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The U 2000 Canadian Open Blog
The Day Prior
Welcome Back
Hi again – for those of you who may not remember, I have written a CO blog about the exploits of my middle of the pack U 2000 section ( once for U 1800 ) for the last four Canadian Opens running – Kitchener, Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton. Because of the demand of my fan club ( ?! ), I have decided to take another run at it this year !
So today is THE DAY PRIOR – Friday, July 9. Rd. 1 starts tomorrow right after the Opening Ceremony at 6:00 PM. There are 9 foreign GM's in the running for the $ 6,500 first prize. The Pairings have been posted ( 125 boards in Rd. 1 ) – they are using the Hyper-accelerated system, where the top quarter gets three ghost points etc. This way the top boards are supposed to get in the first four rounds, much stronger opposition than under the normal swiss pairings. My last communication from the Organizing Committee said there were 260 registrants ( apparently 10 players taking first round byes ). Players have been requested to check in well in advance, to pick up their player's package and golf-shirt! It looks like all is ready to roll, and that a great CO is in the offing. And make sure you look at the long list of side events – there may be something that catches your eye !
Prior CO’s
I have to say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed my “ chess holiday “ the prior four outings – lots of chess, good socializing, doing some touristy things, and getting some R&R between rounds. Speaking about “ chess “, how did I do in this prior four years. Well, I did a little digging, and this is what I’ve been able to come up with - here is my prior 4 CO’s history:
1. 2006 – Kitchener – Played in the U 2000 Section ( went to 1600 ) – rated 1711 – finished with 5/9 ( slightly over 50 % ), tied # 21 - # 30 out of 81 players; performance rating of 1832.
2. 2007 – Ottawa – Was in the U 1800 Class Prize group ( one big swiss ) – rated 1746 – finished with 5.5/9 ( over 50 % ), tied # 73 - # 113 out of 280 players. Shared a Class Prize – tied for # 3 - # 15 ( the split meant a very modest payoff ! ) – performance rating of 1928.
3. 2008 – Montreal – Played up a section in the U 2000 Section ( went to 1800 ) – rated 1783 – finished with 6.5/9 ( 72 % ), tied # 4 - # 8 out of 77 players. Shared some prize money ( again, rather modest due to split ) – performance rating of 1940.
4. 2009 – Edmonton – Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( one big swiss ) – rated 1831 – finished with 4/9 ( slightly under 50 % ), tied # 110 - # 139, out of 203 players; in my class I finished tied # 30 – # 40 out of 48 players – performance rating of 1797.
So I bring with me into the 2010 Canadian Open in Toronto a modestly good CO record – 2 performances over 1900, getting me very modest prize money twice.
The 2010 CO
So, what does this year hold out to me?
In the 2010 CO, my U 2000 Class Prize Group ( one big swiss ) has 56 players – and where am I?.............. # 56 of course ! I’m rated 1800 dead on. Nothing like a challenge – and I can’t go lower in the rankings for my group, even if I lose every game !
Here is my opposition this year based on the last pre-registration list, and the first round pairings ( I am a member of the Scarborough Chess Club in Toronto, and I’ve noted my 7 other club members in the group with “ SCC “ ):
90 Dalia Kagramanov 1998 ON ( 2010 Women’s Olympiad Team member )
90.1 Peter Bokhout 1992 ON
91 Stephan Tonakanian 1990 ON
92 Eric Bennett 1990 IRL
93 Derick Joshua Twesigye 1990 ON
94 Andre Zybura 1989 ON
95 Robert Bzikot 1984 ON ( SCC )
96 James Fu 1978 ON
97 Louis Cheng 1975 BC
98 Stephen Fairbairn 1973 ON
99 Daniel Wiebe 1973 ON
100 David Itkin 1966 ON
101 Kevin Mo 1964 USA
102 WCM Alexandra Botez 1963 BC
103 Jordan Palmer 1959 ON
104 Sean Rachar 1951 ON
105 Sam Haziprodromu 1950 ON
106 Simon Gladstone 1946 ON
107 Robert Roller 1937 ON
108 Rod Hill 1934 NB
109 Laurent Allard 1934 QC
110 Pepin Manalo 1932 ON ( SCC )
111 Ruokai (David) Li 1932 ON
112 Mike Ivanov 1928 ON
113 Ian Finlay 1926 ON
114 Yves Ber 1914 QC
115 Ian Aird 1912 FO
116 Paul Leblanc 1907 BC
117 Rene Preotu 1907 ON
118 Dan Rotaru 1900 ON
119 Sadiq Juma 1900 ON
120 John W Chidley-Hill 1897 ON
121 Pierre Maheux 1897 ON
122 John Doknjas 1896 BC
123 Jim Paterson 1889 ON ( SCC )
124 Ben Olden-Cooligan 1888 ON
125 Paul Stephens 1882 ON
126 Natasa Serbanescu 1880 ON
127 Oleg Tseluiko 1874 ON
128 David Miller 1871 AB
129 Ralph Deline 1869 ON
130 Michael Song 1866 ON ( SCC )
131 Lali Agbabishvili 1860 ON
132 David Poirier 1855 NS
133 Dmitry Chernik 1855 ON
134 Ferdinand Supsup 1851 ON
135 Stephen Lipic 1845 MB
136 Arjun Bharat 1841 IND
137 Alex Rapoport 1838 ON ( SCC )
138 Ed Zator 1835 ON
139 Jaime Solis 1825 ON
140 Michael Zaghi 1817 ON
141 Ferdinand Cale 1806 ON ( SCC )
141.1 Pino Verde 1800 ON ( SCC )
142 Jackie Peng 1800 ON ( currently leading the CYCC Girls U 12 by a full point, with 5 wins/ 5 games ( though she is the highest rated in the group by some margin ), and having been the only one to beat Can. GM Mark Bluvshtein at the simul ).
143 Robert J. Armstrong 1800 ON ( SCC ).
There may yet be a few more members of the A Class, since I do not know at this point who all 10 players are who are taking byes. I will finalize my list after seeing the full cross table at the start of Rd. 1. I would also note that there are 14 non-Ontarians in our group, so there may be some surprises in store from these “ outsiders “.
In Rd. 1, I play Ali Shafkat, rated 1688 - he plays black.
We are all chasing a nice prize fund: 1st - $ 1,000; 2nd - $ 500; 3rd - $ 250
The Blog Plan
I am planning to try to do a report the day after each round . So my next entry on this blog should be Sunday morning, on Rd. 1, before I go to play Canadian GM Mark Bluvshtein in one of the side events, at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning ( all proceeds go to support the Canadian Olympiad teams, so if you are free, come out and lend your support, and get to play one of Canada’s best ). Also, I may or may not get to it on the Monday and Tuesday, when I will have to be at the site at 10:00 AM for the CFC AGM meetings, since I am a CFC Governor for the Greater Toronto Chess League - depends on whether I get up early after rounds 2 & 3.
Please feel free to comment on anything I write, or on the CO in general, especially re the U 2000 group. Maybe some other U 2000 group members have some comments of their own they'd like to make. I hope the blog will be informative on an aspect of the tournament that would not normally get much publicity, and that it will add a bit of fun and give some of the atmosphere of playing in the middle of the tournament
Wish me luck in this uphill battle !!
Bob
The Day Prior
Welcome Back
Hi again – for those of you who may not remember, I have written a CO blog about the exploits of my middle of the pack U 2000 section ( once for U 1800 ) for the last four Canadian Opens running – Kitchener, Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton. Because of the demand of my fan club ( ?! ), I have decided to take another run at it this year !
So today is THE DAY PRIOR – Friday, July 9. Rd. 1 starts tomorrow right after the Opening Ceremony at 6:00 PM. There are 9 foreign GM's in the running for the $ 6,500 first prize. The Pairings have been posted ( 125 boards in Rd. 1 ) – they are using the Hyper-accelerated system, where the top quarter gets three ghost points etc. This way the top boards are supposed to get in the first four rounds, much stronger opposition than under the normal swiss pairings. My last communication from the Organizing Committee said there were 260 registrants ( apparently 10 players taking first round byes ). Players have been requested to check in well in advance, to pick up their player's package and golf-shirt! It looks like all is ready to roll, and that a great CO is in the offing. And make sure you look at the long list of side events – there may be something that catches your eye !
Prior CO’s
I have to say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed my “ chess holiday “ the prior four outings – lots of chess, good socializing, doing some touristy things, and getting some R&R between rounds. Speaking about “ chess “, how did I do in this prior four years. Well, I did a little digging, and this is what I’ve been able to come up with - here is my prior 4 CO’s history:
1. 2006 – Kitchener – Played in the U 2000 Section ( went to 1600 ) – rated 1711 – finished with 5/9 ( slightly over 50 % ), tied # 21 - # 30 out of 81 players; performance rating of 1832.
2. 2007 – Ottawa – Was in the U 1800 Class Prize group ( one big swiss ) – rated 1746 – finished with 5.5/9 ( over 50 % ), tied # 73 - # 113 out of 280 players. Shared a Class Prize – tied for # 3 - # 15 ( the split meant a very modest payoff ! ) – performance rating of 1928.
3. 2008 – Montreal – Played up a section in the U 2000 Section ( went to 1800 ) – rated 1783 – finished with 6.5/9 ( 72 % ), tied # 4 - # 8 out of 77 players. Shared some prize money ( again, rather modest due to split ) – performance rating of 1940.
4. 2009 – Edmonton – Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( one big swiss ) – rated 1831 – finished with 4/9 ( slightly under 50 % ), tied # 110 - # 139, out of 203 players; in my class I finished tied # 30 – # 40 out of 48 players – performance rating of 1797.
So I bring with me into the 2010 Canadian Open in Toronto a modestly good CO record – 2 performances over 1900, getting me very modest prize money twice.
The 2010 CO
So, what does this year hold out to me?
In the 2010 CO, my U 2000 Class Prize Group ( one big swiss ) has 56 players – and where am I?.............. # 56 of course ! I’m rated 1800 dead on. Nothing like a challenge – and I can’t go lower in the rankings for my group, even if I lose every game !
Here is my opposition this year based on the last pre-registration list, and the first round pairings ( I am a member of the Scarborough Chess Club in Toronto, and I’ve noted my 7 other club members in the group with “ SCC “ ):
90 Dalia Kagramanov 1998 ON ( 2010 Women’s Olympiad Team member )
90.1 Peter Bokhout 1992 ON
91 Stephan Tonakanian 1990 ON
92 Eric Bennett 1990 IRL
93 Derick Joshua Twesigye 1990 ON
94 Andre Zybura 1989 ON
95 Robert Bzikot 1984 ON ( SCC )
96 James Fu 1978 ON
97 Louis Cheng 1975 BC
98 Stephen Fairbairn 1973 ON
99 Daniel Wiebe 1973 ON
100 David Itkin 1966 ON
101 Kevin Mo 1964 USA
102 WCM Alexandra Botez 1963 BC
103 Jordan Palmer 1959 ON
104 Sean Rachar 1951 ON
105 Sam Haziprodromu 1950 ON
106 Simon Gladstone 1946 ON
107 Robert Roller 1937 ON
108 Rod Hill 1934 NB
109 Laurent Allard 1934 QC
110 Pepin Manalo 1932 ON ( SCC )
111 Ruokai (David) Li 1932 ON
112 Mike Ivanov 1928 ON
113 Ian Finlay 1926 ON
114 Yves Ber 1914 QC
115 Ian Aird 1912 FO
116 Paul Leblanc 1907 BC
117 Rene Preotu 1907 ON
118 Dan Rotaru 1900 ON
119 Sadiq Juma 1900 ON
120 John W Chidley-Hill 1897 ON
121 Pierre Maheux 1897 ON
122 John Doknjas 1896 BC
123 Jim Paterson 1889 ON ( SCC )
124 Ben Olden-Cooligan 1888 ON
125 Paul Stephens 1882 ON
126 Natasa Serbanescu 1880 ON
127 Oleg Tseluiko 1874 ON
128 David Miller 1871 AB
129 Ralph Deline 1869 ON
130 Michael Song 1866 ON ( SCC )
131 Lali Agbabishvili 1860 ON
132 David Poirier 1855 NS
133 Dmitry Chernik 1855 ON
134 Ferdinand Supsup 1851 ON
135 Stephen Lipic 1845 MB
136 Arjun Bharat 1841 IND
137 Alex Rapoport 1838 ON ( SCC )
138 Ed Zator 1835 ON
139 Jaime Solis 1825 ON
140 Michael Zaghi 1817 ON
141 Ferdinand Cale 1806 ON ( SCC )
141.1 Pino Verde 1800 ON ( SCC )
142 Jackie Peng 1800 ON ( currently leading the CYCC Girls U 12 by a full point, with 5 wins/ 5 games ( though she is the highest rated in the group by some margin ), and having been the only one to beat Can. GM Mark Bluvshtein at the simul ).
143 Robert J. Armstrong 1800 ON ( SCC ).
There may yet be a few more members of the A Class, since I do not know at this point who all 10 players are who are taking byes. I will finalize my list after seeing the full cross table at the start of Rd. 1. I would also note that there are 14 non-Ontarians in our group, so there may be some surprises in store from these “ outsiders “.
In Rd. 1, I play Ali Shafkat, rated 1688 - he plays black.
We are all chasing a nice prize fund: 1st - $ 1,000; 2nd - $ 500; 3rd - $ 250
The Blog Plan
I am planning to try to do a report the day after each round . So my next entry on this blog should be Sunday morning, on Rd. 1, before I go to play Canadian GM Mark Bluvshtein in one of the side events, at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning ( all proceeds go to support the Canadian Olympiad teams, so if you are free, come out and lend your support, and get to play one of Canada’s best ). Also, I may or may not get to it on the Monday and Tuesday, when I will have to be at the site at 10:00 AM for the CFC AGM meetings, since I am a CFC Governor for the Greater Toronto Chess League - depends on whether I get up early after rounds 2 & 3.
Please feel free to comment on anything I write, or on the CO in general, especially re the U 2000 group. Maybe some other U 2000 group members have some comments of their own they'd like to make. I hope the blog will be informative on an aspect of the tournament that would not normally get much publicity, and that it will add a bit of fun and give some of the atmosphere of playing in the middle of the tournament
Wish me luck in this uphill battle !!
Bob
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