Ontario Open ?

[Lee Hendon]

Does any one know where and when the Ontario Open is
Thanks can't find any information

[Marcus Wilker]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Does any one know where and when the Ontario Open is
Thanks can't find any information

It is usually held on Victoria Day long weekend. This year is the turn of GTCL to organize the event. (It rotates among the four Ontario leagues.) I don't have more details.

For ourselves, Annex Chess Club will not be organizing it. We are already busy with the Toronto Open at Easter and two events at Harbourfront over the summer.

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: Ontario Open ?

It is usually held on Victoria Day long weekend. This year is the turn of GTCL to organize the event. (It rotates among the four Ontario leagues.) I don't have more details.

For ourselves, Annex Chess Club will not be organizing it. We are already busy with the Toronto Open at Easter and two events at Harbourfront over the summer.

I'm a bit confused as to how we got to this point. For the last couple of times that EOCA had the Ontario Open, especially one GTCL person was very diligent asking for event details, setting "deadlines" for us to meet, etc. I hope that this year's event can be saved, especially in more populous southern Ontario. A lot of players love it.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Ontario Open ?

I have just updated my tournament calendar on www.miltonchess.ca
to put a question mark besides the Ontario Open.

Earlier when I added Ontario Open to my calendar, I received assurances from GTCL President Michael Barron that Toronto would be hosting this year, but the who was unknown at the time.

[Michael Barron]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Earlier when I added Ontario Open to my calendar, I received assurances from GTCL President Michael Barron that Toronto would be hosting this year, but the who was unknown at the time.

Unfortunately, our major clubs - Hart House, Annex, Aurora - have other plans... :(
Bryan Lamb has expressed preliminary interest to organize Ontario Open at Macedonian Club, and now we are waiting for confirmation of site availability at Victoria Day weekend from Bryan.
I would think, if we had competing bids, it could speed things up.

Bob,
Are you willing to organize Ontario Open at Mississauga?

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Michael - please keep us posted on Bryan's progress. I recall a lack of advertising for Toronto Labour Day last year did cause a tournament conflict.

DO NOT read into that that Mississauga is making any plans for that weekend.

[Michael Barron]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Talk to Bryan yesterday on the phone.
He asked for one more week to clarify Macedonian Hall availability on Victoria Day weekend.

Would like to know players' opinion:
If Victoria Day weekend is not available - is it make sense to schedule Ontario Open for Labour Day weekend?

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Talk to Bryan yesterday on the phone.
He asked for one more week to clarify Macedonian Hall availability on Victoria Day weekend.

Would like to know players' opinion:
If Victoria Day weekend is not available - is it make sense to schedule Ontario Open for Labour Day weekend?

Michael, after everything we discussed (read: especially yourself chasing the other regions) over the last few years to ensure the fair rotation of the Ontario Open, I am appalled that at this late juncture, that you are now actually considering a significant change in the traditional dates. However, I propose we wait for Bryan to save the day (as he often seems to do). Thanks for keeping us updated, and I sure hope that Ontario can run our Open right again.

Yours in chess.

[Michael Barron]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Michael, after everything we discussed (read: especially yourself chasing the other regions) over the last few years to ensure the fair rotation of the Ontario Open, I am appalled that at this late juncture, that you are now actually considering a significant change in the traditional dates. However, I propose we wait for Bryan to save the day (as he often seems to do). Thanks for keeping us updated, and I sure hope that Ontario can run our Open right again.

Yours in chess.

Aris, let's be clear:
I wasn't "chasing the other regions", I suggested a formal procedure for all regions to follow, intended to identify any possible problems much earlier.
Since you was against such procedure, we have now what we have.

In fact, all prospective GTCL organizers were well aware about the traditional dates for Ontario Open since GTCL AGM in April 2013.
Unfortunately, they all prefer different dates for their Open events:
Hart House - February 15-17,
Aurora - March 8-9,
Annex - April 18-20,
Erindale - May 3-4.

What could we do now?
Yes, let's wait for Bryan to save the day.
But if not - it's still not the end of the world... ;)
In this case we will organize Ontario Open later.

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Aris, let's be clear:
I wasn't "chasing the other regions", I suggested a formal procedure for all regions to follow, intended to identify any possible problems much earlier.
Since you was against such procedure, we have now what we have.

In fact, all prospective GTCL organizers were well aware about the traditional dates for Ontario Open since GTCL AGM in April 2013.
Unfortunately, they all prefer different dates for their Open events:
Hart House - February 15-17,
Aurora - March 8-9,
Annex - April 18-20,
Erindale - May 3-4.

What could we do now?
Yes, let's wait for Bryan to save the day.
But if not - it's still not the end of the world... ;)
In this case we will organize Ontario Open later.

LOL, we supported that mechanism, for "ALL" regions! ;)

Part of that mechanism was early hand-off of that year's Ontario Open if a region could not do it. You missed that.

[Garland Best]

Re: Ontario Open ?

I don't get this.

The rotation schedule between different leagues in Ontario is clear.
Each League is clearly responsible for running the Ontarion Open when their turn comes up.
This should have been one of the prime responsibilities of the GTCL Tournament Coordinator and President this year. So this is a serious failure on their part.
I would name the persons explicity, but you cannot find their names on the GTCL website, nor can you find the minutes for the GTCL 2013 AGM on the website, unlike previous years.
Bottom line, this failure to take care of this lies squarely on the shoulders of the GTCL.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Ontario Open ?

I would name the persons explicity, but you cannot find their names on the GTCL website, nor can you find the minutes for the GTCL 2013 AGM on the website, unlike previous years.

I'm not sure why they are not on the website. As I remember at that time the website got infected and I was rebuilding it almost from the scratch without much knowledge of Drupal. Might be I missed them by transferring data, maybe something else (I was preparing to play in Ontario Open in Ottawa too LOL)
A small summary of the meeting was published at http://chess.ca/node/1205
Anyway, I'll try to dig them (2013 minutes) and publish. Though, it will be more important to have a good productive day on the 2014 AGM :)

The Aurora group discussed about possibility to run Ontario Open when choosing the 2014 open dates, but buried it as the TD was not FIDE compliant at that time, and it looked that it might not happen in near future LOL We also preferred to have one in summer and not two in spring, and separated by a longer period of time.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Ontario Open ?

Is there still an Ontario Chess Association? If there is, then regardless of the fact that there is a rotating schedule in place, shouldn't it be up to the OCA President to follow up/initiate the necessary discussions/obtain the required commitments from the league whose turn it is to be host/etc., etc., in order to ensure that the OCA's premier annual event receives the attention it deserves?

[Garland Best]

Re: Ontario Open ?

The OCA website is also out-of date and does not provide the correct information.

[John Brown]

Re: Ontario Open ?

I think the GTA area region just dropped the ball.
That is why you are left with no Ontario Open.