North American Youth Chess Championships

[Larry Bevand]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

Hi Gary,

I agree that our players should strive for the best against the strongest competition. Where I am constantly frustrated is with events such as the Canadian Chess Challenge (CCC)...my baby.... where a player is representing their province. In this case, you are playing for your province. I know...it is boring to beat up on players rated many hundreds of points below you....but you are making a contribution to the team...some things are not all about you...afterall...making a major contribution to the team and encouraging youngsters who admire you...is also a life experience! A grade 12 master telling his grade 1 teammate that he played well and giving him or her a high 5 on their win , is worth a million dollars! Players from most provinces have understood this re the CCC. In my mind, a player should be a good player and a good citizen...give and take is the key :). The CMA has recently encouraged Aman and Eric...these guys understand what all that is about. Aman and his Dad...came to me at the CYCC and you could feel their appreciation! In the past, most youngsters have been good citizens...you have no idea how many parents come to me saying "thank you"...and they are always the ones who have given back :)

We have a great chess community in Canada, with great people involved! Let's work together to make it happen!

Larry

[Frank Dixon]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

The 2013 NAYCC proved to be a fantastic event with well over 300 players!! Congratulations and thanks to the organizers, who did such an amazing job with such a large turnout! It seemed to be a trouble-free event, judged by reading the posts on this site. And, thanks to all the players -- winners, high finishers, and others -- who supported it!!

I had one question. In the B12 section, second place was scored by FM Carlos Sandoval Mercado. He has a rating listed at 1782. How can an FM title be given to a player with a rating that low!?

[Bindi Cheng]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

In youth events such as this, undeserved titles are frequently given out. I'm sure he got it in some Pan-American U12 tournament.

[Gary Hua]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

Hi Gary,

I agree that our players should strive for the best against the strongest competition. Where I am constantly frustrated is with events such as the Canadian Chess Challenge (CCC)...my baby.... where a player is representing their province. In this case, you are playing for your province. I know...it is boring to beat up on players rated many hundreds of points below you....but you are making a contribution to the team...some things are not all about you...afterall...making a major contribution to the team and encouraging youngsters who admire you...is also a life experience! A grade 12 master telling his grade 1 teammate that he played well and giving him or her a high 5 on their win , is worth a million dollars! Players from most provinces have understood this re the CCC. In my mind, a player should be a good player and a good citizen...give and take is the key :). The CMA has recently encouraged Aman and Eric...these guys understand what all that is about. Aman and his Dad...came to me at the CYCC and you could feel their appreciation! In the past, most youngsters have been good citizens...you have no idea how many parents come to me saying "thank you"...and they are always the ones who have given back :)

We have a great chess community in Canada, with great people involved! Let's work together to make it happen!

Larry

Hi Larry

I totally agree with you on CCC. Team event is different from individual tournament and fostering team cooperation is one of the best feature of team events. I would love to see more team events in canada. CMA is doing a fantastic job in promoting chess in Canada without which I don't see much interest among the kids....thanks Larry for your contribution in chess in Canada.....

A great player should give back to the society by being a good model to the younger generation just like what Eric Hansen and Aman Hambleton are doing. Razvan is another good model for kids who look up to them.

If chess is about winning all the time, that would be a very sad scenario for chess in Canada.

We should all do our part in promoting chess in Canada as much as possible !

Gary

[Larry Bevand]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

The 2013 NAYCC proved to be a fantastic event with well over 300 players!! Congratulations and thanks to the organizers, who did such an amazing job with such a large turnout! It seemed to be a trouble-free event, judged by reading the posts on this site. And, thanks to all the players -- winners, high finishers, and others -- who supported it!!

I had one question. In the B12 section, second place was scored by FM Carlos Sandoval Mercado. He has a rating listed at 1782. How can an FM title be given to a player with a rating that low!?

FIDE put in new regulations as of July 1, 2013, in order to boost participation...and revenues. Tom O'Donnell suggested recently to me that FIDE should simply charge x dollars for a title...you know like those scam University degrees :)

Of course this is chess so we are above all that LOL...to me...since my interactions with the organisation in the early 1980's...FIDE remains a 4 letter word in my mind :).

The NAYCC set a new record in Toronto this year despite the fact that we were last minute as FIDE had new rules effective July 1 and the dates of the WYCC were in limbo for a long time. Had we gotten the go-ahead a year ago...we would have drawn at least 500 players to the event this year. Next year the tournament will be in the USA...the USCF has already contacted us about details....expect well over 500 players in 2014...and an entry fee far superior to the one we charged this year! Don't worry, the parents will pay...this has been proven time and again for over a decade!

Larry

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

In youth events such as this, undeserved titles are frequently given out. I'm sure he got it in some Pan-American U12 tournament.

These titles are also called "cereal box titles" :D

[Felix Dumont]

Re : Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

At the NAYCC I was speaking with lots of parents :). The suggestion was made to put events together for players who are striving for that master rating. I like the idea. We will see what we can do. In my opinion, it would be great if the CMA had a program at that level....that was continuous.

Would you support someone creating a school for elite players (or something similar)? I've always thought that CMA does such a great job at reaching thousands of new players and giving group lessons... But to produce GMs we need more than that : private lessons with strong players, thematic group lessons for strong players, a strong program, etc...
Obviously, something like that should be done in collaboration with CMA, which after all makes the kid reach that level.

Just to be clear, it isn't at all my intention to create something like that (I'm already way to busy with Team-Quebec), but I feel that to have a long-term program and long-term results, some people (ideally experienced teachers) should definitely start such a program/school in collaboration with CMA. In a couple of years, we might end up with much more medals at the WYCC and perhaps a few new IMs/GMs :)

[Larry Bevand]

Re: Re : Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

Would you support someone creating a school for elite players (or something similar)? I've always thought that CMA does such a great job at reaching thousands of new players and giving group lessons... But to produce GMs we need more than that : private lessons with strong players, thematic group lessons for strong players, a strong program, etc...
Obviously, something like that should be done in collaboration with CMA, which after all makes the kid reach that level.

Just to be clear, it isn't at all my intention to create something like that (I'm already way to busy with Team-Quebec), but I feel that to have a long-term program and long-term results, some people (ideally experienced teachers) should definitely start such a program/school in collaboration with CMA. In a couple of years, we might end up with much more medals at the WYCC and perhaps a few new IMs/GMs :)

Hi Felix,

CMA would love to establish a chess school to develop elite players.

Let's find the road to success together!

Larry

[Joshua Hu]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

In youth events such as this, undeserved titles are frequently given out. I'm sure he got it in some Pan-American U12 tournament.

wow, debbie downer, the ink isn't even dry on the results.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

I would say achieving the highest potential is more important than winning....chess is about life....it is not about winning all the time but about achieving the best in life.....

All I know about life is it's here and it's now and it's what you make of it. Anyone who gets their happiness from losing should go for it.

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

It's nothing wrong in getting a FIDE title in a tournament like NAYCC as long as your FIDE rating gets to the level of the title later (2300 for FM and 2400 for IM). If you become a "cereal box" FM/IM and your rating doesn't get to 2300/2400 for a long period of time than you should lose the title. IM title offers some perks like free entry to tournaments or free ICC account. FM title is more symbolic but is good to get invited in tournaments where they need 50% TH (title-holders) for IM and GM norms. CM is useless but looks cool for kids

[Joshua Hu]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

Some more pix from day 4: rounds 6 and 7.

https://plus.google.com/photos/10539...40124340308145

thx for the great pics john! just wondering do you have any more from the other days? thx

[Jesse Wang]

Re: Re : Re: North American Youth Chess Championships

It's nothing wrong in getting a FIDE title in a tournament like NAYCC as long as your FIDE rating gets to the level of the title later (2300 for FM and 2400 for IM). If you become a "cereal box" FM/IM and your rating doesn't get to 2300/2400 for a long period of time than you should lose the title. IM title offers some perks like free entry to tournaments or free ICC account. FM title is more symbolic but is good to get invited in tournaments where they need 50% TH (title-holders) for IM and GM norms. CM is useless but looks cool for kids

This is an excellent idea. Perhaps an improvement would be to replace titles with norms instead?

By the way, does anyone have a list of all the title winners? There seems to be a thread but it's not very helpful.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

ideology trumps common sense

All I know about life is it's here and it's now and it's what you make of it. Anyone who gets their happiness from losing should go for it.

This is either a very obtuse remark or another example where ideology trumps common sense. It misrepresents the author's remarks.

Of course Gary Hua's remark relates to players promoting chess and giving back to a sport that has given so much to them. It happens in all sorts of activities besides chess and is a characteristic of unselfish and sensible people. Furthermore, chess provides all sorts of benefits beyond those for the winners of matches and tournaments. For example, children are taught that losing gracefully is an important part of learning in competitive activities. Any child who could not overcome a habit of temper tantrums when losing would have to leave a chess club or overcome their problem. And no one wins all their chess games. This is a part of growth and learning for a child and is one of the reasons why chess is promoted as a learning and teaching tool in schools in so many countries in the world. Chess culture and etiquette is part of chess and no noisy brain farts about winning being everything can disprove that.

Even children know these things. lol.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: ideology trumps common sense

Furthermore, chess provides all sorts of benefits beyond those for the winners of matches and tournaments. For example, children are taught that losing gracefully is an important part of learning in competitive activities.

It's good children in this country are being taught to lose gracefully. However, good losers tend to lose often.

Winning is everything a no brain fart that it's not will change that FACT. If winning wasn't so important there wouldn't be the kind of dropout rate from the juniors as they get older and aren't competing on the Canadian scene, or the international scene, with their peers.

On the world scene there can only be ONE. The world champion. In the World cup they are playing elimination matches and players win or go home. From each match there can only be one winner. IT'S ALL ABOUT WINNING.

If you really think you're correct, how about filling us in on why computer cheating has become such a big issue in chess. Why would someone cheat to win if winning isn't very important?