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I'm moving to Montreal very soon. I'd like to know what people think is the best chess club in the city. I'll probably be living on the West end, so that should be a factor in which club I can join.
I'm hoping to find a club with very strong players. I think even just watching strong players should be able to help me improve. My goal is to become a FM, and I think getting beat up by Quebec's strong players should push me towards that.
You will have little success in finding a traditional "chess club" in Montreal. Most players tend to gather downtown at the Cafe Pi for casual chess/socializing 7 days a week, or at the "Montreal Chess Club" (a club in name only) - the headquarters of Chess and Maths - where regular one-game-a-week events are held (FQE rated).
On the West Island, you will find the Lakeshore CC, which meets most Fridays at the Strathmore church, 310 Brookhaven, Dorval. They are a group of about 10 (older - agewise) regulars - most about 2000 rated - who play mostly blitz all evening.
Thanks Hugh. I made sure to look up where Cafe Pi is located. It's only 10 minutes drive from where I'll be working, or 24 minutes using transit+walking.
I'm hoping to get some FIDE games under my belt, so I'll be looking to play FIDE tournaments (now that I'm graduating school).
I may be able to drive to the Dorval location every now and then, so that's also nice to add to my list.
I'm guessing you don't play at any particular club/location?
I'm hoping my new chess friends will be able to teach me some French.
My poor wife, all she needs is me having more access to chess...
Usually the best players don't play in chess clubs. However, you can find good players at the Montreal Chess club (at least one strong master each week + a very strong experts). The tournaments are on 5 weeks, one game every wednesday. Also, if you like to play blitz games, you can visit the Cafe Pi, where there's very often national masters and FIDE masters. Sometimes you can even meet stronger players (I think that Alexandre Lesiège plays there from time to time). Both the Montreal Chess Club and the Cafe Pi are downtown and near a metro station.
Here are the major tournaments being held in Quebec before August 2012. You would definitely have to face strong players in all these events :
Tournoi du Père Noël 2011 (26-30 décembre 2011) Montréal
Championnat par classe DESJARDINS du Québec 2012 (20-21-22 janvier 2012) Montréal
Tournoi du Carnaval 2012 (24-25-26 février 2012) Québec
Championnat ouvert de la Mauricie 2012 (16-17-18 mars 2012) Trois-Rivières
Championnat ouvert de Saguenay 2012 (13-14-15 avril 2012) Chicoutimi
Tournoi ouvert de Sherbrooke 2012 (25-26-27 mai 2012) Sherbrooke
Tournoi de la St-Jean 2012 (22-23-24 juin 2012) Québec
Championnat ouvert du Québec 2012 (21-28 juillet 2012) Montréal
Canadian Closed (4-11 Août) Montréal
Superfest 2012 (15-19 Août) Montréal
There are also rumors of another FIDE rated tournament this spring, but nothing is confirmed.
I (and many other players) used to go to the Lakeshore club - as long as smoking was allowed in restaurants. After that problem was solved, you could play chess in Montreal smoke-free and most of the "club" players went back to the cafes.
I go regularly to the Cafe Pi - mostly due to its location - maybe 15 minutes walk for me after work, and an easy bus ride home. Being "near a Metro station" still means a 10-15 minute walk (or sometimes a long wait for a bus (or a slow trip)). Street parking is free after 9, or expensive meters at other times.
As well as French, at Cafe Pi you could pick up some Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and some obscure Ethiopian languages (amongst others).
There are only 2 or 3 FIDE-rated tournaments annually in Montreal - you'll have to add Ottawa to your chess itinerary if you want more.
Thanks Hugh. I made sure to look up where Cafe Pi is located. It's only 10 minutes drive from where I'll be working, or 24 minutes using transit+walking.
I'm hoping to get some FIDE games under my belt, so I'll be looking to play FIDE tournaments (now that I'm graduating school).
I may be able to drive to the Dorval location every now and then, so that's also nice to add to my list.
I'm guessing you don't play at any particular club/location?
I'm hoping my new chess friends will be able to teach me some French.
My poor wife, all she needs is me having more access to chess...
Denton
For FIDE rating, there's also our Ottawa tournaments. With weekday traffic, depending where on the island of Montreal you live, and how fast you drive, you would be 1.5-2.5 hours away from the RA Centre. For this season, players over 1900 are also rated FIDE.
For FIDE rating, there's also our Ottawa tournaments. With weekday traffic, depending where on the island of Montreal you live, and how fast you drive, you would be 1.5-2.5 hours away from the RA Centre. For this season, players over 1900 are also rated FIDE.
I'll be making a few trips to Ottawa. My wife is from there and isn't as excited about Montreal as I am. It works perfectly actually. I can drive to Ottawa, drop her off at her sisters' and go play some chess :)
I've been to the RA Centre before as well. Played against Mate a couple years ago. I've learned a bit since then, not much.
I wonder if there would be any appetite for a small FIDE league in Montreal.
I did the Windsor Chess League, but that was only CFC (we didn't have enough FIDE players down here). A group of 8 players playing a 4 round league swiss perhaps. I guess I should wait until I'm settled before thinking of getting involved in chess organizing.
I found this great article that talks about where all of the best places where people like to meet up to play chess in Montreal. Let me know if this helps :
This thread has been revived 12 years after it was initiated. The "chessseed" link is a good summary, although it included University clubs which may be restricted to that institution's students, Also included were a few outdoor/seasonal events.
So here is an up to date list of "indoor" sites designed primarily for an adult audience (free or meter parking is usually available nearby):
Montreal CC (3423 St Denis - metro Sherbrooke) - not a formal chess club - in name only. One-game-a-week events are organized on Wednesday nights (one starts tonight Feb. 22)
Ahuntsic CC (9930 Parthenais - metro Sauve and a 10-min bus ride) - details in the "chessseed" link.
Longueuil CC (930 St-Jacques, Longueuil (south shore) - metro Longueuil, plus bus or 10 min walk) - details in the "chessseed" link.
Laval CC (25 St-Louis, Laval - metro Cartier plus bus or 15 min walk). Open Tuesdays for one-game-a-week events.
Lakeshore CC (720 Montreal-Toronto Blvd (route 20), Dorval - Dorval train station or 211 bus) - details in the "chessseed" link.
Kofi Crepe (4483 St-Denis - metro Mont Royal). Most evenings after 7:30 pm there are players, but not always. Bring equipment. Most nights, it closes by 10 pm, so the same players may go to the nearby Pastel Bar (426 Rachel E) or Les Verres Sterilses (800 Rachel E). In addition - in good/warm weather, these players may be found at nearby La Bolduc park (Rachel and Berri), where there are sometimes all-night blitz sessions.
Cafe Pi has closed - it's now a bar, which tried to encourage chess players, but failed.
Some libraries have informal gatherings (e.g. Cote St Luc library on Monday evenings).
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