Blitz! Photo Essay.

This is the scene before every round. A mob of kids go to find their pairings all at the same time. This is the high school section. I try to stay clear of them since they are bigger and taller then me. I don't want to be standing between a 6 foot tall kid and his pairing. I suppose I could do a few round house kicks, some elbow blocks, and let out a nice loud yell to clear a path.

How many tournament directors does it take to figure out why the computer paired the way it did?

Volunteer with a sense of humor.

For an event like this volunteers play a crucial role in helping to keep things going smoothly. They do lots of different jobs. It isn't easy being a volunteer at an event like this. The hours can be long, and some people are just a big pain in the butt. I watched some poor volunteer who was monitoring the entrance to one of the playing rooms have to deal with a crazed parent who demanded to be allowed in. Having to say no to people can be painful when the only answer they want is "Yes, you may do something that the other 2,000 people standing here can't do."

Most of the times people are nice, but they ask a lot of questions that the volunteer may not be able to answer. The gentleman pictured above had a very resourceful way of dealing with the questions. He was taking results for the K-3 section. He made up the sign that he held up for me. I'm not sure how clear it came out.

Pairings are outside to the left.

I

KNOW

NOTHING EXCEPT

There are 6 rounds of 2 games each.

K-6 is behind you - not here.

There is no K-1 section. K-3 is for 3rd grade and below

What do you do in between rounds of a blitz tournament?

Play more blitz!

Did you have to ask?

Diamond Abdus-Shakoor of Ohio

I met Diamond and her father in Orlando in December. She's a second grader and recently went 6-0 in the Columbus District Elementary Chess Championship that was open to kids up to fifth grade. That's an impressive result!

Andrew Tang K-3 Blitz Champion

Sean Vibbert K-6 Blitz Champion

Josh Colas 2nd Place K-6 Blitz

Aaron Landseman K-9 Blitz Champion


Matt Perry K-12 Blitz Champion