2025 Toronto Blitz Championship

[Salim Belcadi]

Annex Chess Club is thrilled to host the GTCL's 2025 Toronto Blitz Championship.

Date and time: Sunday June 15, 2025, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Annex Chess Club, 918 Bathurst St., Toronto

Format: seven double-round Swiss, one section.

Time control: 3'+2" blitz

Rating: CFC- and FIDE- rated. A current CFC membership is required (or single tournament fee required). Starting rank is determined by FIDE Blitz rating; FIDE Rapid/Standard and CFC Quick ratings will be used where appropriate for unrated players.


Chief Arbiter: IA Uttam Dhungel

Prizes: Prize fund of $2100 (based on 100 entrants), with guaranteed $700 for first place, prizes for top three players and: best senior (50+), best woman (18+), best junior (U18), best junior girl (U18) and best ACC member.

Entry Fee: $75, with $25 early bird discount before June 1.

Free entry for GM/WGM/IM/WIM. Please email tournaments@annexchessclub.com to register.

$10 discount for women, juniors, seniors, and ACC members. (Please email info@annexchessclub.com for code.)

Payment can be made by e-transfer to info@annexchessclub.com

If you are registering multiple players, please fill out one form for each player.

Registration form: 2025 Toronto Blitz Championship

[Heidi Gay]

To clarify, there is no need to email info@annexchessclub.com for a code. We hope to see you there!

[Heidi Gay]

Pre-registered list: https://chess-results.com/tnr1181453...et=YES&flag=30

[Heidi Gay]

Reminder: Prices increase by $25 tomorrow, June 1!

[Heidi Gay]

Online registrations close on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm. Onsite registrations ($100) close at 3pm on Sunday, June 15 2025 if space is available.

IMs that have confirmed their participation:

• IM Anthony Atanasov
• IM Mark Plotkin
• IM Nicholas Vettese
• IM Michael Barron

[Heidi Gay]

IM Shiyam Thavandiran has confirmed his participation.

Online registrations close at 11:59pm TONIGHT.

Onsite registrations ($100) will close at 3pm tomorrow.

[Hugh Siddeley]

I find the following a little unfair, to say the least:

"prizes for top three players and, best senior (50+), best woman (18+), best junior (U18), best junior girl (U18)"

ALSO, "discounted entry for seniors, women, and juniors."

Damn, I'm jealous, if I got to fit into one of these categories not only will I get a discount for entering, but I will also have access to more prizes. Doesn't seem very equitable to me. Do either/or, not both!

Do poker tournaments work this way? I don't think so.

[Hugh Siddeley]

Don't get me wrong. I am all for encouraging seniors in chess, women, juniors, junior girls etc. But where is the love for washed-up middle-aged players like me?

So while these discounts and added prizes certainly encourage these groups, organizers perhaps don't realize the unintended consequence of this unbalanced system; if I'm on the fence about playing, I may just put that $75 back in my pocket, thank you very much.

I have often joked with people about organizing a tournament where seniors, women, and juniors pay EXTRA for playing. Sort of a tip of the cap to players like me, who in 28 years of playing tournament chess have never received these discounts, and have certainly padded the prize fund for these special players time and again.

[Erik Malmsten]

I find the following a little unfair, to say the least:

"prizes for top three players and, best senior (50+), best woman (18+), best junior (U18), best junior girl (U18)"

ALSO, "discounted entry for seniors, women, and juniors."

Damn, I'm jealous, if I got to fit into one of these categories not only will I get a discount for entering, but I will also have access to more prizes. Doesn't seem very equitable to me. Do either/or, not both!

Do poker tournaments work this way? I don't think so.

These are usually small, token prizes such as winning their entry fee back. And it gets complicated figuring out whether a junior should be given the open or junior prize. But juniors have only a couple of years to win junior prizes, while seniors and women win prizes for life.

Hey Hugh, should organizers request the tax forms of players, and junior parents, to decide if they qualify for the $10 discount?

You have a point about being a regular. Like frequent flyer points, should you get into every tenth tournament for free?

I'm still waiting for the best left-handed player prize.

[Hugh Siddeley]

These are usually small, token prizes such as winning their entry fee back.

Yes, I'd love to get my entry fee back if I score at least 50%!

Hey Hugh, should organizers request the tax forms of players, and junior parents, to decide if they qualify for the $10 discount?

?? Why am I not the least bit surprised you'd want to make light of my opinions by saying something silly like that.

[Heidi Gay]

The 2025 Toronto Blitz Championship concluded yesterday with 49 players, including 5 IMs.

The winner is IM Anthony Atanasov with a whopping 13.5 out of 14 points, who won the 2025 Toronto Blitz Champion title with 2 rounds to spare.

Coming in joint second are IM Mark Plotkin and IM Nicholas Vettese on 10.5 points.

Top U18: Saarthak Malakar on 9 points.
Top S50: IM Michael Barron on 9 points.
Top women: WFM Oksana Golubeva and Nicole Woo on 8 points.
Top ACC members: Amirmahdhi Hosseinzadeh and Nihad Mammadov on 7.5 points.

Full standings here.

Congratulations to all!

[Erik Malmsten]

The 2025 Toronto Blitz Championship concluded yesterday with 49 players, including 5 IMs.

The winner is IM Anthony Atanasov with a whopping 13.5 out of 14 points, who won the 2025 Toronto Blitz Champion title with 2 rounds to spare.

Coming in joint second are IM Mark Plotkin and IM Nicholas Vettese on 10.5 points.

Top U18: Saarthak Malakar on 9 points.
Top S50: IM Michael Barron on 9 points.
Top women: WFM Oksana Golubeva and Nicole Woo on 8 points.
Top ACC members: Amirmahdhi Hosseinzadeh and Nihad Mammadov on 7.5 points.

Full standings here.

Congratulations to all!

And thanks Heidi, I was impressed with your speed in collecting the results and making the pairings. The tournament finished on schedule!

[Heidi Gay]

Thanks for the kind words, Erik.

[John Upper]

photos:
https://www.facebook.com/ChessCanada/photos_albums