I can announce it now, I’ve been holding it in for a while, Miss Gremlin is going to Chess Nationals in Dallas next month. She was selected along with 9 other students from her school to compete against children from around the country. It’s a pretty big deal. Approximately 7000 children attend and play chess for 3 days straight in a conference centre. They live and breathe chess and stress. There are several rooms going at once with different level players competing. To say she’s excited is an understatement.
Parents are invited to attend. We have to pay our own way but we can go and support our children. Obviously I haven’t experienced it before but apparently it’s super stressful. Kids cry, teachers, chaperones and parents all freak out and some even cry too!
I’m not going, even though I’d love to. Miss Gremlin wants to do it on her own. She’s the independent child, she has been right from birth. She’s the one who didn’t need mummy with her every second, the one who waved me off on the first day of school, with a “seeya mum”
I know I could have insisted but the King and Princess will be at a conference in Vegas at the same time which means Grand Master would be on his own. And although he’s mature and responsible and capable I wouldn’t leave him alone at 13. I know I could find a person to come and stay with him but when Miss Gremlin said she wanted her ‘freedom’ as she put it in her best Braveheart imitation, I figured, well I’ll just stay in the city with my boy and Sir Lickalot and we can have a peaceful weekend.
Not to mention the 1000 bucks I won’t have to spend on flights and accommodation.
I’m so very proud of her, her chess playing abilities and her independence. She’s a rock star, this kid!
Comments 9
Congrats to your daughter!
Congrats! She will be fine. My son played scholastic & competitive chess for several years. The coaches and parents make sure everyone is accounted for and know where their group area is. My husband and I were lucky to travel in/out of state for tourneys and were volunteers with a chess group. Nationals has lots of volunteers to help the kids get to where they need to be when there. It’s the helicopter parents that make kids cry and are the main source of the stress. Most kids calm down after the second round. Good Luck!
Author
I know she’ll be fine and actually although Im not going I can go next year because she seems pretty committed to chess and therefore will continue with the team.
Very impressive! Way to go! What an honor!
BTW, I grew up in the Dallas Area. say “Howdy” to Texas for me!. 😀
Author
Thanks! She’s pretty happy with herself 😉
I played chess in high school, and actually the 1989 Nationals was my best tournament. That was my first year on the chess team and I was fairly awful to start the year… but had made steady progress once the Nationals rolled around. As the low-man on our school’s chess team, I had no parents along for the ride and the least stress on me. I napped between rounds while the other kids studied and fretted, going over their notes from past games looking for mistakes. And, probably due to my easy state of mind, I was a buzzsaw. I beat everyone I faced until the next-to-last round where I had won my way to face off against someone rated 600 points above me.
So, honestly, going alone might be the best thing for her. As Denise said up there, it’s the parents that seem to pile on the stress.
Author
Awesome! Maybe she’ll still love it in high school. I’m sure she’ll do fine.
Congrats your daughter! She sounds a lot like my daughter (minus the age difference) – independent from day one! My son plays chess but he is not really into it, although he was on chess team as extra curricular activity. I could never get the hang of chess, maybe I will add that to my husband’s honey do list!
As the youngest in my ‘family’, I can relate to the independence desire. Good on her (in Australian accent).
Best o’ luck for Missy G.
ps. This site is broken in IE11. I know I know, IE sux but people still use it.