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ANNEX CHESS CLUB

On the edge of Toronto's Annex neighbourhood


Chess for everyone, most Monday evenings

 TOURNAMENTS

We run 5-week CFC/FIDE-rated tournaments on Monday evenings starting at 7:30 PM until closing. We have three sections of players – Crown, U1800, and U1400. Players may play up a section if their rating is within 100 points. Players must have a valid CFC membership which they can purchase from our STORE. This chess is touch-move and uses a 90-minute + 30-second time control There are typically 40 such evenings annually, equal to 8 rated tournaments. Drop-in & membership PRICING available.

>>Register at Weekly Tourn Reg'n.

  CASUAL CHESS

We have 15-20 casual players on Monday evenings starting at 6:30 PM until closing. We have a dedicated casual play area, so kibitzing and social talk are welcome. There are no CFC membership or rating requirements. We supply all equipment, including a clock should players want to use one. We also use this area as our skittles room, where players can analyze their completed tournament games. Our casual drop-in fee for non-members is $10/night plus HST. Casual membership options may be found here.

>>See also CLUB/FAQs.

 CLASSES

We have both in-person and online classes for chess instruction. Our courses are divided into adult and kids classes (<14) in beginner, intermediate, and advanced streams, We use titled chess masters as our instructors, and our class sizes are limited. Each class involves a mix of lecture, discussion and play, and may run from 1 to 1.5 hrs. in length. 

In-person classes are held at 918 Bathurst on Monday evenings from 5:00 to 9:30 PM. Online classes run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

>>See Classes Reg'n

SPECIAL EVENTS

We usually run several special events throughout the year.
Smaller events may include our Halloween Rapid and guest GMs/WGMs or other titled players participating in multiplayer blitz or rapid simuls in our casual play area. We also organize and run larger events including GTCL and OCA—blitz, rapid and classical chess. We periodically run GM/IM norm events with help from some great sponsors and chess federations. See below for a quick list of nine special events in 2023.

>>See Special Event Reg'n.

Test Yourself

Women's Chess

An ongoing initiative is the operation of Toronto Women's Chess Club (TWCC). This is a chess-related women's group (including girls) that meets for free at Annex Chess Club on the second Monday of every month. ACC's Resident WGM Anna Burtasova chooses a new chess-related theme for each meeting. Women from all GTA chess clubs are welcome. Check it out!

Related article: Irina Bulmaga 

<<Click on the Lichess Puzzle of the Day and solve it, plus others. Login not req'd.

Our Home

Above: "The Great Hall" at 918 Bathurst Centre


Volunteers!

ACC Special Events - 2023

1. VOLUNTEERS WANTED

On a typical Monday evening, we have 100+ people attending the Club. It takes us a couple of hours to setup the Club on those evenings and maybe half that time to do the tear-down? That time can be reduced dramatically if we have volunteers helping. Therefore, we ask our members and visitors to the Club to please help us with setup and tear-down. If everyone takes a turn at helping, we all benefit!

Read more (Our Contact Us page)

2. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT?

To graduate from high school, Ontario students must complete 40 hours of community service. It's great for students to start looking for volunteer opportunities in Grade 9 or 10. Helping Annex Chess Club (a not-for-profit organization) is a great way for you to complete your hours, earn new skills, socialize with others and give back to the community.

Read more (Volunteer Toronto)

PART 1


Annex Chess Club will be hosting 9 important chess tournaments in 2023.  Mark your calendar!

Registrations are now OPEN for both the Toronto Closed and the Canadian Transnational.

E1. TORONTO CLOSED (Apr 17 - Jun 26) * 

- 9-round, ROUND-ROBIN classical (90'+30").

- Mondays, Apr 17 to Jun 26 at ACC.

- est. 30-40 players.


E2-4. CANADIAN TRANSNATIONAL (Jun 3 - Jun 11)

- CTN: Three linked tournaments with bundled pricing discounts. Co-organized by ACC with Maplewood Chess Club (MCC) of Montreal.

50-60 titled players200+ players in each event.

- #2: CTN Blitz (Toronto) – on Sat Jun 3.

- #3: CTN Rapid (Toronto) – on Sat/Sun Jun 3-4.

- #4: CTN Classic (Montreal) - CROWN Tue, Jun 6 to Sun Jun 11, GENERAL  Fri Jun 9 - Sun Jun 11.

- CROWNGENERAL sections for each tournament; separate prize funds; bonus pools too.


E5. TORONTO BLITZ  (Aug 14) *

- 7-double round BLITZ (3'+2").

- Mon Aug 14 in Toronto at ACC.

- est. 100 players.

PART 2

E6. TORONTO OPEN (Labour Day w/e; Sep 2 - 4) *

- 6-round SWISS in 5 sections (90'+30").

- Sat Sep 2 to Mon Sep 4 at St. Casimir's Parish Hall.

- est. 200-250 players.


E7. TORONTO WOMEN'S CLOSED (Sep 18 - Nov 13) *

- 7-round SWISS (90'+30").

- Mondays, Sep 18 to Nov 13 at ACC.

- est. 20-30 players.


E8. ACC HALLOWEEN RAPID (Oct 30)

- 5-round RAPID (15'+5").

- Mon Oct 30 at ACC.

- est. 80 players.


E9. GTCL CUP TEAM RAPID (Nov 27) *

- 5-round TEAM RAPID (15'+5");

- Mon Nov 27 at ACC.

- est. 130 players.


* = Greater Toronto Chess League (GTCL) awarded bids.


See our SPECIAL EVENTS page for more info including individual event flyers. ACC members receive discounts for most events.

World Chess News

1. FIDE CHANGES ITS RULES 

(for all players)

Effective January 1, 2023, FIDE has changed the normal time penalty for illegal moves in rapid chess games to bring it into line with blitz chess. It is now 1 minute instead of 2 minutes. The penalty for standard classical chess remains at 2 minutes.

Read more (FIDE's Laws of Chess)

Read more (StackExchange article)

2. CHESS.COM FILES MOTION TO DISMISS

(for those who care about the cheating scandal)

Chess.com has filed a motion to dismiss Hans Niemann's lawsuit on the basis that it has been brought only as a public relations stunt. The lawsuit was filed against GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Hikaru Nakamura, the Play Magnus Group, and IM Danny Rensch as defendants and seeks at least $100 million in damages. It's unclear what will happen next, but the Court will have  to decide whether to proceed or not with a trial.

Read more (Chess.com)

Read more (Chess Cheating Update) 

Read more (Botez Live Video) 

3. NEXT WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

(for all players)

According to FIDE, the World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren is set to begin on April 7. However, FIDE has yet to announce a host or a location for the event. The pandemic, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and the withdrawal of reigning champion Magnus Carlsen have caused many complications for the organization.

Read more (ChessBase)

Read more (WCC Facebook Group)

4. LONDON CHESS CONF – CHESS & STEM (for educators and parents)

The 2023 edition of the London Chess Conference takes place on March 17-19 on the theme of Chess and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). This conference brings together those involved in the use of chess for educational purposes, including representatives from the Education Commissions for FIDE and ECU.

Read more (LCC Website)                              

  RSS CHESS NEWS FEEDS TO ACC

Check out our daily chess news feeds from around the world, either below or on our RSS page here.


Random Members Share 

ACC in the News

AMERICAN CHESS MAGAZINE (Issues 027/029)

View two articles about ACC's memorable 2022 Ontario Open, the first post-Covid-19 chess tournament in Ontario.  An interesting story with some fascinating players and some great chess analysis.

• ACM_027 (A Very Special CDN Chess Event)

• ACM_029 (An Array of Tough Challenges)


ARTICLES/RADIO

• Sunday, Jan 22, 2023 - Toronto Star

• Sunday, Feb 4, 2023 - CTV News

• Sunday, Mar 19, 2023 - Globe and Mail 

• Radio Report - Toronto Metro U.

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ANNEX CHESS CLUB (ACC)

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Club Manager: +1 (647) 822-4628
Email: info@annexchessclub.com

Address
918 Bathurst Street, Unit L2
Toronto, ON M5R 3G5, CAN