Blitz in Montreal and area

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  • Blitz in Montreal and area

    Cafe Pi had 18 players in its monthly blitz on Jan. 2. Winner was Andrei Gulko with 16/17, followed by Louie Jiang with 14.5. Report to come.

    Another strong blitz event was scheduled to be held tonight (Jan. 3) in Beloeil (30 minutes south of Montreal assuming little traffic). Rumoured players included Kovalyov and Castellanos. Hopefully, someone will post a report (I wasn't there).

  • #2
    Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

    Hi Hugh:

    Is there any interest at all in Quebec for blitz tournaments to get the new " Quick Chess Rating ", if the motion should pass? I know there is no interest in regular FQE tournaments being rated CFC, but I wondered if blitz might have any features about it that would make a " quick " rating more of interest?

    Bob

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    • #3
      Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

      Probably no interest at all. Few players are even looking at my blitz ratings any more - just using estimated ratings during the tournaments.

      However - players like to see a neat crosstable (posted on the wall at Cafe Pi) - neither the FQE nor the CFC can produce a normal round-robin crosstable with their current rating systems. See this example: http://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/cms/cotes/tournois/id/3982
      This was a round-robin tournament - it's much harder to read this table.

      And there are more and more FQE tournaments being rated CFC, as organizers and players want to have FIDE-rated events.

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      • #4
        FIDE Quick Chess

        If it is the FIDE rating that people value, then do you think FIDE Blitz & Rapid will catch on with FIDE starting to rate those time controls. If so, then they will also have to be rated CFC Quick Chess ( if it passes ), no?

        Bob

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        • #5
          Re : Blitz in Montreal and area

          I would be surprised if the FIDE blitz rating would interest anybody in Quebec... People want to play FIDE rated (slow) games because they hope to get a title one day, otherwise they are not willing to pay more to have a FIDE rating... Actually, I'm pretty sure that none of the players from the Cafe Pi would be ready to pay to have a blitz rating... It is FQE rated, but I believe it is more because the FQE wants to reach new players, not because the blitz players are really interested in their blitz rating.

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          • #6
            Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

            Only three Cafe Pi blitz tournaments have been FQE-rated - the last one from July, which was rated almost a month later(!). I don't think anyone is interested in a FIDE blitz rating.

            Bob - what about Vlad's tournaments? Is there any interest in CFC and/or FIDE taing them?

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            • #7
              Target Population - Qick Chess Ratings

              Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post
              Only three Cafe Pi blitz tournaments have been FQE-rated - the last one from July, which was rated almost a month later(!). I don't think anyone is interested in a FIDE blitz rating.

              Bob - what about Vlad's tournaments? Is there any interest in CFC and/or FIDE taing them?
              Hi Hugh:

              Many feel Vlad's tournament is already too expensive for the average player - not for the elite players attending who get good games + nice Prize fund. I doubt his players would pay the extra amount to get the rapid ( and sometimes blitz ) tournaments FIDE & CFC rated.

              But I think quick chess tournaments with a very modest entry fee, with almost no prizes, for the purpose of merely attracting the casual player to a challenge, will likely start to be FIDE & CFC rated, because these new players will want a quick CFC rating and the corresponding FIDE rating - International!! ( I think it is not so important to died-in-the-wool regular CFC tournament players ). And the organizer could simply charge enough for the two rating fees, and a very modest prize + low overhead + low TD fee ( under the new Quick Chess Rating system, if the motion passes, note we have cut rating fees for this new system ). It would be cheap enough to attract the casual player, if CFC can figure out where to go to advertise to get to them. The quick chess proposal is really part of a marketing strategy, which hopefully will eventually lead to new CFC members.

              And of course, as usual in Canada, the organizers are the key to success on this!

              Bob A

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              • #8
                Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

                I don't think blitz chess ratings are needed. There's already ICC, Playchess and numerous other sites that you can play blitz on and pretty much gauge your rating based on the strength of your opponents and the site itself. There's no need for the CFC to set any kind of standard. Just take a look at rapid tournaments. Barely any games are even rated. My rapid rating is 2020... I've only played one rapid tournament - my first one. If CFC wants to reach out to new members, they should make blitz ratings free on the condition that the players are all CFC members. Otherwise, why pay a declining organization to "rate" blitz ratings when there's all these free alternative methods to tell if someone is good in blitz or not?
                Shameless self-promotion on display here
                http://www.youtube.com/user/Barkyducky?feature=mhee

                Comment


                • #9
                  Why Quick Chess Will Work

                  Originally posted by Bindi Cheng View Post
                  I don't think blitz chess ratings are needed. There's already ICC, Playchess and numerous other sites that you can play blitz on and pretty much gauge your rating based on the strength of your opponents and the site itself. There's no need for the CFC to set any kind of standard. Just take a look at rapid tournaments. Barely any games are even rated. My rapid rating is 2020... I've only played one rapid tournament - my first one. If CFC wants to reach out to new members, they should make blitz ratings free on the condition that the players are all CFC members. Otherwise, why pay a declining organization to "rate" blitz ratings when there's all these free alternative methods to tell if someone is good in blitz or not?
                  Hi Bindi:

                  I agree that CFC fumbled the ball on active and blitz ratings as they were.

                  But the new " quick chess rating system " will be marketed to the public, and hopefully picked up by some organizers. Regular play in this system will maintain its accuracy and currency, so volume use is going to be necessary.

                  You are also right that there are free internet alternatives. I don't know how you feel about internet vs OTB, but I much prefer OTB, where I can see the whites of their eyes ( and I did play on the internet for a while - it's OK and was fun and is more social than some give it credit for, with messaging back and forth with those interested, and those you get to know over time ).

                  But internet in my mind, can't compare with the tournament rush of OTB play. So the quick chess system is trying to offer an OTB alternative for quick chess - something like is offered on the internet, that casual players in particular are somewhat familiar with. I think that players will slowly be attracted to getting a quick chess rating ( if it is relatively accurate and current ), and likely in time will also want an international FIDE blitz and rapid rating ( I think FIDE is right on this initiative of theirs, and we should learn from it - one of the few times FIDE seems to be getting it right! ).

                  Finally, I must strongly disagree that CFC is a " declining " organization. The last two years at least have been stable on membership, there is a very slight climb in members as of Jan. 1, 2012, and the organization is running overall quite well ( especially when compared with the five consecutive years of over $ 30,000 annual deficits! ).

                  Don't be fooled by the past - there is always hope for the future - and CFC is showing some positive signs of future success.

                  Bob A

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                  • #10
                    Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

                    I think the CFC is declining. I mean before atleast we got the magazine for our membership. Now the membership cost is the same and the paper magazine is gone. It's replaced by the online magazine. Lots of people don't even read or receive the online magazine but people are still paying full price to get their ratings. The only reason the CFC is still working is because it's the only organization capable of rating CFC ratings and only organization recognized by FIDE for people to get their titles. If the CMA tried to expand into the adult market with lower fees and people started transitioning into the CMA with it being a recognizable chess force in Canada, I'm sure the CFC will be like Blockbuster and collapse.
                    Shameless self-promotion on display here
                    http://www.youtube.com/user/Barkyducky?feature=mhee

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Blitz in Montreal and area

                      Originally posted by Bindi Cheng View Post
                      I think the CFC is declining. I mean before atleast we got the magazine for our membership. Now the membership cost is the same and the paper magazine is gone. It's replaced by the online magazine. Lots of people don't even read or receive the online magazine but people are still paying full price to get their ratings. The only reason the CFC is still working is because it's the only organization capable of rating CFC ratings and only organization recognized by FIDE for people to get their titles. If the CMA tried to expand into the adult market with lower fees and people started transitioning into the CMA with it being a recognizable chess force in Canada, I'm sure the CFC will be like Blockbuster and collapse.

                      This is a good point. I'm also of the belief that the CFC would be in big trouble if a competitor were to come onto the scene. The CMA would be the best challenger as it already has a better reputation than the CFC.

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