Like chess?  

Want to Learn? Join the Bangor K-8 ONLINE Chess Club! 

When? Wednesdays 5pm-7pm* 

Where? Zoom and Chess.com (both FREE) 

Who? Any student in Bangor schools (or home-schooled) at K-8 level 

How? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/jTXUfhLy1qHW7JRi9.  to get more instructions. 

Why? Chess is fun. Sharon Klein is a mom of 2 Bangor students who love chess and wants to spread the joy. They also compete in team chess tournaments and welcome you to join them  if/when you are ready – see below for more info.  

Questions? Email Sharon Klein at wagszoo@gmail.com *Feel free to come and go. Don’t worry about missing any meetings.

Chess Tournament and Bangor Scholastic Team Information 

Chess tournaments provide an incredible opportunity for students to deepen their  understanding of chess, make new friends, have fun, try something new, and gain  confidence in themselves …and maybe win a trophy (kids love trophies!).

Scholastic tournaments (specifically geared toward children) tend to mostly occur January-March.  Normally, tournaments cost money (entry fee plus US Chess Federation (USCF)  membership fee). Thanks to the Maine Chess Association (MCA), the tournaments listed  below are FREE for students, and the MCA is covering the USCF fee. Students must register online with the MCA before Feb 25 to get the free UCSF membership – Ms. Klein can send you the link or fill out the registration for you. 

Tournaments are all-day, typically starting around 8 or 9am and ending somewhere  between 3 and 5pm, depending on how fast everyone plays. There are usually 4 rounds.  Each round starts after all games from the previous round finish. Students play chess or  other games with each other in between rounds while they wait. Parents provide  transportation for and stay with their children. If that is a hardship, let me know, and we can work out a carpool. 

The Maine Scholastic Chess Team Championship on March 12, 2022 is a special TEAM  chess competition where each school competes for the state title. I am coaching Abraham  Lincoln and Cohen chess teams for this event but am also willing to coach other Bangor K 8 teams (there is already a high school team) if there is interest or explain to other  motivated parents how to sign up a team for their school. I am exploring possibilities for  group transportation for this event since it is so far away. 

Chess Tournament Schedule (all Saturdays, approx. 8am-5pm) 

Saturday   Tournament   Dates	Tournament Name	Tournament Location
Jan 8	Bob Solinger Memorial Tournament*	John Bapst High School, Bangor
Jan 15	Saco Scholastic Winter Quads	Thornton Academy Middle School,  Saco
Jan 17 (MLK day)	Annual MLK Jr. Chess Tournament*	All Saints School, Bangor
Feb 12	Kathy Richards Girls’ and Maine Women’s  Championships*	Brunswick Junior High School,  Brunswick
Feb 26	All Saints Winter Warm-Up*	All Saints School, Bangor
March 5	Claude E. Webber Memorial Cup*	Bonny Eagle Middle School,   Buxton
March 12	Maine Team Scholastic Championships	Lewiston – exact location TBD
March 19	Maine Individual Scholastic Championships	TBD – historically has been in  Bangor or Orono

*Adults welcome to play as well 

If you are interested in learning more about the tournaments listed here, visit  https://scholastics.chessmaine.org/schedule. If you are interested in joining the Abe  Lincoln or Cohen team or forming another Bangor K-8 team for the March 12  championship, or have any other questions, please email me at wagszoo@gmail.com.