September: a month of changing seasons, a new school year, Labor Day... but most importantly, of course, Puddletown's birth month! It's amazing to see how much we've grown in just one year. So far this year, we've donated over $16,000 to our community, including (but not limited to) cash donations to…
We recently finished another successful training term at Puddletown (8 AMAZING terms in 2 years so far!). So we decided to throw our first-ever summer training party, to celebrate with our students. But it was also about the coaches bonding with their students in-person. You see - our training program is…
This past Saturday, our training program students and coaches gathered at Godfather's Pizza for a day filled with laughter, friendly competition, and, of course, delicious pizza. This end-of-summer party was a special opportunity for coaches and students to spend time together outside the traditional "classroom" setting. As soon as the pizzas…
This is Puddletown's second End of Summer tournament. Compared to last year, we have much more players, especially in the upper sections. A lot of the players in the upper sections are from the beginner's section last year. Some even won prizes in the top sections! It's really amazing to see…
In the last 18 months, we observed over 700 Puddletown training students and players very closely and created this playbook for how to improve your chess game and rating consistently. Like everything else in life, you have to work hard. But that doesn't mean you have to be miserable doing it.…
It was another amazing turnout for the Puddletown May tournament! Of the 86 players, 4 were adults, 23 were girls, and 2 were rural players. As you know Puddletown proudly offers FREE tournament entries for the following categories of players: Girl players Non-binary players Rural area players Low-income family players Section…
Hello, Puddletown chess enthusiasts! In today's discussion, we're diving into a crucial aspect of Swiss system tournaments: the tie-breaking methods. Ever find yourself tied with others at the end of a tournament, puzzled over why someone else claimed the top prize? That's where tie-breaks come into play, helping determine who stands…
I am thrilled to share exciting news from the 2024 Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation (OSCF) State Championships. This year's event was a big success for us, and I want to thank our players, coaches, volunteers, and supporters. Puddletown players performed very well, racking up a total of 23 prizes across various levels.…
April 6th marked a momentous day for chess enthusiasts as we hosted our 2024 April tournament at Puddletown Chess. This month’s Oceanic Gala not only brought together a diverse crowd of over 300 players and their families but also saw a flurry of records shattered, setting new milestones for our thriving…
113 players joined us in our April Oceanic Chess Gala tournament, our largest turnout ever! For the first time, we had to bring in more tables to fit everyone. Of these players, 20 were playing their first-ever USCF-rated tournament, 33 received free entries as female players, and 12 others received free…
It was a fun day at the OSCF Co-Ed Team Championship! The only caveat was that we all had to wake up two hours earlier than usual to participate :(. This event attracted over 200 players, including a record-breaking 70 female players. Puddletown brought five teams (conveniently named teams 1 through…
The 2024 March Tournament was another successful event with almost 80 players! Fun Fact: The biggest section this time was not Section C, but Section A with over 30 people! The fun fact is that there were 4 major scholastic chess tournaments in the Portland metro area on this day and…
After our Feburary newsletter was sent out, we received many questions from parents and players regarding the National K-6 Elementary Championship. Here are a few of the most common ones; let me know if there’s anything else you’re curious about! 1) Can anyone attend Nationals? I thought only state winners qualify. …
When I started playing chess, each medal and trophy I won was treasured dearly. I started a little trophy cabinet that I was immensely proud of. Yet fast forward a few years, and the little trophy cabinet had become a big trophy cabinet that was taking up a lot of space.…
90 players joined us in our February Winter Wonderland tournament (which would have been a more suitable name for last month's tournament, but oh well). Of these players, 19 were playing their first-ever tournament, 22 received free entries as female players, and 9 others received free entries as low-income/rural-area players. Congratulations…