The chess thing at school is fraying a bit. Another dad and I are taking turns at running Chess Club on Fridays, and communication is not a strong suit for either of us. The principal is very supportive but he is away at present, guest starring at another school.
This tournament was just suddenly upon us and we didn't really organise things well. Elf and couple of other parents managed to get our team of 7 out to the venue at Sacred Heart (or Holy Pump, I can never remember which it is). But neither I nor Other Dad nor any of the transport parents were able to stay for the day. Of course this was not really acceptable to dump them there with no supervision, so our school dispatched a teacher's aide to keep an eye on things - fortunately one who is keen on chess.
I feel bad about the whole thing, as I am very keen on the whole team aspect of these chess tournaments, and I like to be there encouraging the kids, and trying to use the successes of some to boost the morale of others. All that stuff.
Marcus sets himself goals at each of his tournaments, and they are always realistic, which is admirable. He was going for 4 points from 7 games yesterday, and fell short with 3 and a half. He was a bit upset when Elf got there to collect half the team. One of his mates finished on 5 points, and Marcus felt he should have done better than he did.
One of the tricky things is that Marcus was probably playing tougher games. The top ranked players are on the low numbered tables, and Marcus got as high as Table 4, and had some drawn-out struggles with very good opponents. When you lose you move to a lower table, but by the end of the day Marcus was still at the top end of the hall.
I have just looked up the amazingly detailed stats that they have on chessKids.com.au for all tournaments. Because of his tough opponents, Marcus' rating has actually gone up a little after yesterday. I just popped in to tell him before he fell asleep - I think that puts a better slant on it for him.
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