[slideshow id=3]I just came back from the 2013 SuperNationals chess tournament!

To get to SuperNationals, which was in Nashville, Tennessee, my family and I had to take a 4 hour plane trip. Once we were in Nashville, we stayed in a gigantic hotel with over 5,000 other participants! The tournament itself lasted 3 whole days with 7 rounds total. Each round can last 4 hours.

My Performance

In my section (under 1000 rating), I tied for second place and got sixth place on tie breaks. Though this sounds really good, I was playing in a rather weak section, and should have gotten first place. [Read more…]

Today, in my debate class, I had to prepare to debate the affirmative side of “Resolved: The Gov. should be allowed to obtain private info w/o a warrant.”

This proposition is actually interesting, because on one side, this would be a violation of the 4th amendment, but on the other, the government won’t go around randomly searching through peoples’ electronic fingerprints unless there is a community need. Community safety is the biggest point that affirmative, saying without a warrant, can pull.

I was just putting this out there, and if anybody reading this has any insight on the proposition I am fighting for, please leave a comment. Any comments could help me win my final debate!

Thanks, Dorian

Kids hate homework. They would much rather be playing video games or hanging out at a friend’s house. Some parents complain homework is controlling their kids lives, and that parents should be managing kids, not teachers. Teachers claim homework leads to better test scores, and in the end, better futures. Which side do you take in this argument, and why? [Read more…]

School is finally over! This school year has been a year of fun, sadness, and learning. I will do my best to summarize what has happened this year in my school and the lessons I learned. [Read more…]

Last weekend, I went to the WA Elem. Chess Championships. There, I dealt with shorter time control, inexperienced judges, and more. [Read more…]

This Saturday, I went to my National Elementary Chess Championship team preparations. I was really trying to focus, but there were some kids that were goofing off and not paying attention. [Read more…]

Right now, in my Language Arts and Social Studies class, I am learning about WWI and WWII. [Read more…]

When you are playing chess, you have to play every, single one little thing just right. Not too much, not too little. You have to make each move fit perfectly for that position. Meaning that in chess, there is no such thing as raw memorization. [Read more…]

Hi everyone!

This is my first time trying out my blog. [Read more…]