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I must say Brampton has the start of a very nice outdoor chess program. Yesterday I was invited down for the Grand Opening of the Vivian Lane Chess Tables. Due to Via Rail being a half hour late I missed the opening ceremonies and speeches. When the organizers realized I had arrived they rushed around and setup a 3 board blindfold exhibition against players selected from casual play at the tables. In the mean time I wandered around and observed that each individual table had a gold plaque dedicated to the local leading family who had sponsored each table (and I even met two of the families after my blindfold performance!). Vivian Lane is a bright, cheery, revitalised (classy even) thoroughfare that runs from the Rose Theatre to Main Street. The Rose Theatre is a lavish luxurious brand new theatre which is the center of the arts and cultural community in Brampton. Very impressive! In honour of the day a local artist had carved two impressive ice sculptures - one a chess board and chess set - the other a large gorgeous chess knight. Main Street was full with the booths of a very popular flea market and there were many passersby. A local medieval group did some skirmishing and at the start of my blindfold simul a shield was donated for me to hold (maybe they thought I needed protection?) A blindfold cut from a vivid blue sign banner (impromptu planning) was wrapped around my eyes and I proceeded with white in all three games. I rapidly achieved the advantage in all the games winning pieces in every one. I achieved checkmate on the middle board but on the 1st board I remembered in one of my opening conversations when I first arrived that Brampton had a very large East Indian population (more than 30% of its citizens). Anyways I happened to notice that my opponent on this board was Indian by name of Saraharan. Up two pieces I overlooked a checkmate. That really got the crowd going. Shortly after I managed a breakthrough on board 3 and a few moves from checkmate my opponent resigned. Shortly after I took my blindfold off the mayor arrived. She apologized for being called away and insisted that we play a casual game. I have to admit I was impressed by Mayor Susan Fennell's chess abilities. She started with 1.f4 but her play was impeccable from there. I attacked with 1...e5 2.fxe5 d6 but here she played 3.Nf3 and managed to fianchetto her bishop on g2 and castle and was better out of the opening! As she was attacking my f7 square! - her cellphone rang and the distraction made her overlook my sneaky defence of that square. She refused a take back and so I offered a draw which she happily accepted. I told her imo she was the best chessplayer amongst all the mayors out there and now she is planning to play Mayor Zehr of Kitchener at Oktoberfest. Just after our game finished a parade started on Main Street. The parade was full of multicultural groups, flowers (apparently Brampton is flower city), and the Shriners in many different performances. Of course the Shriners had their wonderful motorized go karts with 80 yr old men driving pretending to be kids and many other wacky and wonderful attractions. After the parade I went to City Hall and donated a board - personalized with magic marker about her playing me and the date and occasion - and of course a chess set - which I hope she uses to beat Mayor Zehr! I then spent the rest of the afternoon touring around downtown Brampton - it really is a lovely old city - lots of heritage sites and many beautiful new buildings and best of all they have started a very promising chess initiative.
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Re: Brampton's Vivian Lane Chess Tables Grand Opening
Hi Hans;
Sorry I had to work that day as I could have shown you up Wellington Street where I lived as a child. Many do not know that housed in the Brampton Jail (that is now the Archives) has information about my ancestor William Lawson who with John Elliot were the founders of Brampton.
Barry Thorvadson lives near there and I hope he at least had you in for lunch or a beer.
Hopefully the chess lane will stay as a busy outlet and many will stop by for a game. I've already had two people who want to play me a game there.
The flea market is actually the Farmers market and the parade was the Brampton Flower Festival parade.
John R. Brown
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