This year’s winner with 12/14 is Nikolay Noritsyn. Second place with 11½ is Artiom Samsonkin. And third with 11 is Shiyam Thavandiran. Congratulations, Nikolay, Artiom, and Shiyam!
Annex Cup presented to Nikolay Noritsyn by Kailyn Winick
Full Results
Full results are posted on the Chess-Results server.
Style: 7 double-round Swiss, FIDE and CFC-rated
Time Control: 3 minutes each, plus 2 seconds per move
Registration: https://guestli.st/607161 – register early and save!
Entry Fees: $50 before May 27 / $60 after or on site
Junior/Senior: Less $10 for 18 & under or 60+ (as of June 1)
Prize fund: $1000 top prize guaranteed, other prizes based on registration
Membership: Up-to-date CFC membership required, or pay $12 CFC tournament fee
Chief Arbiter: Alex Ferreira
Annex Chess Club is proud to host the 2016 GTCL Cup, Toronto’s Rapid Team Chess Championship.
Results
Congratulations to the 2016 GTCL Cup winners, the Starks: Nikolay Noritsyn, Victor Plotkin, Mark Plotkin, and Max Rusonik, winning with a score of +3-0=2.
Complete results are posted on the chess-results server.
Chess is a team sport!
Chess players and chess clubs around the GTA are putting together teams of four to compete in team-versus-team match play on Monday, June 6, at 918 Bathurst, Toronto, home of Annex Chess Club. Send us your four players and your team name!
Registered Teams
Championship
Annex Chess Club 2227
1. Michael Humphreys (C) 2361
2. Joseph Bellissimo 2256
3. William Li 2173
4. Daniel Zotkin 2118
Chess Supersite 2215
1. Michael Barron (C) 2342
2. Michael Kimelman 2240
3. Alexander Starr 2137
4. Nava Starr 2142
Willowdale Chess Club 2109
1. Dmitry Chernik (C) 2122
2. Denis Ryadnov 2076
3. Benjamin Fradkin 2136
4. Alexander Strugach 2101
It’s the time of year for making – or breaking – New Year’s resolutions. At the same time, our first tournament of the year honours the risky “make-or-break” move that puts the game on the line.
The Make or Break Swiss is a five-round event on Monday nights starting January 4, in three sections: Crown (min. 1800 CFC), U1900 (min. 1300), and U1400. It will be followed by our 2016 Club Championship.
Round One – January 4
In Rd 1 David-versus-Goliath matchups, the rating Goliaths win most of the games. However, a couple of Davids pull off upsets: Alex Ferreira (2057) defeats fellow Hart House alumnus Jon Yu (2257) in the Crown section, while Volkan Eryildir (1376) scores an upset victory over Hooshang Abbarin (1631) in U1900.
Winners will face winners in Rd 2.
Round Two – January 11
In the Crown section, draws on the top boards leave a huge leader group at 1.5/2 and a seven-way tie for first.
It’s the same story in U1400, with a draw on board one and a few byes resulting in a five-way tie for first at 1.5/2.
Only in U1900 is there a clear leader, as Tigran Ghazarian scores a second win and takes sole possession of first place at 2.0/2.
Round Three – January 18
The lead group is down to a two-way tie in all sections.
In the Crown section, Michael Humphreys and Alex Ferreira both win their games to stand at 2.5/3. In U1900, Tigran Ghazarian is held to a draw by Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy, allowing Dragan Jevtic to catch up to him at 2.5/3. And finally, in U1400, Zhong Zhao and Nick Jafari both win their games to stay in the lead group with 2.5/3.
All of these players should have a chance to take sole lead next round!
Round Four – January 25
A sole leader emerges in every section!
In the Crown section, Michael Humphreys defeats Alex Ferreira, to take sole first at 3.5/4.
In U1900, it’s Tigran Ghazarian with a win over Richard Morrison to take sole first at 3.5/4 a full point ahead of the competition.
And in U1400, it’s Zhong Zhao over Nick Jafari for 3.5/4 and a full-point lead.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The man’s the gowd for a’ that.
Round Five – February 1
See final results below.
Join us for our upcoming Club Championship, starting February 8! New players are always welcome to join ongoing events with up to two half-point byes for rounds missed. Rd-1 games start at 7:30 pm on February 8, but new players must register before 7:00 in order to be paired.
Final Standings after Round Five
SwissSys Standings. ACC Make or Break Swiss: Crown
#
Name
Rtng
Rd 1
Rd 2
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 5
Tot
1
Michael Humphreys
2343
W10 (w)
D2 (b)
W8 (w)
W3 (b)
W7 (w)
4.5
2
Sergey Malakhovets
2139
W14 (b)
D1 (w)
D6 (b)
W9 (w)
D5 (b)
3.5
3
Alex T. Ferreira
2057
W11 (w)
D6 (w)
W12 (b)
L1 (w)
D8 (b)
3.0
4
Josh Guo
2249
H— (-)
W13 (w)
D5 (b)
W6 (w)
U— (-)
3.0
5
Miroslav Stefanovic
1959
H— (-)
W10 (b)
D4 (w)
D7 (b)
D2 (w)
3.0
6
David Southam
2222
W7 (w)
D3 (b)
D2 (w)
L4 (b)
W11 (b)
3.0
7
William Li
1959
L6 (b)
W14 (w)
B— (-)
D5 (w)
L1 (b)
2.5
8
Daniel Zotkin
2086
H— (-)
W9 (w)
L1 (b)
D12 (w)
D3 (w)
2.5
9
Fernando Marshall
1974
H— (-)
L8 (b)
W10 (w)
L2 (b)
W12 (w)
2.5
10
Armand Jess Mendoza
2124
L1 (b)
L5 (w)
L9 (b)
B— (-)
W14 (w)
2.0
11
Jonathan Yu
2257
L3 (b)
H— (-)
H— (-)
W14 (b)
L6 (w)
2.0
12
Arkadiy Ugodnikov
2030
H— (-)
H— (-)
L3 (w)
D8 (b)
L9 (b)
1.5
13
Daniel Wiebe
2073
H— (-)
L4 (b)
H— (-)
U— (-)
U— (-)
1.0
14
Kamran Amirirad
1818
L2 (w)
L7 (b)
H— (-)
L11 (w)
L10 (b)
0.5
SwissSys Standings. ACC Make or Break Swiss: U1900
#
Name
Rtng
Rd 1
Rd 2
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 5
Tot
1
Tigran Ghazarian
1666
W5 (w)
W4 (b)
D3 (b)
W7 (w)
U— (-)
3.5
2
Dragan Jevtic
985
H— (-)
W15 (b)
W12 (b)
L5 (w)
W6 (w)
3.5
3
Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy
1646
W13 (b)
H— (-)
D1 (w)
H— (-)
W5 (b)
3.5
4
Ulli Diemer
1550
B— (-)
L1 (w)
L9 (b)
W10 (w)
W11 (b)
3.0
5
Robert J. Armstrong
1523
L1 (b)
W13 (w)
D10 (b)
W2 (b)
L3 (w)
2.5
6
Michael D. Sharpe
1577
D10 (b)
H— (-)
W14 (w)
H— (-)
L2 (b)
2.5
7
Richard Morrison
1486
H— (-)
H— (-)
W11 (w)
L1 (b)
U— (-)
2.0
8
Volkan Eryildir
1376
W11 (b)
L12 (w)
H— (-)
H— (-)
U— (-)
2.0
9
Max England
1655
H— (-)
H— (-)
W4 (w)
U— (-)
U— (-)
2.0
10
Harry [Siqi] Chen
1370
D6 (w)
L11 (b)
D5 (w)
L4 (b)
W12 (w)
2.0
11
Hooshang Ab-barin
1631
L8 (w)
W10 (w)
L7 (b)
W12 (b)
L4 (w)
2.0
12
George Supol
1475
H— (-)
W8 (b)
L2 (w)
L11 (w)
L10 (b)
1.5
13
Mark A. Gelowitz
1412
L3 (w)
L5 (b)
B— (-)
H— (-)
U— (-)
1.5
14
Michael Sutton
1756
H— (-)
H— (-)
L6 (b)
U— (-)
U— (-)
1.0
15
Joshua Allen
1416
H— (-)
L2 (w)
H— (-)
U— (-)
U— (-)
1.0
SwissSys Standings. ACC Make or Break Swiss: U1400
#
Name
Rtng
Rd 1
Rd 2
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 5
Tot
1
Zhong Zhao
1386
W2 (w)
D6 (b)
W7 (w)
W5 (b)
W8 (w)
4.5
2
Henry XianRui Zhang
1087
L1 (b)
W11 (w)
D4 (b)
W6 (w)
X5 (-)
3.5
3
Larissa Souchko
989
L6 (b)
L4 (w)
W13 (w)
W11 (b)
W7 (w)
3.0
4
Howard Halim
1048
L9 (w)
W3 (b)
D2 (w)
W8 (b)
U— (-)
2.5
5
Nick Jafari
1191
W11 (b)
H— (-)
W6 (w)
L1 (w)
F2 (-)
2.5
6
Christopher Field
1217
W3 (w)
D1 (w)
L5 (b)
L2 (b)
W13 (w)
2.5
7
Michael Finkelstein
1090
H— (-)
H— (-)
L1 (b)
W13 (w)
L3 (b)
2.0
8
Jacob Tobin
858
H— (-)
W13 (b)
H— (-)
L4 (w)
L1 (b)
2.0
9
Michael Saltat
1286
W4 (b)
H— (-)
H— (-)
U— (-)
U— (-)
2.0
10
Akop Tozlian
unr.
H— (-)
H— (-)
U— (-)
W12 (b)
U— (-)
2.0
11
Alex Moiseev
669
L5 (w)
L2 (b)
B— (-)
L3 (w)
U— (-)
1.0
12
Jeff Pancer
1100
H— (-)
H— (-)
U— (-)
L10 (w)
U— (-)
1.0
13
Larry Tobin
718
H— (-)
L8 (w)
L3 (b)
L7 (b)
L6 (b)
0.5
Legend
W = win (e.g., W9 means a win against player 9 – worth 1 point)
L = loss (0 pt)
D = draw (½ pt)
H = ½-pt bye (requested in advance or assigned on registration, max 2 per player, not in final round)
B = 1-pt bye (“forced bye” – e.g., odd number of players)
U = 0-pt bye (e.g., when max ½-pt byes previously awarded, or in final round)
F = forfeit loss (0 pt)
X = forfeit win (1 pt)
(b) = game played with black pieces
(w) = game played with white pieces
Fireworks at Toronto’s City Hall mark the start of a new year
Did you make or break any new year’s resolutions this year? Leave a comment below – especially if it’s chess-related!
Graham Abbey as Iago and Dion Johnstone as Othello in the 2013 Stratford Festival production of Othello
“This is the night
That either makes me, or fordoes me quite.”
From Guy Fawkes celebrations to Irish Samhain to Indian Diwali, it’s a good time of year for a bonfire! Outdoor fires are illegal in the City of Toronto without a permit, but at Annex Chess Club we’re lighting up Monday evenings with our Bonfire Swiss chess tournament!
To accommodate our growing bottom section – and to make it more novice-friendly! – we’re lowering the cut-off between the two reserve sections and adding an extra round. (The extra round will also help with FIDE rating in the top section and with CFC bonus points!)
The Bonfire Swiss will be a six-round event from November 9 to December 14, in three sections: Crown (min. 1800 CFC), U1900 (min. 1300), and U1400.
Round One – November 9
Round One of a Swiss sees some of the most mismatched games of the tournament, as the top half of each section is paired against the bottom half. This time there is just one upset, but also three games where the underdog manages a draw.
In the Crown section, William Li (1958) scores an upset victory over Alex Ferreira (2120), while Daniel Wiebe (2041) holds last tournament’s winner and second seed, Joseph Bellissimo (2260), to a draw.
In U1900 action, Mark Gelowitz (1437) draws Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy (1662), while Daniel Pirri (1501) draws Greg Beal (1699).
Its also nice to see a couple brand new, unrated players participating. A big welcome to Denis Gaudreault and Volkan Eryildir!
Round 1 Game of the Week
Round Two – November 16
Through two rounds, there are only a few players in each section still with perfect records.
In the Crown section, there are just two players in the leader group: Michael Humphreys and Dave Southam have perfect 2.0/2 scores.
In U1900, the leader group consists of Tigran Ghazarian and Kamran Amirirad, with 2.0/2 records.
And in U1400, there are four players tied for the lead: Paul Panayotou, Chris Field, Howard Halim, and Nick Jafari have 2.0/2 through two rounds.
Round Three – November 23
Third round battles on the top boards are decisive, and a clear leader emerges in all three sections. Will these leaders be able to maintain their lead through three more rounds?
In the Crown section, Michael Humphreys defeats co-leader Dave Southam to gain sole possession of first place with a perfect 3.0/3. Meanwhile, Joseph Bellissimo stays just a half point behind with a win over another strong young player, Daniel Zotkin.
In U1900, Kamran Amirirad defeats the talented youngster Tigran Ghazarian to keep a perfect 3.0/3 score and take clear first, while Max England stays half a point behind with a win over Hooshang Abbarin.
And in U1400, it’s Chris Field in clear first with 3.0/3 after a win over Howard Halim. Half a point behind at 2.5/3 are Adam Goldfarb, with a win over Nick Jafari, and Paul Panayotou, with a bye.
Round Four – November 30
Round 4 sees the tournament leaders defend their positions and extend their leads!
In the Crown section, Michael Humphreys defeats Joseph Bellissimo to maintain a perfect score of 4.0/4. Dave Southam, with a win over Arkadiy Ugodnikov, stays just a point behind at 3.0/3.
In U1900, with a win over Max England, Kamran Amirirad also now leads by a full point at 4.0/4. And Tigran Ghazarian wins to stay close behind at 3.0/4.
In U1400, it’s Chris Field extending his perfect score to 4.0/4 with a win over Harry Chen. Adam Goldfarb and Paul Panayotou have 3.0/4.
Round 4 was also the last day of Movember, so don’t forget to help support our ACC Movember team, led by Michael Humphreys!
Round Five – December 7
Round 5 sees a shake-up in the top and bottom sections as the leaders are defeated allowing contenders to catch up. It all comes down to the last round – and possibly tie-breaks!
In the Crown section, it’s Daniel Wiebe who takes down Michael Humphreys, allowing Dave Southam (with a win over Joseph Bellissimo) to tie for the lead with Humphreys at 4.0/5.
In U1900, there’s no such shake-up. Kamran Amirirad confidently takes a bye and holds onto his lead at 4.5/5. England, Ghazarian, and Vigneswaramoorthy are still a full point behind at 3.5/5.
In U1400, it’s Paul Panayotou who checks Chris Field’s undefeated streak and pulls into a 3-way tie for first with Field and Goldfarb at 4.0/5.
Round Six – December 14
A site booking by another group sees Round 6 (the last round!) played beside a loud concert.
Unperturbed, leaders Michael Humphreys and Dave Southam both won their last-round games, so the tournament goes to Michael Humphreys on head-to-head tie-break! Congratulations, Michael!
In U1900, Kamran Amirirad had such a commanding lead that he was able to win the section without even playing the last round! Congratulations, Kamran!
Finally, in U1400, leaders Chris Field and Adam Goldfarb faced off, with Adam Goldfarb winning his game and the section. Congratulations, Adam!
See complete results below.
And don’t miss our last night of the year next week: a lecture, a blitz tournament, and a trip to the pub! Come on out and bring a friend!
W = win (e.g., W9 means a win against player 9 – worth 1 point)
L = loss (0 pt)
D = draw (½ pt)
H = ½-pt bye (requested in advance or assigned on registration, max 2 per player, not in final round)
B = 1-pt bye (“forced bye” – e.g., odd number of players)
U = 0-pt bye (e.g., when max ½-pt byes previously awarded, or in final round)
F = forfeit loss (0 pt)
X = forfeit win (1 pt)
(b) = game played with black pieces
(w) = game played with white pieces
The bonfire image at the top is from the Cochrane Winter Carnival. Cochrane is in Northern Ontario, northeast of Timmins and south of Moosonee. (It’s Tim Horton’s hometown.) They hold a torchlight parade every February.
On Monday October 18, 2010, Canadian GM Mark Bluvshtein helped us launch our club with a chess lecture and simultaneous exhibition. The following Monday, our first-ever club tournament started with 8 players. It’s fall 2015 now, and we’re celebrating five fantastic years of downtown Toronto chess!
Running from September 28 to November 2, the ACC 5th Anniversary Swiss is a five-round regular club tournament in three sections by CFC rating: Crown, Under-1900, and Under-1500.
Round One – September 28
Compared to the first-ever tournament at ACC, which had 8 players in the first round, 40 players play Round One in this event! And two of the original eight are still here: Alex Ferreira and Daniel Wiebe!
In the unevenly matched first round of a Swiss, it’s always fun to look for upsets: this time, Nameer Issani (2025) scores an upset win over Dave Southam (2238) in the Crown section; Tigran Ghazarian (1544) defeats Hooshang Abbarin (1670) in the U1900 section; and Jeff Pancer (1112) beats Brendan Grady (1379) in the U1500 section.
Round Two – October 5
New players have joined for Round Two, and the tournament is now over 50 strong – including five new, unrated players!
After two rounds, the leader group in each section has already gotten quite small. In the Crown (FIDE-rated) section, only two players have perfect scores: Joseph Bellissimo and Michael Humphreys.
In the U1900 section, Bob Armstrong and Kamran Amirirad are the only two with 2.0/2.
And in the U1500 section, there’s a four-way tie for the lead: Michael Saltat, Benjamin Thalman, Richard Morrison, and Chris Field have 2.0/2.
Games from Round 2
Round Three – October 19
The third round sees battles of titans end in draws on the top boards.
In the Crown section, leaders Joseph Bellissimo and Michael Humphreys fight to a draw and remain half a point ahead of their closest rivals at 2.5/3.
In the U1900 section, Bob Armstrong and Kamran Amirirad battle to a draw on the top board – allowing Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy, with a win over Hooshang Abbarin, to join them at 2.5/3.
But in the U1500 section, Richard Morrison is victorious over Chris Field to take sole possession of first place with a perfect 3.0/3.
Round Four – October 26
In the Crown section, Joseph Bellissimo scores a full point against Sergey Malakhovets to take sole possession of first place with 3.5/4, while Erik Malmsten holds Michael Humphreys to a draw.
In U1900 Kamran Amirirad defeats Vinorth Vigneswaramoorthy to take first place with 3.5/4.
And in U1500, Richard Morrison is still perfect after a victory over Benjamin Thalman, leading the section with 4.0/4.
Games from Round 4
Round Five – November 2
The leaders stay strong in the final round! In the Crown section, Joseph Bellissimo scores another victory, this time over Dave Southam, to take the tournament with 4.5/5. Congratulations, Joseph!
In U1900, Kamran Amirirad defeats George Supol to take the section with 4.5/5! Congratulations, Kamran!
And in U1500, it’s another win by Richard Morrison, this time over Milan Cvetkovic, to finish with a perfect 5.0/5! Congratulations, Richard!
See complete results on the standings table below.
A big thank-you to all for helping us celebrate five wonderful years of downtown Toronto chess at Annex Chess Club!
A new club tournament starts next week, Monday November 9, with the round starting at 7:30 pm. New players are welcome to join! Please arrive before 7:00 pm to register.
Club members, please stop in at the front desk and check your club membership renewal date. Then make a note to remind yourself to renew on time!
W = win (e.g., W9 means a win against player 9 – worth 1 point)
L = loss (0 pt)
D = draw (½ pt)
H = ½-pt bye (requested in advance or assigned on registration, max 2 per player, not in final round)
B = 1-pt bye (“forced bye” – e.g., odd number of players)
U = 0-pt bye (e.g., when max ½-pt byes previously awarded, or in final round)
F = forfeit loss (0 pt)
X = forfeit win (1 pt)
