Happy Math Chess Program
Happy Math offers a fun and exciting way for your child to learn the game of chess and meet children who share the same passion. Our program is designed to take children of all ages and different levels and develop their skills to compete at the competitive level. Our program incorporates a variety of learning strategies and a specialized study plan so that each student is able to succeed and enjoy the game of chess!
Beginner Program:
Our beginner program is designed to teach young students the game of chess and develop the building blocks to advance them to the next level. Students will learn the absolute basics of the game: how the pieces move, basic checkmating patterns, simple opening rules, and how to record their games. A fraction of the class will also be allotted for children to play, it is important that students are given the opportunity to practice and test their skills.
Intermediate Program:
The intermediate program is an important steppingstone for students to master the basic concepts and develop their combinative vision. Our intermediate classes go into more depth on the variety of tactical patterns and introduces several-step checkmate puzzles to further develop the ability to calculate. During class, students will be given puzzle worksheets to test the material covered in class and additional practice for them to try at home.
Advanced Program:
Our advanced program is aimed to take the school's strongest students and prepare them for competitive tournaments. Advanced classes include discussion on modern opening theory, theoretical endgames, analysis of complicated puzzles, and tournament game review. To prepare your child for competitive play, they are given access to supplemental videos, a variety of worksheets, and one-to-one analysis of their own games to target their specific weaknesses.
2023 Manitoba Provincials Training Program
For the 2023 MB Provincial Chess Tournament, Happy Math if offering a five-lecture training program with two in person events. The program is coordinated and taught by Theo Wolchock and will feature a variety of topics in both chess strategy and tournament psychology. A majority of the material will include positions from Theo's games throughout his journey as a junior and he will discuss some of the strategies he used when preparing for the provincials.
All of the online lectures will be run on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00 PM and will be conducted over zoom. During the call students will be asked to be muted (unless they have a question) and with their videos off. The zoom link will be distributed a week before the first lecture.
Online Lecture Topics:
- Lecture 1: Opening Preparation & How to Study Theory
- Lecture 2: The Importance of Training Calculation
- Lecture 3: Guest Lecture from 2018-19 MB Champion and National Master Isaac Wiebe
- Lecture 4: How to Play in a Must Win Situation
- Lecture 5: Endgame Technique: Winning Equal Positions
The two in-person events will be held on Saturday, February 11th and 25th from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. We will use classroom #1 at Happy Math Learning Center located at 15 Coopers Town Road in Bridgewater. The first of the two events will be a simul where Theo will play all the students at once, with the remaining time used for game analysis. The second event will be a match-style tournament where students will play a couple training games against a classmate of similar strength. Students will be asked to record their games for both events, so please make sure they are familiar with chess notation.
Full Program Schedule
- February 11th (2-4 PM): In-person simul & analysis
- February 16th (6-7 PM): Online lecture 1
- February 23rd (6-7 PM): Online lecture 2
- February 25th (2-4 PM): In-person matches
- March 2nd (6-7 PM): Online Lecture 3
- March 9th (6-7 PM): Online Lecture 4
- March 16th (6-7 PM) Online Lecture 5
The topics that will be covered in lectures are of advanced material and is recommended for players of 500+ Chess n Math rating. Homework will not be given specifically, however there will be recommended practice after each class.
The program price is $125 + GST which includes 5 online lectures and 2 in-person events. Our capacity is quite limited so we will accept students on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please text or email Theo to sign up.
Email: Twolchock@gmail.com
Phone: (204) 960-7436