Lake Huron Pro-Am September 21-22

[Hal Bond]

Hello Chess Talkers!

My friend Jeremy Clark moved from Guelph to Port Elgin last year so we are trying our luck with a ProAm tournament there this fall.

The early payment deadline is August 20, so there is still time to take advantage of the early bird discount. Should be fun. I hope you can join us!

Lake Huron ProAm
September 21-22, 2019
Saugeen Central Elementary School, Port Elgin
5 Round Swiss

Visit https://www.lakehuronchess.com for tournament details and registration. Post here, or email any questions to info@lakehuronchess.com


2 CFC + FIDE Rated Sections: Pro, U2000,
2 CFC Rated Sections: U1600, U1200

Round one pairings published Friday night, September 20th..

Players may play up one section if their current rating is within 100 points of rating floor. Extra cost is $20, proceeds to the Olympic Fund.

Round Times: Saturday 10:00am, 2:00pm, 6:30pm, Sunday 10:00am, 2:30pm
Time Control: All rounds G/90 + 30 sec. Forfeit time is 30 minutes after the start of each round, except round one, which will have a 60 minute forfeit time.
Entry Fees: Payments received on or before August 20, 2019:
Pro Section $70, others $50.
After August 20th, 2019: Pro Section is $80, others $60.
On Site Late Fee: $10.00
Single Half Point Byes: in rounds 1-4 may be requested in advance
Prizes: $70 per Pro player returned as prizes. Trophies awarded in other sections
Registration: Prepayment required before any pairing. Prepaid players will be paired on Friday night for round one. Whites’ clocks will start at 10am Saturday.
For E-transfers, send to halbond@sympatico.ca
For Paypal, the payee is chess@uoguelph.ca
Or mail cheques payable to Hal Bond,
57 - 12^th Concession East, Unit 448
Freelton, ON L8B 1C4


Equipment, snacks and refreshments provided by organizer

[Ffen Liv]

Hi everyone, this is Jeremy, Hal's hosting partner for this event.

Port Elgin is gorgeous in the fall, and as a summer tourist destination, has a lot of overnight accommodation options. We'll have news about a block of rooms by tomorrow. I've been working to build a chess community here in town with weekly club meetings and teaching chess at local schools. A number of our local members have registered, and more have committed to coming. We'd love to host you all here for the weekend of September 21/22 for this event!

[Hans Jung]

Ive decided to play in this tournament. Looks like an interesting event.

[Ffen Liv]

Glad you'll be coming, Hans!

On that note, I have hotel discount details.

Port Elgin Travelodge by Wyndham
We've reserved a block of rooms at the Travelodge here in Port Elgin, and there are two options:

• 1 king bed, $107+tax per night
• 2 queen beds, $117+ tax per night

The hotel offers 20% off any meals at the attached Sunrise Cafe, which is open daily for breakfast and lunch. The hotel features an indoor pool and hot tub, free wifi, free parking, and all rooms come with a mini fridge and a microwave.

The hotel is a 2-minute drive (1.2 km) from the venue.

Call 519-832-2021 and tell them you're interested in booking a room for the chess tournament. The deadline for the discounted rate is September 6!

As a summer tourist destination, there are other hotels and motels in town, and a number of airbnb and cottage rental options. Feel free to contact me at info@lakehuronchess.com if you want some help exploring other accommodation options.

[Ffen Liv]

Hello again everyone,

If anyone out there in chesstalk land is considering registering, feel free to contact me with any questions about the tournament or the area. I'm happy to answer. And thanks to both Hans and Tim Knechtel for registering on the weekend, we're looking forward to having you both!

I started a small chess club here in Port Elgin just about one year ago, and me and the other members have been working hard to create a chess community here, which has included teaching at school chess clubs (and a great performance at a regional school event!), and promoting chess to kids and adults every chance we get. All of our club members available that weekend have, or will be registering, and this tournament is a big piece of our chess-building efforts here in town. Coming to Port Elgin for this tournament will make you a big part of getting chess off the ground in the area.

Head over to https://www.lakehuronchess.com for all the details and registration!

Port Elgin itself (along with Southampton, which makes up the Town of Saugeen Shores) are wonderful towns on the shore of Lake Huron, with a population of approximately 15,000. The area has long been a summer destination for people from across the province, both for its beaches and natural beauty. Though the population may seem a bit small to some of you, Port Elgin has many of the stores and eating destinations you're familiar with, along with a lot of local flair.

For an added bit of local information: if your Saturday games wrap up in time, the shore also has jaw-dropping sunsets almost every night. We live around the corner from the water and take them in all the time.

[Ffen Liv]

The early bird deadline is fast-approaching. Register today for $50! ($70 for the Pro - Over-2000 section).

[Ffen Liv]

Four more registrations from folks in Marham rolled in last night just ahead of the early-bird deadline. Since the early-bird fee seems so popular, we thought we'd put it out to the end of the week, just in case people need a bit more time to decide, so:

You can still register and receive the $10 discount ($50 for all sections except Pro, $70 for Pro) until midnight on Friday, August 23rd.

As usual reply here, or contact me at info@lakehuronches.com, or speak to Hal at halbond@sympatico.ca

We're very excited to host more of you GTA and other 401-corridor folks so you can see why people love Port Elgin so much!

[Grey Guo]

hmm, 4 from Markham, expect it related to my recommendation in chess school group -:)

[Ffen Liv]

hmm, 4 from Markham, expect it related to my recommendation in chess school group -:)

If so, thanks for the help. If not, thanks anyway!

Anyone else you can send our way is appreciated.

[Ffen Liv]

Hello everyone,

Today is the final day for our extended early bird registration - Pro section: $70, all other sections $50. Fill out the registration form at https://www.lakehuronchess.com/register by midnight tonight, or contact me directly at info@lakehuronchess.com to get your discounted registration.

There are rooms still available in our group booking at the Travelodge in Port Elgin, as well as AirBnB options, and cottage rentals for larger groups and families.

[Ffen Liv]

FM Eugene Hua has registered as well, and there's a little over 4 hours to go before the early bird deadline!

Contact me at info@lakehuronchess.com tonight to register, or to ask questions about the event or Port Elgin, and secure your early-bird registration discount.

[Ffen Liv]

Jeremy here again. Thought I'd provide a quick update: We have two FMs registered, Hans Jung and Eugene Hua, and have been filling out the Pro, u-2000 and u-1200 sections. We'd love to boost the numbers in the u-1600 as well as we move close to September.

Registration for the Pro section is $80, and all other sections $60.

I spoke with the hotel hosting our group discount and they still have rooms available in both formats (2 queen beds, 1 single bed). There are also AirBNBs in town, and other hotels located in Southampton (4 miles away). Both Port Elgin and Southampton are home also to a number of great local restaurants, as well as the chain restaurants you're familiar with. September is a great time of year to visit up here, so register now!

[Ffen Liv]

IM Tangi Minot has registered as well now.

There's still a week left to guarantee the group rate for yourself at the hotel, so register now at https://www.lakehuronchess.com/register !

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions here, or at info@lakehuronchess.com.

J

[Gary Hua]

IM Tangi Minot has registered as well now.

There's still a week left to guarantee the group rate for yourself at the hotel, so register now at https://www.lakehuronchess.com/register !

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions here, or at info@lakehuronchess.com.

J

Thanks Jeremy for the update. Looks like it is pretty heavy weight in the top section. Not sure why players are not signing up yet but I guess they are waiting for Toronto Open to finish first. Parents and players have to remember that it is not easy to organize and run a chess tournament. If we don't support the tournaments, we may just lose them.

[Ffen Liv]

Thanks Jeremy for the update. Looks like it is pretty heavy weight in the top section. Not sure why players are not signing up yet but I guess they are waiting for Toronto Open to finish first. Parents and players have to remember that it is not easy to organize and run a chess tournament. If we don't support the tournaments, we may just lose them.

Indeed, Gary. Going in I knew there would be some last-minute registrations, as there are at every event, but we'd love to get more registrations up-front. For the benefit of the chess community here, we'd love to make this an annual event, but we have to carry off this one first!

To anyone out there on the fence, send me questions any time. I'm eager to get the numbers up as soon as possible, and I know everyone will enjoy themselves at the tournament, and in Port Elgin, particularly if you've never been here before. The Lake Huron shore is a great place to be this time of year. We also have a number of strong players registered already, including three titled individuals, and a growing U-1200 section. We've had a good turnout from local chess players, more than I'd expected, and I'm very hopeful of keeping the momentum we've built for chess here going with a strong tournament in a few weeks.

There's one week left on the hotel group rate, so get in now!