Trophy time!

This past weekend was the 2012 State K-12 Chess Tournament. Most people didn't even realize that this was happening because, well, let's be honest, it's chess. However, our family was keenly aware of it happenings. Noah was registered months ago and it has been the talk of the chess club for a while. It was at the University of Utah Union Building. There were 6 rounds. Noahs' record went like this:
Round 1-win (1point)Great way to start the day.
Round 2-win (1 point)It just keeps getting better.
Round 3-loss (0 points) Lost to a NEWMAN!! UGH!! That's the school everyone tries to beat.
Round 4-loss (0 points) uh oh, was it a fluke?
Round 5-win (1 point) Yeah! He beat a Newman!
Round 6-win (1 point) Really, he did awesome!
He ended up with a 4/2 record, and 18th overall in the 3rd grade. There were 111 3rd graders in the state who competed. He has a lot of potential and just enough of a competitive nature that he was able to do well. His teacher, and coach are both so excited and proud of him. Noah measured his trophy and proudly states, "it is 3 feet 7 inches tall!" We (Ben and I) have never earned a trophy as big as Noah's. "SIGH" I guess there is something to say about hoping that your kids are better than you, but it still hurts a little...Congrats Noah, you smarty pants! 

NOTE: Next time you see Noah, he may challenge you to a chess game. Be ready!

Smarty pants, farty pants

When school started last fall Noah brought home a flier that announced some spots were open for the school chess club. He has always liked to play chess with Ben, but I never thought it would go beyond that. He was interested and they only met once a week after school for an hour, so I thought it would be okay.

Occasionally they attend tournaments and he was finally able to go. His coach says that most kids when they compete in their first tournament leave without any points. They played 5 rounds with 1 point awarded each round. 1 point if you win, 0 if you lose, and 1/2 to each player for a stale mate. He ended up with 2 1/2 points and a medal at the end of the day. 

 It was amazing to me how many kids were at the tournament. The room in the picture held all the kids in grades 2-6 grades. It was a great experience for him to practice good sportsmanship and healthy competition. He is my little smarty pants!