2023 Canadian Transnational Championship (CTN)

[Henri Hughes]

Minimum is 2200 as noted here:

Canadian Transnational Chess Championship (guestlist.co)

thanks Hugh, eyes didnt want to work for me that day!

[Salim Belcadi]

This incredible event provides opportunity for more players to get a GM norm then a 10-player round-robin. Over the years several top Canadian players have obtained IM norms in Canadian events: Plotkin, Ivanov, Chiku-Ratte, Cheng, Gardiner, Pechenkin, Haessel, Hamilton, Hansen, Thavandiran, Panjwani, Kovalyov, Noritsyn, Linskiy, Pushkedra, Taylor. Only a couple have obtained a GM norm in Canada like Roussel-Roozmon, Noritsyn, and Zugic.

The top section will have 18 GMs - is this a record for an event in Canada? The 2011 Canadian Open had 13 GMs. Maybe Quebec Opens have had more?

Has anyone done a study of how often these large swisses result in norms? What is the ideal number of players? With 18 GMs and a total of 48 players in 9 rounds, the average player will play 3 GMs? So those playing with a even or plus score will likely be paired up to more than 3 GMs. Playing 3 GMs is a requirement to get a norm, along with a maximum of playing 5 Canadians, and scoring points for a performance rating of 2600. If one's average opponents rating is around 2400, one would need to score 7-2 for a GM norm, 2450 score 6.5, 2500 score 6, 2530 score 5.5, or 2570 score 5. Players need to get 3 norms to get a title. FIDE requires 20 non-Canadians and new rules requires obtaining one norm from a Swiss of over 40 players. Should 10 more USCF IMs be brought in to increase the number of non-Canadian opponents?

There are only a few FMs in the event and they will certainly play 3 GM/IMs to try for an IM norm, a performance rating of 2450. If one's average opponents rating is 2300, one would need to score 6.5-2.5 for a IM norm, 2350 score 6, 2380 score 5.5, 2420 score 5, or 2460 score 4.5, 50%. Some players like FM Mike Ivanov have the norms, but needs to get his rating up to 2450. Should a couple of non-FM rising juniors be let in to the top section, lowering players average opponents rating which could affect norms?

Thanks a lot Erik. I think one event in Quebec in the early 2000s had more GMs, like 30 or 32. I will ask FQE, they probably keep track of their past events.

I fully agree, it would be great to have an empirical study on the large Swiss events. Ideally a table with average rating, ratio of GMs/non GMs, and number of players would help organizers with their mix. Mathematically it is hard to model what an ideal target performance should look like because we have no guarantees on how the GMs will perform. But if an IM performs well, it is extremely likely that they will be paired against 3 or more GMs.

- For a 2600 performance, i.e. a GM norm, the exact opponent average ratings are: 2380 score 7, 2434 score 6.5, 2475 score 6, 2520 score 5.5, 2557 score 5. With about half the field above 2434 including a quarter above 2500, we expect GM norms at this CTN to be achievable with 6 or 6.5 points.

- For a 2450 performance, i.e. an IM norm, the exact opponent average ratings are: 2230 score 7, 2284 score 6.5, 2325 score 6, 2370 score 5.5, 2407 score 5, 2450 score 4.5, 2493 score 4, 2530 score 3.5. We expect IM norms at this CTN with 4.5 or 5 points.

- For a 2400 performance, i.e. a WGM norm, the exact opponent average ratings are: 2234 score 6.5, 2275 score 6, 2320 score 5.5, 2357 score 5, 2400 score 4.5, 2443 score 4, 2480 score 3.5. We expect WGM norms at this CTN with 4 or 4.5 points.

Allowing promising players under 2200 FIDE is tricky as it could affect norms, but this type of events is rare in Canada and it's a unique opportunity for some of our younger talents. There will be a couple of exceptions, plus players who registered at a time when they were above the threshold but dropped under before the event begins. Also, for a GM norm, FIDE allows one opponent out of 9 to be under 2200. Their rating is then set artificially at 2200 for the final performance calculation.

[Hugh Brodie]

For Swiss tournaments, no Quebec or Canadian event has come close. The 1997 Canadian Open in Winnipeg had 10 or 11 GMs about 25 years ago. (the days when GM titles were a lot harder to get). Here is the crosstable: CFC - Tournament (chess.ca)

[Salim Belcadi]

Nice score Hugh, 6.5 in a Canadian Open with 10 or 11 GMs! Pretty cool performance.

Regarding the CTN, if everyone confirms it looks like about 2/3rd of the 60 players in the Crown will come from foreign federations (more than 10 USCF). A local player will have to be extremely unlucky to face more than 5 opponents registered with CFC.

[Hans Jung]

This is jaw - dropping! Brilliant organizing!

[Emil Smilovici]

For Swiss tournaments, no Quebec or Canadian event has come close. The 1997 Canadian Open in Winnipeg had 10 or 11 GMs about 25 years ago. (the days when GM titles were a lot harder to get). Here is the crosstable: CFC - Tournament (chess.ca)

Canadian Open 2007 in Ottawa had 22 GMs:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/a-shor...dian-open-2007

[Hans Jung]

How soon we forget. Thanks for the Canadian Open 2007 link. The Mikhaelevsky game is worth playing over again.

[Hugh Brodie]

When I look at the crosstable of the Canadian Open 1997, I can easily pick out the names of all the GMs that played. Ottawa 2007 I could recognize about 10. For Montreal 2023, if the titles weren't placed in front of the players' names, I would recognize 5 or 6.

It's becoming too easy to get a title today. There should be a new title given to the top 100 or so rated in the world. If you drop out of that group, you lose the title until you perform better. Think of this as being similar to "relegation" in UK soccer (bring that to the NHL - at the end of each season, the 2 poorest performing teams are dropped to the AHL, and the 2 top AHL teams are brought up - today that would be the Toronto Marlies and the Calgary Wranglers :-) )

[Aris Marghetis]

This incredible event provides opportunity for more players to get a GM norm then a 10-player round-robin. Over the years several top Canadian players have obtained IM norms in Canadian events: Plotkin, Ivanov, Chiku-Ratte, Cheng, Gardiner, Pechenkin, Haessel, Hamilton, Hansen, Thavandiran, Panjwani, Kovalyov, Noritsyn, Linskiy, Pushkedra, Taylor. Only a couple have obtained a GM norm in Canada like Roussel-Roozmon, Noritsyn, and Zugic.

The top section will have 18 GMs - is this a record for an event in Canada? The 2011 Canadian Open had 13 GMs. Maybe Quebec Opens have had more?

...

Re number of GMs, I believe the 2007 Canadian Open had about two dozen:
https://ratings.fide.com/report.phtml?event=9311
[EDIT: doh, Emil already provided that info, thanks!]
If I recall correctly, Peter Hum was INCREDIBLE in getting GMs to that event.

[Salim Belcadi]

FYI the registration link has been moved to our new website: Annex Chess Club - E2-4: Canadian Transnational

Below is an updated list of confirmed FIDE tilted players who will play in some or all the events of the CTN:

GM Awonder Liang (USA), 2651
GM Evgeny Bareev (CAN), 2631
GM Arturs Neiksans (LAT), 2615
GM Lazaro Bruzon (USA), 2611
GM Mateusz Bartel (POL), 2605
GM Nikita Meshkovs (LAT), 2585
GM Emilio Cordoba (PER), 2539
GM Viktor Matviishen (UKR), 2538
GM Marin Bosiocic (CRO), 2537
GM Omar Almeida (CUB), 2526
GM Cristhian Cruz (PER), 2522
GM Elshan Moradiabadi (USA), 2521
GM Isan Ortiz (CUB), 2512
GM Gergely Szabo (ROM), 2504
GM Toms Kantans (LAT), 2480
GM Thomas Roussel-Roozmon (CAN), 2461
GM Bator Sambuev (CAN), 2433
IM Jason Liang (USA),2530
IM Joshua Posthuma (USA), 2457
IM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (CAN), 2451
IM Nikolay Noritsyn (CAN), 2444
IM Andy Woodward (USA), 2436
IM Vyom Vidyarthi (USA), 2432
IM Artiom Samsonkin (CAN), 2420
IM Peter Vavrak (SLO), 2414
IM Edward Song (USA), 2389
IM Sai Krishna (IND), 2385
IM Tianqi Wang (USA), 2359
IM Rohan Talukdar (CAN), 2359
IM Mark Plotkin (CAN), 2341
IM Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte (CAN), 2311
IM Eric Lawson (CAN), 2274
IM Nicholas Vettese (CAN), 2283
IM Alex Reprintsev (UKR), 2254
IM Michael Barron (CAN), 2152
FM Mark Heimann (USA), 2426
FM Anthony Atanasov (CAN), 2368
FM Varun Krishnan (USA), 2341
FM Mike Ivanov (CAN), 2288
FM Eugene Hua (CAN), 2276
FM Vinny Puri (CAN), 2214
FM Jonathan Han (CAN), 2184
FM Zachary Dukic (CAN), 2179
FM Victor Plotkin (CAN), 2172
FM Donald Johnson (USA), 2160
FM Michael Humphreys (CAN), 2153
FM James Canty III (USA), 2145
WGM Thalia Cervantes Landero (USA), 2271
WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet (CAN), 2246
WGM Anna Burtasova (CAN), 2241
WGM Yulesi Hernandez Moya (CUB), 2215
WIM Anna Kentane (LAT), 2252
WIM Svitlana Demchenko (CAN), 2183
CM Koosha Jaferian (IRA), 2233
CM Daniel Xu (CAN), 2228
NM Andersen Gunnar (USA), 2283

More titled players are yet to confirm their seat, including 2 GMs and several IMs.

[Aris Marghetis]

This is amazing work Salim, especially all the strong foreign players!!

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Hi Salim,

Could you please provide the list of players for blitz/rapid for General sections? The list on the website is not very helpful compared what you post for Crown here.
To know the prize distribution for these sections would be great as well.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Salim:

For the General Classic Section - we discussed that generally "paying to play up" is not that common in Quebec, from my prior playing there over the years before the pandemic. Quebec players can correct me if I've got this wrong.

You advised that the organizers are considering imposing a "playing up fee" for this Quebec tournament, but it is not yet decided.

Can you give us a status report on this yet-undecided issue?

As I advised, if I am in the 1500's by the start of the transnational, I expect to pay to play up into the U 1900 Section (Floor of 1600). I paid, on anticipation of this, $ 20 on top of the ACC discount registration fee of $ 80.

Thanks.

Bob

[Salim Belcadi]

Hi Salim,

Could you please provide the list of players for blitz/rapid for General sections? The list on the website is not very helpful compared what you post for Crown here.
To know the prize distribution for these sections would be great as well.

Hi Egidijus, I will ask the team and post it in the coming days.

[Salim Belcadi]

Hi Salim:

You advised that the organizers are considering imposing a "playing up fee" for this Quebec tournament, but it is not yet decided.

Can you give us a status report on this yet-undecided issue?


Bob

Hi Bob, we are actually in favor of enabling the play-up option in the General sections, as long as the rating of the player is within 100 rating points.
The add-on will be open one or two weeks before the event as ratings could change significantly for active players in the coming 2 months.