
“Summer lovin’, had me a blast. Summer lovin’, happened so fast!”
Annex Chess Club – Summer Love Swiss Tournament
To celebrate the end of a fantastic summer in Toronto – and before the summer days drift away – we’re launching another CFC-rated club tournament on August 20 (the week after the last round of our Beach Blanket Swiss). As per usual, it’s a 5-round Swiss in 3 sections: Premier (>1900), Reserve A (1500-1900), and Reserve B (U1500). And as per usual, the Premier section is also FIDE-rated.
Complete results are on the table below.
“Tell me more, tell me more…”
Round Five – September 24
In the Premier section, Dave Southam, with the better tie-break, needed only a draw against rival Pavel Peev in the last round to secure first place. Dave did just that and finished first with 4.0/5. Congratulations, Dave!

In the U1900 section, Arkadiy Ugodnikov, with a last-round win over Zaki Uddin, finished alone in first with 4.0/5. Congratulations, Arkadiy!

Finally, in the U1500 section, six-year-old Harmony Zhu, with a win against Shabnam Abbarin, took first place, finishing undefeated at 4.5/5. Harmony will be playing in the U1900 section next tournament. Way to go, Harmony!

Next week, Monday October 1, we’ll be starting a new tournament, the Autumn Colours Swiss. The first round starts at 7:30 pm, but please arrive by 7:00 pm to register if you haven’t already.
Final Results
SwissSys Standings. Summer Love: Premier
# | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David Southam | 102535 | 2176 | W8 | W9 | W13 | D3 | D2 | 4.0 |
2 | Pavel Peev | 122223 | 2209 | W7 | B— | W3 | H— | D1 | 4.0 |
3 | Wajdy Shebetah | 148432 | 2132 | W18 | W6 | L2 | D1 | W5 | 3.5 |
4 | Daniel Wiebe | 132137 | 2012 | W5 | H— | H— | U— | W7 | 3.0 |
5 | Hayk Oganesyan | 152587 | 1827 | L4 | D8 | W18 | W12 | L3 | 2.5 |
6 | Rolando Renteria | 152626 | 2249 | H— | L3 | L8 | W18 | W16 | 2.5 |
7 | David Cohen | 100234 | 1812 | L2 | W18 | L11 | W17 | L4 | 2.0 |
8 | Zehn Nasir | 148198 | 1878 | L1 | D5 | W6 | D14 | U— | 2.0 |
9 | Geordie Derraugh | 132393 | 2242 | W15 | L1 | H— | H— | U— | 2.0 |
10 | Melissa Greeff | 153598 | 2112 | W19 | H— | H— | U— | U— | 2.0 |
11 | Morgon Mills | 127517 | 2206 | H— | H— | W7 | U— | U— | 2.0 |
12 | Adrian David Valencia | 153521 | 1967 | H— | W15 | U— | L5 | U— | 1.5 |
13 | Pepin Manalo | 112277 | 1845 | H— | H— | L1 | U— | D18 | 1.5 |
14 | Alex T. Ferreira | 127516 | 2051 | H— | H— | U— | D8 | U— | 1.5 |
15 | Andrew Pastor | 127521 | 1926 | L9 | L12 | H— | H— | U— | 1.0 |
16 | Scott Cliff | 137007 | 1989 | H— | H— | U— | U— | L6 | 1.0 |
17 | David Krupka | 102648 | 1943 | H— | H— | U— | L7 | U— | 1.0 |
18 | Daniel Zotkin | 146857 | 1920 | L3 | L7 | L5 | L6 | D13 | 0.5 |
19 | Adie Todd | 125156 | 1718 | L10 | U— | U— | U— | U— | 0.0 |
SwissSys Standings. Summer Love: U1900
# | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arkadiy Ugodnikov | 146626 | 1679 | D13 | H— | W11 | W2 | W4 | 4.0 |
2 | Ulli Diemer | 153538 | 1576 | W4 | W10 | W3 | L1 | D5 | 3.5 |
3 | Manuela Renteria | 152627 | 1654 | H— | W13 | L2 | W7 | W11 | 3.5 |
4 | Mohammad Zaki Uddin | 152024 | 1631 | L2 | W20 | W15 | W10 | L1 | 3.0 |
5 | Hooshang Ab-barin | 152910 | 1669 | L12 | W19 | D7 | W8 | D2 | 3.0 |
6 | Josep Sobrepere | 152976 | 1503 | H— | H— | U— | W14 | W10 | 3.0 |
7 | Jack Maguire | 144604 | 1514 | W8 | L9 | D5 | L3 | W19 | 2.5 |
8 | Marcus Wilker | 102713 | 1667 | L7 | H— | W13 | L5 | W14 | 2.5 |
9 | Adie Todd | 125156 | 1726 | B— | W7 | H— | U— | U— | 2.5 |
10 | Abdolreza Radpey | 149018 | 1424 | W19 | L2 | W14 | L4 | L6 | 2.0 |
11 | Daniel Sirkovich | 145096 | 1541 | H— | H— | L1 | B— | L3 | 2.0 |
12 | Chris Wehrfritz | 151679 | 1660 | W5 | L16 | H— | H— | U— | 2.0 |
13 | Kevin Gaffney | 102701 | 1596 | D1 | L3 | L8 | W19 | U— | 1.5 |
14 | Peter McNelly | 106141 | 1645 | H— | H— | L10 | L6 | L8 | 1.0 |
15 | Nicholas O'Bumsawin | 151261 | 1756 | H— | H— | L4 | U— | U— | 1.0 |
16 | Ian Prittie | 153588 | 1135 | U— | W12 | U— | U— | U— | 1.0 |
17 | David Tolnai | 126875 | 1571 | W20 | F— | U— | U— | U— | 1.0 |
18 | George Supol | 152286 | 1393 | U— | U— | W19 | U— | U— | 1.0 |
19 | Bill Thornton | 131181 | 1641 | L10 | L5 | L18 | L13 | L7 | 0.0 |
20 | Edmond Jodhi | 150171 | 1679 | L17 | L4 | U— | U— | U— | 0.0 |
SwissSys Standings. Summer Love: U1500
# | Name | ID | Rating | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Harmony Zhu | 151635 | 948 | D10 | W16 | W14 | W9 | W4 | 4.5 |
2 | Ian Prittie | 153588 | 1135 | L9 | B— | W17 | W11 | W8 | 4.0 |
3 | Kuhan Jeyapragasan | 147906 | 1467 | H— | H— | W10 | W14 | W5 | 4.0 |
4 | Shabnam Abbarin | 151181 | 1385 | W22 | W11 | D9 | W6 | L1 | 3.5 |
5 | Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy | 153938 | 1349 | W18 | L9 | W15 | W7 | L3 | 3.0 |
6 | George Supol | 152286 | 1393 | W7 | L14 | B— | L4 | W10 | 3.0 |
7 | Jean-Marc David | 151900 | 1203 | L6 | W12 | W16 | L5 | W14 | 3.0 |
8 | Alejandro Renteria | 152628 | 1379 | H— | H— | W19 | W13 | L2 | 3.0 |
9 | Yanfeng Zhao | 154318 | unr. | W2 | W5 | D4 | L1 | U— | 2.5 |
10 | James Mourgelas | 108540 | 1393 | D1 | W15 | L3 | W19 | L6 | 2.5 |
11 | Marc Antonio Nunes | 154427 | 1034 | W19 | L4 | H— | L2 | W20 | 2.5 |
12 | Enrique Rodriguez | 154428 | 1433 | L14 | L7 | W18 | W15 | D13 | 2.5 |
13 | Nick Harding | 154309 | 1234 | H— | W21 | H— | L8 | D12 | 2.5 |
14 | Christopher Field | 108098 | 1244 | W12 | W6 | L1 | L3 | L7 | 2.0 |
15 | Raymond Lin | 150193 | 960 | X23 | L10 | L5 | L12 | D17 | 1.5 |
16 | Milan Cvetkovic | 150817 | 1286 | H— | L1 | L7 | W18 | U— | 1.5 |
17 | Eli Teram | 107314 | 1287 | H— | H— | L2 | U— | D15 | 1.5 |
18 | Dennis Li | 153129 | 982 | L5 | L19 | L12 | L16 | W21 | 1.0 |
19 | Jeffrey Zhu | unr. | L11 | W18 | L8 | L10 | U— | 1.0 | |
20 | Michael Vermont | 151783 | 1474 | H— | H— | U— | U— | L11 | 1.0 |
21 | Stone Hu | 153507 | 653 | H— | L13 | U— | U— | L18 | 0.5 |
22 | Brian Groat | 153518 | 634 | L4 | H— | U— | U— | U— | 0.5 |
23 | Lawrence Garcia | 106367 | 1438 | F15 | U— | U— | U— | U— | 0.0 |
Round One – Aug 20
Almost forty players came out for the start of the tournament – including three masters and a WGM!
With just one round in the books, it’s too early to announce tournament leaders, but with so many mismatched games on opening night, there are, as usual, a few nice (or painful, depending on your perspective) upsets to announce. In the top section, there were no surprises: the favourites won every game. In the bottom section, there was one upset draw (Harmony Zhu against Jim Mourgelas). But in the middle section, every single winner was a rating underdog! Special congratulations to Abdolreza Radpey, Jack Maguire, and David Tolnai, whose opponents out-rated them by over 100 points!
Chess Lecture
Before the tournament started, players were treated to a chess lecture by Rhys Goldstein: “Safety Behind Enemy Lines,” 6:50 to 7:20 pm. If you missed the lecture, you can check Rhys’s lecture notes. (Even if you saw the lecture, you’ll enjoy the bonus material in the notes.)
It would be great to have chess lectures more regularly. You don’t have to be a master. If you have an interesting game to analyse, or an opening line to explain, or a few examples of a middle-game or endgame theme to share, or any other aspect of chess culture or history you’d like to delve into, let us know and we’ll find you a slot in the schedule.
A couple of games from Round 1
Featured games this week include father-and-son games in the same opening: Jack Maguire was victorious (finally!) in what must be his fourth essay of the Budapest Gambit against Marcus Wilker, while his son Zehn (in the top section) was not so lucky with 2…e5 and 3…Ng4 against David Southam.
Round Two – Aug 27
After two rounds of play, there is a three-way tie for the lead in the top section, as David Southam, Pavel Peev, Wajdy Shebetah all have two points. In the middle section, there are just two leaders: Ulli Diemer and Adie Todd, with two points apiece. And finally, in the bottom section, unrated Yanfeng Zhao is tied for the lead with Shabnam Abbarin and Chris Field.
Labour Day – Sept 3
We were closed Monday September 3, but a number of our players played in the Labour Day Open, September 1, 2, and 3 at Hart House. Results are now posted on the CFC site.
Round Three – Sept 10
After three rounds of play, David Southam is leading the Premier section, with three wins and a 3.0/3 record. Pavel Peev is tied for first with two wins and a full-point bye. The two are due to face off in Round 4.
In the middle section, Ulli Diemer is alone in first, perfect at 3.0/3. George Supol, who was re-paired to the middle section after his opponent didn’t show, debuted in fine style with an upset win over Bill Thornton.
In the bottom section, unrated Yanfeng Zhao is tearing it up with 2.5/3 after a draw with co-leader, Shabnam Abbarin. Young Harmony Zhu, with a Round-three win over Chris Field, is tied for the lead.
Finally, in the casual section, Yakos Spiliotopoulos was proud finally to win a game against Brian Fiedler, after years of unsuccessful attempts.
A couple of games from Round 3
Featured games this week include George Supol’s debut upset win in the middle section, and Dave Southam’s third win in the top section. Dave gave a great demonstration of how to go for the kill in a relatively level-looking position.
Round Four – Sept 17
Six-year-old Harmony Zhu is on a rampage. She entered the bottom section with a 948 rating, but mid-tournament she scored 5.0/6 (+4 =2 -0) in the Toronto Labour Day Open, so her rating is actually now sitting at 1330. She’s continuing her unbeaten streak in the ACC Summer Love, with a 3.5/4 score, winning her last game in only ten moves. Shabnam Abbarin, who also won her Round-4 game, is still tied for the lead with Harmony.
In the middle section, Arkadiy Ugodnikov beat previously undefeated Ulli Diemer, to catch him at 3.0/4. Zaki Uddin also won his Round-4 game, joining the two leaders in a three-way tie for first.
In the top section, Dave Southam ended his winning streak but held onto his lead with a draw against Wajdy Shebetah; Dave now has 3.5/4. Pavel Peev, with a bye, is tied for the lead at 3.5/4.
Chess Lecture
We started off the night with a lecture by Michael Sutton, “Chess 960: Is this the future of chess?” 6:50 to 7:20 pm.
Michael says he quit playing “Classic Chess” four years ago and never looked back. A self-confessed Chess-960 evangelist, Michael argues that 960 saves the game from the computers and gives it back to human players.
If you missed the lecture, check out Michael Sutton’s lecture notes, and the 960 demo game, below:
Round-4 Games
Here are a few games from Round 4, including two 10-move wins by Harmony Zhu and Hayk Oganesyan, and the Shebetah-Southam draw from board one.
Round Five – September 24
In the Premier section, Dave Southam, with the better tie-break, needed only a draw against rival Pavel Peev in the last round to secure first place. Dave did just that and finished first with 4.0/5. Congratulations, Dave!
In the U1900 section, Arkadiy Ugodnikov, with a last-round win over Zaki Uddin, finished alone in first with 4.0/5. Congratulations, Arkadiy!
Finally, in the U1500 section, six-year-old Harmony Zhu, with a win against Shabnam Abbarin, took first place, finishing undefeated at 4.5/5. Harmony will be playing in the U1900 section next tournament. Way to go, Harmony!
“Uh, well-a, well-a, well-a, uh!”
Summer Lovin’

Perhaps Lasker wasn’t too far off the mark in his ‘advice’ that it’s best to get a slightly inferior position out of the opening, since that keeps you the most mentally alert. It certainly worked for him (often erroneously accused of purposely playing the opening sub optimally) since he is the longest reigning World Champion (27 years), a record that will very likely never be broken in our life time.
In my 3 previous Budapest encounters with Marcus, I obtained a clearly winning position out of the opening – yet couldn’t win any of the 3 ‘won’ games, giving a little too much weight to Lasker’s more famous quote, “The hardest game to win is a won game.”
In this game I was never better than a 1/4 of a pawn according to Frtiz, and generally slightly worse, never once having a ‘won’ game until the blunder on move 50. In Marcus’s defence he was in a spot of time trouble. The one advantage that the Budapest invariably gives me is a significant time time advantage (by move 10 I had used up negative time with an early 1/2 hour time advantage and ended with close to a 3/4 hour time advantage when Marcus resigned).
I should also add, that had I played 50. …Kxa2??, the move Marcus had foreseen in his zeitnot, then Marcus would have had a trivial win.
Canada’s top rated GM, Kevin Spraggett, echoes Lasker at his blog today (after winning a totally ‘lost’ game against Irish IM Sam Collins, who not only lost the game but also squandered away his 3rd and final GM norm):
MORAL OF THE STORY:
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE A WON GAME…YOU ALSO MUST WIN IT!
You shortchanged our six-year-old phenom, Harmony Zhu, in your commentary. She scored 4.5, not 4.0.
Coupled with her amazing Hart House Labour Day performance, 5/6, and a 1726 TPR, that makes Harmony +8 -0 =3 this month!
While she’s not likely to remain undefeated in the U1900 section (yet!), I’m sure she’ll continue to make Caissa proud.
You’re right, Jack. Thanks. She gave up two draws in the Labour Day Open, but only one in the ACC Summer Love, giving her in fact the highest score in the whole tournament! I’ll make the correction.
~ Marcus
Harmony Zhu has now picked up 524 CFC points this month, 382 for her 5/6 Hart House performance and another 142 for her 4.5/5 ACC performance. I feel sorry for those Hart House players who lost to a 948 Harmony earlier this month. I’m not going to feel quite so bad losing to a 1472 Harmony. My immediate goal in chess now is to stay ahead of Harmony in rating until at least her 7th birthday.
I have one other accolade for Harmony. At 6 years of age she is already the highest rated U8 in the entire country, male or female. The top 5 U8 players in the country are:
1. Harmony Zhu 1472
2. Benjamin Lin 1410
3. Neil Doknjas 1245
4. Arhant Washimkar 1146
5. Ian Zhao 1103