Games: 12706

Avg # of Career Games: 508!

@ or up: 11.87%

PPGAP: 2.73 pts

Keep %: 57.1 %

@or Up Keep%: 24.19%

HGYR: 155

HGYRI: 285

Win %: 49.05%

Draw %: 16.11%

Loss %: 34.84

Amateur + K: 844/53

Rating High + K: 2263/17

Rating Low+ K: 1955/26

Category 4: 0

Category 3: 1

Category 2: 2

Category 1: 16!

Candidate Master: 2

Master: 4

Reflection: This is the end of the road for the players that might listen to me, I could still tell them and their parents how to get the most for the least when competing, but these players are beginning to exceed my @ or Up, and that means they won’t listen to me!?! For age 12 you have to be 1746 just to get on the list and at the top its 2435. These players are just incredible. The parents are incredible as well. 905 games in 4 years, 839 games in 5 years, 816 games in 5 years, 777 games in 5 years, and 763 games in 5 years, is an almost impossible commitment of time, money and effort for both of them! That’s an average of 226, 168, 163, 155, and 153 games a year for numbers 7, 4, 2, 22, and 9 respectively. These families average more games than a professional baseball team and finance it all themselves!

In the reflections for ages 9 and 10, playing up and respecting the value of a draw are 2 ways to keep their PPGAP higher. When that number is higher you either make more progress or save yourself some weekends!! Before that was desirable, but now it’s mandatory! There are 2 things that the 9, 10, and 11 year old competitors need that I know most of them don’t have. 1.) They need a detailed middlegame campaign for each opening system they play! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go to http://www.vachess.org. Download Newsletter 2010 – 1. Have your player take our a board and read the article on the Philidor. I’m not saying they should play the Philidor. What I’m saying is they should have a detailed strategic and flexible plan for how they will increase their advantage with the opportunities that regularly present themselves from the openings that they play. 2.) They need to upgrade to a master’s command of the endgame. They could start with, “100 Endgames You Must Know” and then become more and more detailed by watching whole games in the openings that they play!

1955-2263! Now that you are in the big leagues you face a little known challenge that virtually everyone fails to mention to the player until it’s cost them a point. Up to this point in your career you have been playing people that were on their way up. Now you will also be playing people that are on their way down!! The 1990 you are about to play had a peak rating of 2176 and their floor is 1900! That 2078 you are about to play had a peak rating of 2241, but has a floor of 2000, and is a Life Master. That 2291 that you are about to play had a peak rating of 2484 and only needed 1 more norm to be an International Master!! I look up every person I’m playing as soon as the pairings come out. I look at their total number of games, their peak rating, how they have performed against my rating and higher rated players, and how active they’ve been in the last 2 years. Every wise competitor is aware of their opponent’s statistics. This is so important that if the pairings come up late, I’d rather be late for the round than to not look it up!!

In closing I wish to congratulate everyone ages 7-11 for all of your accomplishments. Take joy and solace in the fact that when you started, you came into the Arena thinking it was a playground. Now, The Arena is your playground. I hope the information I gave you was helpful and inspiring. If you think a 60/40, 40/60, or a 50/50 play/study plan would save you or someone else time, money, and effort, please contact us for a free consultation and a quote!

Wishing you and chess the best,

Coach Mike Callaham