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From big summer festivals like Pride and Caribana to smaller events like Salsa on St. Clair or the Annex Festival on Bloor, it’s a rare summer weekend in Toronto that doesn’t have an outdoor or street festival happening somewhere in the city. We’re naming our July-August summer club tournament in honour of all these great events.
This five-round club tournament (with Tyler Longo as arbiter) runs July 15 to August 19. Players are divided by CFC rating into three sections: Crown, Under-1900, and Under-1500. Rounds start at 7:30 pm on Monday nights. (Note that the club will be closed Monday, August 5 for the civic holiday, Simcoe Day.)
Round One – July 15
With some players away at the Canadian Open in Ottawa, some away on vacation in Europe and elsewhere, and one new member joining – welcome to the club, David Fletcher! – it’s nice to see that our starting numbers (at 34 players, total) are only slightly down compared with recent events. New players are welcome to join the tournament in Round Two, next week – it’s never too late to enter! (Just make sure you let us know before 7 pm.)
This event marks Tyler Longo’s first time as chief arbiter at the ACC, and he does a great job getting the tournament off and running with hardly a hitch. Nice work, Tyler!
At the end of the night, while the favourites are victorious on most boards, there are a few noteworthy points scored by underdogs. In the Crown section, Chris Udrea gets a draw against Pavel Peev, but otherwise it’s a sweep for the favourites. (Arkadiy Ugodnikov gives Bill Evans a tough time – and their game is the last to finish – but Bill still gets the full point in the end.) In the U1900 section, Abdolreza Radpey upsets youngster Nicholas Vettesse, just back from the CYCC in Ottawa, and Ian Prittie fights Marcus Wilker to a draw. Finally, in the U1500 section, Raymond Lin takes down Richard Morrison, and Dennis Li scores a draw against John Rogers.
Round 1 Games of the Week
Round Two – July 22
The tournament is up over 40 players, as some return and some new players join: welcome, Daniel Smith and Michael Watson, to the club; and congratulations, Howard Halim, on graduating from the ACC kids’ club to play in the main event!
In the Crown section, Dave Southam is in sole possession of the lead, with 2.0/2 after a win against Dan Wiebe. In the Under-1900 section, Jack Maguire has the lead with 2.0/2, after a win against Ulli Diemer (apparently the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is not only Ulli’s namesake opening but also his nemesis – this is his fifth* straight loss to Jack in the aggressive line). Finally, in the Under-1500 section, there’s a three-way tie for first: Bradley Yee, Vlad Nitu, and Raymond Lin all have 2.0/2.
* the precise number of losses is disputed – see comments, below
Round 2 Games of the Week
Round Three – July 29
The third round sets up some interesting races, going into the final two rounds.
In the Crown section, newcomer Dan Smith emerges tied for the lead with Dave Southam; the two leaders (each with 2.5/3) should face off in Round Four. Four players are following half a point behind. In the Under-1900 section, Jack Maguire holds his lead with 2.5/3 after a draw against Nicholas Vettesse, but there are three players biting at his heels half a point behind! And finally, in the Under-1500 section, Vlad Nitu takes sole possession of first place, after defeating Raymond Lin (Bradley Yee took a bye and is half a point behind). Vlad is the only player in the tournament with a perfect 3.0/3 record after 3 rounds.
Please note that next Monday August 5 is a provincial civic holiday (Simcoe Day). ACC will be back in action August 12, with Round Four starting at 7:30 pm. Also, don’t miss Rhys Goldstein‘s lecture “Pawn takes, pawn gives,” starting at 6:50 pm!
Round Four – August 12
Before the round starts, players are treated to a chess lecture by Rhys Goldstein: “Pawn Takes, Pawn Gives.” (For those who missed it, he’s passed along the lecture notes.)
Then the games begin …
In the Crown section, Dan Smith takes sole possession of the lead with 3.5/4 after a win over Rhys Goldstein. Co-leader Dave Southam isn’t able to make it (he slept in!) and gets a zero-point bye dropping to 2.5/4, while Geordie Derraugh is chasing half a point behind at 3.0/4.
In the U-1900, Ian Prittie takes over first with a win over Jack Maguire; four players are half a point behind. And in the U-1400, Vlad Nitu remains perfect with 4.0/4.
Round 4 Game of the Week
Here’s Rhys Goldstein, not only giving a chess lecture, but annotating his game against the tournament leader, Dan Smith:
Round Five – August 19
In the Crown section, Geordie Derraugh, self-proclaimed “future grandmaster” finally takes down the undefeated newcomer, Dan Smith, to take the crown. Dave Southam and Dan Smith tie for second. What an exciting finish! Congratulations, Geordie!
In the U-1900, Ulli Diemer takes down leader Ian Prittie and finishes tied for first with Josep Sobreperee, with Ulli taking first on tie-break. Congratulations, Ulli!
In the U-1500, Vlad Nitu finishes in first with a perfect 5.0/5 after a forfeit win (!?) over Manuel de Jesus. Dennis Li comes in second, half a point behind. Congratulation, Vlad!
21 thoughts on “ACC Summer Festival Swiss – Results”
I saw only four names in the U1400, four in the Crown and zero in the middle group when I left Monday night. I hope everyone who is undecided decides to play.
Hi Richard. I don’t expect it to be a problem… it’s typical that many of the players will show up and register on the first day. Also, I expect there will be several players at the Canadian Open who will join us for round 2.
The rumours of the Blackmar-Diemer nemesis are vastly exaggerated. In truth, Jack has only beaten me four times in a row with this gambit, not five times. I’m just waiting for a chance to play white against Jack (I always get black, it seems); then I can try it and see how he plays against it!
He is a big fat zero for five against the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit but one of those BDG wins was registered by Edmond Jodhi, who may or may not have seen me crush Ulli a few weeks earlier with the same opening. Edmond was evidently playing his inaugural BDG when he trotted out 2.e4!? after 1.d4 d5.
The truth of the matter is that Ulli, the most consistent player in our section by a landslide (3x winner and 2x runner-up to players who graduated to the Crown Section), would clearly be 1800+ were it not for the mighty BDG.
Of course, this begs the question whether Ulli still thinks the BDG is a “really, really bad opening”. Those were his exact words the night of June 4th, 2012 when I introduced myself, somewhat facetiously, to Ulli with the comment, “Do you know there’s a chess opening named after you.”
Fate would have it that we got paired that same evening and the rest, as they say, is BDG history.
I guess I’ll have to defer to Jack on this. Anyone who can remember my exact words on June 4, 2012 clearly has a much better memory than I do. I can’t even remember my exact words from yesterday – though I think they may have been something like “Oh no, not black against Maguire again!”
I only inserted the date after checking my original ACC scoresheet, Ulli. Because I played the BDG (unbeknownst to you at the time), our conversation that night is forever etched in my mind. Not only did you rant against the BDG, you also vilified the man (Diemer) himself. Us getting paired that night, with me White, was the height of irony (I somehow see Diemer smiling in his grave). Tangentially, I’m sure if we continue to get paired in future tournaments, you’ll eventually get to see what the White pieces feel like (:
I make no apologies for vilifying Emil Joseph Diemer personally. He may have been a good chess player, but he was also a zealous member of the Nazi Party, a vile anti-Semite, a vicious persecutor of homosexuals, and the proud official “chess reporter of the Great German Reich.”
Congratulations Jack on your maverick play with the Blackmar Diemer Gambit. My question for you based on your chess experience is, should Uli Diemer switch to another defence when he plays black against you. Should he, for example, learn the Kings Indian defence where he can have his own setup at the start of the game. After your five wins, does Uli need to do what Rocky’s manager Mickey suggested in Rocky 2 “Change Everything”
Far be it for me to suggest how Ulli should play chess, Bill. I still consider Ulli the better chess player despite the one-sided record between the two of us.
As to your KID suggestion, I love playing against that defence, so I can’t in all honesty make that suggestion. I’d rather defer to Mark Plotkin, a far better chess player than either one of us, who made the suggestion that Ulli should learn one solid BDG defence very well and stick to it. Ulli keeps trying different BDG defences (Teichmann Retreat, Teichmann Exchange, Euwe Defence, both with and without castling, and even a BDG declined) and the results to date speak volumes.
Oh oh, if the only way for me to beat Jack is to learn a defence to a particular opening “very well” I’m doomed to keep losing forever and ever. (Unless, maybe, one day – may I live to see that day! – I get to play white.) The thing is: I don’t know any openings past the first three or four moves; sometimes not even that far. I don’t even know what the King’s Indian Defence is.
I may have sequentially played the Teichmann Retreat, the Teichmann Exchange, and the Euwe Defence, as Jack says, but that’s not because I knew I was doing it. I just play moves that seem promising to me. In the last game, Jack told me before the game that 5. .. e6 was favoured by Euwe. I figured: if it’s good enough for Max Euwe, it’s certainly good enough for me. Sadly, I’m not as good a player as Max Euwe, to put it mildly.
I have no patience for trying to learn openings, so, for better or worse, I’m going to have to continue with my current strategy, which is: Try to survive the opening somehow, and then look for opportunities in the middle game, and failing that, win it in the endgame.
As a sidenote, Jack Maquire’s play with the Blackmar Diemer has made a short night for many other Annex players. In my opinion, Jack’s truculent play with the Blackmar Diemer reminds me of the same aggression that Mike Tyson displayed when he made short work of boxers such as Micheal Spinks and Larry Holmes.
If Dick Cavett had a talk show in 2013, he would introduce Jack Maquire as ” The Great Jack Maquire”
It looks like I might have to face The Great Jack Maguire next round. If I have white – I seem to be the one offsetting his pairings against Ulli as far as colour goes – I expect once again to have to face his equally dreaded Budapest Gambit. Luckily, my record against his Buda is not quite as bleak as Ulli’s against his BDG – but I’m still thinking I might prefer to vary…
You’re 2.5/4 against my Budapest, Marcus, so I consider it utterly blasphemous not to continue our Budapest ‘discussion’ come Monday night (:
That said, I’d rather prefer than Kuhan stay in our U1900 Section and get paired with me. I’d get the White pieces against Kuhan and would hopefully get to play a 2nd consecutive BDG (:
I saw only four names in the U1400, four in the Crown and zero in the middle group when I left Monday night. I hope everyone who is undecided decides to play.
I’d like to play in the tourney…I guess a few players will be at Canadian open but will join when they get back?
Hi Richard. I don’t expect it to be a problem… it’s typical that many of the players will show up and register on the first day. Also, I expect there will be several players at the Canadian Open who will join us for round 2.
I will play. Need to get my chess fix ;)
The rumours of the Blackmar-Diemer nemesis are vastly exaggerated. In truth, Jack has only beaten me four times in a row with this gambit, not five times. I’m just waiting for a chance to play white against Jack (I always get black, it seems); then I can try it and see how he plays against it!
I wonder if there’s a way to incorporate historical colours into our pairing software…
Ulli prevaricates (:
He is a big fat zero for five against the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit but one of those BDG wins was registered by Edmond Jodhi, who may or may not have seen me crush Ulli a few weeks earlier with the same opening. Edmond was evidently playing his inaugural BDG when he trotted out 2.e4!? after 1.d4 d5.
The truth of the matter is that Ulli, the most consistent player in our section by a landslide (3x winner and 2x runner-up to players who graduated to the Crown Section), would clearly be 1800+ were it not for the mighty BDG.
Of course, this begs the question whether Ulli still thinks the BDG is a “really, really bad opening”. Those were his exact words the night of June 4th, 2012 when I introduced myself, somewhat facetiously, to Ulli with the comment, “Do you know there’s a chess opening named after you.”
Fate would have it that we got paired that same evening and the rest, as they say, is BDG history.
I’ve preordered “Blackmar-Diemer: Modern Theory For Black” by Ulli Diemer from Amazon.com today.
I guess I’ll have to defer to Jack on this. Anyone who can remember my exact words on June 4, 2012 clearly has a much better memory than I do. I can’t even remember my exact words from yesterday – though I think they may have been something like “Oh no, not black against Maguire again!”
Is that a reference to the bowl of petunias from the Hitchhiker’s Guide?
I only inserted the date after checking my original ACC scoresheet, Ulli. Because I played the BDG (unbeknownst to you at the time), our conversation that night is forever etched in my mind. Not only did you rant against the BDG, you also vilified the man (Diemer) himself. Us getting paired that night, with me White, was the height of irony (I somehow see Diemer smiling in his grave). Tangentially, I’m sure if we continue to get paired in future tournaments, you’ll eventually get to see what the White pieces feel like (:
I make no apologies for vilifying Emil Joseph Diemer personally. He may have been a good chess player, but he was also a zealous member of the Nazi Party, a vile anti-Semite, a vicious persecutor of homosexuals, and the proud official “chess reporter of the Great German Reich.”
I wonder if your record against the BDG would be better if you were less aware of the biography of its infamous proponent.
Congratulations Jack on your maverick play with the Blackmar Diemer Gambit. My question for you based on your chess experience is, should Uli Diemer switch to another defence when he plays black against you. Should he, for example, learn the Kings Indian defence where he can have his own setup at the start of the game. After your five wins, does Uli need to do what Rocky’s manager Mickey suggested in Rocky 2 “Change Everything”
Far be it for me to suggest how Ulli should play chess, Bill. I still consider Ulli the better chess player despite the one-sided record between the two of us.
As to your KID suggestion, I love playing against that defence, so I can’t in all honesty make that suggestion. I’d rather defer to Mark Plotkin, a far better chess player than either one of us, who made the suggestion that Ulli should learn one solid BDG defence very well and stick to it. Ulli keeps trying different BDG defences (Teichmann Retreat, Teichmann Exchange, Euwe Defence, both with and without castling, and even a BDG declined) and the results to date speak volumes.
Oh oh, if the only way for me to beat Jack is to learn a defence to a particular opening “very well” I’m doomed to keep losing forever and ever. (Unless, maybe, one day – may I live to see that day! – I get to play white.) The thing is: I don’t know any openings past the first three or four moves; sometimes not even that far. I don’t even know what the King’s Indian Defence is.
I may have sequentially played the Teichmann Retreat, the Teichmann Exchange, and the Euwe Defence, as Jack says, but that’s not because I knew I was doing it. I just play moves that seem promising to me. In the last game, Jack told me before the game that 5. .. e6 was favoured by Euwe. I figured: if it’s good enough for Max Euwe, it’s certainly good enough for me. Sadly, I’m not as good a player as Max Euwe, to put it mildly.
I have no patience for trying to learn openings, so, for better or worse, I’m going to have to continue with my current strategy, which is: Try to survive the opening somehow, and then look for opportunities in the middle game, and failing that, win it in the endgame.
As a sidenote, Jack Maquire’s play with the Blackmar Diemer has made a short night for many other Annex players. In my opinion, Jack’s truculent play with the Blackmar Diemer reminds me of the same aggression that Mike Tyson displayed when he made short work of boxers such as Micheal Spinks and Larry Holmes.
If Dick Cavett had a talk show in 2013, he would introduce Jack Maquire as ” The Great Jack Maquire”
It looks like I might have to face The Great Jack Maguire next round. If I have white – I seem to be the one offsetting his pairings against Ulli as far as colour goes – I expect once again to have to face his equally dreaded Budapest Gambit. Luckily, my record against his Buda is not quite as bleak as Ulli’s against his BDG – but I’m still thinking I might prefer to vary…
You’re 2.5/4 against my Budapest, Marcus, so I consider it utterly blasphemous not to continue our Budapest ‘discussion’ come Monday night (:
That said, I’d rather prefer than Kuhan stay in our U1900 Section and get paired with me. I’d get the White pieces against Kuhan and would hopefully get to play a 2nd consecutive BDG (:
If you play Marcus and he plays d4 c4 then the moment will be right for “Budapest Time”
To rephrase: Marcus plays d4 c4
What time is it Jack
Answer: It’s Budapest Time!