Hillsborough School
Contents
UPDATE: Free practice tournament using Tornelo in preparation for the interschool regional event on Friday.
This practice is on Thursday 16 September starting at 5.30pm and finishing about 7.30pm.
If you have not used Tornelo for online play before, I strongly recommend you play at least a couple of games in this practice tournament.
It is different from chess.com and lichess.org
Click here to register now and also
click here to join from 5.15pm onwards, ready to start at 5.30pm sharp.
It's OK to arrive late. If you leave early, please let me know in the online video room.
Please everyone join the Jitsi video room after you sign in, and check in.
So what is this all about?
We want you to be part of the school online chess team. Let's talk about what's involved.
We have qualified for the ChessPower National Finals to be held on 23 October. If Auckland is not at Covid Level 1, we cannot send a team and we would play online. Even if we send a team in person, we can still also have a team that plays online.
So I would like us to practice online playing. Also if we win an online tournament, we're allowed to take an extra player in our team to the National Finals.
Please invite any of your Hillsborough Primary School chess-playing friends to check out this page.
There is a qualifying tournament being held online this Friday 17 September. We want you to be part of the team but it will cost $15. If this is too much for you, then please contact Wayne McDougall to discuss your options. Because we really want you to play if you can.
Let's talk about what you need to do:
- The tournament will run all school day Friday. So you would need to talk to your teacher about missing a day of online learning
and make arrangements for anything you need to catch up on.
- The tournament is hosted on an online system named Tornelo.
You already have an online chess profile there but you need link it to a login. This can take a while so do it now. Contact Wayne McDougall if you have any problems. Here's what you need to do:
- Go to Tornelo and click on the button "SIGN UP – ITS FREE"
- Fill in the form to create your login profile. Don't forget your password!
- Now click here for the Tournament web page and then click on the "Register Now" button to register for the tournament. This is also the page you click on to play on Friday
- Click "Add One Player" and then enter your first and last name, and then click on "Next Step"
- Click on "New Player Profile" and then click on "Finish"
- Now click on "Next Step", choose Junior and choose $15 Payment Option for Parents
- Under Group/Team name type in "Hills" and then you can choose "Hillsborough School" from the pop up list.
- For estimated rating put in 600 and then click on "Next Step"
- Put in your contact phone number and click on "Next Step"
- Now choose "Pay later" and then click on "Confirm Entry". You should receive an email confirming your entry.
- It's pretty easy when you just do it. Please make the effort. Please contact Wayne McDougall if you have any issues.
- Get your device ready. A mouse is much easier to use than a touch-screen or a track pad. Ideally you should have a webcam. Make sure you have a place where you can use the device, keep it charged, connected to the internet from 8.45am to about 2.15pm.
- Don't pay through Tornelo. I suggest you pay the $15 online to School Chess Association 03-1500-0082369-00. Use your child's first and last name as a reference please.
- I have created a free practice tournament for tonight (Wednesday). Register here in the same way. It runs from 6pm to 8pm. You can arrive late and leave early. But try to play at least two games. Again, contact Wayne McDougall if you have any problems. We want to sort it out now, rather than on Friday.
- I will make another practice event on Thursday. Let me know what times you like.
- Practice games online. LiChess is what I recommend but you can also use chess.com
- It would help if you register as part of the school chess team so we can contact you easily.
- Get some sleep. Go to bed on time or early tonight and Thursday nights.
- Check back here every day for updates
- On Friday:
- Ideally you should be in school uniform as you are competing and representing your school
- If possible you should have your webcam on while you are playing your games. You do not need to keep it on in between game rounds. You should not leave your computer during the game, so make sure you use the toilet before your game. Have a drink close to hand.
- Some players will be chosen at random, or if playing very well, to have their webcams on so they can be observed
- Do not cheat. I know none of you would cheat, but don't do anything even for fun or to be silly. Don't look at your phone or other devices while playing your games. Don't talk to other people or let people talk to you. Don't worry if you think the other person is cheating because they will be caught. You don't need to accuse them.
- If anything weird does happen, there is both the online chat and also a Call Arbiter button to click on
- At 8.45am get connected and signed in, and join the Zoom chat room - there is a button on the Tornelo website to connect to Zoom.
If you have any problems contact Wayne McDougall
Email waynemcdougall@gmail.com or phone or text mobile 021669768
- No after school chess club until both Covid Level 1 and the school agrees to resume after school chess
Every Tuesday during term time after school from 3pm to 5pm SHARP we meet in the Kiwi rooms (rooms 3-4). Your child does not need to attend every session, and we will not follow up on a child who is not present. Your child may arrive late and leave early. We will make sure children are collected by a caregiver the child recognises and we will make provisions for any child that is not picked up by 5pm. You will be liable for any costs incurred but we will try to make sure that doesn't happen.
If you arrange for your children to walk home after chess club, then you and your children are responsible for them getting home safely.
You and your child are responsible for seeing that the child attends the chess club. We plan for you to be able to check that your child is present by checking online.
In short, children are precious. We want to keep them safe. But we can't read minds or perform miracles. If they go walking off the shops when you told them to go to chess club, we don't know where they are. Your children and you need to be responsible. Having said that, Wayne McDougall has run after school chess at Hillsborough Primary School for 15 years, with the same policy, and it has not been a problem.
The club is run by FIDE National Instructor Wayne McDougall. You can contact him on mobile 021 669 768. But he may not reply immediately if he is busy training pupils.
This chess club is free. We may ask for a $10 donation (once for the year) to cover the cost of snacks. Please pack after school snacks for your child.
If your child does not know how to play chess, but wishes to learn we will teach them. They can start at any age.
We want information about your child so we may
- contact you in the unlikely event of a problem
- keep your child safe
- notify you about upcoming chess competitions
This information will only ever be used for school chess purposes. We collect birth dates as some chess competitions are divided into age groups.
You can contact us at any time to review and correct information we have stored about your child or to have that information removed.
Photos and video recordings may be taken of your children in accordance with New Zealand law. These photos may be used for promoting the school and chess. Photos and recordings may be taken of your children as they compete in chess competitions in public places run by other organisations.
We're going to have fun playing chess and get better at chess.
We're going to enter chess competitions. There will often be entry fees. There may be transport costs. Some competitions are open to anyone. Some have restricted entries so we will choose our best players to attend. Attending outside competitions is not required but will make you better and give you a goal.
If the cost of competition is a problem for your family, you can discuss in private Mr McDougall. We don't want anyone with ability and determination to miss out because of the cost.
- Respect - we treat everyone with respect, including our opponents - the people we play with
- Honesty - we play fair. We don't cheat. We don't accuse others of cheating
- Friendliness - we win graciously. We lose graciously
- Curiosity - we ask for help when we need help
- Excellence - We play with honour and do our best
- We stay safe. We don't throw pieces
- We tell an adult if we have a problem
- All school rules still apply
The first external tournaments will probably be in May. Check here for updates.