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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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You may find it surprising that I held on, but maybe you could find improvements for Ed.... Ed and I went to analyze after, and we found some interesting lines that we had only half considered.
Actually, you may recall I pointed out the two right ways to continue my attack,
but chose safety instead...
I get to play your visitor Mario today - suffice to say I won't be fianchettoing
too early in our game :)
Good luck next round Bob!
Last edited by Ed Zator; Tuesday, 12th July, 2011, 09:27 AM.
Starting Off Right – The Wee Hours of the Morning ( July 12 )
After coming home from Rd. 3 , Mario and I got a late night dinner, and analyzed our games as we ate – we’re both in the U 2000 section; Mario had drawn the top rated player in our group; I had lost to a 1900 player ( I’m 1740 ). Then I did my Rd. 3 ( July 11 ) Blog, but couldn’t post it because of a connectivity to the internet problem. So, off I went to bed at 2:30 AM ( early for me during CO’s )!
Later that Morning
I woke up at 6:30 AM – my usual CO 4 hr. nap. Fortunately, the computer righted itself and when I turned it on, it automatically connected as it’s suppose to – so I got to post my Rd. 2 Blog early in the day, as I’ve been trying to do. Mario was sleeping when I left at 8:45 to head down to the Incoming Governors’ Annual General Meeting ( started at 9:30 am! ). Mario slept in, and then did some prep work for his Rd. 3 game. Then he headed down to the playing hall for an 11:00 AM GM lecture ( free! ).
The AGM Morning
Bob Gillanders, CFC President, again ran an efficient meeting. Once again, the meeting was interactive, allowing governors across the country, who could not make the meeting, to participate by voice, and by internet. Only 2 governors availed themselves of this opportunity, but again, it worked quite adequately, and the governors who stayed with it, were able to participate to a high degree. The main morning item was election of the 2011-2 Executive, and non-executive officers, and members of certain committees.
Unlike many CFC AGM’s where many posts are filled by acclamation, this year most were contested! I consider this a sign that the CFC is healthy, and there is interest in its continuing improvement from the dark years where we teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, and had many operational problems. Here are those in the 2011-2 positions ( thanks to Chris Mallon who assembled the core of the list – the following was posted by me as CFC Public Relations Coordinator on the CFC “ News “ site ):
Governors
Quebec Governors - Pierre Dénommée; Hugh Brodie
PEI Governor - Fred McKim
Yukon Governor - Vacant
Executive
President - Michael Von Keitz
Vice-President - Mark Dutton
Secretary - Lyle Craver
Treasurer - Fred McKim
FIDE Representative - Hal Bond
Youth Coordinator - Patrick McDonald
Past CFC President - Bob Gillanders
Non-Executive Officers
Women's Coordinator - Iulia Lacau-Rodean
Public Relations Coordinator - Bob Armstrong
Fundraising Coordinator - Brian Fiedler
Tournament Coordinator - Vlad Drkulec
Rating Auditor - Paul Leblanc
Masters’ Representative ( previously elected by elite players ) - Vlad Drkulec
Committees/Funds
National Appeals Committee - Mark Dutton, Pierre Dénommée, Aris Marghetis, Ilia Bluvshtein, Christopher Mallon
Kalev Pugi Fund Trustees - Patrick McDonald, Lynn Stringer, Lyle Craver
Chess Foundation of Canada - Position deferred to Incoming Executive to fill
After the morning meeting 15 of us ( most governors; a few members ) went out for lunch, and, as we did the day before, we solved all the world’s problems, especially those involving international conflict! Unfortunately, our new CFC President learned right off the bat that there were no perks with this job – he ordered a banana split for dessert, but was sadly informed that assistant arbiter, Aris Marghetis, had gotten the last banana in his split! Michael took it pretty well though – augers well for the future year!
The AGM Afternoon
The meeting resumed at 2:00 PM. The afternoon was taken up with bids on the 2012 CO and 2012 CYCC, approving the Executive-proposed 2011-2 budget, with a few changes ( $ 1,500 was given to the CO organizers because they are facing a modest loss ), and the issue of under-age juniors. After the meeting I met up with a Scarborough CC friend, SCC Secretary Steve Karpik, and filled him in on the latest CFC poop before we went for Rd. 4.
U 2000 Group ( 72 players ) Rd. 3 Results
The 4 players with perfect scores were paired against each other, so we were now zeroing in on the lead horse! Here also are the results of those tied for 5th, also playing each other:
76 1 Hugh Siddeley (1996)........... 0 Alexander Strugach (1963)
77 0 Jonathan Yu (1971)........... 1 Perry Vishal Johnson (1846)
78 0 Paul Leblanc (1924)........... 1 John Doknjas (1997)
79 0 Jordan Palmer (1947)........... 1 Greg Stavropoulos (1872)
80 1 Mario Moran-Venegas (1864) 0 Ed Zator (1902)
81 0 Shafkat Ali (1823)...............1 Stephan Tonakanian (1974)
The U 2000 Group & Rd. 4
Here are the favourites ( 1900 & Over : 11 ), and the “ dark horses “ ( 1750 – 1899 : 15 ) and showing who has a perfect score still, as well as those on their heels, ½ pt. back:
Pinnacle 48th Canadian Open Chess Championship 2011:
UNDER 2000 SECTION
72 players ( 26: 1750-1999 )
# Name ID Rtng Tot Prize
1 John Doknjas 141225 1997 – 3.5
2 Hugh Siddeley 120619 1996 - 4
3 Stephan Tonakanian 150629 1974
4 Jonathan Yu 126131 1971
5 Alexander Strugach 151677 1963
6 Jordon Palmer 127560 1947
7 Richard Garel 105218 1942
8 Paul Leblanc 104186 1924
9 Manuela Renteria 152627 1922
10 David Poirier 106289 1906
11 Ed Zator 105675 1902
12 Steve Nickoloff 108201 1872
13 Greg Stavropoulos 108628 1872 – 3.5
14 Mario Moran-Venegas 143315 1864 – 3.5
15 Musa Jamshed 144462 1850
16 Bruce Dowling 112688 1847
17 Perry Vishal Johnson 152904 1846 - 4
18 Sam Haziprodromu 106156 1843
19 Nicholas O'Bumsawin 151261 1831
20 Pacifico Cortez 149343 1830
21 Shafkat Ali 149142 1823
22 Mathew G Cooke 126311 1799
23 Patrick Yu 143209 1796
24 Mark Jubenville 106764 1790
25 Greg Beal 101490 1777
26 Patrick O'Sullivan 149300 1758
Out of the 72 players in our group, only 2 have the full 4 points after Rd. 4. So we now have the leaders to catch! There are 3 players waiting to take their place if they falter, ½ pt. behind.
In Rd. 3, my score was:
94 1 Robert J Armstrong (1740) 0 Hooshang Abbarin (unr.)
- leaves me with 2 ½ pts. ( 63% )
My Round 4 Game
Because new readers come to the blog from time to time, I want them to have the following information, and so I am repeating the template of it each day – I’d ask the daily readers of the blog to tolerate the repetition
I like to think “ class “ games have some interest. I believe in some ways they are more educational to class players than GM games, if properly annotated. They are understandable, because we all think similarly – GM moves are many times incomprehensible to us class players. For years now, I’ve used a chess website, Chess5 ( http://www.chess5.com ), as my own personal chess games blog – I have gotten to know the owner/administrator Eydun, quite well over the years. I introduced Canada to his website, after I first saw it. Canada is now one of the main posters to this on-line databank. I post all my games, using what I call my “ Comprehensive Annotation System “, hoping that this makes them even more helpful to viewers. Click on the heading link “ public games “. and you get a list of games posted this month so far, including mine from this Open.
So I am posting my games as soon as I can after the round. Posting for Rds. 2 – 4 have been a bit delayed, because the last 2 days, I attended the 7 hr. CFC AGM Meetings. The games may not be dramatic, but I hope they are interesting enough, and there is something that can be learned.
My Rd. 4 game yesterday was not great. I was white and we played a semi-slav. I got nothing in the early game, and mistakenly allowed Hooshang to penetrate to the 2nd rank with a rook. This was going to lose me a P. But unfortunately ( for him, not me ), he failed to see a potential pin, and moved the piece needed to set it up. So I won a knight for a P, and went on to win.
After Rd. 4
I chatted with our new CFC President, Michael von Keitz for a while, and then met up with an SCC player from 30 years ago, who was in town visiting from the Yukon, Bob Bowerman – to my surprise, he advised that he had been the Yukon CFC Governor for a number of years, ages ago, before he left for other pastures. Then Mario and I headed home. We got something to eat, and analyzed both our games while we ate ( we both won yesterday! ), and then he hit the sack.
Continued in Pt. II below
Last edited by Bob Armstrong; Wednesday, 13th July, 2011, 08:44 AM.
I did a bit of political stuff, and then sat down to complete this round 4 blog draft, to post it early today. My lack of sleep since the start of the tournament sort of caught up with me finally, and I decided to hit the sac at 2:30 AM, rather than analyze my game.
The Rd. 5 Pairings ( July 13 ) – U 2000 Top Boards
With only 2 players having a perfect score after 4 rounds, I will also show the pairings of those of the top 26 who are ½ pt. behind. Here are the top board pairings for Rd. 5:
Bd... White player name...........Res... Black player name
76 Perry Vishal Johnson (1846)..........Hugh Siddeley (1996)
77 John Doknjas (1997)...................Greg Stavropoulos (1872)
78 Jonathan Yu (1971)....................Mario Moran-Venegas (1864)
My Round 5 Game Today ( July 13 ):
As a result of my Rd. 4 win, I have been paired up again, for only the second time, having 2 ½ /4 pts. Here is my Rd. 5 pairing for later today:
88 Sam Haziprodromu (1843) - Robert J Armstrong (1740)
Invitation.
I'd like again to invite everyone to join into the discussion - any comments, suggestion s, questions, criticisms of the blog are welcome - and of anything to do with the Can. Open. I will try to respond if that seems appropriate. Any comments from other members of the U 2000 section would be especially welcome!
Bob
Last edited by Bob Armstrong; Wednesday, 13th July, 2011, 08:52 AM.
Now, for my own experience so far in the U2000 section:
After romping to first place with 7.5 out of 9 in the U1700 section of the season-ending tournament at Scarborough Chess Club, I entered the Canadian Open with confidence. However I was quickly reminded how much tougher it is playing up a section (U2000). After 4 rounds I have two losses and two hard fought draws. Interestingly, I have had winning opportunities in all four games, so that's encouraging. What I have found is that these higher-rated players put up much stronger resistance. Reminds me of what someone once said of a certain World Champion (Alekhine?), you had to beat him in the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. Anyways, according to Kevin Spraggett I'm doing the right thing- in a recent blog he recommends not playing against weaker players!
Now, for my own experience so far in the U2000 section:
After romping to first place with 7.5 out of 9 in the U1700 section of the season-ending tournament at Scarborough Chess Club, I entered the Canadian Open with confidence. However I was quickly reminded how much tougher it is playing up a section (U2000). After 4 rounds I have two losses and two hard fought draws. Interestingly, I have had winning opportunities in all four games, so that's encouraging. What I have found is that these higher-rated players put up much stronger resistance. Reminds me of what someone once said of a certain World Champion (Alekhine?), you had to beat him in the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. Anyways, according to Kevin Spraggett I'm doing the right thing- in a recent blog he recommends not playing against weaker players!
In my tournament experience, I have found the 1800-2000 range to be an interesting collection of players. Especially at bigger classic events like the CO, it seems to bring out quite a few veterans whose rating can be misleading. Some of them peaked at over 2000 a few years back, and due to inconsistency since then, their ratings may have slipped. However, when they are on the game for a full game, which could happen at any time, it feels like you're playing against someone quite higher. Very exciting section!
Starting Off Right – The Wee Hours of the Morning ( July 13 )
After coming home from Rd. 4 , Mario and I got a late night dinner, and analyzed our games as we ate – we’re both in the U 2000 section and both had won. We then chatted…….about what?.....CHESS! ‘til about 1:00 AM. Then he went to bed, and I did my Rd. 4 ( July 12 ) Blog, and went to bed at 2:30 AM ( early for me during CO’s ), but I was actually a bit tired from the short sleep I’d been getting, I guess!
Later that Morning
I got 5 hrs sleep! – more than my usual CO 4 hr. nap. I did some political stuff on the computer initially, and then when Mario surfaced, I cooked us one of my Meaford farm/swamp ( our recreational property ) breakfasts ( couple of eggs, bacon, toasted bagels and cream cheese and fresh coffee ).
The Afternoon
Then we looked up some database games against my Rd. 5 opponent tonight, Sam Haziprodromu. Didn’t learn much except that we’d likely play a Pirc, and he has castled long. Not a lot to go on, and I can’t say I make the best use of these database tools in preparation. Then Mario did some prep work for his Rd. 5 game, and I went upstairs to analyze my Rd. 3 & 4 games ( I have wireless internet, and so Mario is able to use his laptop in the basement guest room ). Not too surprisingly, I found I was losing all game in my Rd. 3 game against Ed Zator. But the Rd. 4 game was good until Hooshang blundered.
I was then partly caught up in my game analyzing ( had had too little time with the two back to back 7 hr. AGM’s Monday and Tuesday ) and was ready to post my Rd. 2 & 3 games, when I found the Chess5 website was down. I was going to fire off an e-mail to the owner/administrator, Eydun ( I’ve gotten to know him a bit after using his website all these years ), to alert him there was a problem. But the site came back on, and I was able to post my Rd. 2 & 3 games. I didn’t quite finish my Rd. 4 game.
Then I did a draft of my Rd. 5 Blog, to be completed this morning and posted.
At 4:15 PM, Mario and I went out to dinner ( we both happen to like Swiss Chalet ), and returned by 5:00 PM, and then we headed down to the playing hall by public transit.
U 2000 Group ( 72 players ) Rd. 5 Results
The 2 players with perfect scores were paired against each other, as were those tied for 3rd:
Bd...Res...White player name..............Res......Black player name
76 .5 Perry Vishal Johnson (1846) .5 Hugh Siddeley (1996)
77 1 John Doknjas (1997)...................0 Greg Stavropoulos (1872)
78 1 Jonathan Yu (1971)....................0 Mario Moran-Venegas (1864)
P.S. I had also noticed that in the Open Section, there were 5 Canadians on the top 4 Boards! So here also are their Rd. 5 results:
Bd...Res..White player name....Res....Black player name
1 1 GM Bator Sambuev (2739) 0 GM Eugene Perelshteyn (2532)
2 1 IM Leonid Gerzhoy (2647)..0 IM David Cummings (2459)
3 .5 GM Joel Benjamin (2641)..5 IM Artiom Samsonkin (2532)
4 .5 IM Jean Hébert (2486).....5 GM Eduardas Rozentalis (2614)
The U 2000 Group & Rd. 5 Standings
Here are the favourites ( 1900 & Over : 11 ), and the “ dark horses “ ( 1750 – 1899 : 15 ) and showing the 3 leaders, as well as those hot on their heels, ½ pt. back:
Pinnacle 48th Canadian Open Chess Championship 2011:
UNDER 2000 SECTION
72 players ( 26: 1750-1999 )
# Name ID Rtng Tot Prize
1 John Doknjas 141225 1997 – 4.5
2 Hugh Siddeley 120619 1996 – 4.5
3 Stephan Tonakanian 150629 1974 - 4
4 Jonathan Yu 126131 1971 - 4
5 Alexander Strugach 151677 1963 - 4
6 Jordon Palmer 127560 1947
7 Richard Garel 105218 1942
8 Paul Leblanc 104186 1924
9 Manuela Renteria 152627 1922
10 David Poirier 106289 1906
11 Ed Zator 105675 1902
12 Steve Nickoloff 108201 1872
13 Greg Stavropoulos 108628 1872
14 Mario Moran-Venegas 143315 1864
15 Musa Jamshed 144462 1850
16 Bruce Dowling 112688 1847
17 Perry Vishal Johnson 152904 1846 – 4.5
18 Sam Haziprodromu 106156 1843
19 Nicholas O'Bumsawin 151261 1831 - 4
20 Pacifico Cortez 149343 1830
21 Shafkat Ali 149142 1823
22 Mathew G Cooke 126311 1799
23 Patrick Yu 143209 1796
24 Mark Jubenville 106764 1790
25 Greg Beal 101490 1777
26 Patrick O'Sullivan 149300 1758
There are also 2 other players with 4 pts. from the U 1750 group: Zehn Nasir ( 1686 ); Eric Song ( 1488 ).
Out of the 72 players in our group, only 3 now have 4.5 points after Rd. 5. So we now have the leaders to catch! There are 6 players ½ pt. behind waiting to join the leaders, if any of them falter!
In Rd. 5, my score was:
88 1 Sam Haziprodromu (1843) 0 Robert J Armstrong (1740)
- leaves me with 3 ½ pts/6. ( 50 % )
My Round 5 Game
Because new readers come to the blog from time to time, I want them to have the following information, and so I am repeating the template of it each day – I’d ask the daily readers of the blog to tolerate the repetition
I like to think “ class “ games have some interest. I believe in some ways they are more educational to class players than GM games, if properly annotated. They are understandable, because we all think similarly – GM moves are many times incomprehensible to us class players. For years now, I’ve used a chess website, Chess5 ( http://www.chess5.com ), as my own personal chess games blog – I have gotten to know the owner/administrator Eydun, quite well over the years. I introduced Canada to his website, after I first saw it. Canada is now one of the main posters to this on-line databank. I post all my games, using what I call my “ Comprehensive Annotation System “, hoping that this makes them even more helpful to viewers. Click on the heading link “ public games “. and you get a list of games posted this month so far, including mine from this Open.
So I am posting my games as soon as I can after the round. The games may not be dramatic, but I hope they are interesting enough, and there is something that can be learned.
In my Rd. 5 game, I missed a little tactic early, that netted Sam a pawn. But more than that, I also had a terrible position with little scope. I managed to hang on, and eventually won his passed pawn on the 6th rank, to get back to material equality. Then the game continued very close, but eventually Sam’s experience showed as he maneuvered his pieces to better squares, and clearly I was just going to draw at best. But I then got down to 3 minutes left, and blundered into mate.
After Rd. 5
Mario and I headed home, both of us having had strenuous games ( Mario had lost as well ). We got something to eat, and analyzed both our games while we ate, ‘til 1:00 AM. Then Mario went to bed.
The Wee Hours of This Morning ( July 14 )
I went up to complete my Rd. 5 Blog, and the results/pairings were posted. So I was able to post it about 2:30AM. I wasn’t tired, and so analyzed my remaining games with Fritz. I decided to hit the sac at 3:30 AM.
The Rd. 6 Pairings ( July 14 ) – U 2000 Top Boards
With only 3 players having a score of 4.5 after 5 rounds, I will also show the pairings of those who are ½ pt. behind. Here are the top board pairings for Rd. 6:
73 Hugh Siddeley (1996)...................John Doknjas (1997)
74 Perry Vishal Johnson (1846).......... Alexander Strugach (1963)
75 Nicholas O'Bumsawin (1831)..........Stephan Tonakanian (1974)
76 Eric Song (1488).........................Jonathan Yu (1971)
77 Jordan Palmer (1947)...................Zehn Nasir (1686)
My Round 6 Game Today ( July 14 ):
As a result of my Rd. 5 loss, I have been paired down again, for the fourth time, having 2 ½ /5 pts. Here is my Rd. 6 pairing for later today:
92 Robert J Armstrong (1740) - Doug Gillis (1616)
Doug and I have played numerous times over the years, usually in the Scarborough CC tournaments.
Some Random Thoughts After 5 Rounds
Time flies when you are having fun! Here we are, already past the mid-way point in the tournament - where did 5 days go? ( Don't tell me to read my blog! LOL ). It was especially busy for me with the 2 7-hr. back to back CFC AGM meetings. But it all has been " fun ". I've thoroughly enjoyed the chess, win or lose, the socializing with chess friends, and yes, even some of the politicking. It's been great having company at my place, especially since Mario and I are close in playing range, though he seems now to be surpassing me, and we are in the same group. The time certainly has " flown ".
Thanks to Chief Arbiter, Mark Dutton, and his team ( Aris Marghetis; Natalia Khoudgarian ) for running such an excellent tournament. The pairings are now often up within the hour after midnight. The playing hall is kept reasonably silent. Results seem to be being efficiently collected. We are starting on time. These all go to making the " tournament experience " a good one.
Invitation.
I'd like again to invite everyone to join into the discussion - any comments, suggestion s, questions, criticisms of the blog are welcome - and of anything to do with the Can. Open. I will try to respond if that seems appropriate. Any comments from other members of the U 2000 section would be especially welcome! I was pleased to see that our group member, Ken Kurkowski, a Scarborough CC member, posted something yesterday about how he’s finding the U 2000 section, since he’s recently been playing in the U 1700 section at SCC. Assistant arbiter, Aris Marghetis also chimed in about the character of the U 2000 group. Love to hear any other group testimonials!
"Invitation.
I'd like again to invite everyone to join into the discussion - any comments, suggestion s, questions, criticisms of the blog are welcome - and of anything to do with the Can. Open. I will try to respond if that seems appropriate. Any comments from other members of the U 2000 section would be especially welcome! I was pleased to see that our group member, Ken Kurkowski, a Scarborough CC member, posted something yesterday about how he’s finding the U 2000 section, since he’s recently been playing in the U 1700 section at SCC. Assistant arbiter, Aris Marghetis also chimed in about the character of the U 2000 group. Love to hear any other group testimonials!"
Hi Bob
Your blog rocks! How about a wee update on the Prezidential Q+A responses to the CFC strategy issue. Did the results correspond to the marks?
As a tournament the CO seems great but as a media event it is quite a dissapointment. I don't see it generating much material for the website other than a bunch of pics(if they are allowed to be used).
For your section(if possible)
-need pic and short profile of as many players as possible
-1+2 question interview
(a)What made you decide to play your first tournament?
(a)Your best game or of the tournament(or to date) and collect it(need it for the website-I would like to see a little database with best games of section and play through game window)
-For the section can you see if you can get a group pic in the lobby or somewhere chess suitable
-I have a feeling you'll need to recruit somw volunteers :)
-Gotta do something to capture the camaraderis and spirit of your section...on video!! if you can.
Mea culpa, mea culpa - after undertaking to ask your " strategy " question, in the heat of the moment I forgot - and I did bring it to the meeting in my file. So I have now posted the question on the members' CFC Chess Chat forum for the new President, Michael von Keitz, to answer. Sorry I slipped up.
As to the media possibilities for the U 2000 group - I'm afraid, though I agree with you it would be fantastic, it is not going to happen. I have neither the time at the moment for interviews, nor the technical skills, to deal with pics ( I don't own a camera, have trouble transferring them to a computer, and then don't know how to post them - I know - sad ). As to games, I have tried in the past to get the " best game " from SCC players at the CO, for our own newsletter, and in the past, its been like pulling teeth.
I'm afraid my blog may be the best we're going to get, unless someone else wants to chime in by posting some of their pics ( and I would only do it if previously cleared with the organizers, because it is for " broadcast ", which they are very sensitive about ).
Thanks for your interest and input. I will keep your ideas current and see whether there may be occasion to do it sometime in future.
Bob
Last edited by Bob Armstrong; Thursday, 14th July, 2011, 08:22 AM.
As I did once at last year's Open, I spent the afternoon strolling around Toronto Island with my wife before heading to the tournament. Can't let this beautiful weather go to waste!
I finally got my first win, in round 5! Had another good position out of the opening (White side of a 'Sniper', which I used to know as a 'Pterodactyl') but didn't blow it this time. With my game finishing earlier, I got a chance to stroll around the hall and watch a few of the top-section games. Having 2 points out of 5, it will take a 50% score (at least) in the remaining rounds to reach my original goal: around 4 -5 points in the tournament with a likely rating gain. It's gonna be a challenge!
Looking at the U2000 standings, it's quite a diverse group. There are the usual "rapidly improving juniors", "veterans" such as Bob A. and myself plus a number of younger adult players (an under-represented group in the CFC membership I suspect). Our Scarborough Chess Club is also well-represented in this group with at least ten players.
Starting Off Right – The Wee Hours of the Morning ( July 14 )
After coming home from Rd. 5 , Mario and I got a late night dinner, and analyzed our games as we ate ‘til about 1:00 AM – we’re both in the U 2000 section and both had lost. Then he went to bed, and I did my Rd. 5 ( July 13 ) Blog. I posted it about 2:30 AM and decided to go to bed at 3:30 AM.
Later that Morning
I woke up at 7:30 AM as usual, getting my CO 4 hrs sleep per night ( with no naps )! I did some political stuff on the computer initially, and then when Mario got up, I cooked us breakfast. My dear wife called just as I was about to sit down, and we hadn’t chatted since Saturday ( she’s up at our recreational farm/swamp in Meaford, Ontario while I do my chess thing ). I found that our handyman had sliced his hand and had needed 8 stitches. On the positive side of the ledger, our 50 year old tree that got struck with lighting, and was ¾ destroyed, has a major lower branch that has grown straight up like a second tree, and it might be savable, if the tree is still actually alive. We need to wait a few weeks to see. I reported to the boss lady that it was a great “ CO Holiday “ again, and it seems she’s having a good time at the farm. Mario then went to prepare for his Rd. 6 game tonight, and I went to finish analyzing my Rd. 4 game ( I’m a bit behind ) and posted it on Chess5.
The Afternoon
I prepared a draft of this Rd. 6 Blog, to be completed this morning and posted. I have numbers of games with my Rd. 6 opponent from the past, and I checked what we might be expected to play.
Since I am the Scarborough CC newsletter editor, and since my next issue had to go out early this morning, after I posted this blog, I spent some time trying to get it into final shape for publication this morning, but there was still lots left to do this morning before it could go out.
At 4:15 PM, Mario and I went out to dinner – Plan A was Japanese – defeated – didn’t open ‘til 5:30 PM; Plan B was the retro diner – it was closed for some reason! So we had to fall back on Plan C – our local Greek souvlaki/hamburger joint. We returned home by 5:00 PM, and then we headed down to the playing hall by public transit.
U 2000 Group ( 72 players ) Rd. 6 Results
Here are the results for the top players ( 3 tied for first, and 6 tied for 4th ):
73 .5 Hugh Siddeley (1996)....... - .5 John Doknjas (1997)
74 0 Perry Vishal Johnson (1846) - 1 Alexander Strugach (1963)
75 0 Nicholas O'Bumsawin (1831)...1 Stephan Tonakanian (1974)
76 0 Eric Song (1488)..................1 Jonathan Yu (1971)
77 1 Jordan Palmer (1947)............0 Zehn Nasir (1686)
The U 2000 Group & Rd. 6 Standings
Here are the favourites ( 1900 & Over : 11 ), and the “ dark horses “ ( 1750 – 1899 : 15 ) and showing the 5 leaders, as well as those hot on their heels, ½ pt. back:
Pinnacle 48th Canadian Open Chess Championship 2011:
UNDER 2000 SECTION
72 players ( 26: 1750-1999 )
# Name ID Rtng Tot Prize
1 John Doknjas 141225 1997 – 5
2 Hugh Siddeley 120619 1996 – 5
3 Stephan Tonakanian 150629 1974 - 5
4 Jonathan Yu 126131 1971 - 5
5 Alexander Strugach 151677 1963 - 5
6 Jordon Palmer 127560 1947 – 4.5
7 Richard Garel 105218 1942
8 Paul Leblanc 104186 1924
9 Manuela Renteria 152627 1922
10 David Poirier 106289 1906
11 Ed Zator 105675 1902
12 Steve Nickoloff 108201 1872
13 Greg Stavropoulos 108628 1872
14 Mario Moran-Venegas 143315 1864
15 Musa Jamshed 144462 1850
16 Bruce Dowling 112688 1847
17 Perry Vishal Johnson 152904 1846 – 4.5
18 Sam Haziprodromu 106156 1843 – 4.5
19 Nicholas O'Bumsawin 151261 1831
20 Pacifico Cortez 149343 1830
21 Shafkat Ali 149142 1823
22 Mathew G Cooke 126311 1799
23 Patrick Yu 143209 1796
24 Mark Jubenville 106764 1790
25 Greg Beal 101490 1777
26 Patrick O'Sullivan 149300 1758
Out of the 72 players in our group, only 5 now have 5/6 points after Rd.6. So we now have identified the leaders going into the home stretch! There are 3 players ½ pt. behind waiting to join/replace the leaders, if any of them falter!
Because new readers come to the blog from time to time, I want them to have the following information, and so I am repeating the template of it each day – I’d ask the daily readers of the blog to tolerate the repetition
I like to think “ class “ games have some interest. I believe in some ways they are more educational to class players than GM games, if properly annotated. They are understandable, because we all think similarly – GM moves are many times incomprehensible to us class players. For years now, I’ve used a chess website, Chess5 ( http://www.chess5.com ), as my own personal chess games blog – I have gotten to know the owner/administrator Eydun, quite well over the years. I introduced Canada to his website, after I first saw it. Canada is now one of the main posters to this on-line databank. I post all my games, using what I call my “ Comprehensive Annotation System “, hoping that this makes them even more helpful to viewers. Click on the heading link “ public games “. and you get a list of games posted this month so far, including mine from this Open.
So I am posting my games as soon as I can after the round. The games may not be dramatic, but I hope they are interesting enough, and there is something that can be learned.
In my Rd. 6 game, Doug managed to win a pawn, but at the expense of giving me very active queen and rook play. I have not analyzed the game yet with the chess computer program, but my roommate, Mario, and I, decided later at home that I had a win, and missed it, and ended up with a draw.
After Rd. 6
Mario and I headed home by public transit about 10:00 PM.. We got something to eat, and analyzed both our games while we ate ( we had both drawn ), ‘til 12:00 AM. We both had identical experiences: nervous that we were losing initially; then ecstatic that we saved the game and got a draw; then discouraged when our analysis showed we both had missed wins – I guess that’s chess! Then Mario went to bed.
The Wee Hours of This Morning ( July 15 )
I went upstairs to complete my Rd. 6 Blog, and the results/pairings were posted. So I was able to post it about 1:30 AM. But I still had my Scarborough Chess Club newsletter to finish and get out ( I'm the editor ). So its looking like I probably won’t get to bed ‘til 2:30 – 3:00 AM.
The Rd. 7 Pairings ( July 15 ) – U 2000 Top Boards
With only 5 players having a score of 5 pts. after 6 rounds, I will also show the pairings of those 3 who are ½ pt. behind. Here are the top board pairings for Rd. 7:
74 John Doknjas (1997) - Stephan Tonakanian (1974)
75 Jonathan Yu (1971) - Hugh Siddeley (1996)
76 Alexander Strugach (1963) - Sam Haziprodromu (1843)
77 Jordan Palmer (1947) - Perry Vishal Johnson (1846)
My Round 7 Game Today ( July 15 ):
As a result of my Rd. 6 draw, I have been paired down for the 5th time, having 3/6 pts. Here is my Rd. 7 pairing for later today:
91 Bruce W Thomson (1626) - Robert J Armstrong (1740)
Some Random Thoughts After 6 Days
Why is it that we chess players are so addicted to this exhausting and exhilarating game? I think it has to do with our own desire to reach the stars. We all want to do the best we can at anything we try. It gives us satisfaction if we reach our goal, and happiness. And it doesn’t matter at what level you play the game – it is a question of “ personal best “! We want to play the best game we can, the best move as often as we can. And from this point of view, you may lose a game, and yet feel that you achieved your “ personal best “ – it just so happened that someone else’s personal best trumped yours this time. I think we all get that wonderful adrenalin rush from playing this game under strict tournament conditions, where the fate of our game is in our own hands. Love it!
I don’t know if it’s just that I’m getting older ( 66 in 2 weeks ), or are there tons of juniors among us now?? I mean there have always been juniors, and good ones. But it seems to me the scale has been ratcheted up. There seem to be more, and many are younger than before, and it seems there are more and more in the top section. And the younger ones are much better than one might expect them to be. If I’m right on this, I’d have to give some of the credit for this to Chess ‘n Math Association, CFC, Chess Institute of Canada, and the many chess teachers and coaches who now do this as a part-time occupation. They are successfully introducing the game to more and more Canadian kids. It seems to me that Canada’s chess future seems very bright!
Invitation.
I'd like again to invite everyone to join into the discussion - any comments, suggestion s, questions, criticisms of the blog are welcome - and of anything to do with the Can. Open. I will try to respond if that seems appropriate. Any comments from other members of the U 2000 section would be especially welcome! I was again pleased to see that our group member, Ken Kurkowski, a Scarborough CC member, again posted something yesterday about his activities and game yesterday. Love to hear any other group testimonials!
Posted on the members' CFC Chess Chat Forum on July 14 by CFC President, Michael von Keitz:
July 14, 2011, 10:55 PM
Michael von Keitz
CFC Governor / CFC President
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Armstrong
Former active CFC member, Michael Yip, has asked me to put a question to our new President, Michael von Keitz, as follows ( was supposed to have been asked before the AGM election, but I fouled up ):
1. what is your strategic plan, if any, for your term of office?
2. in relation to # 1, what market segments would you like to focus on?
3. by what means do you intend to do this?
Thanks in advance on behalf of Michael.
Bob
__________________________________________________________________
Hello Bob,
As I had mentioned previously, John R. Brown has volunteered to work with me in identifying clubs across the country with active membership (not necessarily active, or even former, CFC members). The idea is to contact the appropriate municipal authorities and solicit assistance in tracking these clubs down. At the moment, John has completed the first step of compiling links for well over 400 communities across the country. We will next sift through these sites to build a municipal contact list.
From there, once we have been put in contact with these clubs, we might, for instance, offer their members free/discounted CFC membership or rating fees on a short-term trial basis. Before contact is made, however, I would like to seek the governors' input on how they would like to see this proceed (if at all). It will likely be an item for this Fall's Quarterly GM.
I hope that answers his questions! Let him know that he may feel free to respond.
Michael von Keitz
____________________________________________________________________
Hi Michael Yip:
Hope this answer helps clarify a bit a major project the new president wants to implement.
If you want to, you can respond here, or over at the members' CFC Chess Chat Forum: " Presidential CFC Strategic Plan? "
Everyday I feel the exitement flowing through your words. The open section is another story....it's just another tournament. At least there's pics now but the exitemement of the event is lost is the big shuffle. The CFC is losing a great chance to promote chess to people not in the event. It sounds silly but really at least one daily blogger is needed for each section.
Everyday I feel the exitement flowing through your words. The open section is another story....it's just another tournament. At least there's pics now but the exitemement of the event is lost is the big shuffle. The CFC is losing a great chance to promote chess to people not in the event. It sounds silly but really at least one daily blogger is needed for each section.
Looking forward to the next entry.
Mike
I'm enjoying Bob's blog as well. It makes me wish I was playing. I'd also like to have more of the flavour of the event, but I think it's important to keep some perspective.
The main obligation of the organizers is to the competitors. The best marketing won't salvage a badly-run event or help Canada's reputation internationally. As there have been no complaints voiced here about pairings and other matters, I have to assume that things are being run to the satisfaction of those competing.
In the final analysis, that counts for a great deal.
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