Annex Chess Club | Toronto

Play a Game Against a Grandmaster

king — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:36:23 +0000

GM Nigel Short at Annex Chess Club – June 18

Annex Chess Club is proud to present a chess lecture and simultaneous exhibition by English GM Nigel Short.

This January, Nigel won a very strong Tradewise Gibraltar Masters tournament, spoiling an otherwise fantastic tournament for Hou Yifan, who lost to him in a rapid tiebreak playoff.

In April, he won the 12th Bangkok Chess Club Open with 8/9, after which he re-joined the prestigious 2700+ club.

From May 11 to 12, he was in Moscow providing live commentary for the first two rounds of the World Championship match.

And June 18, he is stopping in at Annex Chess Club on his way to the 7th Edmonton Chess Festival.

Short Biography

Nigel Short (Elo 2705) is the most famous English grandmaster of recent times. He has had a long career among the world’s elite. At 19, he was the youngest grandmaster in the world; now in his late 40s (and currently ranked 40th in the world) he is the oldest player in the FIDE top 100.

He is especially known for his successes in the 1980s and 1990s when he won the British Championship several times, came first in a number of international tournaments, ranked third in the world by rating, and challenged Gary Kasparov for the World Championship.

Nigel in Toronto

We had a great time when Nigel visited us last September, and we are very pleased to have him return to Annex Chess Club this June 18. He will once again give a chess lecture and offer a simultaneous exhibition, playing up to 30 chess games at the same time.

His chess lectures are always entertaining, and the simul is a rare chance to play a game against such a legendary super-GM.

Registration

The simultaneous exhibition is limited to 30 players on a first-come, first-served basis

lecture and watch simul – $10 (free for ACC full-year members)
play a game against GM Nigel Short – $60 ($50 for ACC full-year members)

Hosting an awesome event? Guestlist makes event registration easy!

Rapid Team Chess Championship – June 25

king — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:29:12 +0000

Toronto’s Rapid Team Chess Competition is coming…

The GTCL Cup is Monday June 25 at Annex Chess Club

The GTCL Cup is Toronto’s Annual Rapid Team Chess Championship. For this year’s Cup, we’re welcoming teams in two categories:

Club Championship Teams
Each chess club in Toronto is entitled to enter one official club team in the championship. This team consists of four players (plus an alternate) who represent the club. Clubs are entitled to enlist their strongest players, so there is no rating cap in this category. The winning Club Championship team will win the 2012 Cup for their club, and will receive trophies from the GTCL.

Open Competition Teams
This category is open to any four players (plus one alternate) who want to play together on a team, but subject to a rating cap: the average rating of the top four players must be under 1800. This ensures parity among the various “pick up” teams. The best team in this Open Competition category will win the 2012 Cup for their team, and will also receive trophies from the GTCL.

May the best team win!

Here are the tournament details:

Format: 5-round Swiss (team vs. team) in a single section – club-championship and pick-up teams play together

Round Times: Round 1 starts at 7:30 pm sharp; subsequent rounds to begin every 45 minutes; event expected to be over by 11:30 pm

Time Control: G/15′+5″ (15 minutes per player, plus a 5-second-per-move increment from move 1)

Registration: On-site, between 6:30 pm and 7 pm; email notification is also appreciated

Entry Fee: $5 per player or $20 per team (free for ACC members)

CFC-Rated: The event is to be CFC quick-rated, so players must be CFC members in good standing

Single Players: If you haven’t got a team, come along anyway – we’ll be putting teams together on-site

Occupy Toronto Chess Game

king — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:45:07 +0000

May Day Chess Game: On May 1, activists in Toronto held a human chess event in Nathan Phillips Square, using a chess game as the platform for a Brecht-inspired theatre piece.

In the allegorical live chess game dubbed “Operation Chess Magik,” the human pieces (representing the 99%) were arrayed against a set of large cardboard pieces, whose moves were directed by a woman in business attire (representing the 1%), who commanded a minion to make her moves. The game ended in a version of the four-move checkmate. See gamescore and script, below.

Read “May Day starts with chess, ends with arrests” at Torontoist.com
Read “Occupy Toronto celebrates May Day” at MetroNews.ca
Check video and photo essay “The Queen of the 1% vs. The People” at rabble.ca
Check photos at Reuters and CBC

your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts

Operation Chess Magik

The 99% are humans in costume standing as the white pieces on a giant chess board. They include a “Facilitator Pawn” on e2, a “Fairy Queen” on d1, and a “Hippie Bishop” on f1. The black side are large cardboard pieces, whose moves are directed by “the Queen of the 1%,” who commands a “Minion” to play her moves.

FACILITATOR-PAWN OF THE 99%: [Stepping forward one square, e2-e3,] “Good morning, everyone. I’m a facilitator, a volunteer. We’ve challenged the 1% to what you see here. Let’s see if the 99% can win this game.”

1. e2-e3

QUEEN OF THE 1%: “I’m in control here; I can do no wrong. Now do what I say and go and move that pawn.” [Queen directs Minion to move a-pawn, Minion plays a7-a6, Queen corrects her,] “I’ve actually come out on top, so do what I say until I say, stop.”

MINION OF THE 1%: “Sorry, sir – I mean ma’am – I’m doing the best that I can.” [Minion completes the move with a6-a5.]

1. … a7-a5

QUEEN OF THE 1%: [to Minion] “God, you’re going all the wrong places. Finally, you moved it two spaces.”

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: [Moving d1-f3,] “The people have chosen me as their queen. Your pawn is working hard; why are you so mean?”

2. Qd1-f3

QUEEN OF THE 1%: “Maybe I’m crazy. Or you’re all lazy.” [Turning to minion,] “Don’t just stand and hover, I want to end this mother.” [Minion plays e7-e5.]

2. … e7-e5

HIPPIE BISHOP OF THE 99%: “You’ll end this mother all right – Mother Earth!” [Hippie Bishop of the 99% moves f1-c4.] “The best that we can do is not to invest in your scheme. You want to destroy the planet, own our life, and shatter our dreams.”

3. Bf1-c4

QUEEN OF THE 1%: “Chess is a man’s game of wits, one of power and politics. True, I’m a woman, but it’s a sham: I’m only here as the sacrificial lamb. There’s no room for pleasantries and made-up deities.”

MINION OF THE 1%: “I’m hoping for a raise, so I will give you more praise. Never have I seen someone play such a wise game.”

QUEEN OF THE 1%: [flattered] “It’s true, it is a wise game.” [playing Bf8-c5 and speaking to the Hippie Bishop on c4] “All right, Hippie Bishop, if you’re so certain about stepping up to the plate, let’s play, you dirty hippie!”

3. … Bf8-c5 ??

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: [moving forward four squares to capture the pawn on f7] “I check.”

3. Qf3xf7#

ALL WHITE PIECES: [human microphone] “I check.”

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: “And checkmate!”

ALL WHITE PIECES: [human microphone] “And checkmate!”

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: “It looks like we won the game.”

ALL WHITE PIECES: “It looks like we won the game.”

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: “We won fairly, …”

ALL WHITE PIECES: “We won fairly, …”

FAIRY QUEEN OF THE 99%: “… bringing justice without shame.”

ALL WHITE PIECES: “… bringing justice without shame.”

QUEEN OF THE 1%: “They can’t do that. I want them thrown out of the game! I’m used to getting my way and everything staying the same!”

The 99% play 4.Qxf7#

The event was organized by Occupy Toronto, part of a global political movement to challenge the economic control exercised by an elite who are only 1% of the population. Occupy protesters in the US and around the world have been holding Tahrir-inspired occupations where they practise direct democracy and facilitate open questioning of global economic systems. “We are the 99%” is their most well-known slogan. Occupy Toronto launched itself on October 15, 2011 with a month-long occupation of St. James Park.

There were few more than media and participants in attendance at the chess event this Tuesday, perhaps partly because the location was kept secret, flash-mob style, until that morning. It was the first of a series of May Day (international workers’ solidarity) manifestations in the city, which included “guerilla gardening” at Queen’s Park, a rally at Nathan Phillips Square, a street march to Alexandria Park, and a “re-occupation” at Simcoe Park – across from the Metro Convention Centre, where mining giant Barrick Gold was to hold their AGM.

.pgn file

[Event "Operation Chess Magik"]
[Site "Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto"]
[Date "2012.05.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "The Ninety-nine Percent"]
[Black "The One Percent"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
[ECO "A00"]

1.e3 a5 2.Qf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qxf7#

ACC Patio Weather Swiss

king — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:25:54 +0000

Annex Chess Club – Patio Weather Swiss Tournament

Bring on the patio weather! In honour of all the great patios gearing up for patio season, Annex Chess Club is launching our first annual ACC Patio Weather Swiss.

Round 2 (May 14)

After two rounds, the pack of leaders is shrinking in each section. In the top section, nobody is perfect, but there’s a four-way tie at one and a half points. Omid Nemati, who won the U1900 section last tournament (but got crushed last week in the top section) is now proving he deserves the promotion: he won his Round-2 game against Carlos Romero.

In the middle section, there’s a three-way tie at two points. Among the leaders is ten-year-old Jiaxin Liu, who answered her upset win in Round 1 with another win in Round 2 – this time over Peter McNelly, who was playing his first rated game after a seven-year hiatus.

Finally, in the bottom section, there’s a four-way tie at two points. Notably, the lead pack includes Jean-Marc David. He took a break from club tournaments for a while, but is evidently back with a vengeance in this one.

See full standings, below.

Note: We will be CLOSED this coming Monday May 21 for Victoria Day.

Round 3 is the following Monday May 28 at 7:30 pm, and late registrations are still welcome. Register by email (info@annexchessclub.com), or arrive by 7:00 pm to register on site, so we can arrange pairings and get started by 7:30.

If you played Round 2, but can’t play Round 3, please let us know so we can give you a bye.

Results after Round 2

Annex Patio Weather Swiss: Top section

#	Name	ID#	Rating	Rd 1	Rd 2	Total
1	Hugh Siddeley	120619	1994	W5	D4	1.5
2	Geordie Derraugh	132393	2181	D3	W7	1.5
3	Daniel Wiebe	132137	1920	D2	W6	1.5
4	Wajdy Shebetah	148432	2093	W10	D1	1.5
5	Omid Nemati	130676	1796	L1	W10	1.0
6	Alex T. Ferreira	127516	2054	H—	L3	0.5
7	Pepin Manalo	112277	1815	H—	L2	0.5
8	Adrian David Valencia	153521	2015	H—	U—	0.5
9	Ed Zator	105675	1893	H—	U—	0.5
10	Carlos Romero Alfonso	153128	1896	L4	L5	0.0

Annex Patio Weather Swiss: U1900 section

#	Name	ID#	Rating	Rd 1	Rd 2	Total
1	Arkadiy Ugodnikov	146626	1757	W7	W6	2.0
2	Hayk Oganesyan	152587	1686	W15	W5	2.0
3	Jiaxin Liu	149747	1544	W14	W13	2.0
4	Yakos Spiliotopoulos	151471	1686	W8	H—	1.5
5	Bill Thornton	131181	1564	W12	L2	1.0
6	Ulli Diemer		1686	W16	L1	1.0
7	Marcus Wilker	102713	1630	L1	W16	1.0
8	Chris Wehrfritz	151679	1625	L4	W15	1.0
9	Nicholas O'Bumsawin	151261	1749	H—	D10	1.0
10	Zhanna Sametova	145911	1676	H—	D9	1.0
11	Abdolreza Radpey	149018	1432	H—	D12	1.0
12	Greg Beal	101490	1742	L5	D11	0.5
13	Peter McNelly	106141	1761	H—	L3	0.5
14	Adie Todd	125156	1734	L3	H—	0.5
15	Jack Maguire	144604	1499	L2	L8	0.0
16	Josep Sobrepere	152976	1490	L6	L7	0.0

Annex Patio Weather Swiss: U1500 section

#	Name	ID#	Rating	Rd 1	Rd 2	Total
1	Jean-Marc David	151900	1150	W7	W5	2.0
2	Shabnam Abbarin	151181	1334	W10	W9	2.0
3	Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy		1054	W13	W6	2.0
4	Milan Cvetkovic	150817	1236	W15	W8	2.0
5	George Supol	152286	1394	W11	L1	1.0
6	Nicole Birarov	150335	1248	W12	L3	1.0
7	Stefan Catona	129405	1146	L1	W14	1.0
8	Jacques Katz		1302	W16	L4	1.0
9	Raymond Lin	150193	946	B—	L2	1.0
10	Larissa Souchko	145490	1053	L2	W15	1.0
11	Ian Prittie		1111	L5	W16	1.0
12	Francis He	153130	877	L6	B—	1.0
13	James Mourgelas	108540	1394	L3	H—	0.5
14	Christopher Field	108098	1261	H—	L7	0.5
15	Brian Groat		unr.	L4	L10	0.0
16	Dennis Li		988	L8	L11	0.0

Round 1 (May 7)

First-round mismatches saw numerous instances of the higher-rated player crushing the underdog, but also a couple of upsets. Young Jiaxin Liu defeated Adie Todd after Adie blundered into a classic knight fork; and Bill Thornton managed to take down Greg Beal.

Patios in the Annex

From roof tops to street fronts to back alleys, there are lots of great patios in the Annex and around Toronto. Search Toronto patios or Annex patios for lots of great options, and enjoy the spring and early summer weather in the city!

The patio outside the Victory Café,
581 Markham, in the Annex

2012 Canadian Forces Chess Championship

king — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:15:12 +0000

The 2012 Canadian Military Chess Championship will take place in Québec City this weekend, May 4 to 6.

The tournament is open not only to active Canadian Forces (CF) personnel, but also to retired CF members and civilian employees at the Department of National Defence (DND). However, with three games on Friday, and rounds starting at 0830 on Saturday and Sunday, they’d better be in good shape!

Paul Leblanc, retired from the Royal Canadian Navy, is the defending champion.

Event Details

Site: Salle Omer-Gagnon, Citadelle de Québec, Québec, QC
Date: May 4 to 6, 2012
Format: 6-round Swiss
Rounds: Friday 0900, 1330, 1900; Saturday 0830, 1330; Sunday 0830
Time Control: G/90 + 30-sec inc.
Entry Fee: $25
Prizes: Trophies, medals, certificates, plaque inscription
Information: Major Regis Bellemare CFchess@chess.com
Registration: Pre-register by e-mail CFchess@chess.com

Results – Paul Leblanc repeats as 2012 CF Chess Champion!

Cdr (ret) Paul Leblanc (in round 3)

Tournament photo in front of the Citadelle