2018 Quebec Open Chess Championship (July 21-28) - Blog

[Vadim Tsypin]

Blog # 6 (Wednesday – 18/7/25) - Part I (Of 3 Parts)
I am the lowest rated if you use my CFC rating (Which FQE was doing for some reason I don't understand ).

Good morning Bob,

Thanks for great updates. I'm rushing in with yet another helpful answer.

Here's an excerpt of the English version of tournament regulations posted on the tournament site in five copies, at the same easels where sections pairings are, including yours.

"Sections B-C-D-E:
- for a player residing in Quebec - FQE rating will be used;
- for a player residing elsewhere in Canada- CFC rating will be used."

[Larry Bevand]

Invitation

A part of blogging I do enjoy is discussing anything anyone finds of interest. So I am happy to answer questions, make responses to comments, etc. This often helps make the daily blog more interesting to others.

So comment, reply, post, whatever....jump right in with both feet-.and hopefully we'll have a fun 3 more days together.

Bob A

Hi Bob,

I always enjoy your blog!

Montreal and construction are synonymous these days...take a look at this site:

https://www.mtlblog.com/construction...-your-jaw-drop

Note the extension to the site: construction-sites-in-montreal-will-make-your-jaw-drop :)

Honestly, you should save yourself all the aggrevation...take the Metro (known as the subway in T.O.)...it takes you right to the tournament site.

Why increase your blood pressure right before your game?

I am hoping to stop by the event tomorrow night...by Metro of course :)

Just a suggestion,

Larry

[Ken MacDonald]

Hello John,

This is the link to the tournament files.

And, also, thank you for the live games. They are always much appreciated!

[Vadim Tsypin]

And, also, thank you for the live games. They are always much appreciated!

Thanks for your kind words JKM!

For the benefit of all readers, here's a direct link to the DGT broadcasts of the games from the 2018 Quebec Open. [ A Web browser with Flash support is required. ] The equipment is generously provided by Luc Forget. The broadcasts are directed by Richard Bérubé, with some assistance from Diana Tsypina and Lefong Hua.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Larry:

I love Montreal construction/detour driving - I've actually learned my way around both the southwest, central and east taking all the detours.

Hugh has also been urging me to take the Metro.......I was going to chance it today, but Wed. night I got a brutal cold/flu.........I'm still suffering from it.........I think I'll take the devil I know rather than the one I don't know (The Metro).

See you tonight.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Vadim:

Thanks for posting and alerting me to the organizer's protocol for which rating to use for pairings - now I know why my CFC rating is being used (1512), rather than my FQE rating (1715).

See you this evening.

Bob

[Bob Armstrong]

Blog # 7 (Thursday – 18/7/26)

Quebec Open Chess Championship
Round 7

The Night Before (Wednesday Late)

I got home from Longueuil about midnight, and was feeling terrible - I have gotten some type of bad cold/flu. I tried to do a bit of e-mails and Fb life discussion club.....but it was hopeless...I was exhausted. There was no way I could do my Wednesday Blog # 6.

I then just flopped into bed at 1:00 AM. But though exhausted and sick, I tossed and turned for 2 hrs. before I finally fell asleep. And even then I awoke after only 4 hrs. sleep (7:00 AM)

Thursday Morning

Though I was still feeling awful, I did want to get my Blog # 6 done, and I decided to just plough through it, despite all.

So I created and posted my prior Fb Blog # 6 about 9:30 AM. this morning.

I had no breakfast in my room - my stomach said "NO"!

Then I called my son who lives here in Montreal. I had arranged to go meet him, and my granddaughter, after her music fun class, @ 10:15 AM. I told him I was not well, and behind schedule, so he should just go to the park with his daughter, and I'd meet them both back at the apartment for lunch @ 11:30 AM.

I then continued integrating my Rd. 1 game into its opening tree. I also dealt with some e-mails, and checked my Fb life discussion group.

To Verdun

I got to Verdun as planned and they both were there. So my granddaughter and I played trucks and cars (Her favourite of all her games), we went out on the front porch to watch the dump trucks (My son's street is under construction 'til the end of September), played blocks, etc. My son then had lunch ready.....but I told him I was going to eat like a bird, just so I would be at the table with he and his daughter, like always.

Early Afternoon

After lunch, I felt really bad, and told my son I had to go take a 2-hr. siesta, if I could sleep, since I had my rd. 7 game at 6:00 PM and I had to get to Longueuil. So he put his daughter down for a nap (She was quite unhappy about this this particular day). I couldn't fall asleep, but did rest, and often this is almost as good for me.

When she was down, he also needed a nap.

I decided I'd not have a late lunch in Longueuil this afternoon before the Rd. 7, because of my stomach. So I could stay 'til my granddaughter had to leave @ 4:00 PM.

In the meantime, I had forgotten about my parking on Tuesday. I can't park on my son's street because of the construction. And so I forgot to look at the sign governing parking. Yup....the one day of the week you had to move your car in the morning for street sweeping (Sigh) - $ 62 mistake! (Yikes). So I wrote the cheque and went and mailed it to the great city of Montreal!

To Longueuil

I left Verdun about 4:30 PM, and I knew I'd hit the rush hour.....which I did......but though it was slow, I got there in time to go to IGA to get some juice, about the only thing my stomach was accepting. Then I got to the playing hall just before the round.

My Section: U 2000

There are now 31 players in the section. I am the lowest rated if you use my CFC rating (Which FQE had already posted it would do - My FQE rating is 1715). So on the bottom (# 31) is me at 1512, and next up, # 30, is 1634. The top rated is 1997.

Rd. 7

I played White against Gaeton Sampson. I actually had been helped a bit by the 2-hr. lay down, and I was breathing through both nostrils (!). I was probably as good as I could be to play the game....and I didn't lose because of my being sick.......it was because I thought I could play like Tal!!

Gaeton and I skirmished in the centre in the early middlegame. And this is when I made a fateful decision to sack a centre P (I thought only temporarily). Gaeton just grabbed it. Then I made a second decision - rather than trying to win it back, which I could have, I decided first to push my other centre P, to try to make it a passed P, and then get back the P I was down.

Well......you can guess.....at this point my position is a total disaster, though down only 1 P. And Gaeton attacked my K-side immediately. I'll only say this:

1. he didn't take a piece that was hanging....he was going for mate......
2. he sacked his R for the hP in front of my K.
3.Then he sacked his second R for the B in front of my K.
4. Then he got a royal fork with his N. But the goal was not to win my Q.
5. He now had a forced mate with his Q!

A quite beautiful ending.......sometimes you just have to admire how you LOST!

Post-Rd. 7

Gaeton and I analyzed for about an hour. Between my broken French, and his limited English, we communicated. One of his friends joined us, then my USA chess teacher friend, Ed, and then Nader, who defeated me in the third round.
I then intended to see what I could learn from the games still finishing in our section, but I was again now feeling worse than during the game. So I knew I had to just go to the residence, and go to bed.

To the Residence

I got home about 11:00 PM. I was so exhausted, I didn't try to put anything away.....I just undressed and flopped into bed, hoping that this time my sick body would agree to sleep (Which, fortunately for me, it did).

The U 2000 Section Leaders (After 7 rounds)

1st - 6 pts. - Junior Boy David Craciun (1879) (One of the Dark Horses - those not one of the top 10 rated, but who have risen to the occasion! This was his first loss - to the # 2 seed).

2nd - 5.5 pts. - Marc-Andre Beaudry (1996) (One of the Favourites & the 2nd seed)

3rd/4th - 5 pts. - the one is a "Favourite": the other is a "Dark Horse)

Malcom Marcone (1997 - # 1 seed)
Ellis Steinberg (1801)

So......of the top 4 leaders, two are favourites and two are dark horses......you have to watch those very hungry players down in the pack at the start!

The Favourites

Here is how the original favourites, who are not among the leaders, are doing - I have noted over the years I have been blogging, the Favourites who start poorly, often make a come back and are often spoilers in the last rounds:

4.5 Points

Sylvain De Lagrave (1953)
Junior Boy Leo Richard (1915)
Nader Ghanbari (1895)

4 pts.

Claude Laumiere (1923)
Ronald Mangahas (1890)
Francois Parenteau (1884)

3.5 pts.

Louis Morin (1899)

Withdrawn

Jacques Marchand (1882) - had 3.5 pts. after 4 rounds. Then withdrew after rd. 4.

My Score

2.5/7 pts. - Win: 1 (Rd. 6); Draw: 1 (Rd. 4); Losses: 4 (Rds. 1, 3, 5 & 7); Bye: 1 (Director's 1 pt.- Rd. 2)

My & My Opponents - Scores

4.5 pts. - Nader Ghanbari (1895) - I lost in Rd. 3
3.5 pts. - Gaeton Sampson (1755) - I lost in Rd. 7.
- Francois Chevalier (1782) - I drew in Rd. 4.
2.5 pts. - Ed Selling (1845) - I lost in rd. 5
- Sang Kay (1687) - I won in Rd. 6.
- Me (1512)
1.5 pts. - Junior Boy Joachim Turgeon (1825) - I lost in Rd. 1.

The Section that may be of Interest to Some (After the U 2000 Section!): The Open Section

Here are the leaders after 7 rounds:

1st - 6 pts. - Undefeated - GM Razvan Preotu (2495)

2nd/3rd - 5.5 pts. -

GM Romaine Edouard (2638)
GM Victor Mikhalevski (2583)
GM Alexandre Le Siege (2517)

4th - 5 pts. - GM Alexander Cherniaev (2425)

The GM's have mostly risen to the top!

Invitation

A part of blogging I do enjoy is discussing anything anyone finds of interest. So I am happy to answer questions, make responses to comments, etc. This often helps make the daily blog more interesting to others.

So comment, reply, post, whatever....jump right in with both feet -.and hopefully we'll have a fun 2 more days together.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Blog # 8 (Friday – 18/7/27)


Quebec Open Chess Championship

Round 8


The Night Before (Thursday Late)


I got home from Longueuil about 11:00 PM, and was feeling terrible - some type of bad cold/flu I got late Wed. night - runny nose, cough, almost headache, upset stomach.....I was exhausted. There was no way I could even put anything away. I just flopped into bed. Fortunately, I slept for 7 1/2 hrs.! (A long time for me).


Early Friday Morning


I got up and showered to see if that might help a bit, because I was still very far from feeling normal.

I had had little lunch and no dinner on Thursday, because of my upset stomach, and I was now famished. But I knew my stomach would not accept my favourite granola. But do-nothing Cheerios were acceptable.

I then settled in to do a bit of work:

- dealt with e-mails and Fb messages;

- finished integrating my Rd. 1 game with Yoakim into its opening tree;

- checked to see if there were any comments to respond to with respect to my prior blogs (Fb & Chess Talk) - I responded to Larry Bevand, E.D. of the Chess 'n Math Association, and Vadim Tsypin, organizer of the Montreal Summer Chess Classic (In which I am going to play after this tournament);

- looked at ChessResults to see my Rd. 8 pairing and to update the personal standings list I keep to help with my Blog.

- updated my Fb Life Discussion Club with some article posts.


But every hour or so, I found myself tiring, and so lay down for a while to see if I could sleep, or to just rest quietly for a bit.

I called my wife on our landline number at our hobby farm in central Ontario, but had to leave a message.

Early Afternoon

At noon, my adult daughter (Who lives in Montreal) and I Fb messaged back and forth trying to get a time/day when we could get together for a lunch or dinner. We looked at possibles, and she was to get back to me.

Though I was still not feeling great, I was a bit better. So I did do my Thursday Blog # 7. So I created and posted it about 2:00 PM.

I then called my wife again, this time on her cell phone, but again had to leave a message.

I then lay down again....I didn't sleep, but with the rest, I did feel in decent enough shape to play my Rd. 8.


To Longueuil


I left the residence about 3:50 PM, and it was a reasonable trip - I arrived at the Longueuil Mall about 4:30 PM. I was a bit hungry by then, but my stomach was not going to accept a Subway. So I went to look in the food court......I decided on A & W Onion rings and some root beer. We'll see during the game, I guess, what my stomach thought of this decision.

I didn't need to go to IGA today - I am well stocked for the future tournament coming up after this: grapes (Notice what I list first to try to garner credits), Juice, Egg Salad sandwiches, granola and cold cereals, a fruit and nut mixture I brought with me from Toronto, chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, and butter tarts. All I need now is for my stomach to cooperate!

Then I got to the playing hall just before the round.

My Section: U 2000

There are now 31 players in the section. I am the lowest rated if you use my CFC rating (Which FQE had already posted it would do - My FQE rating is 1715). So on the bottom (# 31) is me at 1512, and next up, # 30, is 1634. The top rated is 1997.

Rd. 8

I played against my good friend, Michael Sharpe, from Toronto. We always know we will meet at some point in these Montreal tournaments, because we are always near the bottom at the end.

About my game, Michael asked afterwards if I could just ignore it in my blog! I lost! But I said integrity was the foundation of my blog, and so I had to say something.....hmmmm....

It was a dark and stormy night..........hmmm.... I made a terrible blunder in the middle of a terrible plan.......hmmm.....I think that is enough, and keeps the Blog's integrity in tact........for more details.......please speak to Michael!

The only further thing I'll say, is that if I have to give up a point, I can't think of a nicer guy than Mike to give it to!

Post-Rd. 8

Michael and I analyzed for a while...I had actually thought my plan was OK, though somewhat slow. But on analysis, it seemed really quite a terrible plan. What is so disconcerting is that after 50 years of chess, how can I see things so wrongly??? (Sigh). Oh well, I'll just use the traditional excuse of "Old Age" (Rather than Stupidity).

I like to watch the top boards in our section finish, and often learn a lot. But I watched for a while, and then started feeling worse again. So I just went home.

At the Residence

I got home about 11:00 PM. and there was a telephone message from my son and wife. I called my wife back (She had said she'd still be up), and I got some sympathy (Not a lot mind you after 47 years) for being sick, and lots of advice about how to take care of myself!

I really was exhausted, and so just went to bed after the call.

The U 2000 Section Leaders (After 8 rounds)


1st - 6.5 pts. - Junior Boy David Craciun (1879) (One of the Dark Horses - those not one of the top 10 rated, but who have risen to the occasion!).

2nd - 6 pts. - Malcom Marcone (1997 - # 1 seed). This is the typical case of a bad start for a favourite, but who comes back and is on first board in the last round.

3rd/6th - 5.5 pts. - three are "Favourites": the other is a "Dark Horse)

Marc-Andre Beaudry (1996 - # 2 seed)

Sylvain De Lagrave (1953 - # 3 seed)

Nader Ghanbari (1895 - # 7 seed)

Ellis Steinberg (1801)

So......of the top 6 leaders, four are favourites and two are dark horses......as I said in earlier blogs, just because favourites may start out badly, do not count them as out and gone!


The Favourites

Here is how the original favourites, who are not among the leaders, are doing:

5 Points

Junior Boy Leo Richard (1915)

Ronald Mangahas (1890)

4.5 pts.

Louis Morin (1899)

4 pts.

Claude Laumiere (1923)

Francois Parenteau (1884)


Withdrawn

Jacques Marchand (1882) - had 3.5 pts. after 4 rounds. Then withdrew after rd. 4.



My Score

2.5/8 pts. - Win: 1 (Rd. 6); Draw: 1 (Rd. 4); Losses: 5 (Rds. 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8); Bye: 1 (Director's 1 pt.- Rd. 2)



My & My Opponents - Scores

5.5 pts. - Nader Ghanbari (1895) - I lost in Rd. 3

4.5 pts. - Gaeton Sampson (1755) - I lost in Rd. 7.

3.5 - Francois Chevalier (1782) - I drew in Rd. 4.

- Ed Selling (1845) - I lost in Rd. 5

2.5 pts. - Sang Kay (1687) - I won in Rd. 6

- Michael Sharpe (1653) - I lost in Rd. 8.

- Me (1512)

1.5 pts. - Junior Boy Joachim Turgeon (1825) - I lost in Rd. 1; withdrew after Rd. 7.


The Section that may be of Interest to Some (After the U 2000 Section!): The Open Section

Here are the leaders after 8 rounds:

1st - 6.5 pts. - Undefeated - GM Razvan Preotu (2495)

2nd/3rd - 6 pts. -

GM Romaine Edouard (2638)

GM Bator Sambuev (2514 - current Can. Champion)

The GM's have mostly stayed on top!


Invitation


A part of blogging I do enjoy is discussing anything anyone finds of interest. So I am happy to answer questions, make responses to comments, etc. This often helps make the daily blog more interesting to others.

So comment, reply, post, whatever....jump right in with both feet -.and hopefully we'll have a fun 2 more days together.


Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Blog # 9 (Saturday – 18/7/28)

Quebec Open Chess Championship
Round 9 - Final Round (End of the Blog)

The Night Before (Friday Late)

I got home from Longueuil about 11:30 PM, and was still not feeling well - some type of bad cold/flu I got late Wed. night - I was exhausted, almost as much as Thursday night. I went right to bed, but slept fitfully, dozing on and off. But then I awoke at 4:00 AM (Sigh). But I knew I needed more rest, so I just lay quietly, not sleeping, for another 2 hrs. - this often helps me as much as sleeping.

Early Friday Morning

So at 6:00 AM I got up and showered and got dressed. But I was still very far from feeling normal, but much better than Wed. night.

Fortunately my stomach was willing to accept do-nothing Cheerios and juice for breakfast.

I then settled in to do a bit of work:

- dealt with e-mails and Fb messages;

- checked to see if there were any comments to respond to with respect to my prior blogs (Fb & Chess Talk);

- updated my Fb Life Discussion Club with some article posts.


Then I set to work on the prior Blog # 8 - I wanted to get it posted before I left for Longueuil, since the final round 9 was at 10:00 AM. I got it posted on Fb and Chess Talk shortly after 9:00 AM.


To Longueuil

I got into the playing hall just about 5 min. late.


My Section: U 2000

There are 31 players in the section. The top rated is 1997. I am the lowest rated if you use my CFC rating (Which FQE had already posted it would do - My FQE rating is 1715). So on the bottom (# 31) is me at CFC 1512, and next up is 1634 (# 30), .I was playing # 30 in the final ninth round.


Rd. 9 (Final)

I played against a gentleman older than me, Roland Pommainville (1634).

He played the Benoni Defence, and I tried to break open the centre and follow it up with a K-side attack. But he seemed to know the opening, though he played it very defensively. He over-protected key squares and pieces, and I could not get my centre advance in.

So I changed strategies and attacked on the K-side. Again everything got over protected and it was hard to find the breakthrough. But in general, the problem with Black's game is that his pieces have no scope, get in each other's way, and White faces no danger at all, except somehow blowing his attack. If W just continues building pressure, generally something soon cracks somewhere. And this is exactly what happened. I started winning material, exchanging off his defensive pieces, and eventually he had to resign on move 37.

Post-Rd. 9

Being the last round, and being tired, Roland declined my offer to go analyze the game for a while.

We had finished somewhat early, and so I settled in to watch the final games in my section, as I usually do.

Then I saw Richard Berube of FQE. He had kindly let me use an FQE clock for the tournament, and so I returned it to him. Then arbiter Bernard Oimet, whom I've now known for years, took me to the arbiter's office to get back the deposit of my library card. Arbiter Vadim Tsypin was there working on the laptop....I have gotten to know him better this year. They both inquired how I was doing....in my broken French, I said I'd given myself a gift on my 73rd birthday - I won my final game. They congratulated me on my birthday, and I said I'd be calling my wife later to tell her the good news, and so she could wish me a happy birthday. I explained she was up at our hobby farm in central Ontario. So we then started talking about farming, and about how my wife, shortly after we purchased, came home from a farm auction in our old Volvo Stationwagon......with in the back seat and back......two calves, two pigs and a goat! That was something else!

After that I chatted with Malcolm Marcone beside our U 2000 Results board. He was top seed and had started badly, But he had fought back and was now going to finish either 2nd or 2nd/3rd - that other game was not finished. A player from the top section was looking at our section scores and Malcolm introduced me to him - he was Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte (2278) - Malcolm referred to him as Canada's next GM! And it seems there is evidence for that belief - Olivier tied for 5th in the Open section! I found he was playing in the Elite Norm Tournament in the Montreal Classic starting Monday. I am playing in the Open section; so I said I'd watch his games after my game was finished. He seemed very nice....and Malcom confirmed this.

I then spoke to my Montreal friend Hugh Brodie, and he said he's likely to come over in mid-afternoon Monday to watch the Classic games.

I then spoke with Gaeton Sampson who beat me in fine style in rd.7. We kidded about the fact that he would become famous when our game got into Hugh's Canadian chess games data base, CanBase. My USA friend, Ed, and Toronto friend, Mike, were also there, and one of them piped in that I too would become famous.......as the one who allowed Gaeton to blow me off the board! LOL

Ed was going back to USA tomorrow, so we chatted about family, etc, and then next year's COQ - both of us saw it as a possible for 2019. So we wished each other a safe trip home. We first played in Canada back in 2007, and have been friends since, often over the years meeting in Canadian Opens or Quebec Opens.

Then I still wasn't feeling great, so I decide to go back to the ZUM Hotel (The U of M residence). But in the parking lot, I saw Mike, my Toronto friend. I had watched his last round game and we chatted about it a bit. Marc-Andre Beaudry (# 2 seed) was in the lot, and came over to chat as well. We did not know him, but explained we were both from Toronto - Marc-Andre had seen us at the boards in his section. He had won $ 200 in a tie for fourth. He advised me had read my blog a number of years ago when I blogged one of my Montreal tournaments on the old Chess Talk. He promised he'd now go check it out. I said he was now in the blog unless he said "No".......and he said no problem. And he wished us a safe trip home.

To ZUM Hotel

I got back about 3:00 PM. I was still not feeling great.

I checked e-mails, Fb messages, and the ChessResults site for the scores I didn't yet have on my own personal standings list I keep.

My son, who lives in Montreal, had called me Thursday to see how I was doing, physically, and in chess. But I had not had a chance to get back to him. I called, but he and his daughter were in the Metro coming back from the park/wading pool, so he would call me from his apartment after he got his daughter down for the night.

I then called my wife - she was in the midst of doing pottery with her sister, and so I said I'd call again in the evening.

I was then tired, and lay down and went out for 3 hrs.!

Early Evening

I again checked e-mails and Fb messages and the Blogs for any comments to respond to.

Next I spent some time on my Fb Life Discussion Club, and posted some new articles.

While doing this, my stomach accepted for dinner my egg salad sandwich, juice and cookies....I am still having to treat it a bit gingerly. I had a butter tart (As my birthday cake!)

I then called my wife again and got a nice "Happy Birthday", and told her about my birthday win. We happily chatted for about an hour - I find it quite amazing that after 47 years, we still find lots to talk about!!

Then my son called back, and we arranged to go to dinner tomorrow night in Verdun. If my daughter is free, she may join us.

Thanks to the FQE Team

I have enjoyed a wonderful kids/chess holiday here in Montreal/Longueuil, despite the small cloud of being sick since Wednesday. Thanks to the FQE organizing committee, of which I believe Richard is chair. Similar thanks to the full arbiter's team.....the tournament seemed to run quite smoothly, and it seems all were pleased with the Sandman Hotel location.

I have the 2019 COQ now in my calendar as a possible for next year. I have gotten to know, now, a number of the Montreal and area players in the U 2000, and have felt quite welcomed to their group. I enjoy playing in the greater Montreal area, and feel quite comfortable.......even using my 55 year old broken French from time to time!

The U 2000 Section Winners (After 9 rounds)

1st - 7 pts. - Junior Boy David Craciun (1879) (One of the Dark Horses - those not one of the top 10 rated, but who have risen to the occasion!).

2nd/3rd - 6 pts. -

Malcom Marcone (1997 - # 1 seed).

Nader Ghanbari (1895 - # 7 seed)

This is the typical case of a bad start for favourites, but who make a come back and are winners


[Continued in Part II (Of 2) Below]

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Blog # 9 (Saturday – 18/7/28) (Part II of 2 Parts)

[See Part I above]

Quebec Open Chess Championship
Round 9 - Final Round (End of the Blog)

The Favourites

Here is how the original favourites, who are not among the winners, finished:

6 pts.

Marc-Andre Beaudry (1996 - # 2 seed)
Sylvain De Lagrave (1953 - # 3 seed)
Junior Boy Leo Richard (1915 - # 5 seed))
Ronald Mangahas (1890 -# 8 seed)

5 pts.

Claude Laumiere (1923 - # 4 seed)
Francois Parenteau (1884 - # 9 seed)

4.5 pts.

Louis Morin (1899 - # 6 seed)

Withdrawn

Jacques Marchand (1882 - # 10 seed) - had 3.5 pts. after 4 rounds. Then withdrew after rd. 4.

My Score

3.5/9 pts.! (40 %) - Wins: 2 (Rds. 6 & 9); Draw: 1 (Rd. 4); Losses: 5 (Rds. 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8); Bye: 1 (Director's 1 pt.- Rd. 2)

My & My Opponents' Scores

6.5 pts. - Nader Ghanbari (1895) - I lost in Rd. 3. He tied 2nd/3rd!

5 pts. - Gaeton Sampson (1755) - I lost in Rd. 7.

4.5 pts. - Francois Chevalier (1782) - I drew in Rd. 4.

3.5 pts. - Ed Selling (1845) - I lost in Rd. 5

- Michael Sharpe (1653) - I lost in Rd. 8.

- Me (1512)

2.5 pts. - Sang Kay (1687) - I won in Rd. 6

2 pts. - Roland Pommainville (1634) - I won in Rd. 9.

1.5 pts. - Junior Boy Joachim Turgeon (1825) - I lost in Rd. 1; withdrew after Rd. 7.

The Section that may be of Interest to Some (After the U 2000 Section!): The Open Section

Here are the winners (after 8 rounds):

1st - 7.5 pts. - Undefeated - GM Razvan Preotu (2495)

2nd - 7 pts. - GM Romaine Edouard (2638)

3rd - 6.5 pts. -

GM Bator Sambuev (2514 - current Can. Champion)
GM Victor Mikhalevski (2583)

The GM's have mostly stayed on top!

My Blogging

I do enjoy doing this blog - I always get positive feedback that it is easy to read, informative, trivial, and good for those who are just nosy. Thanks to those who commented or asked questions.

I would note that there has been interest - I got permission from Henry to re-post here early in the week. My first Blog # 1 (Friday) post was made Tuesday morning. Over 5 days now, and with this final Blog # 9 not having yet been posted, there have been 682 views.....that certainly makes me feel my effort in blogging is worth it.

So, I will, on Sunday, start here my Blog # 1 (The Day Prior) for the Montreal Summer Chess Classic (See the separate thread on this)

And thanks again to one and all for a very pleasant and fun Montreal/Longueuil kids/chess holiday.

Bob A