AREA CHESS PLAYERS TAKE NOTE! Registration is now open for the 2020 Park County Chess Open, which will take place 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, March 28 in Grizzly Hall at the Cody Library. The tournament, organized by Bradley Fick and teen librarian Shelly Waidelich, is free and open to the public.
All ages are welcome. Prizes will be awarded for three skill levels, Rookies, Knights and Royals.
Lunch and snacks, courtesy of the Park County Library Foundation, will be provided. The Friends of the Cody Library will underwrite the prizes.
The Friends and the Foundation funded the purchase of 22 tournament boards and 22 chess clocks in 2018.
Tournament boards are preferred as they help keep distraction to a minimum. Chess clocks have two buttons – one to track each player’s time.
Fick encourages players who have tournament boards and clocks to bring them.
He chose a Swiss-system tournament because it gives everyone a chance to play. It is a non-eliminating format that pairs competitors with similar running scores. Time controls will be 45 minutes for each player.
So that the most contenders can be scheduled in the first round, Fick encourages entrants to sign up ahead of time. To register, stop by the Cody teen library or call (307) 527-1889. Walk-ins will be allowed.
For the past 10 years, Waidelich has cultivated the teen room chess club. She schedules regular practices, sessions with a coach and teen only tournaments. Initially, she thought chess would be a great way to teach strategy and focus. She was searching for an interesting alternative for the computer gamers. From modest beginnings, she and Fick are now promoting their fourth Park County Open for all ages and levels of expertise. The first Park County Open attracted 37 contenders.
For more information, email [email protected].
