In the current round of a tournament that I am now directing, I have one (five year old) player who seems to have great difficulty staying awake. His opponent seems more amused than upset, thankfully, and said that he had tried to wake him several times, when the kid would make a move and place his head back in his hands. The same player had the same problem last weekend at another tournament. Perhaps a 7 PM round is just too late for this player, but I don’t have any ideas what to do. Does anyone?
I think I’d talk to his parents. If he’s winning a fair amount of his games, maybe he shouldn’t be bothered. Maybe he’s happy with his performance, but I would think since his parents are paying for him to play, they’d want him to stay awake. It woudln’t hurt to talk to them, since if it wasn’t for his opponent’s thoughtfulness, he’d be losing his game on time!
As for a late round time, yes, 7PM could be late for someone his age. Is he always like that around this time of night? Maybe he’s doing too many other things in between games that’s wearing him out.
Actually, unless he’s playing in an adult tournament (as opposed to a scholastic) I’d say he might want to wait until he’s older to stay up so late.
It’s an adult tournament, and I did speak to his parents and sort of suggest that some players take half point byes to avoid late night rounds. I guess he was at his chess club last night until 12:30 so maybe that’s why he’s tired. He’s now in time trouble (no doubt due to his nap) but also down a piece.
It’s nice that the kid wants to play, but if he is falling asleep on the board then he shouldn’t be playing. I’d tell his parents that if he can’t stay awake on his own, that he can’t play in a future event. Heck, you are protecting him from himself at that point.
If they complain, point out that his opponent has a right to play a game, not to just sit and watch his opponent sleep away until his flag falls.
so maybe that’s why he’s tired. He’s now in time trouble (no doubt due to his nap) but also down a piece.