Team Player?

You have played for a team in a team match.

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You have played for a team in a team match.

What is a team match?

Your game is over, but the match is not, because your teammates are still playing. A team match is chess that you play with teammates. You sit at one board, across from a player from the other team. Your score belongs to the team. A win gets your team one point, and a draw gets half a point. The team with the most points wins the match. So even if you lose your game, your team can still win.

 

How a team is set up

  • At the Chess Olympiad, a big team event between countries, a team is four players plus one reserve. The reserve plays when a player is away. A league, where teams play each other all season, may use more boards.
  • Boards go in a fixed order from 1 up, and the strongest player often sits at board 1.
  • You play your own game. Nobody may tell you a move, not even your captain, the team's leader.

 

Where do you find a team?

Grown-ups set up teams: a teacher, a coach or a club. Schools play other schools, and clubs send teams to a league. Camps and chess festivals often run a team event too. A team match at a real board counts, but online team games do not. To find one, ask at school or at the library, or ask a grown-up who plays.

 

You are never alone

The room is loud before the round and quiet while everyone plays. When your game ends, walk over and watch your teammates. You feel nervous together, and you feel happy together. Imagine your team leads by one point, and your game is the last one left. Then a draw is enough for your team to win the match. But if your team is behind, go for the win.

Judit Polgar was 12 when she played for Hungary in 1988. She sat on board 2, beside her two big sisters. She won 12 of her 13 games and drew the other one. Her team won the gold medal.

 

How you get the sticker

Your grown-up or coach checks it and hands you the sticker. Show them the results list with your name on it. If you have no club, your grown-up at home checks the results. Did you play for a team before you had the passport? It still counts. If you were a reserve who never got a game, the sticker waits for your first game.