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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Quebec Open 2013 Ch Pre-Registered(To Date)

Quebec Open Top Section Pre-Registered(To Date)
A great tournament is coming to Canada-See Tournament Details for more info.
See more about the players from their websites
GM Hansen(now Canada's #1 FIDE rated player). Follow him on Twitter too.
IM Hambleton

GM Bojkov is doing alot of work with Chessbase.



Big Chess Adventure Quebec Open 2011




NOMPRENOMTITRECOTESECTION
BRUZON BATISTALazaroGMI2707Invitation
ROZENTALISEduardasGMI2631Invitation
KOVALYOVAntonGMI2606Invitation
HANSENEricGMI2576Invitation
SULSKISSarunasGMI2567Invitation
ARENCIBIAWalterGMI2526Invitation
CHIRILAIoan CristianGMI2523Invitation
SAMBUEVBatorGMI2513Invitation
BOJKOVDejanGMI2507Invitation
ROUSSEL-ROOZMONThomasGMI2476Invitation
HAMBLETONAmanMI2465Invitation
VERAReynaldoGMI2462Invitation
PORPEREdwardMI2418Invitation
PEREZ RODRIGUEZLuis ManuelGMI2415Invitation
CHENGBindiMI2409Invitation
PEREZ GARCIARodneyMI2385Invitation
WANGRichardMI2376Invitation
OLIVA CASTANEDAKevelMF2376Invitation
ADITHYABalasubramanian 2256Invitation
PREOTURazvan 2193Invitation
SONGMichael 2189Invitation
CHIKU-RATTEOlivier-Kenta 2081Invitation
BOTEZAlexandraCMf2024Invitation
CAOJasonMF2019Invitation

Ashley Tapp-Funding for Ottawa CYCC 2013

Ashley Chess Girl-Help me go to Ottawa(Donations)


www.ashleychessgirl.com 
My name is Ashley and I play chess. I am 13 yrs old. Last Nov I represented Canada with my team at the World Youth Chess Championship in Slovenia WYCC - and fundraised my way to go after qualifying. The public and people around the world helped me make this dream come true! 
Thank you! 
I really want to go to OTTAWA in July 8-13. The Canadian Open is right after July 14-20. 
I want so much to play in the World qualifier this summer, the CYCC. I have since began the process of creating a BC Girls Chess Foundation to help other girls play chess and to work with charities to support girls, health and welfare. THANK YOU SO MUCH if you can help me go to Ottawa, I want to go so much to play in this tournament. Love Ashley

Monday, April 29, 2013

Toronto Closed 2013 Rd1

Rd1-Results

Barron,Michael 

Here is a nice win by Michael Barron who plucked off a pawn early in the game and converted with some interesting play.

Barron,Michael (2179) - Plotkin,Victor (2214)
Petroff 5.c4[C42]
Toronto Closed 2013 Annex Chess Club, Toronto (1), 15.04.2013

Position 1
White is up a clear pawn. What do you recommend for white now?

White to Play
20...Rc7

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Canadian Open 2013

Canadian Open 2013 Top Players
This tournament is getting stronger all the time as Cuban GM Arencibia joined the lineup.

Walter Arencibia (GM, Cuba)

He is a familiar face in Canada having won in 2006 and 2011.
  • 2011 1st= Canadian Open, Toronto
  • 2011 2nd Quebec Invitational, Montreal
  • 2006 1st= Canadian Open, Kitchener 
Cuba Bughouse Chess


Seneca Hill CC-IM Hambleton(CAN) Simul 2013-04

IM Hambleton has been very busy. See his site for a Reykjavik Open 2013 report. He just gave a simul at the Seneca Hill CC.

Report-Seneca Hill Chess Club
'The main reason to host this simul at Oriole again because both the participants and Aman enjoyed the last one very much. Aman is selected by Chess Federation of Canada as the official representative to the Continental tournament in Bolivia in May (6th-15th) where he can win a spot to the World Cup knockout tournament in Norway August 2013. We are proud and happy to sponsor one of the strongest Canadian players.

IM Aman Hambleton came to Oriole today! He gave a 30 board Simultaneous Exhibition. Aman won all 30 boards in 2 hours 15 minutes. 

Hambleton at work

Everyone went home with this.


We were happy to present a cheque of $800 to Aman at the end of the Simul. We wish him all the best at Bolivia. Looking forward for his third Simul at Oriole when he becomes a GM. (He was an FM when he came last June.) [More]

Friday, April 26, 2013

Joueuse-Chess Movie with Kevin Kline

French language chess movie with Kevin Kline. The lady is the star.

Full Movie(French-no subtitles)



Alberta Closed 2013 Rd4,IM Wang R(CAN)

The feature game was played in the Alberta Closed Ch. Here is some background on Alberta.



Rd4
Here is yet another autopilot attack from the Zukertort System by IM Richard Wang played in the recent Alberta Closed Ch. Wang started with g4 and opened up the g-file and then turned his attention to the d-file.

Wang,Richard (2460) - Rekhson,Vladislav (2136)

Zukertort System vs. Tartakower[D05]
Alberta Closed Section Calgary Chess Club (4), 31.03.2013

Position 1
White has switched from g-file to d-file play to get at black's king. What do you recommend for white now?

White to Play


22...Rc8

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Quick Games with Mate-Youtube

The Quick Mates
Posted on Chesstalk by Hans Jung


Spring Open RA Centre 2013 Rd4-GM Sambuev

Rd4
GM Sambuev's sharp style is well illustrated in this game from the Ottawa RA Spring Open against Gordon.

Gordon,David (2287) - Sambuev,Bator (2700) 

Nimzo-Indian 4.e3[E55]
Spring Open RA Centre (4), 16.02.2013


Position 1
White has set up a deadly Bf8-moves discovered check. What do you recommend for black?

Black to Play
27.Qd8

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Carnaval Quebec 2013 Rd3-GM Kovalyov A

The feature game was played in the Quebec Winter Carnaval. Winter seems like so much fun.



Rd3
Here is a nice positional game from GM Kovalyov. There are no spectacular tactical blows or attention grabbing attacks so this game might pass unnoticed.

Berube,Antoine (2277) - Kovalyov,Anton (2586)
Queen’s Indian 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3 Ne4 [E13]
Carnaval Quebec CAN (3), 16.02.2013

Position 1
Black has the better structure but now what? Make a suggestion for black.

Black to Play


31.Qe3


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Orlova,Y-Toronto Standard Article (April 23-2013)

Orlova is in the news.
See her site or Youtube Channel BeautyandChessGeek too.

Meet Yelizaveta Orlova, Canada's Teenage Chess Ambassador
From the Toronto Standard April 23.

Yelizaveta Orlova
Photo by Monica Chung

Yelizaveta Orlova's new endgame is to raise the profile of chess for women in Canada. The 18-year old has has been declared a Woman National Master in Canada. She has represented Canada twice at the World Chess Olympiad.

The number of women playing competitive chess in Canada is dismally low - only 60 active players. The Canadian Federation of Chess (CFC) recently introduced the new titles of Women’s National Master (2100) and Women’s National Candidate Master (1900) as an incentive for women to play and stay involved with the game.

Chess is typically the domain of males, conjuring images of child prodigies and socially-inept eccentrics.

"There's a stereotype in North America about people who play chess," says Orlova. "It’s assumed that if you play chess that you're not popular, it's not cool. People join the chess club that can’t fit in anywhere else."

Orlova was taught how to play chess when she was four years old. Both her father and grandfather were accomplished players - her grandfather was an American Master. When she was nine, her father brought her to a simultaneous exhibition where she played an International Master, and it ended up in a draw. She decided to start playing seriously.

She grew to become the fourth highest rated female chess player in Canada. In her native Ukraine, chess was taught in the school system. Here, it's an anomaly to see a female chess player. "Here, if a girl plays chess, people are very interested because they don’t see a lot of girls play."

Her longest game took six hours, but that is atypical. Orlova says that the game puts her into a focused, meditative state where time goes by unnoticed. She enjoys the calm, logical march of chess, and the mannered culture of studiousness and respect that it encourages. Her forte is the middle game: the positional portion where there are lots of pieces on the board.

"You’re persuading your opponent to make bad moves. Setting them up in a trap," grins Orlova. This is in contrast to many who prefer the finishing moves of the end game.

Orlova wants to get more women playing chess to raise the bar competitively.

Although women can technically compete against men in open tournaments, females have their own set of ratings. Many players take offense to the fact that chess, despite being a non-physical game, still separates females into their own category.

Orlova supports this division, telling me that most women she has competed against play a more emotional game.

 "People say that everything is much more interesting when you watch the females play than the males. The males tend go with the positional element, whereas the females try to attack. Males are less aggressive while women want to give it all they got."

In open tournaments, particularly in Canada, Orlova thinks that girls may occasionally have a small advantage in competing against guys.

"If a woman plays against a guy, it's usual. I play against guys all the time. But if a guy plays against a girl, its very unusual. I feel like a lot of guys start worrying, ‘Well, she's a woman so I need to win.’ They have that mentality. I feel like they’re more worried to lose."

Orlova claims there is a significant drop in girls playing chess when they reach high school. At 14, she quit playing chess for a year and a half, a decision she deeply regrets now.

"I finally smartened up. High school is only four years of your life. So I don’t understand why I have to be so self-conscious about playing chess. Chess is a smart, logical game. It makes me laugh that they think it's not cool.

In high school, all the conversations are all 'Oh do you know? He's dating that girl?' In chess, they wouldn’t talk about that kind of stuff. That would be absurd. I am very happy that I didn't give up chess.

I realized I shouldn’t be degrading myself to them. In grade nine, everybody’s worried about what people think. So I think people kind of forgave me, for dropping out for that year and a half," she jokes.(more)

Alberta Closed Ch 2013 Rd2-GM Hansen,E(CAN)

Rd2
GM Hansen sent all his pieces to the kingside and produced a nice kingside attack based on weak dark squares.

Hansen,Eric (2588) - Rekhson,Vladislav (2136)
Petroff 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.d4 d5 5.Bd3 Bd6 [C43] 
Alberta Closed Section Calgary Chess Club (2), 30.03.2013

Position 1

Black's kingside dark squares invite an attack. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play

19...Qe7

Monday, April 22, 2013

Newfoundland and Labrador Chess Ch 2013 Results

From Chesstalk by Jordan Berson
Congratulations to IM Aman Hambleton for winning this year's Newfoundland & Labrador Chess Championships!

A bit more on Newfoundland and Labrador
 


The final round was full of upsets, except for on board 1, where Aman busted my Grunfeld with the Polugaevsky variation (games to be posted shortly). Here are the placements:

1. IM Aman Hambleton 4.5
2. Anthony Leonard 4.0
3. FM Grant Spraggett 3.5
4-5 NCM Jordan S. Berson, Morley Payne 3.0
Top U1800 Jeffrey Dawson 2.5
Top Senior Ray MacIsaac 2.5


Alberta Closed 2013 Rd4,GM Hansen E

Rd4
GM Hansen won with a nice exchange sacrifice and exploited black's uncastled king.

Hansen,Eric (2588) - Pechenkin,Vladimir (2428) 

Alekhine’s 4..de 5.Nxe5[B04]
Alberta Closed Section Calgary Chess Club (4.1), 31.03.2013


Position 1
Black's uncastled king is asking for trouble. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play

19...a6


Sunday, April 21, 2013

ABCD Montreal 2013-02 Rd4-Chiku-Ratte,O

Rd4
Here's a nice game by fast improving junior Chiku-Ratte. Montreal has some under publicized tournaments which I only noticed because of Hugh Brodie's CANBASE.

Chiku-Ratte,Olivier-Kenta (2194) - Tremblay,Alain (2112) 

Slav …a6 5.c5 Nbd7 [D15]
Mercredi 2013.02 ABCD Montreal CAN (4), 13.03.2013


Position 1
How should white take on e5?

White to Play

32...Bxc6

Friday, April 19, 2013

Budpapest Chess News Files 2013-04

Budapest Chess News Files 2013-04
Now available for download.

The Chessbase files have the games/analysis of the previous month. Sorry it's a bit late.

The files will also be available from GM Spraggett's site soon too(see right menu).

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Philadelphia Open 2013 Rd7-IM Cheng, Bindi(CAN)

Rd7
IM Cheng,Bindi cruised to an effortless win with a rare treatment of the Be3 Grunfeld Exchange.

Cheng,Bindi (2409) - Chandra,Akshat (2265) 
Grunfeld 7.Be3 c5 8.Rc1[D85] 

7th Philadelphia Open Philadelphia USA (7), 30.03.2013

Position 1
Black's kingside is wide open. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play


27...f5