Here's the latest ACC news for this Monday, May 8, 2023:

Canadian Transnational Official Image

1. Canadian Transnational

The Canadian Transnational Chess Championship (CTN) is scheduled to start in Toronto on June 3-4. The CTN  has a blitz on June 3 and a rapid on June 3-4, both in Toronto. That will be followed by a classical norms tournament in Montreal the the following week (June 6-11). Sixty titled players, including 18 GMs, 20 IMs, 4 WGMs, 12 FMs, 2CMs and others, are scheduled to play in the 3 events.

Final preparations are now being made for this important event, which promises to have one of the strongest fields in Canadian chess history.

You don't want to miss an opportunity to rub elbows with so many chess stars under one roof. There should be lots of autograph and picture-taking opportunities for CTN-registered players.

Important note: GM Evgeny Bareev, former World #4, and highest-rated player in Canada will be playing in the CTN in Toronto. GM Bareev played in 2022 against Hikaru Nakamura, as well as some of our Club Members, at ACC.

2. Toronto Women's Club (TWCC)

TWCC will be meeting this evening at 918 Bathurst from 6:30 PM until 8:00 PM once again. The theme for the evening will be a lecture by Anna Burtasova on Good vs. Bad Exchanges in chess. The meeting is free for all women and girls who wish to attend.

We view TWCC as one of the most important programs that we support for the GTA's chess community.

3. Rapid Simul with Anna Burtasova

This evening, Anna Burtasova, ACC's Resident Women's Grandmaster (WGM), will be playing a rapid simul at our Club's casual section (Sun Room). She will be playing several players at once beginning at 8:15 PM. for two hours. This is open to any casual players—ACC Full/Casual Members, as well as non-member guests who pay the $10 (+ HST) nightly casual play fee.

FYI, Anna's rapid rating is currently FIDE 2265, so it should be a fun event and we'll take some photos for promotional purposes. A chess book will be available as a prize for any players who grab a win or draw against her.

WGM Anna Burtasova will be playing in the Canadian Transnational tournament on June 3-4.

4. Toronto Closed Continues

Tonight is Round 4 of the Toronto Closed, a 9-round round-robin championship.

IM Michael Barron is leading the Championship Section with a score of 3 pts. though other players are close behind,  including promising junior Isaak Huh with 2.0 pts.  Isaak has been attending ACC's Positional Chess course on Tuesday evenings, which is taught by IM Mark Plotkin.

In the Reserve Section, four players lead with 2 pts. followed by two players with 1.5 pts. so there's a real battle going on.

In the Development Section, two players (Sudhir Pokhrl and Karandeep Basi) lead with three points.

This is exciting, competitive chess!

5. May Day 5-Week Tournament Continues

Round 2 of our latest 5-week tournament continues tonight. There are only two sections Crown and U1400, due to so many of our players playing in the Toronto Closed.  A total of 21 ACC members are playing in the Toronto Closed, out of 30 players (i.e. 70%).

60 players played in Round #1, while another 10 players took byes.

6. Marvellous Chess - New Topics This Week

FM Michael Humphreys continues his Marvellous Chess series (#6) this Thursday at 7:00 PM with the following topics:

Bishop of Same Colour Endgames

Unlike bishop of opposite colour endgames, bishop of same colour endgames offer the attacking side excellent chances of converting even minor advantages. In this lesson, we'll examine pure cases of bishop and pawn vs. bishop as well as more complicated examples with many pawns on the board.

The "Hanging Pawns" Structure

"Hanging Pawns" refers to two pawns (usually c and d pawns) on half open files which can defend each other, but lack any additional support from any other pawns. Although these pawns can often be seen as weaknesses, the fact that they control many central squares can sometimes make them a valuable asset. This lesson will help differentiate between these two scenarios.

Taimanov vs. Karpov 1973

When it comes to playing against the "hanging pawns", the game Taimanov vs. Karpov 1973 is regarded as a model game. Computer analysis has not been so kind to it, however. Although Karpov's positional pawn sacrifice still withstands scrutiny, there are many elements which do not. The "double exclamation marks" which were once awarded to one of Karpov's more subtle moves, are now replaced by Stockfish with a "?!". This game also features what must be one of the most premature resignations in chess history.

The cost to attend this week's class is only $25 ($20 for ACC members).

What a great value!

You can register here for Marvellous Chess.

FM Michael Humphreys will be playing in the Canadian Transnational tournament on June 3-4.

7. IM Mark Plotkin's New Course is Coming

IM Mark Plotkin's exciting new 8-week ACC online course is "Maneuvering – An Essential Skill for the Serious Player" and it will commence on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM. Below are some notes Mark has prepared in order to explain his new Zoom course. Each class runs 1.5 hrs. and is aimed at club players (both adults and juniors) already playing in rated tournaments.

Maneuvering refers to the strategic positioning of your pieces in a way that improves your chances of winning the game. It involves identifying weaknesses in your opponent's position, creating threats, and improving the mobility and coordination of your own pieces. Maneuvering is an essential skill for any serious chess player.

Below are the individual 8 classes being taught by Mark in his Maneuvering course:

• Lesson 1: Maneuvering Major Pieces
• Lesson 2: Maneuvering in Queenless Middlegames
• Lesson 3: Maneuvering in the Opening
• Lesson 4: Maneuvering in the Endgame
• Lesson 5: Maneuvering Minor Pieces
• Lesson 6: Maneuvering with a Concrete Idea
• Lesson 7: Maneuvering Inactive Pieces
• Lesson 8: Winning Material

Each class is a mix of lecture and reviewing example positions. Homework problems are given each week in order to reinforce the principles learned in the previous week. The homework is reviewed at the start of each class. Students also receive links to the recorded Zoom sessions for their personal use as well as access to the related Lichess studies.

This is expected to be an excellent course for players focused on their chess improvement. Advance registrations will be opening soon for this new course.

IM Mark Plotkin will be playing in the Canadian Transnational tournament on June 3-4.

This week (Thursday, May 4) at 7:00 PM, has our fifth Marvellous Chess class. 

This week (Thursday, April 27) at 7:00 PM, has our fourth Marvellous Chess class. 

This week (Thursday, April 20) at 7:00 PM, has our third Marvellous Chess class. 

Here’s the latest ACC news for this Monday, April 17, 2023:

1. 2023 Toronto Closed Starts

• The 2023 Toronto Closed Chess Championship is starting at 7:30 PM this Monday, April 17 at Annex Chess Club. This year, 30 players will participate in three sections—Championship, Reserve and Development. This is a 9-round, round-robin event with 10 players per section. The top two sections will be FIDE-rated. The tournament is scheduled to end on June 26 with one round each Monday evening until then, excluding the Victoria Day holiday on May 22.

  The Championship Section has a starting ELO range of only 188 points, which should make for some very competitive chess. The other two sections have much broader rating ranges, providing chances for a few improving players to play against stronger players. Note that 10/40 (25%) of players who participated in the 2022 event are back in 2023, so there will be lots of new faces. Of the 30 players in 2023, 21 (70%) are members of ACC. This includes all 10 players in the Development Section.

  A copy of the event flyer is available here.  Our original TC news post is here.

  Good luck to all the players!

  
  

This Monday, April 17, Michael Barron, GTCL President will be making the following presentations at Annex Chess Club shortly before our weekly tournament and the Toronto Closed starts:

2022 GTCL Cup Winners:

• • Kids+Dads 5/5 (Mark Plotkin, Victor Plotkin, Max Rusonik, Jura Ochkoos)
• • Fellowship of the Board 4/5 (Ande Li, Saarthak Malakar, Nick Pestov, Bowen Zhang)

2023 GTCL League Winners:

• • Hart House Students Team (Nicolas Vettese, Yunshan Li, Derek Ma, Wenzhi Dai, Ande Li)

3. TWCC Meets on April 17

Toronto Women’s Chess Club (TWCC) meets again this Monday at 6:30 PM in ACC's Sun Room. Resident WGM, Anna Burtasova, has informed us that her theme for the evening is “The World Chess Championship.”

This is perfect timing as the world chess championship match is currently taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan at the St. Regis Astana Hotel. After 6 games, the score presently stands at Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) 3.0, Ding Liren (CHN) 3.0.

Note that this meeting is for women, including girls.

4. 2023 Canadian Women’s Closed Championship

This chess championship was completed on April 11, 2023. The event had 21 registered players of which 7 players (33%) were members of Annex Chess Club.

Memorable performances by ACC members in this event were: Carina D’Souza (2^nd place, 7/9 pts.), Ashley Qian (9^th place, 5/9 pts.), Yeeshuen Li (12^th place, 4/8 pts.) and Marie Guan (13^th place, 4/8 pts.). Carina’s performance was especially notable in that even though she finished second, she handed the first-place winner, WIM Svitlana Demchenko, her only defeat.

Congratulations to all players who participated in this event.

5. Other Activities

Round #4/5 of our weekly tournament series ("Night Moves") will be held in the Great Hall. Round 3 results may be found here.

Casual chess will be held in the smaller Star Room until about 8:00 PM, after which time the Star and Sun Rooms may both be used for casual chess.

In-person classes will be held downstairs Monday, April 17:

Students must register online and pay for a drop-in class (or bundle) prior to attending. Students may attend starting in any week. True beginner players should not generally skip weeks 1-2.

On-line classes (kids and adults) will be held this week:

This evening (Thursday, April 13) at 7:00 PM, is our second Marvellous Chess class. 

This is an online class taught by FM Michael Humphreys.

Marvellous Chess (MC) means targeted online chess instruction that:

• is practical and useful, yet inspiring and creative;
• you can quickly add to your Monday night tournament-play repertoire;
• you choose in order to meet your specific needs and interests; and
• you take less frequently and on an ad hoc basis, thereby lowering both your overall time and financial commitments

MC is targeted at club players who are at the intermediate or advanced level. Most players in our U1400 tournament section will benefit from this class as will many players from our U1800 section. Over the course of 90 minutes, students will receive instruction on three different topics (30 minutes per topic).

Tonight's three topics are as follows:

1. Queen vs. Rook Endgames

This is another endgame which has a reputation for being quite difficult.  Even the great Walter Brown failed to convert it in his famous game against the computer program "Belle".  Despite it’s notoriety, most online content only focuses on the finishing moves of this endgame—they don’t cover what it takes to get there.  In this lesson you will learn how to handle this endgame from start to finish, and convert it even against an engine.

2. Pawn Storms

Whenever there arises a situation with opposite-side castling, the pawn storm becomes the go-to plan.  Depending on one’s opening preferences, pawn storms may be seen quite regularly.  Their proper handling therefore, should be treated by the improving student with the utmost seriousness.  In this lesson, you will learn how to ensure that your pawn storm will crash through before your opponent’s.

3. Doubled Pawns

Of all the weaknesses in chess, doubled pawns are the most misunderstood. Oftentimes they will not be a weak at all but when they are, the techniques for exploiting them are often much different than the expectations of the average club player. 

Click on the image to Register

What a great selection of topics!

Last week's MC free lesson was well-attended. This week's lesson is not free, but there is a 20% discount for ACC Members. A single drop-in class with  the 20% ACC member's discount is only $28.80 + HST. Four-class bundles are also available.

Registering for the class will help you improve your game, and possibly even give you a winning edge in your ACC tournament game this Monday evening.

Remember that knowledge is power!

Link to our original news post on Marvellous Chess.

Here's a list of things happening at ACC over the next two weeks.

Bunnies play chess

2. April 4 is Class #2 for IM Mark Plotkin's Positional Chess online course at ACC. This starts at 7:00 PM and runs for 90 minutes. The new topic is General Blockading. Last week, it was Blockading the Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP).  You can watch a video of that first lesson here. This course is aimed at intermediate and advanced students already playing tournament chess.

3. April 6 is FM Michael Humphreys' first class of Marvellous Chess, a series on independent classes on some of the best chess topics/techniques to learn. Please see our separate new post on this cool topic. The first Marvellous Chess class on Thursday, April 6, 2023 is a free one, just as we did with Mark Plotkin's class on March 21, 2023.

4. Pre-registration for the Toronto Closed Round Robin event closes this Friday, April 7 at 12:00 AM. Play starts on April 17. Currently, we have enough players to support three FIDE/CFC-rated sections of 10 players each. Once pre-registration has ended, players that obtain a seat in the TC (based on rating) will receive an email explaining how to final register and pay.

5.  The next meeting of the Toronto Women's Chess Club will take place at ACC on Monday, April 17.

6. The Club will be closed this Monday, April 10 for Easter. Have a great holiday everyone and we'll see you on April 17!

FIDE recently announced that the City of Toronto will host the 2024 Candidates Matches leading to the World Chess Championships for both men and women, playing at the same time. This is marvellous for chess in the GTA and will certainly lead to some marvellous chess being played and followed with great interest by all students of the game.

With this in mind, we are pleased to launch our new series of Marvellous Chess Classes at Annex Chess Club this Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 7:00 PM.

An AI-generated image produced for ACC, based on the phrase “Marvellous Chess”

Each class, will be taught by FIDE Master Michael Humphreys  as a 90-minute exploration of three specific chess topics/principles (30 minutes each) that are sure to bolster your practical chess repertoire and prepare you for more meaningful and satisfying over-the-board tournament performances.

Our strategy is simple. We plan to expose our weekly tournament players to “marvellous chess"—especially those kids and adults competing in our U1800 and U1400 tournament sections.

To us, Marvellous Chess means targeted online chess instruction that:

• is practical and useful, yet inspiring and creative;
• you can quickly add to your Monday night tournament-play repertoire;
• you choose in order to meet your specific needs and interests; and
• you take less frequently and on an ad hoc basis, thereby lowering both your overall time and financial commitments.

Sign up for fewer classes and only take those that really grab your attention—the ones that will result in greater chances of success over time. Chess instruction that, once learned, you will not likely forget. And please note that each week, FM Michael Humphreys will add at least one chess topic recommended by his students.

The cost per class is as follows:

• $40/class for non-members or $32/class (i.e. discounted by 20%) for ACC members.
• A bundle of 4 classes is also available at $144 ($36/class) for non-members or $115.20 ($28.80/class) for ACC Members.
• Prices stated above already include 13% HST.
• Individual classes included in a bundle are good for a 6-month period from the date of purchase.

Think about it. ACC’s Marvellous Chess may make perfect sense for you.

REGISTER HERE

Michael’s first three topics (Class #1) for Marvellous Chess are as follows:

1. An easy-to-learn weapon against the Caro Kann

Part of the appeal of the Caro-Kann is that from the very first moves black seeks to solve any potential long-term problem. It is thought that players with black will tend to enjoy a healthy pawn structure without any pieces locked in behind their pawns. In this lesson we will see a fresh approach by white with a bold and astonishing claim behind it—that black’s very first move 1…c6 constitutes a weakening of their structure and that this weakness can be exploited in the endgame.

2. Checkmate with Knight+Bishop vs. King

This endgame has a reputation for being quite difficult. To a certain extent, this is justified—if it’s your first experience with this endgame, you will be very unlikely to be able to figure it out on your own in a real-game situation. However, this endgame is also quite easy to learn, and once learned, it is very difficult to forget. Take the time to learn it now, so that you can face it with confidence when it arises.

3. When not to fight for open files

It can be quite tempting to fight for control over open files whenever you see them, but this is often the wrong strategy. Fighting for an open file in the wrong circumstances will often lead to a massive exchange of heavy pieces that will drain your position of any winning potential. In this lesson, you will learn to spot the difference between when fighting for a file is essential, and when it is pointless.

Quite simply put, this is Marvellous Chess!

IM Mark Plotkin starts his 8-week online "Positional Chess" course, tonight at 7:00 PM (Tuesday, March 28).

Registration is now open and 20% discounts are available to all ACC members. Additional discounts are available to both ACC members and non-members if students purchase 4 or 8-week class bundles, instead of a single drop-in class.

Classes are 1.5 hrs. in length.

Here is a link to Mark's recent chess instruction video he did for Annex Chess Club. Viewing this video will show you just how good Mark is as a chess teacher.

Be there tonight, or be the chessboard square!

IM Mark Plotkin will be giving a free one-hour online class via Zoom to both intermediate and advanced students. The class will run from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. this Tuesday, March 21.

In this class, Mark will introduce the concepts of calculation in chess and also candidates moves. He will also share his views on chess improvement drawing from his own experiences. This material is aimed at those players (adults and kids) who are already playing in rated tournaments but wish to improve their chess results.

Don't miss this free demonstration class of Mark's knowledge and teaching skills, especially if you want to improve your knowledge about these two technical topics.

IM Mark Plotkin

You can register for free here, after which you will immediately receive the Zoom link via email.