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The 2011 Canadian Open U 2000 Blog
The Day Prior Arrives! ( Friday, July 8 )
Welcome Back
Well, the biggest annual Canadian chess tournament, the Canadian Open, snuck up on me pretty fast this year. At my Scarborough Chess Club in Toronto, our last tournament went right down to June 30 – and presto, it’s back into the fray! Round 1 tomorrow at 6:00 PM!
For a number of years now, I have written a Canadian Open U 2000 Blog, about the section I have usually played in, or the prize section that applied. It gets little overall coverage, being buried down in the bowels of the tournament, but the majority of Canadian chess players are “ class “ players, and I have had general encouragement in trying to present my activity and what is happening generally in that part of the tournament. So for 2011, I’m going to again use CMA ChessTalk’s Board as my posting place ( Larry has been most gracious in allowing me to do my thing here year after year ).
My Prior CO’s
I have to say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed my “ chess holiday “ the prior five 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 five years? Well, I did a little digging, and this is what I’ve been able to come up with – it’s a mixed bag - here is my prior 5 CO’s history:
1. 2006 – Kitchener – Sections - Played in the U 2000 Section ( 1999 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 – One Section Swiss ( with hyper-accelerated pairings ) - Was in the U 1800 Class Prize group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – 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 – Sections - Played up a section in the U 2000 Section ( 1999 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 – One Section Swiss ( no acceleration ) - Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – 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.
5. 2010 – Toronto – One Section Swiss ( hyper-accelerated pairings ) - Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – rated 1800 ( ranked last of 56 ! ) – finished with 4.5/9 ( 50 % ), tied # 111 - # 150, out of 265 players; in my class, I finished tied # 25 - # 44 out of 56 players – performance rating of 1829.
My Expectations for the 2011 CO
2011 has, so far, not been kind to my chess career. So I face a tougher road than in
prior years. My rating plummeted from above 1800 down into the 1700’s, settling at 1715. And a half year’s work sees me sitting at only 1740, well below my target for 2011 of getting back into the 1800’s. And there are a good crop of 1900’s going for the first prize - one would have to say the winner likely will come from this group, though there may be some dark horses in the 1750 -1899 group:
# Name ID Rtng Tot Prize
1 John Doknjas 141225 1997 0.0
2 Hugh Siddeley 120619 1996 0.0
3 Stephan Tonakanian 150629 1974 0.0
4 Jonathan Yu 126131 1971 0.0
5 Richard Garel 105218 1942 0.0
6 Paul Leblanc 104186 1924 0.0
7 Manuela Renteria 152627 1922 0.0
8 David Poirier 106289 1906 0.0
9 Ed Zator 105675 1902 0.0
10 Steve Nickoloff 108201 1872 0.0
11 Greg Stavropoulos 108628 1872 0.0
12 Mario Moran-Venegas 143315 1864 0.0
13 Bruce Dowling 112688 1847 0.0
14 Sam Haziprodromu 106156 1843 0.0
15 Nicholas O'Bumsawin 151261 1831 0.0
16 Pacifico Cortez 149343 1830 0.0
17 Shafkat Ali 149142 1823 0.0
18 Mathew G Cooke 126311 1799 0.0
19 Patrick Yu 143209 1796 0.0
20 Mark Jubenville 106764 1790 0.0
21 Greg Beal 101490 1777 0.0
22 Patrick O'Sullivan 149300 1758 0.0
So I will definitely have to play better than I have in the first half of 2011, if I am to
have any chances of ending with a decent score – my goal, if not too unrealistic, is 5.5/9 pts.. We’ll see if I can handle that.
U 2000 Prize Fund ( as initially advertised, based on 300 ( paid? ) entries )
Under 2000 Section
1st $1,000
2nd $750
3rd $500
Under 1800, 1st $500
Under 1800, 2nd $250
Top Under 14 Years Old $250
Top Under 18 Years Old $250
Top Senior (50+) $250
Top Female $250
Brilliancy $100
Best Game $100
Biggest Upset $50
Best Dressed $25
My Rd. 1 Pairing
I am ranked # 24 out of 67 ( as of July 7 ), and so expect to be paired down in the first round.
My Blog Plan
I hope to report on each day, in the wee hours of the next morning, before crashing ( usually I’m still pretty wound up by the time I get home, and so not ready to go right to bed anyway ). However July 11 & 12 are a bit more of a challenge, since I am at the CFC AGM ( I am a CFC Governor ) from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM before the round ( might be a bit more tired those nights! ).
Responses
I would invite everyone to join in on my blog, with comments and questions. Additions from others in the U 2000 section would be especially welcome. Hopefully it will be a fun 9 days, including the blogging!
Bob ( The Happy Warrior! )
The Day Prior Arrives! ( Friday, July 8 )
Welcome Back
Well, the biggest annual Canadian chess tournament, the Canadian Open, snuck up on me pretty fast this year. At my Scarborough Chess Club in Toronto, our last tournament went right down to June 30 – and presto, it’s back into the fray! Round 1 tomorrow at 6:00 PM!
For a number of years now, I have written a Canadian Open U 2000 Blog, about the section I have usually played in, or the prize section that applied. It gets little overall coverage, being buried down in the bowels of the tournament, but the majority of Canadian chess players are “ class “ players, and I have had general encouragement in trying to present my activity and what is happening generally in that part of the tournament. So for 2011, I’m going to again use CMA ChessTalk’s Board as my posting place ( Larry has been most gracious in allowing me to do my thing here year after year ).
My Prior CO’s
I have to say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed my “ chess holiday “ the prior five 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 five years? Well, I did a little digging, and this is what I’ve been able to come up with – it’s a mixed bag - here is my prior 5 CO’s history:
1. 2006 – Kitchener – Sections - Played in the U 2000 Section ( 1999 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 – One Section Swiss ( with hyper-accelerated pairings ) - Was in the U 1800 Class Prize group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – 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 – Sections - Played up a section in the U 2000 Section ( 1999 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 – One Section Swiss ( no acceleration ) - Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – 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.
5. 2010 – Toronto – One Section Swiss ( hyper-accelerated pairings ) - Was in the U 2000 Class Prize Group ( 1999 to 1800 ) – rated 1800 ( ranked last of 56 ! ) – finished with 4.5/9 ( 50 % ), tied # 111 - # 150, out of 265 players; in my class, I finished tied # 25 - # 44 out of 56 players – performance rating of 1829.
My Expectations for the 2011 CO
2011 has, so far, not been kind to my chess career. So I face a tougher road than in
prior years. My rating plummeted from above 1800 down into the 1700’s, settling at 1715. And a half year’s work sees me sitting at only 1740, well below my target for 2011 of getting back into the 1800’s. And there are a good crop of 1900’s going for the first prize - one would have to say the winner likely will come from this group, though there may be some dark horses in the 1750 -1899 group:
# Name ID Rtng Tot Prize
1 John Doknjas 141225 1997 0.0
2 Hugh Siddeley 120619 1996 0.0
3 Stephan Tonakanian 150629 1974 0.0
4 Jonathan Yu 126131 1971 0.0
5 Richard Garel 105218 1942 0.0
6 Paul Leblanc 104186 1924 0.0
7 Manuela Renteria 152627 1922 0.0
8 David Poirier 106289 1906 0.0
9 Ed Zator 105675 1902 0.0
10 Steve Nickoloff 108201 1872 0.0
11 Greg Stavropoulos 108628 1872 0.0
12 Mario Moran-Venegas 143315 1864 0.0
13 Bruce Dowling 112688 1847 0.0
14 Sam Haziprodromu 106156 1843 0.0
15 Nicholas O'Bumsawin 151261 1831 0.0
16 Pacifico Cortez 149343 1830 0.0
17 Shafkat Ali 149142 1823 0.0
18 Mathew G Cooke 126311 1799 0.0
19 Patrick Yu 143209 1796 0.0
20 Mark Jubenville 106764 1790 0.0
21 Greg Beal 101490 1777 0.0
22 Patrick O'Sullivan 149300 1758 0.0
So I will definitely have to play better than I have in the first half of 2011, if I am to
have any chances of ending with a decent score – my goal, if not too unrealistic, is 5.5/9 pts.. We’ll see if I can handle that.
U 2000 Prize Fund ( as initially advertised, based on 300 ( paid? ) entries )
Under 2000 Section
1st $1,000
2nd $750
3rd $500
Under 1800, 1st $500
Under 1800, 2nd $250
Top Under 14 Years Old $250
Top Under 18 Years Old $250
Top Senior (50+) $250
Top Female $250
Brilliancy $100
Best Game $100
Biggest Upset $50
Best Dressed $25
My Rd. 1 Pairing
I am ranked # 24 out of 67 ( as of July 7 ), and so expect to be paired down in the first round.
My Blog Plan
I hope to report on each day, in the wee hours of the next morning, before crashing ( usually I’m still pretty wound up by the time I get home, and so not ready to go right to bed anyway ). However July 11 & 12 are a bit more of a challenge, since I am at the CFC AGM ( I am a CFC Governor ) from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM before the round ( might be a bit more tired those nights! ).
Responses
I would invite everyone to join in on my blog, with comments and questions. Additions from others in the U 2000 section would be especially welcome. Hopefully it will be a fun 9 days, including the blogging!
Bob ( The Happy Warrior! )
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