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Re: 2014 Montreal Canadian Open - Inflicting Another Blog on Can. Chess Players?
Bob, it sounds like you had fun and some interesting games at the CO. Personally, I was never a big fan of the Ottawa. The times I was there it seemed like they rolled up the sidewalks around 6 PM and the fun was across the river.
It was nice to see the current best chess promoter in Canada playing and she made a nice placing.
Bob, it sounds like you had fun and some interesting games at the CO. ...
It was nice to see the current best chess promoter in Canada playing and she made a nice placing.
Hi Gary:
I assume you are referring to junior girl, Ms. Ashley Tapp of BC (who has the facebook page, AshleyChessGirl). I had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time, and yes, she was even a co-leader in the U 1600 prize group going into rounds 7 & 8, and going into the final 9th round, she was in a 3-way tie for second (I was part of that group). Quite impressive for a rating of 1481 (the highest rated in the group was a 1598, and there were 8 1500's in our group)!
Another BC junior girl of note in the group was Ms. Jill Ding (1585), who ended in a 3-way tie for first. She was the sole U 1600 leader going into rd. 9. She, with Ashley, have recently incorporated the BC Girls Chess Foundation - the goal I believe is to raise funds to help promote girls' chess around the world - quite laudable and I wish them every success.
Bob A
Last edited by Bob Armstrong; Sunday, 21st July, 2013, 01:22 PM.
Re: 2014 Montreal Canadian Open - Inflicting Another Blog on Can. Chess Players?
Hi Bob,
Yes, Ashley is the one I consider the best chess promoter in Canada these days. I admire the way she takes chess to public places and manages to get lots of press. It builds up interest.
I also wish them success with their goals and their play.
Re : Re: 2014 Montreal Canadian Open - Inflicting Another Blog on Can. Chess Players?
Henceforth, I'm going to call you Mr. Consistency, Bob. Surely, no U2000 player has a lower standard deviation in their TPR numbers. Your 1602 TPR at the Cdn Open was your 10th 1602-1692 TPR in your last 13 tournaments. And the other 3 TPRs weren't significantly worse. On 2nd thought, Mr. Consistency doesn't quite have the 'ring' I'm looking for. How about Homogenous Bob (:
Henceforth, I'm going to call you Mr. Consistency, Bob. Surely, no U2000 player has a lower standard deviation in their TPR numbers. Your 1602 TPR at the Cdn Open was your 10th 1602-1692 TPR in your last 13 tournaments. And the other 3 TPRs weren't significantly worse. On 2nd thought, Mr. Consistency doesn't quite have the 'ring' I'm looking for. How about Homogenous Bob (:
Hi Jack:
The odd thing is that my play, since I started playing in chess tournaments in 1964, has always been erratic. I've played for times in the 1700's, then the 1500's, then the 1800's and now back to the 1500's. And I manage to get upsets somewhat often, and seem to play much better against higher rated players, though I may lose (like in this Can. Open, when I played up 6/9 times). While at the same time I can regularly lose to players 300 rating points lower. Go figure!
I fear if there was a graph of my rating since 1965, the ups and downs would outclass the graph of a sound wave!
As I mentioned to you before the tournament, my goal was to get a TPR of 1700 or more, and get my rating back into the 1600's at least. But, not to be.
Bob A
Last edited by Bob Armstrong; Wednesday, 31st July, 2013, 01:41 PM.
As I mentioned to you before the tournament, my goal was to get a TPR of 1700 or more, and get my rating back into the 1600's at least. But, not to be.
Bob A
You might have to cast off the shackles of the openings and defenses you are using and hit the books to learn some new "stuff". It might treat you better and your opponents worse.
Think of it like this. The Ontario Cons leader has been hammering the same message for years now with little success. Come the by-election we'll see if he can translate it to wins.
You might have to cast off the shackles of the openings and defenses you are using and hit the books to learn some new "stuff". It might treat you better and your opponents worse.
Think of it like this. The Ontario Cons leader has been hammering the same message for years now with little success. Come the by-election we'll see if he can translate it to wins.
As the Globe and Mail puts it now, "May the best woman win." Study the openings of Alexandra Kosteniuk? Maybe.
I have the Globe today but didn't get that headline. Probably they get the papers ready for the boonies before the deadline for the Toronto papers.
Had it been a general election yesterday it's likely we would have a NDP government today. In politics, like chess, timing is everything. In a year or two the NDP's window of opportunity might have passed.
To comment on Hudak's performance, he's telling me the problem and who is to blame but he isn't offering a solution. I was disappointed when he dismissed the budget out of hand and didn't participate in trying to craft something more acceptable to the Conservatives. It would have given the voters an idea of how he would do things differently. Now we end up paying for the expensive programs of both the Libs and NDP.
There's always a chance the voters have decided the Conservatives need another decade in the political wilderness and it won't matter who they have for a leader. Seems kind of unlikely, though.
Re: Re : Re: 2014 Montreal Canadian Open - Inflicting Another Blog on Can. Chess Play
Getting back to chess: I've read with interest Bob's comments, his blog, his Facebook page, etc. I love to see older guys do well.
I'm older myself. But my numbers are different from Bob. I started playing competitive chess in Winnipeg in the 1990's. It's a great place to play competitive chess. Anyway, its 20 years later. I feel that I'm still improving and my results bear that out. I have my highest rating right now. And there is still room for lots of improvement. I'd like to make 2000. Dunno if I can. We shall see.
The slow and inexorable decline has not yet happened for me. I know it's coming. Being around kids, teaching chess, may be the remedy. Who knows? It's all good.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
Getting back to chess: I've read with interest Bob's comments, his blog, his Facebook page, etc. I love to see older guys do well.
I'm older myself. But my numbers are different from Bob. I started playing competitive chess in Winnipeg in the 1990's. It's a great place to play competitive chess. Anyway, its 20 years later. I feel that I'm still improving and my results bear that out. I have my highest rating right now. And there is still room for lots of improvement. I'd like to make 2000. Dunno if I can. We shall see.
The slow and inexorable decline has not yet happened for me. I know it's coming. Being around kids, teaching chess, may be the remedy. Who knows? It's all good.
I played my junior chess in Winnipeg in the 1950's. There were a lot of good players back then. Good bunch of junior players and we all got along. The club was open 7 days a week. When I started it was in a room at the back of a restaurant on Main St. not too far from Redwood (the street with the bridge running over the river). That had atmosphere. Proper chess tables with drawers for the pieces. I think Abe was giving one of the juniors tips. When I had to play him I studied Abe's games with the colour my opponent was playing. Jack Woodbury used to work with the juniors a bit. Probably you know my old friend Ole H. whom I haven't seen in decades.
There was an older guy who was a pretty good player and it took me a long time before I could beat him. He liked playing progressive. He'd spot a pawn, Bishop, rook and he got to move the pawn to a3 and start and then a queen for 4 move and then he started. None of the moves past the 4 th. The first time I worked him up to where I spotted him a queen was the last time he played me. Anyhow he had a large diamond ring he wore on the hand he used to move. Can't recall if it was on his pinkie finger or ring finger. One time after he beat me he laughingly told me I just learned a lesson. Watch the board and not the sparkle of his ring.
I can't recall ratings being an issue. It was more placing in events. There were no GMs in Canada back then.
I switched from OTB to CC in 1974. They needed someone on the domestic scene to do the tournaments, memberships and magazine. So I did most of that for about 10 years or so. After that I worked for the ICCF tournament office for about 10 years directing international events. It doesn't leave a lot of time for OTB play.
I played my junior chess in Winnipeg in the 1950's. There were a lot of good players back then. Good bunch of junior players and we all got along. The club was open 7 days a week. When I started it was in a room at the back of a restaurant on Main St. not too far from Redwood (the street with the bridge running over the river). That had atmosphere. Proper chess tables with drawers for the pieces.
Winnipeg chess clubs mostly consolidated into one club. There was still the Belgian Chess Club which played in the basement of the (Belgian) Club over in St. Boniface, but by the time I got involved, events were held in the basement of the Cornish Branch of the (City of Winnipeg) Library. That one on Redwood might have been the Winnipeg Jewish Chess Club. Dunno. Way before my time. Those tables got auctioned off some years ago I think. A few of the older players knew when they had been used.
We had Abe Yanofsky to thank for the use of the Cornish. $1/year. He had been Councillor and before that Mayor of West Kildonan. Not bad rate. However, some players - mostly the smokers - made things difficult for the librarians. By the time Abe passed away in 2000, the arrangement he had established was no longer respected. So the (urban and central) University of Winnipeg became the home of the chess club.
I think Abe was giving one of the juniors tips. When I had to play him I studied Abe's games with the colour my opponent was playing. Jack Woodbury used to work with the juniors a bit. Probably you know my old friend Ole H. whom I haven't seen in decades.
Jack Woodbury, combining the skills of a webmaster, score sheet reader, and editor (retired or nearly retired English prof), was the founder in the late 90's of the Manitoba/Winnipeg website and did such a brilliant job he really put Exclam! (the provincial magazine under irregular editorship) out of business. I was one of the last editors. That website, no longer run single handedly by Jack W., is still very well run I think.
One of the regulars here on Chess Talk donated an entire collection of Exclam! to the library of the Provincial Legislature in Winnipeg. Abe is on the cover of volume 1 issue 1. A friend, Andrew Gillies nephew of Winnipeg artist Bud Gillies, took a photo of Fletcher Barager on one of the issues I edited. Fletcher looks dangerous and annoyed. There's a good reason for that. I played skittles with him for the photo and (accidently) cheated by making two moves to his one. Those were prized, those back issues of Exclam! . My first published game was in one of those. When many Canadian poets talk about their published beginnings, they mention the little magazine in which they got their start. "We all began in a little magazine." Maybe that's true of chess players as well. Now what, with no magazine?
Ole H. ran the children's club at the University of Winnipeg for some time in the 2000's or late 1990's. Actually, Ole's efforts inspired me to start a Children's Club (and adult club now as well) in Duncan, BC, not far from where I live.
There was an older guy who was a pretty good player and it took me a long time before I could beat him. He liked playing progressive. He'd spot a pawn, Bishop, rook and he got to move the pawn to a3 and start and then a queen for 4 move and then he started. None of the moves past the 4 th. The first time I worked him up to where I spotted him a queen was the last time he played me. Anyhow he had a large diamond ring he wore on the hand he used to move. Can't recall if it was on his pinkie finger or ring finger. One time after he beat me he laughingly told me I just learned a lesson. Watch the board and not the sparkle of his ring.
That sounds like Albert Boxer. Albert played with the pieces like a skillful juggler/carny and if you didn't watch him, he would place them on the board and act if nothing was wrong. Still a dangerous player as I recall.
I can't recall ratings being an issue. It was more placing in events. There were no GMs in Canada back then.
Abe was the first as you undoubtedly know. Here's a funny observation. I think Fletcher B. made it. The stairway at the Cornish Library was very narrow, allowing only for single-file traffic at the bottom. When the players proceeded down to the club, they would go down the stairs in rating order. lol. The only player who violated that was Fletcher. I thought he was a swell guy after that.
When I recall these things I realize that chess is part of culture. It is no mere sport or science but life itself.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
That sounds like Albert Boxer. Albert played with the pieces like a skillful juggler/carny and if you didn't watch him, he would place them on the board and act if nothing was wrong. Still a dangerous player as I recall.
No. It wasn't Albert. Albert was a great guy. But I watched the pieces real close when we played because he liked to joke around and a rook could disappear. I always liked playing him. I think he may have driven me and a couple of other juniors for the annual match with Minneapolis one year but my memory is dim on that. Is Albert still with us?
I left Winnipeg in the early 1960's so never played at many of the places you mentioned. We used to go back to visit my parents. I married the first girl I met (not saw) when I came to Toronto so my parents liked to see the grand kids. We'd visit Winnipeg one year and Newfoundland the other year. I always got in a chess game when we visited Winnipeg. My dad's summer home wasn't far from that of Nathan Garfinkle's so I'd walk over and play a game with him. He was a decent player. It made for a nice afternoon.
Oh yeah, I recall one guy used to come into that club on Main St. (before the club moved to the big hall in the basement of a building) and watch people play. He never played. I once asked someone why he didn't play. I was told the man only came to watch to get a break from his wife. He wasn't a chess player.
No. It wasn't Albert. Albert was a great guy. But I watched the pieces real close when we played because he liked to joke around and a rook could disappear. I always liked playing him. I think he may have driven me and a couple of other juniors for the annual match with Minneapolis one year but my memory is dim on that. Is Albert still with us?
Albert passed away at 85 in 2005.
Here's a quote from his obit...
Originally posted by Winnipeg Free Press
Albert was legendary in the Winnipeg chess community for half a century, as a leader, a player, a coach, and a fundraiser. He was President of the Winnipeg Jewish Chess Club from 1952 until 1994. His true chess player's soul was honoured when the Albert Boxer Classic tournament was named after him, in 1997. His spirit, his sense of humour, his leadership and loyal friendship - all of these attributes were part of his character and will be sorely missed by family and friends.
The Albert Boxer Classic is now the Albert Boxer Memorial.
The obit goes on to mention Albert's involvement in WW2. That I did not know. The obit mentions Jeff Babb, Keith Czarny, Karl Nelson and Cecil Rosner as pallbearers. All of those are names from the Winnipeg Chess community that I recognize. Something that I have never seen before was included in his obit ...
Originally posted by WFP
Donations can be made to Jewish Child and Family Service, Grace Hospital Foundation and (cheques payable to) Chess Federation of Canada, in care of Manitoba Chess Association.
So Albert gave to chess even after he died. Bravo, Albert.
His chess library was the stuff of legend. The eyes of chess players grew large even mentioning it. Albert once saw a first edition I got my hands on (My Chess Career, Capablanca, 1920 (corrected)) and he almost succeeded in stealing it from right under my nose. Quick hands. When he played you there was a constant stream of chatter from him, but I think it was part distraction. He was looking for a good swindle. lol.
Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Saturday, 3rd August, 2013, 06:03 PM.
Reason: correction
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
His chess library was the stuff of legend. The eyes of chess players grew large even mentioning it. Albert once saw a first edition I got my hands on (My Chess Career, Capablanca, 1921) and he almost succeeded in stealing it from right under my nose. Quick hands. When he played you there was a constant stream of chatter from him, but I think it was part distraction. He was looking for a good swindle. lol.
I have My Chess Career by Capablanca. The front cover has his signature in gold colour.
It says on the title page, just after his picture and the onion skin page:
London
G. Bell and Sons Ltd.
New York: The McMillan Company
1920
The following page, opposite the Contents, says:
Copyright in the U.S.A. by the MacMillan Co., New York, 1920
I don't know if it would be a first edition.
I once played Capablanca's second cousin in correspondence chess. It was a hard draw in the Sicilian defence. Tim Harding published the game in his magazine, Chess Mail. We were both subscribers.
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