Kingston CC Championship 2026: Results summary, some notes

[Frank Dixon]

Sam Marin (2047), Carleton U. -- Hou Ji Yao (1860), McGill U. 'B'; bd. 2 of 4
Kingston 2016, played Jan. 9
InterUniversity Team Championship, Championship section, rd. 1 of 4
Org.: InterUniversity Chess League; Queen's University Chess Club, Chair: Simon Gladstone; Kingston Chess Club
TD: Tyler Longo; Assistant TD: NTD Frank Dixon
Sicilian, Paulsen / Kan / Maroczy, B43
Time controls: 40/90' + 30", SD/60' + 30"
Notes by Frank Dixon

[Here is a marathon positional battle, interesting, well played and hard fought from both sides, with no real tactics in what can often be a highly tactical line, finally ending in a draw!! Black's effort is impressive, spotting his opponent nearly 200 rating points, and eventually getting slightly the better of the draw. Enjoy!!]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Qc7 7.Be3 Be7 8.Be2 O-O 9.O-O d6 10.Qd2 b6 11.f3 Bb7 12.Nc2 Rfd8 13.Na4 Nbd7 14.Rac1 Nc5 15.Qb4 Bc6 16.Nxc5 bxc5 17.Qc3 Nd7 18.b4 cxb4 19.Nxb4 Bb7 20.Bd4 Bf6 21.Rfd1 Bxd4+ 22.Qxd4 Nc5 23.Nd3 e5 24.Qe3 Ne6 25.c5 Nd4 26.cxd6 Qxd6 27.Nc5 Qb6 28.Bc4 Rac8 29.Nxb7 Qxb7 30.Bd5 Qb5 31.Rb1 Qc5 32.Kh1 Ne6 33.Qb3 Rd6 34.h3 Qc7 35.Qa4 Kf8 36.Rb7 Qc2 37.Qxc2 Rxc2 38.Rdb1 Rc7 39.Rxc7 Nxc7 40.Rb8+ Ke7
[Reaching the first time control. The ending is close to level, with White having a bishop for a knight in an open position, usually good for a slight advantage. It's fascinating to see how Black deals very effectively with this.]
41.Rb7 Rd7 42.Bb3 f6 43.Ba4 Nb5 44.Rb6 Rd6 45.Rb7+ Rd7 46.Rb8 Rd8 47.Rxd8 Kxd8 48.Kg1 Nd4 49.Kf2 Kc7 50.Ke3 Kd6 51.Kd3 Ne6 52.Ke3 Nf4 53.Kf2 h5! 54.h4 g5 55.g3 Ne6 56.Be8 gxh4 57.Bxh5 hxg3+ 58.Kxg3 Nd4! 59.f4 Ne6 60.fxe5+ Kxe5 61.Bg6 Ng5! 62.Kf2 Nxe4+ 63.Ke3 f5
[The game at last departs from material equality. Can Black make something of his extra pawn!?]
64.Bf7 Nc5 65.Bc4 a5 66.Be2 f4+ 67.Kf3 Ne6 68.Bc4 Nd4+ 69.Kf2 Ke4 70.Ba6 Kd5 71.Bc8 Kc4 72.a4 Kb4 73.Bd7 Kc3 74.Bb5 Kb4 75.Bd7 Kc4 76.Be8 Kd3 77.Bg6+ Kc3 78.Be8! Kb4 79.Bd7 Nb3! 80.Kf3 Nc5 81.Be8 Nxa4 82.Kxf4 Nc3 83.Ke3 Nb5 84.Kd2! a4 85.Bxb5! Kxb5 86.Kc3 a3 87.Kb3, 1/2 -- 1/2.
[White had to calculate perfectly to hold the draw, and did so!!]

[Frank Dixon]

Matthew Struthers (2047) -- Geoff McKay (2151)
Kingston 1997, played Nov. 17
Kingston Whig-Standard Championship, rd. 7 of 8
Org.: Kingston Chess Club
TD: Frank Dixon; Assistant TD: Dr. James Cairns
Alekhine, Four Pawns', B03
Time controls: 30/90', SD/60'
Notes by Frank Dixon

[This game was crucial to Matthew's eventual tournament victory. Matthew, a Physics student at Queen's University, and an important organizer as Ontario Youth Coordinator in his first year there, 1994-95, ended with 6.5/8. He had a half-point bye and a loss to former champ Dr. Peter Sibbald, who holds a PhD in Physics!! Matthew defeated me in the final round, in a wild game, to clinch the title, contested since the 1950s, for a trophy and prize donated by Kingston's newspaper, founded in 1834, but now down to four issues per week.]
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4
[This is the Four Pawns Attack, which from the 1920s has been the toughest test for Black players of this defense. Alexander Alekhine introduced the opening to top-class chess at Budapest 1921; it had been played sporadically before that. As Black, it is all too easy to be overrun by the pawn storm, or to make a tactical error and lose quickly, as is the case here. Not for the fainthearted! The Alekhine was Geoff's main defense against 1.e4, and he scored many successes with it. I had some wins against him in rare variations, as well as several losses.]
5...dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be3 e6
[The sharpest lines see Black play an early ...g6, which is borderline unsound. Deep knowledge and strong courage are needed. GM Lev Alburt (born 1945) for many years championed the Alekhine as Black, and he showed many new resources. GM Alburt was a multiple USA champion after arriving from the USSR, who wrote some excellent books as well. GM Bobby Fischer played it occasionally in the early 1970s, then twice in his victorious world title match, Reykjavik 1972, over holder GM Boris Spassky. Bobby scored a win and a draw!]
9.Nc3 Be7 10.Ne4 Bb4+ 11.Kf2!? Be7 12.Be2 Bxf3 13.gxf3 O-O 14.Rg1! f5!? 15.Nc5! f4!? 16.Nxe6!
[Putting a second piece en prise; but as GM Mikhail Tal, the eighth World Champion, said: "They can only take one at a time!"]
16...fxe3+ 17.Kf1 Qd7??
[Losing immediately. An absolute must was 17...Qe8!, whereupon White has the choice between two strong replies: a) 18.Rxg7+, with one possibility being 18...Kh8 19.Qd3 Qh5 20.Qxe3 with an unclear situation, and b) 18.Nxg7 Qf7 19.Ne6+ (19.e6!? Qxg7! 20.Rxg7+ Kxg7 -/+) Kh8 20.Nxf8 Rxf8 21.Rc1, where there are again many complex lines.]
18.Rxg7+ Kh8 19.Qd3!!, 1-0.
[Black cannot stop mate on h7.]

[Frank Dixon]

Jay Serdula (1850) -- Frank Dixon (1950)
Kingston 2005, played Jan. 17
Kingston Chess Club Winter rapid, G/30', rd. 4 of 6
TD: Dr. Peter Sibbald
Sicilian, Kuprejcik, B56
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

Chess is an endlessly fascinating game on the 64 squares, but what I have also learned in my lifetime of chess involvement is that the people one meets are sometimes even more interesting!! A great example is my opponent in this game. Jay was born in 1972, and raised in Deep River, Ontario, which is the townsite for Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, founded in 1945 for Canadian research into the development of nuclear energy, and for other scientific research. I was raised there a few years before him, but wasn't born there. Both of our fathers were engineers / scientists at CRNL. Jay is a published author, who self-identified as an Aspergers person, in his book 'Aspirations of an Aspie'. Jay has been resident of Kingston for many years, and we connected through chess, playing many interesting games. He earned his undergrad degree in science at the University of Waterloo, and then completed a M.Sc. at the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, where he also worked for a time. Jay is a very accomplished sportsman across many interests: besides chess (where his rating has been as high as 1958), he is a talented swimmer (his excellent book is mainly about his successful quest to swim across Lake Ontario!!), a competitive Nordic skiier, a pretty good golfer (I lent him a set for a summer, and he showed amazing improvement), a dedicated runner, an excellent skater, and I am sure there are a few more sports in there as well! He has many friends in the Kingston area, and has enormous achievements, overcoming his health challenges. He is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. What follows is one of our games.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd7
[This is the Kuprejcik Sicilian, named for GM Vladimir Kuprejcik. The site 365chess.com has over 50 games by him from this position. The line can be highly transpositional in nature, and is quite often played by GM Magnus Carlsen, former World Champion, among other very strong players.]
6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Nc6 8.Be3 a6 9.a3 Be7 10.b4!? b5 11.Bb3 O-O (11,6) 12.Qd2 Qc7 13.Rfd1 Rac8!
[Looking to pressure on the c-file, especially the N/c3, now that White has advanced his b-pawn.]
14.Ncxb5!?
[Recognizing Black's intent, White takes drastic action, with a thematic combination. Here, he gets three connected Queenside passers for his piece. This idea is often seen in the Sicilian, and is covered with many examples in the fine historical book "Sacrifices in the Sicilian", by IM David Levy, Batsford, mid-1970s, recommended to everyone!]
14...axb5 15.Nxb5 Qb8 16.Nxd6 Rcd8
[Capturing with 16...Nxe4 looked very interesting as well, but I do have a lot of experience facing this type of sacrifice, so decided on the KISS approach (Keep It Simple, Smart Guy!), keeping the threat on the e4-pawn alive, and looking to optimally rearrange my compact minors formation, to increase pressure on the N/d6, which is pinned to the Q/d2.]
17.f3 Ne5! (18,12)
[White's Queenside passers can become very dangerous in an ending, but we are a long ways from that.]
18.Bc5
[I was more concerned about a quick c2-c4-c5, where White may in fact be a bit better, but that would be a mutually difficult (and very different!) game ahead.]
18...Bc6! 19.a4 h6 20.b5 Bxe4!! (23,14)
[Jay said later this move, introducing a very deep combination, was a complete shock to him. White is likely unable to save the game from this juncture.]
21.fxe4 Nxe4 22.Nxe4 Bxc5+ 23.Nxc5 Rxd2 24.Rxd2 Qb6!
[To borrow a great line from GM Bobby Fischer ('My Sixty Memorable Games'): "the scorpion's sting at the tail end of the combination!" This wins the pinned N/c5, and puts the game away.]
25.Rad1 Qxc5+, 0-1. (28,17)

[Frank Dixon]

Meng Lou (2260) -- Steve Guidi (1826)
Kingston 1996, played May 11
Ontario High School Championship, Championship section, rd. 4 of 5
Org: Ontario HS Chess Association, Kingston Chess Club, Queen's University Chess Club
TDs: Ed Thompson, Christopher Field, Frank Dixon
Time controls: 30/90', SD/60'
Budapest Gambit, A52
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

[This was the board one game in the top section; Meng Lou, top-rated, was from Windsor; Steve Guidi from Churchill H.S. in Toronto. The game turns out to be a not-unexpected easy win for the young NM.]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4
[White can try to hold the gambit pawn in some variations, with this move. Major alternatives are: a) 4.Nf3 and b) 4.e4. Also occasionally seen is 4.e6, while 4.Qd4? is an error.]
4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.e3
[Catastrophic is 9.axb4?? (here or on the previous move) Nd3#!; the Keininger trap.]
9...Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 O-O 11.Be2 d6 12.O-O Re8 13.Qc3 a5 14.Bg3 Bd7 15.Rfd1 Bc6 (25,40) 16.Qd4 Nd7 (40,50) 17.b4 Nf6 18.b5 Qe4?? 19.bxc6 Qxc6 20.Bf3, 1-0. (49,67)
[Meng Lou would go on to capture the 1996 title.]

[Frank Dixon]

Jeff Towers (1900) -- Jason Oldendorp (1660)
Kingston 1995, played March 20
Kingston Chess Club Championship, Group 'A', Rd. 8 of 9
TD: Chris Hargreaves
Time controls: 30/90', SD/60'
English, Carls variation, A22
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.g3 d6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.d3 O-O 6.e4 c6 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.O-O Nb6 9.h3 e5 (6,21)
[White is playing his favorite Botvinnik system; Black responds with the Carls variation, and looks to set up a quick attack on the Kingside. The game heads into a very sharp, unbalanced struggle from an early stage, with Black sacking a piece, for dangerous attacking chances, which White needs to watch very carefully.]
10.Be3 Be6 11.f4 Qd7 12.g4 h5 13.f5!? hxg4!? 14.fxe6 Qxe6 (35,40) 15.Kh2 Kh7 16.Ng3 Rh8 (49,49) 17.Rh1 Kg8 18.Qf1 gxh3 19.Bf3 Bh6 20.Qe2 Bxe3 21.Qxe3 Ng4+ 22.Bxg4 Qxg4 (65,59)
23.Raf1 Rf8 24.Rhg1 Qe6 25.Nf5! Rh7 (75,67) 26.Rf3 Kh8 27.Ng3 f5 28.exf5 gxf5 29.Nge4!
[This resource had to be seen from a few moves before, and it gives White the upper hand.]
29...Rg8 30.Rxg8+ Qxg8 (88,81)
[Both sides make the time control.]
31.Ng5 f4 32.Qg1! Rh5 33.Rxh3 Rxh3+ 34.Kxh3 Nd7 35.Qg4 Qg6 36.Nge4!, 1-0. (107,98)
[Courageous play from young Jason, conceding many years of experience and nearly 250 rating points.]

[Frank Dixon]

I am now correcting a possible error on game identification. I believe I had previously entered this game score, several years ago, on chess5.com, on my personal account there, with public access. The chess5.com site is no longer operational, so I can't check to be sure. But I was entering a bunch of games there, from a variety of events and with a range of players, and while I think this game score is in fact correct, with game details also correct, the Black player's name may NOT be. If it has been entered by Hugh Brodie for CanBase, it is here corrected, for the record, with this information to be transferred there, hopefully.

Wayne Coppin (1980) -- Adam Runions (1975)
Kingston 1996, played Sept. 17
Kingston Chess Club vs. Queen's University Chess Club, team match, round 1 of 2
TDs: Dr. James Cairns and Frank Dixon
Time controls: 30/90', SD/60'
Modern, B06
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c3 d6 4.Bd3 e5 5.Ne2 Ne7 6.O-O O-O 7.f4 f5
[White has chosen a quiet line against the combative Modern, off the beaten track, but with a few examples! More recently seen (from 365chess.com) was the Master game Rzayev 0-1 Onysshchuk, Nokhchivan Open 2015, with 7...exd4 8.Nxd4 c5 9.Nf3 d5 10.Be3 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Qc7, ...]
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Bg5?!
[Again from 365chess.com, we can learn that they have no games with this move. Played since the text, Plenkovic 1-0 Basic, Split Open 2005, had 9.dxe5 Kh8 10.Bg5 Nbc6 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Bxf5 Qxd1 13.Rxd1 Bxf5 14.Bf6 Bxf6 15.exf6 Rxf6, ...]
9...h6! 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bf2 f4! 12.Qb3+ Kh8 13.Nbd2 Nbc6 14.d5 Na5!? 15.Qa3 b6 16.b4 Nb7 17.c4 Ng6! 18.c5 g4! 19.Ba6?! Qg5!
[Black is definitely better, and now threatens thematic, dangerous Kingside play, while White is focused on less relevant Queenside adventures.]
20.Nc4 Na5! 21.Bxc8 Nxc4 22.Qc1 Raxc8 23.Qxc4 f3! 24.Ng3 Nf4! 25.gxf3 Nh3+!
[Black will mate or win significant material, while White's Queen is unable to assist the defense.]
26.Kg2 gxf3+! 27.Kh1
[If 27.Kxh3, then 27...Rf4! and mates.]
27...Qd2!, 0-1.
[If the B/f2 moves, then 27...Qg2#. Otherwise a piece is lost, with mate to follow shortly. A sparkling game from the young player directing Black, conceding about a 25-year experience advantage.]

[Frank Dixon]

Nick Rashev (1999) -- NM Peter Ferguson (2285)
Kingston 1997, played Feb. 8
Kingston Open, Open section, rd. 1 of 5
Time controls: 30/90', SD/60'
Org: EOCA, Kingston Chess Club, Queen's University Chess Club
TD: Frank Dixon; Assistant TD: Dr. James Cairns
Dutch, Leningrad, A85
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 f5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.c4 d6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Nh3!?
[This gives the game a distinctive twist, away from the far more common 6.Nf3. Two main reasons for this alternative knight development: a) keep the long diagonal open for White's bishop; b) retain option of an early Nh3-f4. The Leningrad variation, developed by Leningrad masters between the two world wars, and afterwards (including twice world title finalist GM Viktor Korchnoi), had a huge upsurge in popularity in the 1980s, helped by young Soviet GMs such as Vladimir Malaniuk and Mikhail Gurevich, who popularized ...Qe8 for Black, bringing that idea over from the long-popular Stonewall variation. It has become the main line, replacing the earlier ...c6 and ...Nc6, along with other moves, such as ...e6, seen in Tal 1-0 Botvinnik, game 19, world title match 1960. Of course, the city has reverted to its original name of St. Petersburg, with the end of communism in Russia. It was also known as Petrograd.]
6...O-O 7.O-O c6 8.d5 e5 9.dxe6 Bxe6
[Two older games with super GMs on both sides, from this position, are: Karpov -- Kholmov, Rostov-on-Don tt 1980; and Taimanov -- Kholmov, Vilnius zt 1975. Both ended drawn. Super-GM Artur Yusupov has also played the line with Black. The current game is set to outpace any game I have seen in this sub-variation, for creativity and excitement! Fasten your seat belts!!]
10.Qb3!?
[Both the two above quoted games saw 10.b3, and were long maneuvering struggles. Get set for desperado combinations and tactical fireworks!!]
10...Nbd7 11.Ng5!? Nc5!? 12.Nxe6 Nxb3 13.Nxd8 Nxa1 14.Nxb7 Nc2 15.Bxc6 Rab8 16.Nxd6 Rfd8 17.Nb7 Rdc8 18.Ba4 Rxb7 19.Bxc2 Nd7 20.Nb5 Rxb5 21.cxb5 Rxc2 22.a4 Bxb2
[Whew!! That was both fascinating and exhausting!! Now in the ending, White seems better, because of his potential Queenside pawn promotion possibilities, but there is still a lot of play!!]
23.Be3! Nc5 24.a5! Nb3 25.b6! axb6 26.axb6 Nd4 27.Rb1! Nxe2+ 28.Kf1 Be5 29.b7! Bb8 30.Ra1! Rb2
[Reaching the first time control, by less than a minute for both sides. I was watching this game as closely as I could, while also monitoring other games.]
31.Ra8 Nxg3+ 32.hxg3 Rxb7 33.Bf4!
[Should secure the win, although significant work and care are still needed!]
33...Kg7 34.Rxb8 Re7 35.Rc8 h6 36.Rc7 Rxc7 37.Bxc7 Kf6 38.f4 g5 39.Bd8+! Kg6 40.Kg2 Kh5 41.Kf3 Kg6 42.Be7 Kf7 43.fxg5! Kxe7
[White has a won pawn ending.]
44.gxh6 Kf6 45.Kf4 Kg6 46.h7! Kxh7 47.Kxf5 Kh6 48.g4 Kh7 49.Kf6 Kh8 50.Kg6 Kg8 51.g5 Kh8 52.Kh7, 1-0.
[Before now, this was one of the greatest virtually unknown games in Canadian chess history. Now, it is one of the greatest games in Canadian chess history, in my opinion. Nick Rashev defeated a NM nearly 300 points higher, and went on to have a great event, unbeaten, gaining 71 rating points!!]