Step by step instructions (Part 2) on having your kids start

playing in rated chess scholastic tournaments in the US

If you want to read the 1st part, see my blog

PREPARATIONS OF PARENTS
On the day (days) before the game
1) Have all chess equipments you have ready, such as sharpen the pencils, if you have bought chess digital clocks, learn how to use it and set it to the time control advised on website for the game. But if you do not have chess clocks, not a big deal, maybe your opponent has one; in addition, scholastic chess tournaments we went do not require one.
2) Remember to bring some cash with you, you need buy lunch for you and your kids, and you may need to pay for the registration fee at the door if you did not register in advance.
Some tournaments have some food for sale on site, some do not. Then you have to find a fast food chain nearby.
3) Bring a magazine, book to kill time when you wait in skittles room.
4) Check online, know where is the tournament and where is nearest restaurant for lunch, plan your trip for the next day accordingly.
5) Bring long sleeved cloths for your kids, some playing hall (especially the one located in basement) is too cold.

On the morning of the game
Prepare breakfast for kids. Maybe you do not need to prepare a special one, but do not let kids skip the breakfast. It is a long day, kids need enough energy supply.

Do you need to bring you kids’ games with you, such as DS?
I think it depends. Between the rounds, kids need to kill time, and they also need to take a rest and keep fresh for the next round. If they have nothing to do, they will feel bored. On the other hand, if they kept the energy and concentration on games all the time during the break, they may not have enough gas left in the tank for the next round.
Therefore, my suggestion is,
1) If you know beforehand that several friends of the kids will go to the same tournament, running around the corridors, lobby or skittles rooms with friends should be a nice activity for them, you do not need to bring game machines with you (remind your kids to be quiet.)
2) Other wise, you may bring the kids’ favorite games with him. But make sure, a) the kids should not play games all the time between the rounds, take some rest by walking around, going to bathrooms or taking some deep breaths, b) the chess tournament should be a good opportunity for your kids to make some new friends to play around.

PREPARATIONS OF KIDS
Not much, it will be a long day, have a good sleep the night before. The purpose is having fun not winning all the games. You will become stronger and better by losing games. But be patient.

Good luck to all of you.


TheChessDad
www.TheChessDad.com