Chess Club
Chess is played by everyone all over the world!
Welcome to MHCS Chess Club webpage. Here you will find games, tournament info, and much more!
-In association with ChessInTheSchools.org, we are excited to bring the game of chess to all MHCS students to help develop critical thinking skills, strategy development, and cognitive reinforcement. Additionally, students will be able to participate in local and national tournaments. If you have any questions regarding participation or events, please see Mr. Munoz (MHCS Chess Coordinator).
-In association with ChessInTheSchools.org, we are excited to bring the game of chess to all MHCS students to help develop critical thinking skills, strategy development, and cognitive reinforcement. Additionally, students will be able to participate in local and national tournaments. If you have any questions regarding participation or events, please see Mr. Munoz (MHCS Chess Coordinator).
Chess makes you smarterChess in Uganda, AfricaHere's a video clip, produced by ESPN Films, or a remarkable teenage girl from African who has used Chess as a way of helping others and become a hero to many. If you are a Chess lover, you must watch this film.
Benefits of Chess in Education
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History of the gameNo one really knows for sure where the game originated. Some experts say it originated in India 1,400 years ago, while others say it may have started in China. But what's certain is that the game we play today evolved over many centuries when the game spread all over Europe during the 1400's.
If you would like to learn more about the history, the players, and even the influence of the pieces, please see the following links:
Chess History SlideshowYou may click on each picture to learn more about it
It is believed that chess originated in the area now called Iran, in the Middle East. This painting depicts a chess match from the 13th century (almost 800 years ago!)
How do you play chess?The following sites are to instructional material on the game. Click on the links below and see which one helps you:
Free online chess game A chess game will pop up
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The Phases of a Chess Game
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Chess.com produced this amazing video explaining the importance of developing pieces (which pieces and positions are best to move). The narrator explains in a fun way the fundamentals of opening a game, the middle game, and the end game.
Additionally, the video explains in a clear, fun way, why is it important to dominate the center, reviews some of the chess tactics popular today, and how to exploit your opponent's weakness. A short, but very informative video. For more information on tactics, or to see more tutorials, I recommend you become a member of Chess.com. |
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How to write down a chess gameThis is called Chess Notation (or Algebraic Notation) and it's the ability to write down your and opponent's moves in order to recreate the game later on. Why is this useful? You can analyze the game later on and see how you can improve.
In class we will learn chess notation, but here are several sites to refresh or introduce you to it: |
Chess NotationHere are the symbols used to represent all the chess pieces and their actions. You will need to learn them in order to record a game for later use.
King: K Queen: Q Rook: R Knight: N Pawn: file (letter & rank) Capture: x Check: + Mate: # Castle King side: 0-0 Castle Queen Side: 0-0-0 Source: Wikipedia Chess Notation
Other Chess Symbols?? - Blunder
? - Mistake ?! - Dubious Move !? - Interesting Move ! - Good Move !! - Brilliant Move |
Notation SheetsNeed scoring sheets to record your games? Click on the Download button and print them for your use. NOTE: This file is in PDF format, not in MS Word.
APPA Scoring Sheet
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Join ChessKid.com or Chess.com Join ChessKid.Com, it's free, fun, and safe!
ChessKid.com is a free online service where students can sign up and play chess games in a safe and fun environment. Mr. Munoz has an account here, and has created clubs. Ask him to join!
Chess.com
Sign up for free at Chess.com. The best global chess site where you can play against someone from any part of the world who has the same skill level as you. Mr. Munoz is a member as well. Ask him for his member name to be part of his "friends" list.
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Nine-Year-Old Girl is a U.S. Chessmaster
Yes, a 9 year old girl became a United States chess master. She can play games without even looking at the board!
Read the article here Boxing Champ Mayweather is a Chess Expert
Floyd Mayweather made a hilarious cameo on ‘The Colbert Report’.
The boxing champion stopped by to elaborate on his love of chess. See the video here |
Play a game with a GrandMaster
Fisher vs. Tal, Leipzig, East Germany, 1960
The following were actual games played between Grand Masters as far back as 1619! Follow the chess notation and recreate the games on your own, or with a friend, and see who won and why.
You can find more historical games by clicking here: Chessgames.com (type in the last name of the chess player you want to see, and a list of games will appear. Notable players to search for are: Tal, Carlen, Kasparov, Karpov, Capablanca, and Fisher.)
You can find more historical games by clicking here: Chessgames.com (type in the last name of the chess player you want to see, and a list of games will appear. Notable players to search for are: Tal, Carlen, Kasparov, Karpov, Capablanca, and Fisher.)
Who are the greatest chess players ever?It's hard to say who were the greatest players ever because today's players learn from studying other players, but the FIDE (World Chess Federation) uses a Score Value to determine a players ability to beat others. An beginning player may score under 1100, while a average chess player ranks around 1200, while a very good player may have a 1400-1700 score, but Masters, and Grandmasters top over 2000!
Here's a list of chess players who have reached the highest scores ever recorded. Who's #1 today? Magnus Carlen - and he's only 22 years old! See the list here |
Einstein vs. Oppenheimer (1933)
Dr. Albert Einstein is best known for being a great physicist, leading to many discoveries in the world of science, but did you know he was also a chess player?
Here's a recorded game between Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer (also a scientist) played in Princeton University, New Jersey. One of them made a killer move which led the other to resign! Epic! |
Rules that need clarification:
The following are videos are tutorials from Chess.com. This site allows anyone, at any skill level to play anyone in the world in safe, educational environment. Mr. Munoz is a paid member, but you can sign up for free as well. If you wish to see more video, please video their Youtube, Facebook, or at Chess.com. Check!
En Passant:En passant (from French: in passing) is a move in the board game of chess. It is a special pawn capture which can occur immediately after a player makes a double-step move from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had the pawn moved only one square forward. (Wikipedia)
Please watch the video, made by Chess.com, that explains in detail the full rule of "en passant" I, Mr. Muñoz, am a member of Chess.com. Ask me for my profile name to add me to your "friends" list, to set up games or go over some moves. |
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Castling King or Queen Side:Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving a player's king and either of the player's original rooks. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces in the same move turn. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then moving the rook to the square over which the king crossed. Castling can only be done if the king has never moved, the rook involved has never moved, the squares between the king and the rook involved are unoccupied, the king is not in check, and the king does not cross over or end on a square in which it would be in check. Castling is one of the rules of chess and is technically a king move (Hooper & Whyld 1992:71). (Wikipedia)
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Chess Tactics:
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Pinned
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece. "To pin" refers to the action of the attacking piece inducing the pin, and the defending piece so restricted is described as pinned.
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Fork - double attackThe double attack occurs when a single piece creates two threats that cannot both be defended by the opponent. A double attack does not always mean that two enemy pieces are directly attacked.
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Tempo - Losing and GainingIn chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, the player "gains a tempo"; and conversely when a player takes one more move than necessary, the player "loses a tempo". Similarly, when a player forces their opponent to make moves not according to their initial plan, one "gains tempo" because the opponent wastes moves. A move that gains a tempo is often called a move "with tempo".
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Pawn Structure
Although considered a weak piece, the Pawn can be a powerful force if used properly, more so when used in uni sense with other pawns. This video briefly explains how to use Pawns effectively and what to avoid.
Thank you to ChessNYC.com and Howcast.com for their videos. |
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Smothered Checkmate
Considered one of the trickiest moves in Chess, Smothered Checkmate involves using the opponent's pieces as a road-block of escape and therefore causing a checkmate. There are many forms of this checkmate, and this video shows one example.
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Top Five Best Sacrifices
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In this 12- minute produced by www.thechesswebsite.com, we see the top 5 best sacrifices ever recorded. Although this is a point of view, we can learn of how the Sacrifice strategy can be a powerful weapon. I enjoyed them tremendously and I hope you will too.
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Strategies: Openings - Queens & Kings Gambit
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According to many chess experts, the start of the game, called The Opening is a crucial component of any game. This videos provide the Opening strategy called Queens and Kings Gambit.
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Chess Videos by Mato Jelic
The following chess videos are games analyzed by Mato Jelic. Mr. Mato, a chess expert, explains the moves made in the game and discusses which was the "critical move". These videos are between 4 to 6 minutes long, and with the great commentary from Mr. Mato, you are sure to learn.
You may see more of Mr. Mato's videos by visitng his Youtube.com site.)
You may see more of Mr. Mato's videos by visitng his Youtube.com site.)
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Tal vs. Unknown Player, Soviet Union 1963
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Einstein vs. Oppenheimer, Princeton, NJ 1933
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Vooremaa vs Lvik, Estonia 1962
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Tirard vs Silvert, Lille 2000
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Sery vs Zoltan Vecsey, Brunn 1921
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Hanuauer vs Bartha, New York, US 1929
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Tal vs Unzicker, Stockholm 1961
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Junek vs Stickel, Prague 1941
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Nimzowitsch vs Tartakower -Carlsbad 1911
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Kasparov vs Speelman
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Capablanca vs Mattison - Karlsbad 1929
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Lukomski vs Podebin - Correspondence 1929
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