Sunday, April 5, 2009

Sunday Morning Update before round 6

Hello fans! Sorry about the lack of news on the blog yesterday, you would think with 4 hours per round to kill you would have ample time to blog, but its amazing how quick it goes. The official website for the tournament, www.supernationalsiv.com is doing a great job of posting results after the rounds have concluded. I recommend checking the site for updates on team score and individual standings.

I was able to obtain media credentials (hey I am a web journalist) and can roam in the tournament room with the officials. Super Genius!

Here is a quick update:

K-9
Team - 1st our of 15 teams, the next team is 5 points behind us. We have 16.5 points. Our magic number is 20 points. With that score, no other team can catch us.

Top individuals
Stephen Lacina 2nd place overall (still undefeated with 4 wins and 1 draw)
Brampton Bridgman 5th
Josiah Moore 9th
Josiah Weeks 12th
Tim Chester 19th
Mathew Howe 24th

We occupy board 2, 3, 4, and 5 this next round!

K-3
Team - 4th out of 25 teams

Individual
William Gentry 11th overall. His is still undefeated with 3 wins and 2 draws

K-12
Team - 5th out of 30 teams. (not bad after starting in 17th)
we have a great chance to move up this round

Individual
Alexander Moore 13th

K-6
7th out of 36 teams, tough 5th round but we have a great chance to move up in the 6th round

Individual
Tommy Palmer 22nd

Rounds today are 9am and 2 pm. Awards are at 7pm.

remember check www.supernationalsiv.com for the latest standings. Click on pairings/standings and then check k12 unrated, k9 unrated, k6 unrated, k3 unrated. Wish us luck!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Second Round Results

It's 11:17 pm and the last round just finished up. You can thank Grace Chester for this late update, here game went for 3 hours 50 minutes! Alexander Moores went for 3hours 25 minutes.

Here are the results:

K-12
Timothy Weeks 1.5
Josh Swindler 0
Micheal Cross 0
Joseph Bridgman 1
Grace Chester .5
Alexander Moore 2

team score 5/8. A nice improvement which we can build on tomorrow.

K-9
Elizabeth Reasons 1
Brampton Bridgman 2
Stephen Lacina 2
Matthew Howe 2
Josiah Moore 2
Reid Schmidling 01
Cassity Nolan 0
Lake Sisk 1
Josiah Weeks 1
Keegan Owen 1
Hunter Rich 0
Timothy Chester 1

team score 8/8 We are in first place!

K-6
Ben Hart 1
Alexis Sisk 1
Mariah Smith 1
Jeremiah Bridgman 1.5
Lauren Elder 1.5
Tommy Palmer 2
Nathan Weeks 2

team score 7/8 We won't know our team standing until morning

K-3
Ian Smith 2
William Gentry 1.5
Sarah Weeks 0
Sarah Bridgman 0
Jack Weil 1
Collin Gentry .5
River Sisk 0

team score 5/8 We won't know our team standing until morning.

A Quick Primer

The top 4 scores per team count toward the team score. Each player has 2 hours on their clock to finish the game, so the game could go nearly 4 hours. You can check out www.supernationalsiv.com to see the players in our divisions. We are competing in the unrated division since none of our players have ever played in a rated tournament.

Round 1 results

First, internet is free in the room, not the skittles area, anything to make a buck I guess. Personal opinions aside we had a successful first round: (win = 1, draw = 1/2, loss = 0)

k-12
Timothy Weeks 1/2
Josh Swindler 0
Micheal Cross 0
Joseph Bridgman 0
Grace Chester 0
Alexander Moore 1

team score 2.5/4 we wil have to step it up in the second round

k-9
Elizabeth Reasons 0
Brampton Bridgman 1
Stephen Lacina 1
Matthew Howe 1
Josiah Moore 1
Reid Schmidling 0
Cassity Nolan 0
Lake Sisk 1
Josiah Weeks 1
Keegan Owen 1
Hunter Rich 0
Timothy Chester 1

team score 4/4 (tied for 1st)

k-6
Ben Hart 0
Alexis Sisk 1
Mariah Smith 0
Jeremiah Bridgman 1/2
Lauren Elder 1
Tommy Palmer 1
Nathan Weeks 1

team score 4/4 (tied for 1st)

k-3
Ian Smith 1
William Gentry 1
Sarah Weeks 0
Sarah Bridgman 0
Jack Weil 0
Collin Gentry 1/2
River Sisk 0

team score 2.5/4 not a bad round for us but need to move up

the next round starts at 7, so our update will probably not be until 10:30-11 pm range.

Good morning from Nashville!

Hello all our loyal followers! The first round starts today at 1. I am headed to a coaches meeting at 10:00. The weather has cleared up (no more tornadoes scheduled) and should be in the high 60's.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Signing off for Thursday night.

Goodnight all, will blog tomorrow morning!

This hotel is HUGE! Here is info for tomorrow:

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel is a beast. It is a very beautiful setting for this tournament, i understand why they hold Supernationals here. I still working on a logical solution for navigating the halls and rooms. For those chessplayers in Nashville checking this blog for updates, getting their updates by this blog, we will meet at 11:45am Friday in the Ryman Exhibition Center, room C2. When you enter the room, go to the far right side. We have four tables saved. I am going to skip the opening ceremonies so i can help reserve our tables and have some time to help the younger players navigate from the playing halls to the skittles room.

All is well in Nashville tonight....

The tornados finally passed and did minimal damage in Nashville, but it did create some excitement. All families are accounted for with most already in Nashville.

Tornado watch in Nashville

Well, in typical midwest fashion, we are under a tornado warning in Nashville. It seems like we can't go to a tournament anywhere without less than perfect weather. Currently everyone at Gaylord Opryland is holed up in stairways and hallways. Your faithful reporter, Jeff, is holed up in the room reporting, against the wishes of hotel staff. This may earn me my pulitzer, who knows. I will continue to update, but looks like the really severe weather will miss us.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

3rd round pairings

Joseph is playing Keegan Barrett of Lindbergh High School in St. Louis. Joseph has White. I believe he beat Keegan at the state championships a few weeks ago. Keegan is rated 1140

Grace is playing Rickelle Pimental of Fox High School, Arnold Missouri. Rickelle is rated 858.

They have moved the 3rd round up 15 minutes and the 4th round up 30 minutes. Hopefully we can be on the road around 7:30 to come home.

Round 2 results

Joseph lost his game. We decided before he played that he was either to win spectacularly or lose spectacularly. The loss was spectacular!

Grace won her bye game (Josh won his also in the first round). If we only played the bye games they would both be state champs! haha

Round 2

Joseph is paired with Henry Cao from Parkway Central in St. Louis. Henry is the second highest rated player in the tournament and will be a good fight for Joseph

Grace has a bye and is playing someone from the boys tournament in a non counting game.

Our Lunch Adventure

Joseph brought a friend, Ty Wilson, who went to lunch with Grace, Lori, Joseph, and myself after round 1. Ty has family that lives in Jeff City, and was familiar with restaurants in the area. It seemed like everyone wanted Chinese, so Ty recommended Yen Ching on Missouri Boulevard. We went in, got our menus and I proceeded to ask Ty what was good on the menu. He said "I have never eaten here". I asked him the next time he had a chance to look in a dictionary to look up the work "recommend" as a functional part of the definition probably contains verbage saying that if you recommend something that maybe, by chance, you had actually eaten there! All kidding aside the food was very good and we thanked Ty for his blind recommendation.

Guest Blogger - Grace Chester

Hmmmmmmm..... so I lost my first game.....

It was just nerves though. I made a few stupid mistakes. Next game should be better.
My opponent used en passant against me, which threw me a little.

Not much else to tell...

Going to get some lunch!

Start your clocks!

It has begun!

Polgar Invite - 7 girls total, Grace Chester is seeded 6th. She is playing Jennifer Flynn on board 3. Should be an fairly even match.

Denker Invite - 13 boys total, Joseph Bridgman is seeded 13th. Joseph received a first round bye and will receive a full point, tying him for first without having to move a pawn. He is currently playing a non counting game with a girl from the Polgar Invite who also has a bye.

More updates to follow

Round Details

Rounds are scheduled for 10:30, 1:00, 3:30 and 6:00. I anticipate the tournament getting ahead of schedule given the number of players registered.

Greeting from Jefferson City!

Joseph and Grace have registered and are waiting for the first round to start. This will be a quality tournament today with the highest rated players in the state attending. St. Louis is well represented with a few from Kansas City, and then us, the little chess club that could! Please leave a comment at the bottom so we know who all is watching today! I will update when the registration is complete. Right now there are 6 girls and 12 boys registered.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

thats it for tonight!

Thanks for following us. Log into gatewaychess.org for final results for all schools and players! Goodnight!

Final High School Results

Alexander Moore 1/4
Timothy Weeks 2/4
Joseph Bridgman 3/4 , 3rd overall for board 3, qualifies for the Denker high school state championships on March 28th
Becca Weeks 3/4 Medalist
Josh Swindler 2/4
Micheal Cross 1.5/4
Paul Bowser 1/4

If Joseph wins the tournament on the 28, he would represent Missouri at the Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Champions.

final results 9th and under

Brampton Bridgman 4.5/6 (5th in the state, trophy)
Ellis Dockray 2/6

final results 8th and under

Josiah Weeks 4/6 medalist
David Laws 3/6
Matthew Howe 4/6 medalist
Josiah Moore 4/6 medalist
Reid Schmidling 3/6
Thomas McCrerey 3.5/6
Lake Sisk 3/6
Keegan Owen 3.5/6
Hunter Rich 2/6

6th grade and under

Bailey Main 2/6
Jonathan Stickler 2.5/6

Final results for 5th Grade and under

Team - 4th overall

Ben Schmidling 4/6 (Medalist)
Jeremiah Bridgman 3/6
Tommy Palmer 3.5/6
Lauren Elder 2/6
Sterling Main 2/6
David Schmidling 2/6
Jackson Stickler 3/6
Ben Hart 2/6
Alexis Sisk 3/6
Mariah Smith 2/6
Nathan Weeks 2.5/6
Alex Hall 2.5/6

very tough division

Final Results for 3rd Grade Division

3rd grade

Team - 3rd overall out of 27 (trophy)

Ian Smith 4/6 Medalist
Jack Weil 3.5/6
William Gentry 3/6
Sarah Bridgman 3/6
Sarah Weeks 2/6
Collin Gentry 1.5/6

Incredible Job!

results after 5 rounds for grade schoolers, 3 rounds for HS

going into the final round.....

9th under - 7th/16 (Brampton is on board 1 with a score of 4.5/5 if he wins he is state champion
8th under - 4th/32
6th under - 8th/19
5th under - 4th/26
3rd under - 2nd/27

High School

11th/34

round 4 completed for teams under 9th grade

It's going to be a nailbiter to the end.

9th under - 5th/16 Brampton Bridgman 4th place (only 2 players on the team)
8th under - 3rd/32
6th under - 8th/19 (only 2 players on the team)
5th under - 4th/26
3rd under - 2nd/27

top 4 teams trophy. The kids are making this look easier than it is, they are playing up to the competition right now. This is the toughest state tournament I have ever taken teams to.

round 3 completed for 9th and under

9th under - 5th/16 Brampton Bridgman 7th place
8th under - 5th/32 Lake Sisk 18th
6th under - 9th/19
5th under - 4th/26 Alexis Sisk 11th
3rd under - 6th/27 Ian Smith 18th

more up dates to come

High school results after round 2

9th/34.... a brutal tough section.

How the rounds work

The High School team plays game/60, which means each side has 60 minutes to finish the game. so regardless they will be done with each round in 2 hours. they play a total of 4 rounds

The rest of the teams plays game/30 which means each side has 30 minutes to complete their game. They play a total of 6 rounds.

I will try to have places for the top individuals after round 3.

In the High school division, the top 8 teams and the top 8 players per board receive awards.
In the other divisions the top 4 teams in each section receive awards and the top 8 players receive awards

awards = plaques or trophies, not sure yet.

OFFICIAL SCORES AFTER ROUND 2

9th under 5th/16
8th under 3rd/33
6th under 8th/21
5th under 4th/26
3rd under 7th/27

OFFICIAL SCORES AFTER ROUND 1

HS - 8TH (34 TEAMS)
9TH UNDER - 6TH (16 TEAMS)
8TH UNDER - 3RD (33 TEAMS)
6TH UNDER - 8TH (21 TEAMS)
5TH UNDER - 4TH (26 TEAMS)
3RD UNDER - 5TH (27 TEAMS)

top 4 teams trophy at state, we are sitting in good positions, just waiting to pounce!

Guest Blogger - Matthew Howe

hey whats up!?lets just say its very tiring right now cause i just realized im gonna be here for another 7 hours its gonna be a long day.
but hey i just came out and picked up my first win so......... OH HAPPY DAY.

Guest Blogger - Ellis Dockray

Round 2.There is many faces here,the smile of victory and frown of defeat.The excitement of an excellent move and the anger of a stupid one.With all these different expressions there is one constant,STRATEGY.I am honored to play along side these great chess players and we all hope to make both St.Joe Home School and Mr.Bird proud.

A quick primer for chess tournaments

The High School Division is a team event with our top player assigned to board one, our second to board 2 and so on. All board ones play each other, same for 2-4. the total score is the sum of wins for the 4 best scores per board. The HS team won 3 out of 4 the first round.

The other divisions can have as many people on the team as they want, but only the top 4 scores count toward the team total.

Guest Blogger - Matthew Howe

Hey so far today it aint so good.staring out pretty bad with a loss,hope to make a comeback in the next round which is about to start.
shoutout to all friends joe town ttyl and mister bird says im scaring him by typing and just looking at him :D see ya all at home peace.

Guest Blogger - Josh Swindler

Hey all, the first round is over and the competition is every bit as fierce as we expected. The 2nd round has started for the 9th grade and under divisions and the rest of us are relaxing and going back over our games before the 1:00 round. Thanks again for all the help to get us here and to Super-nationals.
Josh out.

Round 1 completed for 9th and under

our 8th grade and under is tied for first, winners were Josiah Weeks, David Laws, and Lake Sisk. Draws were Thomas McCrerey and Keegan Owen

Our 5th and under is tied for first, winners were Jeremiah Bridgman, Lauren Elder, Ben Schmidling, Alexis Sisk and Nathan weeks, Alex Hall had a draw.

More updates shortly.

So far so good on arrival!

People are arriving safely, looks like we will have our full team to compete

Update on weather

I heard it is snowing in St. Joseph and the roads are kinda fudgy, but everything is clear right now in Jefferson City. They are expecting snow later this morning and stopping later this afternoon. Pray for everyone's safe arrival.

Remember to reply to comments at the bottom of the posts and I will pass them along to the players!

We are in the Jefferson room

For those players at the hotel who are checking this, we are in the Jefferson room, go all the way to the back of the room, we have 3 tables, outlet, exit door (the best money can buy for free). Try to be in here by 8:30, it may get vicious as people try to get tables and I can fight them off only so long on my own!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Pray for nice weather for everyone traveling in the morning

We are suppose to get snow in Jefferson City in the morning. Please pray for safe driving conditions for everyone driving down early Saturday.

Up to 372 as of last night......

372 were registered at of 11:45 Thursday night. It may well surpass 400 by Saturday morning. Remember, Saturday is going to be a LONG day. Go to bed early tonight and get some rest.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

234 Players Registered So Far....

234 players registered so far for the state tournament. I expect this number to increase to around 400 by Saturday. The link to see the latest numbers is http://www.gatewaychess.org/

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Our team going to the State Championships


MO STATE CHESS

CHAMPIONSHIPS

JEFFERSON CITY

February 28, 2009



Senior High Division
Board 1 Alexander Moore (10)
Board 2 Timothy Weeks (12)
Board 3 Joseph Bridgman (11)
Board 4 Rebecca Weeks (10)


Board 1
Board 2 Josh Swindler (12)
Board 3 Micheal Cross (12)
Board 4 Paul Bowser (11)



9th and under

Ellis Dockray (9)

Brampton Bridgman (9)



8th and under

Matthew Howe (8)

David Laws (8)

Thomas McCrerey (8)

Josiah Moore (8)

Reid Schmidling (8)

Lake Sisk (7)

Josiah Weeks (7)

Keegan Owen (7)

Hunter Rich (7)



6th and under

Bailey Main (6)

Jonathan Stickler (6)



5th and under

Ben Hart (5)

David Schmidling (5)

Ben Schmidling (5)

Alexis Sisk (5)

Mariah Smith (5)

Jeremiah Bridgman (4)

Jackson Stickler (4)

Lauren Elder (4)

Sterling Main (4)

Tommy Palmer (4)

Nathan Weeks (4)

Alex Hall (4)



3rd and under

Ian Smith (3)

William Gentry (3)

Sarah Weeks (2)

Sarah Bridgman (2)

Jack Weil (2)

Collin Gentry (2)

Hello from my first Blog Post!

Here it is, the blog I created so our many chess fans in St. Joseph and beyond can track our progress during our 'world tour', or in this case our trip to the state championships and Supernationals! Please link to our page to follow updates and send up plenty of comments I can pass on during the tournaments. We will read them inbetween rounds and pass on your well wishes!