It’s summer!
Our current club tournament is the ACC Summer Swiss, running on five Monday nights, June 27 to July 25, in Crown and U1700 sections. (Check the club page for more on how our regular tournaments work.)
Rounds in the club tournament start at 7:30 pm each Monday. New players are welcome to join in any round, or even to drop in for just one round, but please register by 7:00 pm to make sure you’re paired.
Round One – June 27
Chess at the Annex seems to be picking up over the summer! Thirty-three players started the tournament in Round One, and we expect more to join mid-tournament.
In typical heavily mismatched first-round games, the favourites chalk up five wins to sweep the underdogs in the Crown section.
In the under-1700 section, the favourites take six, one game is drawn, and the underdogs take two: Hazel Guo (1276) upsets Glenn Giffen (1527), and her brother Roger Guo (1113) upsets Mark Patton (1436). Good night for the Guo family!
Game of the Week
In the game of the week, Salim Belcadi (1309) plays his Blackmar-Diemer (1.d4 d5 2.e4) against Harry Chen (1529). Belcadi goes on a K-side attack, and there’s an interesting material imbalance after Chen loses his Q but gets R, N, and several Ps in the process.
Round Two – July 4
After two rounds, Dave Southam has clear first in the Crown section with 2.0/2. Another five players are half a point behind at 1.5/2.
In the U1700 section, Shabnam Abbarin and her dad, Hooshang Abbarin, along with Brian Hanratty are in a three-way tie for first with 2.0/2. Another four players trail by half a point at 1.5/2.
Game of the Week
In the game of the week, Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy (1606), on board one against Dave Southam (2207), takes the poisoned pawn in a Winawer, plays an interesting line, then misses a tactic on move 17 and gets miniatured.
Round Three – July 11
Through three rounds, Dave Southam holds onto clear first in the Crown section with a win over William Li and a perfect score of 3.0/3.
In the U1700 section, Brian Hanratty takes clear first at 3.0/3, with a win over Hooshang Abbarin.
Game of the Week
In the game of the week, tournament leader Dave Southam (2207) plays a Ne2 Rubinstein variation in the Nimzo to fend off a challenge by William Li (2075) on the top board. White picks up two pawns, gives one back, and it’s the last game to finish as Southam grinds out a 68-move win.
Round Four – July 18
With four rounds in the books, the leaders stay strong: Dave Southam draws Jelvis Calvelo to hold onto clear first in the Crown section with 3.5/4. England and Calvelo are within half a point.
And Brian Hanratty in U1700 holds clear first at 4.0/4 with a win over Harry Chen. Shabnam Abbarin has 3.5/4 and clear second.
Game of the Week
Dave Southam is on a game-of-the-week streak! This time it’s a 93-move draw with Jelvis Calvelo. Calvelo plays the Advance against Southam’s French, and after Black plays …c4 on move 5, the central pawns stay locked for 40 moves. Then White sacs two pieces to turn two locked pawns into connected passers on the seventh. There are barrages of Q checks by both sides, but eventually Black sacs B and Q on the pawns, still managing to reach a drawn P/c2 vs. Q ending. Definitely game-of-the-week material!

Round Five – July 25
Dave Southam wins to take the Crown with 4.5/5. In U1700, Brian Hanratty needs only a draw to take the section with 4.5/5. Congratulations, Dave and Brian!
We’re closed August 1 for Simcoe Day, but there’s a new club tournament starting up August 8. New players are welcome! Please register by 7:00 pm to make sure you’re paired.
Game of the Week
Dave Southam has a close call against Scott Cliff yet still manages to end up in a winning line in the ending. (I’m reminded of Alekhine’s boast: “To win against me, you must beat me three times: first in the opening, then in the middlegame, and then again in the endgame.”)
The spotlight this week, though, is on Hanratty-Abbarin on the top board of the U1700 section. Black plays a 6.e6 Najdorf and tries an interesting B sac on move 22. She dodges a bullet or two on her way to winning back the piece to enter a winning-looking ending with 2 extra Ps. But then she allows a perp and the game ends in a draw – all Brian Hanratty needs for clear first in the section!
Final ranking cross-tables after Round 5
ACC Summer Swiss Crown
Rk. | Name | Rtg | FED | 1.Rd | 2.Rd | 3.Rd | 4.Rd | Pts. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Southam David | 2206 | CAN | 14w1 | 8b1 | 3w1 | 2b½ | 5b1 | 4.5 |
2 | Calvelo Jelvis | 2080 | CAN | 18w1 | 3b½ | 5w1 | 1w½ | 9b1 | 4 |
3 | Li William | 2119 | CAN | 12b1 | 2w½ | 1b0 | 6w1 | 8w1 | 3.5 |
4 | England Max | 1938 | CAN | 15b1 | -½ | -½ | 10w1 | 0 | 3 |
5 | Cliff Scott | 1918 | CAN | 17w1 | -½ | 2b0 | 8b1 | 1w0 | 2.5 |
6 | Amirirad Kamran | 1755 | CAN | -½ | 7w0 | 18b1 | 3b0 | 14w+ | 2.5 |
7 | Ostertag Ralph | 0 | CAN | -½ | 6b1 | -½ | 0 | 0 | 2 |
8 | Vigneswaramoorthy Vinorth | 1604 | CAN | -1 | 1w0 | 14b1 | 5w0 | 3b0 | 2 |
9 | Stefanovic Miroslav | 2202 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 0 | 17b1 | 2w0 | 2 |
10 | Malakhovets Sergey | 2064 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 17w1 | 4b0 | 0 | 2 |
11 | Paganini Xavier | 2000 | US | -½ | -½ | 0 | 0 | 16b1 | 2 |
12 | Ugodnikov Arkadiy | 1730 | CAN | 3w0 | 17b0 | -1 | 15w½ | 13b½ | 2 |
13 | Longo Tyler | 2025 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 0 | 0 | 12w½ | 1.5 |
14 | Mendoza Armand Jess | 1917 | CAN | 1b0 | 18w+ | 8w0 | -½ | 6b- | 1.5 |
15 | Armstrong Robert J. | 1607 | CAN | 4w0 | -½ | -½ | 12b½ | 0 | 1.5 |
16 | Huczek George | 1939 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 0 | 0 | 11w0 | 1 |
17 | Wilker Marcus | 1606 | CAN | 5b0 | 12w1 | 10b0 | 9w0 | 0 | 1 |
18 | Nadj Pal | 1706 | CAN | 2b0 | 14b- | 6w0 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
Full results, round-by-round standings, etc. are available on the Chess-Results server.
ACC Summer Swiss U1700
Rk. | Name | Rtg | FED | 1.Rd | 2.Rd | 3.Rd | 4.Rd | Pts. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hanratty Brian | 1421 | CAN | 25w1 | 5b1 | 2b1 | 9w1 | 3w½ | 4.5 |
2 | Ab-Barin Hooshang | 1581 | CAN | 6w1 | 15b1 | 1w0 | 8b1 | 7w1 | 4 |
3 | Abbarin Shabnam | 1445 | CAN | 29w1 | 13b1 | -½ | 10w1 | 1b½ | 4 |
4 | Gelowitz Mark A. | 1409 | CAN | -½ | 24w½ | 17b1 | 12w1 | 9b1 | 4 |
5 | Morrison Richard | 1424 | CAN | 30b1 | 1w0 | 12b0 | 28w1 | 26b1 | 3 |
6 | Zhang Henry Xianrui | 1375 | CAN | 2b0 | 26w1 | 30w1 | 7b0 | 15w1 | 3 |
7 | Zhao Zhong | 1662 | CAN | 24b½ | 18w1 | -½ | 6w1 | 2b0 | 3 |
8 | Ramesh Bharath | 1313 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 14b1 | 2w0 | 18b1 | 3 |
9 | Chen Harry (siqi) | 1529 | CAN | 20b1 | -½ | 16w1 | 1b0 | 4w0 | 2.5 |
10 | Goldfarb Adam | 1375 | CAN | -½ | 28b1 | 19w1 | 3b0 | 0 | 2.5 |
11 | Giffen Glenn | 1527 | CAN | 15w0 | 29b1 | -½ | 13w1 | 0 | 2.5 |
12 | Gao William | 1077 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 5w1 | 4b0 | 16b½ | 2.5 |
13 | Teram Eli | 1088 | CAN | -1 | 3w0 | -½ | 11b0 | 23w1 | 2.5 |
14 | Jevtic Dragan | 1427 | CAN | 27w0 | 25b1 | 8w0 | 16b1 | 0 | 2 |
15 | Guo Haotong Hazel | 1276 | CAN | 11b1 | 2w0 | -½ | -½ | 6b0 | 2 |
16 | He Emma | 1474 | CAN | 26b1 | -½ | 9b0 | 14w0 | 12w½ | 2 |
17 | Yong David | 966 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 4w0 | 22b0 | 29w1 | 2 |
18 | Guo Roger | 1113 | CAN | 23w1 | 7b0 | -½ | -½ | 8w0 | 2 |
19 | Mcroberts Julian | 1430 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 10b0 | 26w1 | 0 | 2 |
20 | Belcadi Salim | 1309 | CAN | 9w0 | 23b1 | -½ | -½ | 0 | 2 |
21 | Li Yun Hong (Kevin) | 0 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 0 | 25b0 | 28w1 | 2 |
22 | Allen Joshua | 1385 | CAN | -½ | -½ | 0 | 17w1 | 0 | 2 |
23 | Patton Mark A. | 1436 | CAN | 18b0 | 20w0 | 29b½ | 30w1 | 13b0 | 1.5 |
24 | David Jean-Marc | 1384 | CAN | 7w½ | 4b½ | -½ | 0 | 0 | 1.5 |
25 | Ma Yue Ran | 0 | CAN | 1b0 | 14w0 | 26b0 | 21w1 | 0 | 1 |
26 | Souchko Larissa | 1183 | CAN | 16w0 | 6b0 | 25w1 | 19b0 | 5w0 | 1 |
27 | Vigneswaramoorthy Vinorth | 1604 | CAN | 14b1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
28 | Kalmanson Evgeny | 1161 | CAN | -½ | 10w0 | -½ | 5b0 | 21b0 | 1 |
29 | Jafari Nick | 1174 | CAN | 3b0 | 11w0 | 23w½ | -½ | 17b0 | 1 |
30 | Geddie Alex | 1074 | CAN | 5w0 | -½ | 6b0 | 23b0 | 0 | 0.5 |
Full results, round-by-round standings, etc. are available on the Chess-Results server.
Summer 2016 officially started on June 20 at 6:34 p.m. EDT, and summer solstice this year coincided with the full moon. See the Farmer’s Almanac.
It seems the date given in the Malakhovets-Stefanovic last round game is incorrect. It should be given as July 25th I believe, not August 13th.
Actually, it was from Rd 1 in the August Swiss. Fixing now … (Thanks for noticing.)