  This tournament will take place on the 1st and 2nd of March.  Only players advancing from the respective age groups in each district trial will be able to enter in this tournament.

Practises

We are practising in the Arts & Culture Room, on a Tuesday and Thursday, from 14:45 to 15:45.  Each player’s results are recorded to determine the top 20 list of players in the school.  We will also have a beginners’ class on Tuesdays, in my class, from 14:45 to 15:15. After this, they will join the games in the Arts & Culture room.

Kind regards

Mr. R. Bekker and Mrs. C. van Niekerk

Thursday 24 January 2013

Online entries for District Trials

Just a short note to say that you can enter online for the District Trials.

Click on the banner below to go that page.
Please note that online entry fee is R30, in stead of R20 if I do the entry manually for you.


I will send out those letters with the forms, on Monday.

:-)

District North Trials

Good evening everyone

I hope you had a good week so far and that Friday and the coming weekend will only have more positive things ahead!

I have some news, as I always say to my class:

Click on the picture below, to go to the rest of the poster for more information regarding the District North Trials taking place at Aristea Primary on the 8th and 9th of February 2013.

The link will open in a new window.


More news, is that the chess practise started this week - and some very interesting matches have been played.  Some new players joining this year and already beating some more experienced players.  We also had our youngest member joining us on Tuesday - Caleb Meyer, a grade R learner, and brother of Liam Meyer. 

A warm word of welcome to him!

:-)

Sunday 20 January 2013

Some more puzzles!

Checkmate for White in one- two- and three moves!
The last one has an answer included.

Enjoy!  :-)

   
 Click on the above puzzles to enlarge to original size.


Thursday 17 January 2013

Geri's Game Video link


Look what I have found, boys and girls!

Last year's grade 5 English classes will know what this is all about.  For all the others in school - if you are searching for my class, just look for this photo on my door.  (Thx to Mrs Geldenhuys for the photo!)  Click on the link below to see what the fuss is all about.

Click here to see the video clip on YouTube

(Links will open in a new window)

Enjoy!

:-)

District Trails taking place at Aristea!

Ref: Letter 1/2013

RE: District Trials venue confirmed

When I printed and copied the letters, the venue for the district trails were not confirmed yet.  During the day however, I confirmed with our district committee that the District Trails will take place at Aristea Primary, like last year!

I will upload any new information, posters etc, when I receive them.  Information that I do have so far is that the tournament entry fee is R20 (same as last year).  When I get the details, and the next letter do go out, a form that the parents must complete, will accompany that letter.

Keep an close eye on the Wepsso website - all the information regarding schools chess in the Western Province, can also be accessed at that platform.  Just click on the link in Wepsso.  Follow the 'News & Results" and "Events" tabs on top of that website to get the information needed.

I'm looking forward to a very exciting chess year!
I hope you do to.

:-)

Letter 1/2013



Letter 1/2013                                                                                                          17 January 2013

Dear parents

Welcome back to 2013, and a warm welcome to the new chess parents.  I hope you had a restful time during the school holidays.  Chess learners, I hope you have played a lot of chess during the holidays as well.

First of all, some very important news regarding dates:

Our first (and only) WP Chess tournament takes place on the 8th and 9th of February 2013.  The venue is not confirmed yet, but more information will follow shortly.   We don’t have a lot of practise time left to sharpen our games if we want to excel in chess this year, which means, you cannot afford to miss any practise days.  In order to progress to the District Trials, you have to end at least 10th in the tournament in your age group.  The District Trails takes place on the 1st and 2nd of March 2013.  Here you will compete against the other districts’ top 10 finishers, to achieve WP Schools Chess colours.

In the Western Cape Tournament, you will no longer represent your school or district, but your province when you play against the SWD and Boland teams.  This year’s tournament takes place in Kuilsrivier.  Last year the tournament was held in Gansbaai (Boland) and the year before that in George (SWD).  The date for this tournament is the 19th to the 21st of April.

Secondly, you must take note of our practises:

We are going to practise in the Arts & Culture Room, on a Tuesday and Thursday, from 14:45 to 15:45.  Each player is going to receive a page with his or her name on. On this page he/she must write down the name of each player that he/she wins.  Each page is going to determine the top 20 list of players in the school.  Each time you finish a game, a witness must sign to confirm that the game took place during the practise times.  We will also have a beginners’ class on Tuesdays, in my class, from 14:45 to 15:15. After this, they will join the games in the Arts & Culture room.

More information regarding the tournaments will follow as soon as I receive them.  I look forward to this very exciting year of chess.  I hope you do to.

Kind regards

Mr. R. Bekker and Mrs. C. van Niekerk

Thursday 10 January 2013

Reasons Chess Should Be a Part of Every Child’s Education

I found the following article on the internet (click here to go the blog):
Thanks, NM William Stewart for the link on your twitter feed!

Reasons Chess Should Be a Part of Every Child’s Education

Imagine a world where people all have excellent problem solving skills, where they are patient and respectful of each other on a daily basis. A society where citizens live for the future and plan long term, thinking of where their children’s children will be, following through, seeing each goal to its conclusion with ease. Now add to that an indefinable quality of artistic imagination, dreaming for more than can be reasonably expected, reaching beyond the status quo.

Chess can teach our next generation all these skills and more!

I learned the game when I was young and to this day I see the world as a giant chess game where any barrier can be conquered and any victory can be achieved. No goal is impossible and when I have a target in sight there is no stopping me. The same glint I had in my eye when I faced an opponent at a chess tournament still exists today when I face a challenge, along with the insouciant grin that comes from the pure joy of the experience.Intuitively most would agree that chess improves a student’s grades and ability to study. Numerous studies have been done over the years throughout the world that show this to be the case. IQ increases, reading test results improve as do math and science scores. However there are so many other skills children pick up naturally from learning and becoming good at chess.
Imagination is a must in chess. You cannot form strategies and tactical plans without being able to envision your goals. It is impossible to win a game without first imagining the victory. You are the one to make the pieces dance to the rhythm you choose. Without the player the pieces just sit dormant on a dusty board.
Chess helps build self-confidence in children

A child’s self confidence soars as the victories pile up, especially when...
All the links in this article will open in a new window.


Puzzles - white to move and # in 2 moves

Some more puzzles for everyone to get the minds going!

Enjoy!

:-)

_____________________

_____________________



_____________________

_____________________
 DY and DZ

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Puzzles page updated

This is an easy one.
Come on everyone - comment with the correct answer! 



Actually this post is just a reminder that I have uploaded 2 more puzzles on the puzzles page.  Click on the tab on the top of the blog.
:-)

Comment your answers please!

Great endgame practise

Hi everyone!

I just came across this puzzle on the internet, and thought I must share this with you.
The link to the website is on the board - click on it and it will open the website.

The board was a bit small, but I sort of enlarged it. :-)

White to move, checkmate in 7 moves! (Try it first and then look at the answer!)

The Puzzle Answer
1. Ra1!  Kxa1
2. Kc2!! ... { Zugzwang *}
2. ...      g5
3. hxg     h4
4. g6      h3
5. g7      h2
6. g8=Q  h1=Q
7. Qg7#  1-0

*
Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", pronounced [ˈtsuːktsvaŋ]) is a situation found usually in chess, but also in various other games, where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a move when he would prefer to pass and make no move. The fact that the player must make a move means that his position will be significantly weaker than the hypothetical one in which it was his opponent's turn to move.

The above paragraph, courtesy of wikipedia.  I also had to look up the word.
Learn something new everyday.  You never to old to learn something new!

:-)

Tuesday 8 January 2013

New puzzles uploaded!

Just a reminder;
To go to the Puzzles Tab and find some new puzzles I've uploaded today!

:-)

(You can also click on the like above in italics.)


Tuesday 1 January 2013

01.01.2013 - Happy New Year!

Hello everyone.

Just a short post to say, Happy New Year!
I hope 2013 will be an excellent year for everyone.

To the learners in our school, it's time to start playing and practising - I hope you have been playing during the holidays!  More important dates for the first term to follow soon.

I will post some more puzzles very shortly to get the brains going.

Yours in chess,

:-)