Saturday Blitz updates

**Bill Evans** · Sunday, 14th December, 2008, 07:49 PM

New speed chess site a winner

I visited Vlad's new club at One&Only cafe yesterday. Wow, what a great site for a Saturday Blitz tourney!

The One&Only cafe is a one minute walk from the Donlands subway station. There are two sections to the Cafe. The east side is a cozy neighborhood pub and the west side a extra nice coffee bar. The place reminds me of 1970's Annex cafes without the tie dye and bead walls. The staff is friendly and brings your coffee right to the table as you play.

Don't think I can play every Saturday but for sure a couple times a month.

It is a great deal to play 3 International Masters. Vlad tells me that Grandmaster Bator Sambuev is a regular visitor!

Good view of the pub side

Tournament Director Vlad Dobrich

Artem Samsonkin vs Leonid Gerzhoy

Victor Plotkin vs Leonid Gerzhoy and Artem Samsonkin vs Vinny Puri

Nikola Brajkovic vs John Chidley-Hill and Geordie Derraugh (Yellow shirt)

Victor Plotkin vs Artem Samsonkin (back to camera) Hugh McNeil vs Nikola Brajkovic and Erik Malmsten (standing)

Dusan Miletic

Hugh McNeil and Erik Malmsten (back to camera)

**Vlad Dobrich** · Monday, 15th December, 2008, 09:42 AM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

Thanks Bill for posting the pics. The first one is actually a view of the back end of the Pub side and the second last pic is of Dusan Miletic who kindly provided the camera for the pic shoot. Thanks Dusan!

(captions edited since my post)

**Vlad Dobrich** · Monday, 22nd December, 2008, 09:55 AM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

With most of our regular players at the Hart House Open, we only managed six players on Saturday. Honoured guest, Hans Jung from Kitchener finished on top with some rusty games.

1st Hans Jung 11 1/2 (from 15 games)
2nd Nikola Brajkovic 10 1/2
A Prize Ian Bell 6 points

The blitz starts about 1:30 every Saturday with pick-up games at its conclusion (around 4:30). The top players often engage in doubles chess (bughouse) after the tournament!

See you on Saturday:)

BGC Blitz Ratings December 22, 2008

Sambuev Bator 2642
Stevens Christian 2628
Zugic Igor 2591
Teplitsky Yan 2568
Samsonkin Artem 2549
Gerzhoy Leonid 2525
Noritsyn Nikolay 2508
Milicevic Goran 2505
Bluvshtein Mark 2484
Tyomkin Dimitri 2483
Thavandiran Shiyam2441
Schleiffer Michael 2437
Ochkoos Yuri 2437
Panjwani Raja 2424
Livshits Ron 2411
Plotkin Victor 2408
Divljan Igor 2391
Drashko Dragan 2381
Rek Slava 2378
Hamilton Robert 2376
Gulko Andrei 2370
Krnan Thomas 2362
Gindi Shahar 2353
Teodoro Eduardo 2346
Buscar Michael 2342
Findlay Ian 2313
SapozhnikovRoman 2308
Bailey Doug 2303
Henry Liam 2287
Day Lawrence 2285
Barron Michael 2284
Aronov Yuri 2275
Raheb David 2270
Peng David 2247
Blakely Matt 2236
Molchanov Yevhen 2232
Puri Vinny 2204
Southam Dave 2203
Harper Ryan 2201
Vaingorten Yakov 2200
Sellers Karl 2194
Kimelman Michael 2192
Dougherty Michael 2167
Martchenko Alex 2164
Jung Hans 2162
Derraugh Geordie 2156
Campbell Brett 2153
Miletic Dusan 2139
Inigo Aquino 2134
Bluvshtein Ilya 2128
Evans Bill 2126
Guo Josh 2124
Calugar Arthur 2124
Sundar Avinash 2121
Kleinman Michael 2112
Fiedler Brian 2109
Casareno Erwin 2106
Siddely Hugh 2103
Nahutin Yevgeny 2100
Erichsen Dan 2098
Malette Martin 2081
Pimentel Sheldon 2073
Kagramanov Dina 2067
Hambleton Aman 2037
Dobrich Vlad 2035
Lucki Arnie 2034
Ferreira Alex 2033
Brajkovic Nikola 2031
Visnjic Zoran 2028
Malmsten Erik 2024
Jolliffe Kyle 2018
Haziprodromu Sam 2006
Bokhout Peter 1995
Hambleton Aman 1995
Laughlin Steve 1981
Gusev Nikita 1974
Fan Brendan 1959
Abrahams Daniel 1956
Solis Jamie 1954
Mills Morgon 1949
Walker Trevor 1945
Chidley-Hill John 1944
Takov Chris 1930
Longo Tyler 1928
Ho Conrad 1925
Trbic Milan 1924
Visnjic Momcilo 1882
Ferner Wilf 1875
Bell Ian 1864
Gomes Joe 1863
Zhou Haonan 1848
Kutuzov Yevgeni 1846
Gunapalan David 1832
Mc Neil Hugh 1828
Brammall Stuart 1815
Danilova Luba 1803
Fan Yibing 1798
Steadman Richard 1781
Ruthedale 1777
Henderson Fred 1775
Moran Mario 1774
Stein Jacob 1763
Le Ken 1760
Knox Christopher 1757
Gross Gerald 1752
Power Alan 1740
Orlova Liza 1727
Verde Pino 1701
ThavandiranNimalan1681
Munro Brendan 1661
Panjwani Dilip 1642

**Hans Jung** · Tuesday, 23rd December, 2008, 05:19 PM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

Congratuations Vlad on an excellent site! Saturday was my first visit and I was strongly reminded of a European cafe. Until now in Canada only Montreal has had such a venue. The One and Only Cafe is less than 200 feet from Donlands subway station on the Bloor/Danforth line. The station exit is on Donlands Ave less than 100 feet north of Bloor and a quick right on Bloor and the cafe is only 3 or 4 stores along (west on the north side). The chess scene is on the coffee bar side and it is a very comfortable atmosphere. As I approached to get a coffee right in front of me was a large picture of Mother Teresa and beside her a picture of the Beatles - certainly put me in a good mood right away. Vlad is right - my speed chess was rusty and congratulations to Hugh McNeil - the lowest rated who took 2 out of 3 from me and of course to Erik Malmsten for outcheapoing me. The cafe was popular and well attended and the regulars were courteous, discreet but friendly - they left us to our speed tournament but after the tournament I noticed many young couples having intimate conversations in cosy corners or reading books!? (of all things in this day and age - how often do you see that anymore) or doing the laptop search. Pete McSherry, my favorite Canadian author (check out his book Mean Streets - an excellent account of the Toronto taxi nightlife scene) showed up. Pete is a passionate player who will play speed for hours non stop but likes a human in front of him. Erik was the man of the evening giving him free lessons and they fit right in to the cafe scene. Me, I had a couple of drinks with Vlad and caught up on what was happening. Vlad has a sharp mind and its always a pleasure having an extended conversation with him. At the end I went over to Hart House and had an interesting conversation with Alex Ferreira - the organizer of the Hart House tournament and then watched Lawrence Day on his way to glory. All around a wonderful time and a pleasurable Christmas visit!

**Erik Malmsten** · Tuesday, 23rd December, 2008, 06:32 PM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

Originally posted by Vlad Dobrich View Post

With most of our regular players at the Hart House Open, we only managed six players on Saturday. Honoured guest, Hans Jung from Kitchener finished on top with some rusty games.

1st Hans Jung 11 1/2 (from 15 games)
2nd Nikola Brajkovic 10 1/2
A Prize Ian Bell 6 points

Hey I thought that I was second. I defeated Nikola but lost 2 to Hugh McNeil, costing me the win while the masters were away.

**Vlad Dobrich** · Wednesday, 24th December, 2008, 07:19 AM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

Sorry Erik,
You were indeed second. The result should have said:

2nd Erik Malmsten 10 1/2

Did you get the 2nd Prize money?

Mea Culpa :o
Vlad

**Vlad Dobrich** · Friday, 26th December, 2008, 04:55 PM

Re: Saturday Blitz updates

Games as usual tomorrow 1:30pm. Should be good turnout with no competing events.

**Jean-Pierre Rhéaume** · Friday, 26th December, 2008, 08:52 PM

Re : New speed chess site a winner

Originally posted by Bill Evans View Post

I visited Vlad's new club at One&Only cafe yesterday. Wow, what a great site for a Saturday Blitz tourney!
(...)

Victor Plotkin vs Leonid Gerzhoy and Artem Samsonkin vs Vinny Puri

What a chess club !!!

It seems to me Victor Plotkin looks like young Kasparov.

JPR

Saturday Blitz updates

Saturday Blitz updates

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