Hello Parents!

We have two amazing Events scheduled this weekend (May 18th and 19th)! 

"Dragon-Slayers: Children's Swordplay Demo"
Where: Palo Alto Strategy-Games Club (670 East Meadow, Palo Alto)
When: Saturday, May 18th (12:30 - 3:00 pm)
What: We are bringing in the Davenriche European Martial Arts School ( https://www.swordfightingschool.com/kids-classes ), based in Santa Clara, to come in and do a demonstration for our Strategy-Gamers on May 18th. The guest instructor will give a history lesson and show samples of medieval weapons/armor and the techniques and strategies used to wield them. Then, outdoors, the students will dress up in training gear and be given a physical lesson in the art of fencing/sword-play! Size will not matter, but the minimum age for this event will be 7 years. After the demonstration, the kids will engage in a board game designed around their newfound dueling talents. The Club will also open 30 minutes earlier on this day, so kids are welcome to come as early as 12:30 for free-play gaming until it starts at 1pm. There is NO extra cost for this Event, it will be treated as a standard weekend Club. For more information on the Davenriche Sword Fighting School, please visit the link above. Don't miss out, this is a very unique club experience! (Chess Club meets immediately afterwards, from 3-5pm!). Drop-in: $30.

"Tournament of Variants, part 4"
Where: Cupertino Chess Club (19624 Homestead Rd, Cupertino)
When: Sunday, May 19th, (5:00 - 8:00 pm)
What: Our fourth bi-monthly Tournament of Variants, featuring a non-rated practice Swiss tournament with unique rules EVERY game randomized from a pool of eight Variants! Chess Variants are an exciting way to compete with new challenges and be forced to think outside the box. Rules for each variant will be explained before each game. The prize pool will be even bigger this May, and participation awards will be given to each player. The event will be treated as any other club, so the price is the same and there's no need to register. As always, the Cupertino club will be serving Pizza as well! Drop-in: $40.

We will pla y 3 to 4 of the following variants to be chosen at random immediately preceding each round: (none of these were played before, so it will be a new experience for everyone)

1. Ghost chess: on any move, a player may permanently remove one of his own pieces or pawns from the board and then make a move.
2. Reincarnation: one captured piece can be brought back from the dead. It is placed on its original square, which must be unoccupied. This constitutes one turn.
3. Royal Swap: Each player gets one chance to swap the placement of a king or queen for another. No swap is allowed if a check results. Players can swap any of 6 combinations of kings and queens.
4. Chess 960: Pieces are scrambled but matched along the first and eighth rank to start the game (also known as Fischer Random).
5. Kangaroo chess: All of your pieces and pawns can jump over any or all of your own pieces or pawns that would normally block their movement. You cannot use this feature to jump over any of your opponent’s pieces or pawns.
6. Selfish castling: You cannot castle on the same side of the board that your opponent does. Whoever castles on one side first “claims” that side of the board for their castled king.
7. Upside down chess: The player sitting on the white side of the board plays the black pieces and the player sitting on the black side of the board plays the white pieces.
8. Volcano chess: On one turn, instead of a regular move, each player can choose a square to place a volcano on an unoccupied square. Volcanoes have hot lava and no piece or pawn can land on the squares or pass directly over it. Each player gets one volcano.