Guelph Winter Pro-Am Feb 11-12, 2012

[Hal Bond]

We will be in Peter Clark Hall this time, on the lower floor of the Guelph University Centre. Details should be sorted by this Friday.

[Garvin Nunes]

Re: Guelph Winter Pro-Am Feb 11-12, 2012

Wow what I great tournament. I can't wait!

[Hal Bond]

A Fall Pro-Am recap

Thanks for the kind words Garvin. I hope you can join us!

I forgot that I had written this little piece about our Fall event:

A total of 63 players participated in the 2011 Guelph Fall Pro-Am on the weekend of November 5-6.

The tournament was conducted in three sections. Rene Preotu served as Chief Arbiter. He was diligent and effective. Rene is now 2 norms away from his FA title and will be a strong addition to Ontario’s roster of Arbiters.

IM Nikolay Noritsyn was the top seed in the Pro Section. He got off to a very strong start – alone in first after 3 rounds with a perfect score. He hit a Roman speed bump in the fourth round however, allowing FMs Sapozhnikov, Plotkin, Hambleton and Kleinman to catch up and set the stage for a dramatic 5th round. Kleinman was the first to score a fourth point, (and closing in on 2400) against Avinash Sundar. Noritsyn started improving against Plotkin as Sapozhnikov – Hambleton raged unclear. Both matches were short on a time. Roman offered a draw and Hambleton preferred his extra pawn but suddenly hung a promotion shot and resigned on the spot. Noritsyn soon converted his advantage to join Kleinman and Sapozhnikov at the winners table. Each won $285.

The largest section was the U2000 with 28 players. In the end we had four players with four points, and the Brantford chess club boasted two of them. John Vlasov finished slightly ahead of Rob Gashgarian on tiebreak. Likewise Zach Dukic edged out Robert Gillanders for the third place trophy.
Ironically the last section to finish was the U1600. Benjamin Lin performed almost 500 points above his rating en route to first place with 4 points. Just behind him on tiebreak was Jeffrey Xu, and Leonid Aghmalian finished third with 3.5.

A number of WYCC players were in Guelph for a tune up before their competition in Brazil. Three of them posted very strong results. U8 star Sergey Noritsyn performed at 1882 and should go over 1700. U12 Razvan Preotu continues to play at the master level, and should break 2200 on the November 9 list. U14 Mark Plotkin posted a 2269 performance to reach 2000.

Thanks to all who attended! We look forward to seeing everyone again in February for the 2012 Guelph Winter Pro-Am. The dates are being finalized at present.

[Hal Bond]

Re: Winter Pro-Am details

Guelph Winter Pro-Am
February 11-12, 2012
Room 442, Guelph University Centre
5 Round Swiss; A SWOCL Grand Prix Event
3 Sections: FIDE Rated Pro, FIDE Rated U2000, U1600
Players may play up if current rating is within 100 points of rating floor.
Cost is $20, proceeds to the Olympic Fund.
Round Times: Saturday 10:am, 1:30pm, 6:00pm, Sunday 10:00am, 2:00pm
Time Control: Round 1 G/60 +30 sec, Rounds 2-5 G/90 + 30 sec
Entry Fees: Pro Section $60, others $40. Late Fee: $10.00 on site
Half Point Byes: in rounds 1-4 may be requested in advance
Prizes: $55 per Pro player returned as prizes.
Trophies awarded in other sections
Register: Mail to TD Hal Bond, 205 – 105 Conroy Crescent, Guelph, ON N1G 2V5,
email halbond@sympatico.ca, or cash on site from 8:30-9:30 am Saturday. Players registering after 9:30 Saturday may not receive a swiss pairing in first round.
Equipment, snacks and refreshments provided by organizer

[John Erickson]

Re: Guelph Winter Pro-Am Feb 11-12, 2012

Hal:

Sounds like you had a good tournament there. I guessed when the Guelph Winter Pro-Am would be and guessed wrong. I was hoping to play at this tournament and it usually is the first weekend in February. I booked that weekend off and now won't be able to play.

Take care.

John Erickson

[Hal Bond]

Re: Guelph Winter Pro-Am Feb 11-12, 2012

Hey John - sorry man! The first weekend of Feb was my first choice - that is my "normal" weekend. Sadly I could not get the space.