Chess Team Resumes Monday

January 23rd, 3:05 P.M.!  See you in Mr. Post's classroom!

Tucson Open Chess Tournament

Six players — Drew, Ethan, Quinn, Soham, Thomas, Tyler — represented Harelson at our Tucson Open Chess Tournament.

Special congratulations to Thomas who placed 5^th and to Soham who received Honorable Mention, both in the under 600 section.

Way to go Bobcats!

Arizona State Grade Chess Championships

The Harelson Chess Team kicked off the new year at the state-wide Arizona State Grade Chess Championships!

Our team excelled with 11 participants!

Kinder: Tyler

2nd grade: Sofia

3rd grade: Drew, Ethan, Rumur, Quinn, Skyler

4th grade: Aaron, Ian, Xander

5th grade: Thomas

The 4th grade team proved themselves one of the top 8 teams in Arizona!  The 3rd grade team TIED FOR FIRST and were co-champions in the state! Congratulations!

As for individual awards, Drew placed 10th, Quinn 7th, and Tyler 7th in the Kindergarten section. Congratulations!

Everyone played well, had a great time, and proved Harelson's Chess Team to be one of the best in our state!

League Match 3

We had great participation at the last Southern Arizona Chess Association's (SACA's)  League Match!  Two players represented Harelson in the K-6 section and 11s in the K-3 section.  Three players competed for the first time.  The K-3 team brought home a trophy!  Congratulations to all!

SACA has posted Arizona State Grades Tournament (see website).  This year, the tournament will take place on Jan. 7^th, here in town.  Students compete against other players in the same grade. 

For players who would like additional tournament experience, on December 17^th, Arizona Chess for Schools will host a tournament at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC) . 

League Match 2

League Match 2 was a huge success! Thank you parents!  Thank you staff!  Thank you students!

The Harelson Chess Team was determined to win on home turf and players delivered! They placed 1st in the K-3 section; for many, this tournament has only been their second or third!  Congratulations to our first-time players, Thomas (K-6) and Lucas (K-3)!  WOW!

To check your child's rating at this tournament, click USCF Rating

League Match 3 will take place on Dec. 3 at BASIS Oro Valley School.  Mark your calendars!

League Match 1

League Match 1 is in the books! It took place at St. Cyril on Oct. 15th. The Harelson chess team did extremely well, placing in 5th in the K-3 section in what is only the first or second tournament for many kids. Great job!

This was also a rated tournament. To check your child's rating, click on USCF's Member Search List

League Match 2 will take place on Nov. 5 at our school!  Stay tuned for information on how YOU can help make this tournament a success!

Helpful Chess Links and Holiday Gifts

For our K-6 student-players, I highly recommend chesskid.com!  Basic membership will give players opportunities to play both slow and fast chess with others online.  This site also provides FUN and HIGHLY INSTRUCTIVE puzzles, tactics, and articles and videos, which I often use to teach!  I also recommend chesstempo.com — a dedicated site for free tactics!  Problem-solve with puzzles!  Sign up is a breeze!

Players may begin on the basic (free) account then upgrade.  Interested?  E-mail me at amateer@email.arizona.edu.  

Looking for gifts? Click below and more!

• The U.S. Chess Federation's Chess Shop
• Books and DVDs
• Books and Puzzles

Enjoy!