Hello Learners Chess Parents and Friends!

Happy December! 

This past weekend our four regional Central NM Team Chess League team tournaments took place and they were all a huge success! Thank you to all who made it out! After a few years, we have found a format and organization process that allows these team chess events to run very smoothly and efficiently! Each of the four regional team tournaments finished with all awards, including individual awards, handed out at least half an hour earlier than scheduled! We are still working on publishing the full results with, for our first time ever, all individual results listed as well! Stay tuned for the full results, which we'll send out next week!
In the mean time, huge congrats to:
  • Escuela del Sol, Rio Grande Valley Champions!
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, Northwest Mesa Champions!
  • Zuni Elementary Eagels, Northeast Sandia heights Champions!
  • Cien Aguas Roadrunners, ABQ Metro Champions!


Spirit of New Mexico! On another positive note, we are excited to announce that our Founder, Victor Lopez, has been recognized as a 2016 Spirit of New Mexico Award recipient along with famed NM author Rudolfo Anaya and three other individuals who make positive impacts on our community!

Click here to read the full ABQ Journal write up from this past Sunday about this year's award recipients. 

From Victor:

"I am honored to be recognized as a Spirit of NM Award recipient. I grew up in New Mexico. I have lived other places, but I have found no place I love more than New Mexico. I am grateful that I have found a passion and profession that is recognized as contributing so positively to a place I love to much. Further, I am so fortunate that so many people see value in what I have started and that so many great chess coaches are involved and committed to the Learners Chess mission."



Also, below we have updates and reminders about:

Enjoy!

Coach Victor Lopez
Fun Chess Puzzle!
Here is a pretty fun chess puzzle for your kids to check out. It is White's move and the objective of this puzzle is to find White's only move that does not check mate the Black King! Enjoy!

Winter Break Single Day Chess Camps

Who: All chess Learners (beginners to advanced players) are welcome!

When: Mix and match any combination of half or full days that fits your needs!  -  Half days (8:30am-noon or 1pm-4:30pm) of Full days (8:30am-4:30pm) with before and after care available! 

Cost: Sign up early to get the best price! Full day prices range from $32 per day to $45 per day and half days range from $18 to $30 per day, depending on how early you sign up! Also 10% off for siblings and 10% off for multiple days!

Where: Our headquarters at 532 Adams NE, Albuquerque (near Washington and Lomas). 

Space is filling up, sign up soon to reserve your spot!
Registration for Spring 2017
Before/ After School Programs is
NOW OPEN!!!

We will start our Spring 2017 programs on the Thursday after the MLK Holiday. Some of our Fall 2016 programs that will still need a few club meetings to get up to 12 total will meet in the first couple of weeks of January. 
Register by the end of the day on Friday, December 9th and use coupon code " spring2017early" and get $5 off!

Some of your kids are already registered and paid for our Spring 2017 before/after school programs. If this is true for you, you will soon receive an email confirming that registration. 

    Holiday Chess and  Bughouse Tournaments!
(Sunday afternoon, December 18th)
  • Chess is from 1:25-4:30pm (usually ends early). Games are USCF rated, sign up for membership at uschess.org. Clocks are set for 25 minutes with a 5 second delay. Notation required for 3rd grade and up.
  • Bughouse is 4:30-5:40pm
    New Years Chess and  Bughouse Tournaments
(Saturday Morning, Dec. 31st)!
  • Chess is from 9:25-12:30pm (usually ends early). Games are USCF rated, sign up for membership at uschess.org. Clocks are set for 25 minutes with a 5 second delay. Notation required for 3rd grade and up.
  • Bughouse is 12:30pm-1:35pm
  Chess Practice Online!
Learn and Brush Up on The Basics
Here is a link to easy interactive chess exercises for your kids to learn or brush up on the basics .


Both these links come from the free and open sourced chess website, lichess.org. The site is free and has no ads. You can create an account for free and set it to "kid mode" for your kids to play on without you having to constantly monitor.
Support Learners Chess!
Get your Holiday Shopping Started and Support Learners Chess!
  • Shop on AmazonSmile! Use this link to make any purchase you would normally make on amazon and amazon smile will donate 1% of your purchase to Learners Chess Academy!

  • Order Chess Equipment! If you are shopping for chess equipment, you can use this link to purchase any chess equipment at a very reasonable price from wholesale chess (sponsors of Learners Without Borders!) and 10% of your purchase will be credited to our account!

  • Go Solar! If you are interested in going solar, you can use this link to schedule a free consultation and if you end up going solar, Learners Chess will receive a $200 donation!

  • Designate Vaya Verde dba Learners Chess Academy as a recipient in your work place giving campaign through United Way
  • Or make a donation to support our need-based scholarship fund and other charitable projects such as Learners Without Borders and the Central NM Team Chess League!
Thank you for reading and staying connected!


-Coach Victor Lopez and the coaching team at Learners Chess
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