You may not know it, but the CMS West Chess Club is hosting a school chess tournament! This tournament collects all of our school’s talented chess players to compete, potentially win prizes, and determine who is truly our school’s best chess player! To register, you must be in the Chess Club and pay a $10 fee to Ms. Tackett. This tournament will follow an elimination style bracket with 10 minute matches (10 minutes on each player’s clock). For those that are competing, take a look at the next page for 5 general tips to improve your playing! Often, a checkmate is just a few moves away, but the player’s attention is drawn elsewhere on the board. Winning pieces is important, but winning the game is the goal! Make every one of your moves with a purpose. Look at the board for weaknesses to exploit. Stacked pawns, defenseless pieces, and cornered kings are all opportunities to look out for. Many players struggle with their openings. Developing opening skills and memorizing basic openings will save you valuable time on the clock and will help put you ahead of your opponent. It is important to know the power of pieces like knights and bishops. These are powerful pieces that are often overlooked, and often create destructive traps that can seriously damage your chances of winning! Just like how you will want to make the most of your turn, your opponent will aim to do the same. Think about your opponent’s moves and try to pinpoint their target. Are they trying to fork pieces, gain control of the center, or possibly threaten checkmate? The sooner you can determine your opponent’s target, the more effective your own moves will be.