2012 Ontario HS Ch.: quick report

[Frank Dixon]

I'm writing a very quick report on the 2012 Ontario HS Championships now; more will follow later today.

This year's event drew more than 160 players in three sections, to Glendon College of York University, located in north-central Toronto just off Bayview Avenue, south of the ritzy Bridle Path neighbourhood.

The college made us very welcome, with an opening address from its President, Dr. Kenneth McRoberts. The campus, the original site of York, is in a park-like setting of the urban milieu, and was quiet and peaceful. Many players and organizers stayed on-site. Our playing site was the new Centre of Excellence building, which is still under construction. This situation caused some problems, since the rooms we were to have had are not yet finished, but we made the best of what could have been a problematic challenge.

I want to thank all the players and coaches for putting up with a very hot playing area for which we were not able to solve all the noise issues. I think that for a first-time site, we did well, and we are hoping to return there next year, for what could be a long-term hosting relationship.

I will leave the detailed results to be posted on the association's website. But I will add a few points now:
1) 2012 Ontario HS individual champion: Michael Ivanov of Newtonbrook.
Michael scored 4.5/5, defeating WCM Jackie Peng in beautiful style in the last round.
2) University of Toronto Schools won the Combined Trophy.
3) Christopher Field will retire as President and TD with this year's event, after decades of distinguished service.

[Larry Bevand]

Re: 2012 Ontario HS Ch.: quick report

I'm writing a very quick report on the 2012 Ontario HS Championships now; more will follow later today.

This year's event drew more than 160 players in three sections, to Glendon College of York University, located in north-central Toronto just off Bayview Avenue, south of the ritzy Bridle Path neighbourhood.

The college made us very welcome, with an opening address from its President, Dr. Kenneth McRoberts. The campus, the original site of York, is in a park-like setting of the urban milieu, and was quiet and peaceful. Many players and organizers stayed on-site. Our playing site was the new Centre of Excellence building, which is still under construction. This situation caused some problems, since the rooms we were to have had are not yet finished, but we made the best of what could have been a problematic challenge.

I want to thank all the players and coaches for putting up with a very hot playing area for which we were not able to solve all the noise issues. I think that for a first-time site, we did well, and we are hoping to return there next year, for what could be a long-term hosting relationship.

I will leave the detailed results to be posted on the association's website. But I will add a few points now:
1) 2012 Ontario HS individual champion: Michael Ivanov of Newtonbrook.
Michael scored 4.5/5, defeating WCM Jackie Peng in beautiful style in the last round.
2) University of Toronto Schools won the Combined Trophy.
3) Christopher Field will retire as President and TD with this year's event, after decades of distinguished service.

I would suggest Chris Field receive an award for his lifetime contribution to High School chess in Ontario....OCA?

[Robert Clark]

Re: 2012 Ontario HS Ch.: quick report

I would suggest Chris Field receive an award for his lifetime contribution to High School chess in Ontario....OCA?

I agree, I was going through some of the old ledgers that Mike von Keitz gave me awhile back and was impressed to see how far back Chris's volunteering went. It really is astounding and incredibly positive. I completely agree this is worthy of recognition.

[Frank Dixon]

2012 Ontario HS Ch.: longer report

I'll commend and agree with IA Larry Bevand for his suggestion on honouring Chris Field, for his incredible dedication to the Ontario High School event!!!

What follows is more on the 2012 Ontario HS, much of it from a personal standpoint.

The event will be held again in Toronto next year. The precise site is to be determined. Stay tuned. The organizers would love to return to Glendon College, with all of the construction finished and the air-conditioning working this time! The site has many advantages, and with its completion, the problems should be solved. It would be an amazing event. We have a strong team of organizers, but need to increase our group's expertise still further in certain areas, to make the tournament even better in the future!

DURABILITY:
Few Canadian chess events have been run on an annual basis since 1968, the year this event began. This makes the 2012 edition the 45th consecutive. It was my sixth; third as an organizer, after playing in three 1970s events. What has not changed in all that time is the enthusiasm of the players. In my era, the Ontario HS was THE event, especially if one was from outside the Toronto area. These days, young players have much more choice, with CMA and CYCC being also available. Most of Ontario's top young players made the OHSCC a priority in the 1970s, with stars such as Peter Nurmi, the South brothers, Jon Schaeffer, David Filipovich, Homeric Arvanitis, the Morenz brothers, Ray Stone, John McPhail, Kelly Riley, Ian Findlay, and others descending on U of T's New College to do serious battle. And Bryon Nickoloff, who had dropped out of high school, used to hang out playing blitz for money against all challengers! If the event is to pull more of the top young players once again, the organizers have to make it more attractive for them, and debate will be held over the winter on this theme. Rob Morenz was back in 2012, as a father with daughter Julie playing and doing well in the Novice section! :)

MICHAEL IVANOV A STRONG CHAMPION:
It was my first chance to observe the play of Michael Ivanov up close, and I am very impressed. He is a grade 11 student at Newtonbrook, and scored four wins and one draw in five rounds for clear first place. He drew against the second highest rated player, Aquino Inigo, in round four. In the final round, Michael defeated WCM Jackie Peng in beautiful style in an unusual Vienna Opening. This game will be posted on chess5.com. Michael plays in original fashion in the openings, has a great feel for piece coordination, and a sharp eye for complex tactics. He also dresses sharply! We hope he will be back next year to defend his title. Should he stay with chess, Michael has a very big potential; I see him as a contender for the IM title within a few years! :)

WCM PENG'S BUSY SCHEDULE:
WCM Jackie Peng lost her first game to a much lower-rated player, who played like a Master in that game. She then won her next three games, and won several prizes in the event. A busy chess programme will unfold in the next few months for this extraordinary Grade 8 student. Her parents visited with me after the final round, and said Jackie will play the Guelph International in August, follow that with the Canadian Zonal in Montreal, then play Board Two for Canada on the Women's team at the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad. Jackie has a bright future should she decide to stay with chess; I can easily see her becoming Canada's first-ever WGM! Even though she had to be disappointed with her final-round loss, she was gracious enough to play a blitz game with me, and won in excellent style, teaching me an important lesson in one of my favourite lines! :)

REBECCA'S COURAGE AND LEADERSHIP:
The final round for the Championship section was delayed because of an error in the pairings. Rebecca Giblon, a Grade 9 student, assisted by her father Mr. Giblon, made a compelling argument that the organizers had made a mistake, and she was right. It took some time to understand the problem and fix it, and the organizers would like to apologize for the mistake, and commend the Giblons for their patience, understanding, and chess knowledge. We had to re-pair the round, delaying the start significantly. Rebecca recovered from what had to be a difficult emotional roller-coaster to draw her game, tie with Jackie for the Top Girl prize, and be placed second on tiebreak, which was their head-to-head game won by Jackie. Rebecca's chess skills are strong, as she is a National Youth champion, and she won several prizes in this event. I was even more impressed by her courage, intelligence, creative ideas, and overall leadership qualities. Future Member of Parliament, corporate leader, leading activist, human rights lawyer, pioneering scientist -- whatever Rebecca sets her sights upon, we can be sure she will have brilliant success with it!! :)

ZACHARY DUKIC SCORES HUGE UPSET:
Zach Dukic of Notre Dame in Welland scored one of the biggest upsets in the Championship section, when in the final round he defeated Aquino Inigo in just 21 moves with a lovely tactical shot, from the Black side of a Queen's Gambit Orthodox. This was a 300+ rating points upset! In Inigo's defence, he was perhaps affected by the last-minute pairings change, described above, and likely played below his best. This game will be posted on chess5.com. Dukic tied for second place with four points -- he had three wins and two draws. I was not surprised at his success. Zach and his four teammates greatly assisted the organizers with set-up the night before the event began. I played an informal simul against the group of five young players. I won four of the games, but lost to Zach. He ground me down in a rook ending which went about 60 moves, after conserving a small advantage from the middlegame, and squelching all my counterplay attempts. His win was not a fluke, as he played superbly throughout. Look for this young player, only in Grade 9, to improve quickly with the confidence from his success. And Notre Dame claimed first Team prize in the Beginners' section! :)

TORONTO THE GOOD:
No, I am not going to write about the Maple Leafs in this section! I was blown away by the exceptional friendliness and assistance from all of the Glendon people I met, from the student government leaders, to the cafeteria managers, the residence desk staff, all the way to the President, Dr. Kenneth McRoberts, who opened the event with an eloquent speech describing how the 'language of chess' fit so beautifully with Glendon's mission. The campus is bilingual and is a leader in Humanities education and second-language training. The setting is absolutely extraordinary, an oasis in the urban jungle which Toronto has become. I took the chance for early-morning walks on the lovely cliffside paths above the Don River, so helpful before the daily stress of running the event! :)

Cheers,
Frank Dixon
Kingston
Tournament Director,
2012 OHSCC

[Aman Hambleton]

Re: 2012 Ontario HS Ch.: longer report

Zach Dukic of Notre Dame in Welland scored one of the biggest upsets in the Championship section, when in the final round he defeated Aquino Inigo in just 21 moves with a lovely tactical shot, from the Black side of a Queen's Gambit Orthodox. Dukic tied for second place with four points -- he had three wins and two draws. I was not surprised at his success. Look for this young player, only in Grade 9, to improve quickly with the confidence from his success.

I agree. Zach Dukic is a top junior everyone should watch out for. From stellar over the board technique, (as Frank may have learned first hand!) to his persistent and unwavering dedication to the game's promotion overseas, I think it's safe to say he is really turning out to be quite the "homme à tout faire."

Congratulations Zachary!