2022-23 Chess Club will be held in person.
Students in grades K through 5 are invited to join the Somerset Chess Club. Kindergartners should know simple math and some reading and writing. Chess is excellent at teaching children mental discipline, to look at all options, to compete under time pressure, to play fair, to learn that mistakes have consequences, to not give up when behind, and many more important life lessons. Somerset’s Chess Club has consistently performed well in state tournaments.
On Mondays, Coach Brad will lead the Beginner Group and Coach Tim will lead the Intermediate I Group.
On Tuesdays, Coach Brad will lead the Intermediate II Group and Coach Tim will lead the Advance Group.
All sessions are scheduled from 3:45pm to 5:00pm.
Club registration has closed for the 2022-23 year.
Please check and update your child's grade and teacher's name prior to registration through My Account.
Before you can register for the Chess Club, you must have an active PTSA membership. Please purchase a membership prior to starting the Chess Club registration process. Create/Renew PTSA Membership.
General registration opens at 10:00am on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. This registration will be open to all families with a PTSA Membership.
* Please note that students will not have a choice of group, as the coaches will assess and schedule students according to ability and class size. We will ask for your preferred class day but preference for class day and time cannot be guaranteed.
* Please also note registration will be a 2 step process: registration and then payment. After you submit all required information in the registration portal, we will send a separate email to your registered PTSA email addresses with a payment link. This payment link will allow you to complete payment of tuition fees, purchase your Membership, and make a donation to the PTSA Fall Fundraiser. You will move through each stage and can add the items to your cart. You should receive this email within a few minutes. If you don't, please check your spam mail or other folders under your inbox. Please complete payment to secure your child's spot in the club.
Registration:
Payment( link sent in Registration confirmation email):
Cost: The tuition rate is $380 which includes 25 chess club sessions and a Gold membership for the ChessKid website.
Not included: Extracurricular tournament registration fees if applicable (about $20 per tournament).
NO REFUNDS after registration. If COVID-19 restrictions dictate that the Chess Club moves to an on-line format after an in-person start, we are not able to refund any portion of the tuition.
Please use the online payment form provided in the registration confirmation email.
Parents must be available to attend at least one to two chess sessions during the year for each enrolled student to assist the coaches. This participation is required. Parents will help remind students to maintain social distance, help monitor students, help to run the club, help with checkout, and make sure rooms are clean at the end of class.
Use the following link to reserve your Parent Volunteer spots: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CACAD22A2FAC25-somerset
The SignUp Genius is set up with all the sessions for the rest of the school year. It is a first-come, first-serve basis so please sign up for the dates that work best for your schedule. After October 31st, in order for us to have at least two volunteers per session, we will assign dates to parents who have not signed up.
Parents must complete the Bellevue School District Volunteer background check and show proof of Covid vaccination during their first check-in at the Somerset Office on their volunteer day.
Coach Tim and Coach Brad have over 20 years of combined chess teaching experience and are the cofounders of All About Chess. Both coaches teach openings, middle game strategies, end game principles, tactics such as pins, forks, skewers, distraction, X-rays, decoys damming, blockades, and many others. They will cover checkmates, stalemates, how to determine when a piece is in trouble, how to escape trouble, how to attack and defend, how to look at all your options, preserve your material, improve your position, and how to compete.
| Advanced Chess Coach | Beginning Chess Coach | Chess Club Chairs |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Campbell | Brad Stensland | Sairam and Jenny Suresh |
| 425-777-6035 cell | 425-429-2289 | 917-757-0937 |
| xvegietim@comcast.net | theallaboutschool@gmail.com | jenny.sairam@gmail.com |
