3rd Annual Vankleek Hill Open
An EOCA Grand Prix Event
The opening event of the 2024-2025 Eastern Ontario Grand Prix takes place at the Vankleek Hill Curling Club, in the middle of the “Gingerbread Capital of Ontario”, in Vankleek Hill. Enjoy a weekend of chess in a town with a rich history, situated about halfway between Montreal and Ottawa. Between rounds you could visit the Vankleek Hill Museum, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, Arbor Gallery Cultural Centre, or go for a walk down touristy Main Street.
Event Date: Saturday August 10 to Sunday August 11, 2024.
Place: Vankleek Hill Curling Club, 136 Bond Street, Vankleek Hill ON, K0B 1R0. There is plenty of free parking on-site.
Type: Regular Swiss Open, pairings in Open Section and an U1600 Section.
A Word on Sections: Players must have a CFC rating below 1600 at the time of the tournament (or be unrated CFC, FQE, USCF and FIDE) to play in the U1600 section, otherwise they play in the Open Section. For players with no CFC rating but with a FQE, FIDE, or USCF rating, I will take the higher of these ratings, for which section you go into. Players with a CFC rating between 1500-1599 may play in the Open Section if they explicitly indicate this to me prior to Round 1 – and pay an additional $20 play-up fee (i.e., $80 Open Section entry fee + $20 play-up fee = $100) – otherwise they will be paired in the U1600 section. Players below 1500 must play in the U1600 Section.
Rounds: 5 rounds — Saturday @ 9am, 2pm and 7pm; Sunday @ 9am and 2pm.
Time Control: Game in 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, starting from Move 1. The default time shall be 30 minutes after white’s clock has been started (i.e., if one player has not arrived at the board, within 30 minutes after white’s clock has been started, they shall be considered to have forfeited the game to their opponent). This will apply to all rounds, except Round 1, where the default time shall be 60 minutes.
Prizes: Sections and prizes are based on entries and may change.
Entry Fee: $80 for Open Section if pre-registered, $100 at site. $60 for U1600 Section if pre-registered, $80 at site. Cash or e-transfer to jsztukachess at gmail dot com ONLY. Free entry for GMs/WGMs & IMs/WIMs, if pre-registered by July 19, 2024. $40 for FM/WFM if pre-registered by July 19, 2024 and $60 for National Masters if pre-registered by July 19, 2024.
CFC or FQE membership is required. If you do not have a regular CFC membership, Tournament Memberships will be available for $20. All games will be CFC rated.
A limited number of clocks and sets will be provided, so please bring your own equipment if possible.
Requesting byes: A maximum of two ½ point byes can be given in the first three rounds, which must be requested before Round 1.
Organizer: Jeremy Sztuka Tournament Director: Jeremy Sztuka
Registration options:
1. Send an email to jsztukachess at gmail dot com. Please note in your email if any byes will be needed (or not).
2. Register on-site on Saturday August 10 between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM.
Please note in regard to both Options above – in order to finalise registration, payment of entry fee (cash or etransfer) is due by 8:30am on August 10 in order to ensure eligibility for a pairing in Round 1. No cheques.
About the Venue: The room at the Curling Club has ample space, including air conditioning plus a refrigerator, kitchenette, and coffee maker on site. Coffee, tea, and bottled water will be available to all players.
Additional Information
Directions From Ottawa: Follow the 417 East to exit 27, Highway 34. Turn left to go north on Highway 34 (6.6km) into Vankleek Hill, turn right at the first light and go 500 meters, then turn left at Stanley Avenue, go 140 meters, and turn left at Bond Street (first left) – Vankleek Hill Curling Club will be on your left.
Directions From Montreal: Go on Autoroute 40, then continue on to Highway 417 West at Quebec-Ontario border. Follow the 417 West to exit 17, Regional Road 10. Turn right to go west on Regional Road 10 (6.7km) into Vankleek Hill, then turn right at Stanley Avenue, go 140 meters, and turn left at Bond Street (first left) – Vankleek Hill Curling Club will be on your left.
Directions from Kingston/Toronto: Take Highway 401 East, and get off at Exit 789 (Cornwall). Go north 36km on Highway 138 to Highway 417 and get on Highway 417 East. Follow the 417 East to exit 27, Highway 34. Turn left to go north on Highway 34 (6.6km) into Vankleek Hill, turn right at the first light and go 500 meters, then turn left at Stanley Avenue, go 140 meters, and turn left at Bond Street (first left) – Vankleek Hill Curling Club will be on your left.
Where to Stay:
I recommend Quality Inn & Suites in nearby Hawkesbury (a 10 minute drive away). Phone # 613- 632-5941. Website: https://www.choicehotels.com/ontario...ity-inn-hotels
There is also a Travelodge in Rigaud, Quebec, approximately a 20 minute drive away, phone # 450- 451-4726 and their website is: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/en-ca/...iguad/overview
There is also a Microtel in Casselman, Ontario at 17 Industriel St, Casselman, ON K0A 1M0, approximately a 30 minute drive away, phone # 613-427-3550 and their website is: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/en-ca/...dham-casselman
There are other various smaller motels available in surrounding areas as well
*I would recommend booking a hotel/motel sooner rather than later as during the summer they tend to fill up fast!
Where to Eat:
I highly recommend Anne’s Chip Stand for lunch (they are open 11am-7pm). They are located at 5135 Highway 34, a 5-minute drive north of Vankleek Hill.
Other options in town include The Broken Kettle Bakery & Barkery, 52 Main Street East, (open 10am-4pm Saturday, closed Sunday); and Herb's Travel Plaza Restaurant, 21160 Service Rd (open 7 days a week, broad hours).
For fast food, within walking distance of the Curling Club, there is also a Tim Hortons.
- If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
- Policy / Politique
The fee for tournament organizers advertising on ChessTalk is $20/event or $100/yearly unlimited for the year.
Les frais d'inscription des organisateurs de tournoi sur ChessTalk sont de 20 $/événement ou de 100 $/année illimitée.
You can etransfer to Henry Lam at chesstalkforum at gmail dot com
Transfér à Henry Lam à chesstalkforum@gmail.com
Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir - General Guidelines
---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
Some Basics
1. Under Board "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) there are 3 sections dealing with General Forum Usage, User Profile Features, and Reading and Posting Messages. These deal with everything from Avatars to Your Notifications. Most general technical questions are covered there. Here is a link to the FAQs. https://forum.chesstalk.com/help
2. Consider using the SEARCH button if you are looking for information. You may find your question has already been answered in a previous thread.
3. If you've looked for an answer to a question, and not found one, then you should consider asking your question in a new thread. For example, there have already been questions and discussion regarding: how to do chess diagrams (FENs); crosstables that line up properly; and the numerous little “glitches” that every new site will have.
4. Read pinned or sticky threads, like this one, if they look important. This applies especially to newcomers.
5. Read the thread you're posting in before you post. There are a variety of ways to look at a thread. These are covered under “Display Modes”.
6. Thread titles: please provide some details in your thread title. This is useful for a number of reasons. It helps ChessTalk members to quickly skim the threads. It prevents duplication of threads. And so on.
7. Unnecessary thread proliferation (e.g., deliberately creating a new thread that duplicates existing discussion) is discouraged. Look to see if a thread on your topic may have already been started and, if so, consider adding your contribution to the pre-existing thread. However, starting new threads to explore side-issues that are not relevant to the original subject is strongly encouraged. A single thread on the Canadian Open, with hundreds of posts on multiple sub-topics, is no better than a dozen threads on the Open covering only a few topics. Use your good judgment when starting a new thread.
8. If and/or when sub-forums are created, please make sure to create threads in the proper place.
Debate
9. Give an opinion and back it up with a reason. Throwaway comments such as "Game X pwnz because my friend and I think so!" could be considered pointless at best, and inflammatory at worst.
10. Try to give your own opinions, not simply those copied and pasted from reviews or opinions of your friends.
Unacceptable behavior and warnings
11. In registering here at ChessTalk please note that the same or similar rules apply here as applied at the previous Boardhost message board. In particular, the following content is not permitted to appear in any messages:
* Racism
* Hatred
* Harassment
* Adult content
* Obscene material
* Nudity or pornography
* Material that infringes intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party
* Material the posting of which is tortious or violates a contractual or fiduciary obligation you or we owe to another party
* Piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, or warez
* Spam
* Any illegal content
* unapproved Commercial banner advertisements or revenue-generating links
* Any link to or any images from a site containing any material outlined in these restrictions
* Any material deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Board staff
12. Users are welcome to challenge other points of view and opinions, but should do so respectfully. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Posts and threads with unacceptable content can be closed or deleted altogether. Furthermore, a range of sanctions are possible - from a simple warning to a temporary or even a permanent banning from ChessTalk.
Helping to Moderate
13. 'Report' links (an exclamation mark inside a triangle) can be found in many places throughout the board. These links allow users to alert the board staff to anything which is offensive, objectionable or illegal. Please consider using this feature if the need arises.
Advice for free
14. You should exercise the same caution with Private Messages as you would with any public posting.
15. Have fun!
(Thanks to Nigel Hanrahan for writing these up!)