Fall Chess Tournaments in Utah

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By the chess coach and author Jonathan Whitcomb

Low-cost chess lessons are available in the Salt Lake Valley, from the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah. Please call the phone number shown below for more information about private (and group) chess instruction, which lessons cost only $25 each.

Update: Fall Chess Tournament in Central Utah in 2017

The Young Living Chess Tournament for children will be held on Saturday, Oct 28, 2017, near Mona, Utah. The entry fee is only $5 per child (at the door), but registration is requested before Oct 12th. Phone the tournament director for more information:

Jonathan Whitcomb 801-590-9692

Free Chess Tournament in South Jordan on October 29, 2016

Children of many ages participated in a three-round free chess tournament at the South Jordan Library, and three chess instructors watched the competition. We hope that other free tournaments can be held at this public library in 2017, possibly as early as January.

Eighteen young chess players competed, with three of them getting a perfect 3-0 score by the end of the afternoon: Moses Samuelson-Lynn, Paxton Cichos, and Aiden Gandhi. The tournament was directed by the chess teacher Alexander Gustafsson, and I, Jonathan Whitcomb (another chess instructor), helped a bit.

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chess tournament for children in South Jordan, UtahSometimes a chess tournament is not so busy, especially after most games are done

This event was less formal than many chess tournaments, not being rated by the United States Chess Federation, but it allowed the children to gain experience without having to worry about the expense (it was free).

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children play chess in a tournament in Utah

A young tournament competitor records a move in chess notation

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At the end of the tournament, I analyzed the results and found a fascinating statistic: The children from 8-9 years old did much better than those 10-13 years old, and I mean MUCH better: The younger group scored 65%; the older, only 36%.

Then I saw an explanation: Those who had a chess coach before the tournament scored 75%; those without a coach, only 33%. Formal face-to-face chess training makes a huge difference: 88% of the 8-9 year-olds had a chess tutor, but none of the 10-13 year-olds did.

(Two of the eighteen competitors registered for the tournament on the day of the even, so I don’t know their ages or whether or not they have a chess coach.) I do know that taking chess lessons can greatly improve a child’s ability to compete in the royal game. None of my own students, unfortunately, were able to compete on this day.

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two children compete in a game of chess in Utah

A moment of concentration in a chess game

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children in a chess tournament in UtahIt was a long afternoon of chess competition

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Utah Open Chess Tournament of 2016

This event, sponsored by the Utah Chess Association and rated by the United States Chess Federation, was held from November 4-5, 2016, in four separate sections in Salt Lake City. The strongest competition was in the “Open-2” section (with 29 players):

  • Two National Masters
  • One Candidate Master
  • Three First Category players

The following seven competitors scored at least 3½ points:

  • Bryan B. Leano  (4½-½)
  • Hans M. Morrow  (4-1)
  • Alexander K. Gustafsson  (3½-1½)
  • Eric Hon  (3½-1½)
  • Randy D. Zumbrunnen  (3½-1½)
  • David Vasquez  (3½-1½)
  • Luis A. Goodrich  (3½-1½)

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Chess Lessons in the Salt Lake Valley

Jonathan Whitcomb is one of a number of chess teachers (private chess tutors) in the SLV of Utah. Several things may set him apart from other chess instructors, however:

  • Private lessons are only $25 each
  • The first getting-acquainted session is free
  • He is the author of a chess book: Beat That Kid in Chess
  • He can drive to your home for chess lessons

There’s no extra charge for his driving to your home for chess instruction, provided you live in the Salt Lake Valley. Call 801-590-9692 for more information.

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Low-cost chess lessons in Utah

Chess Coach Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah (author of the book “Beat That Kid in Chess”), offers private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley . . .

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2016 Utah Open Chess Championship

This tournament, held early in November, had four sections

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Chess Coach (Whitcomb) in the Salt Lake Valley

This chess coach (who lives in Murray) is now offering private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah . . . [cities include] Belmont Heights, Cottonwood Heights, Taylorsville, Holladay, Kearns, Midvale, West Jordan . . . $25 per lesson.

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Chess Instruction in Utah

Your chess instruction will be precisely arranged according to your individual needs, to most effectively help you improve in your chess-playing abilities.

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Chess Tournament for Children

Eighteen young chess warriors competed in a tournament on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the South Jordan Library of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. The chess tournament director, Alexander Gustafsson, a chess instructor and one of the top rated players in Utah . . .

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Chess Lessons in Salt Lake City Area

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By Jonathan Whitcomb, a chess coach in Murray, Utah

A generic online chess lesson cannot equal the value of a quality face-to-face session of chess instruction, yet the following may help you improve your skill in playing the royal game. My private chess lessons are individualized for each student and cost only $25 per one-hour session. A face-to-face coaching lesson allows me to come to understand how a student thinks about particular chess positions and how that student makes decisions about what move to make on the chess board. That allows the student to get exactly what is most needed in chess instruction.

Contact the chess teacher

Different Kinds of Chess Beginners

Before getting into a brief online chess training for beginners, let’s be clear about two kinds of novices in the royal game:

  1. Knows nothing, or nearly nothing, about the rules of chess
  2. Knows most, or all, of the rules but has little skill in playing the game

This post, “Chess Lessons in Salt Lake City Area,” is mainly for the second kind of beginner, yet let’s consider the first one, before moving on.

I recently began a new style of chess instruction for teaching the first kind of beginner. Instead of just demonstrating how each of the six types of pieces moves, I showed this chess beginner how to checkmate a lone king with a queen and king. She was given a choice between three different squares that the queen could move to, all three squares being close to the opposing king. She naturally learned how the queen moves by making the moves herself, rather than just watching me move the queen around.

But let’s move on to the brief lesson for beginners who know at least some of the rules.

Brief Online Chess Lesson

If you are a chess beginner who knows most of the rules of the game, how long does it take you to find the best move for White in the following position? If you quickly found the best move, and you’re positive it is the best move, this mini-lesson may be too easy for you. You might try “queen versus rook endgame.”

What is the best queen move for White?

White to move, what is best?

If you did not quickly find the best move in the above position, please look at the following diagram, which gives you four choices (out of many) for a queen move:

Which of these four squares is best for the white queen to move to?

Which of these four squares should the queen move to? (h4, f6, f7, or f8)

Let’s look at the position after White moves the queen to f7:

White made the blunder of causing a stalemate

This would be a blunder, for White has given Black a stalemate draw

Moving the white queen to f7 would prevent the Black king from moving anywhere, yet it would not put that king into check. Instead of winning with checkmate, White would get only a draw by stalemate.; instead of getting a full point from a win, White would get only half a point from a draw. Moving the queen to f7 would therefore be a big blunder.

Now here’s the position after the queen moves to f6 instead of f7:

This is not checkmate, but mate can come on the next move

Moving the queen to f6 would check the black king, but it’s not checkmate

Qf6 is far better than Qf7, but it’s still not the best move. After the black king moves to g8 (the only legal move), White will then have two ways to get an immediate checkmate.

Let’s now look at the move Qh4:

The black king is now in check

Moving Qh4 is not the best choice, but White can win on the next move

Qh4 checks the black king, so it cannot be stalemate. Yet Black is not yet checkmated, for that king will now move to g8. Now let’s look at the best move for White from the original position in the first diagram:

White checkmates the black king

White made the best move: Qf8, an immediate checkmate

Moving the queen to f8 is best, immediately checkmating the black king.

Now, if you will, consider lessons from a chess tutor, namely me.

Whitcomb demonstrates winning a chess end game

Chess instructor Jonathan Whitcomb in an instructional video

Whatever your skill, or lack thereof, in the royal game, a private lesson is generally the fastest way to learn chess. Whether you want to simply learn the rules or learn to win a game, face-t0-face chess lessons can be individualized for you. That is how I prepare for private chess instruction after the first free introductory session.

I usually drive to the home of the chess student, and this is generally in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. Age makes no difference, and you’re free to ask questions.

Call me at the number shown below or send me an email to learn more. The getting-acquainted session is FREE, so you don’t need to hesitate. Decide in your own time what you’ll then do about the possibility of regular lessons, which are only $25 for each one-hour session.

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Chess Instruction in the Salt Lake City Area

Before I go into details on how I teach chess lessons in Utah, lets look at a game I recently played with a child. Playing a chess game with a student is not always the best use of time during a lesson, but this particular child had few opportunities to play the royal game during the preceding two weeks, and he needed the practice.

Salt Lake Valley Chess Coach

Jonathan Whitcomb . . . is the developer of the NIP system of chess instruction (nearly-identical positions) and the author of the book Beat That Kid in Chess. This new chess book may be the first such publication that systematically uses the NIP method of instruction.

“How to Beat Your Dad at Chess”

I wrote [“Beat That Kid in Chess”] for the raw beginner who knows how to play chess but who always loses (or almost always) for lack of knowledge and skill in competing. “How to Beat Your Dad at Chess” (HBYDC), on the other hand, is much more useful for more advanced players, those who have had more experience than the low-level beginner.

Win or draw a chess end game (by a chess tutor)

YouTube instructional video: a brief introduction on how to play a chess end game and prepare to promote a pawn or to draw when you have a lone king

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“How to Beat Your Dad at Chess”

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Introduction to the Book Review

How can I objectively evaluate How to Beat Your Dad at Chess? I, Jonathan Whitcomb, have written a chess book with a similar cover: Beat That Kid in Chess. Both have cartoon characters on the cover and have the word “beat” in the title. But these books differ greatly on the inside: They’re for different readers. And that difference makes it possible for me to be objective in this brief review.

I wrote mine for the raw beginner who knows how to play chess but who always loses (or almost always) for lack of knowledge and skill in competing. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (HBYDC), on the other hand, is much more useful for more advanced players, those who have had more experience than the low-level beginner.

Murray Chandler's book on chess

“Including the 50 Deadly Checkmates” – subtitle

Who Most Benefits From Chandler’s Chess Book?

Although Murray Chandler is a grandmaster, the book is not most useful to masters or even experts, at least when compared with how much the average tournament competitor and chess club player can benefit from it. Nevertheless, the range of skill of players who most need this chess book is huge: at least in the range of 700-1700 in USCF ratings (or equivalent strength in unrated persons). Those outside that range may benefit from a disciplined study and practice of what’s in this book but are not as likely to improve as much in their playing strength as those within that range.

Who should benefit the absolute most from How to Beat Your Dad at Chess? Not necessarily the player who competes against his or her father, in spite of the title. It may be the person who has played a few dozen games of chess and learned how to avoid throwing away material for free (most of the time) and learned how to take advantage of blunders made by opponents who throw away material. That’s the player who has learned much from experience but who has not yet studied checkmating tactics outside of that over-the-board experience. We should add that this player has also learned to attack his opponent’s king but has not always been successful in forcing checkmate.

What Does This Chess Book Contain?

It’s 125+ instructional pages contain 50 mini-chapters and a test section (with solutions to the chess puzzles). These are very important for tournament players to master, truly practical tactical motifs. To be completely accurate, let’s consider the fine print at the bottom of the Introduction in the book:

. . . there are 47 checkmating strategies. Number 11 shows how to save a difficult game with perpetual check, and Numbers 10 and 12 are themes to win material.

In other words, 94% of these patterns of tactics end in checkmate, the ultimate competitive goal of the game of chess.

What About Beginners?

This chess book, however, is far from ideal for most beginners. In particular, most raw beginners would improve much faster by the study of other publications on the royal game. For those who know the rules of play but little else about the game, I recommend my own book, Beat That Kid in Chess. It is precisely created for such players.

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Book How to Beat Your Dad at Chess

Comparing two chess books – a brief review of both

Two chess books reviewed

Beat That Kid in Chess (BTKC) is for the early beginner, who knows the rules of the game but little or nothing else, who would like to win but has little idea how. How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (HBYDC) is best for the more experienced player, who has won some games but wants to win more . . .

Best chess book for novice / beginners

Different kinds of chess books and their various purposes for the reader

Chess Tutor in Utah

For most students (children, teenagers, or adults), a lesson will be for one hour. With some younger children, however, it may be advisable to have a shorter lesson, suitable to the attention span of those youngsters. The tutor, Jonathan Whitcomb, is open to discussing it with a parent or guardian, when the student is very young.

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