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2012 Calgary International Active Grand Prix Series
All tournaments will be held on Sundays, 11am to 4 pm
5 rounds, not CFC rated
$25 entry fee
Game in 25 + 10 seconds
Grand Prix Format
8 tournaments
Dates (subject to change)
October 2, 2011
November 13, 2011
December 11, 2011
January 15, 2012
February 12, 2012
March 11, 2012
April 15, 2012
May 6, 2012
Visit the 2012 Calgary International Active Grand Prix page for full details
All tournaments will be held on Sundays, 11am to 4 pm
5 rounds, not CFC rated
$25 entry fee
Game in 25 + 10 seconds
Grand Prix Format
8 tournaments
Dates (subject to change)
October 2, 2011
November 13, 2011
December 11, 2011
January 15, 2012
February 12, 2012
March 11, 2012
April 15, 2012
May 6, 2012
Visit the 2012 Calgary International Active Grand Prix page for full details
Calgary International Blitz Championship
May 17, 2011
We broke last years attendance by 2. A total of 20 players participated (18
paid). The Canadian Champion showed up to collect the other players money for
the most part. Eric went undefeated scoring 12/12 in the 6 double round swiss.
Alex Yam missed the first round, but finished 2nd with 9/12. Top Under 1800 was
split 3 ways between Hemant Persaud, Chenxi Zhao and Ted Borowski at 6/12. The
youngest player in the event was 6 year old Ian Zhao who managed to win a few
games, finishing with 3 points! Ian will be a force in the not too distant
future. Thanks to everyone who showed up to set a new record.
Huber at Kawa
May 15, 2011
While we didn't get 10 players as was hoped, we did manage to fill 6 boards for
Greg to take on. Half were regular rated players, the other half were patrons of
Kawa. Several others showed up throughout the evening in make the event quite
enjoyable. It was good to see Stephen Peter come out among others.
Les, the owner of the coffee house was one of the players. He offered everyone
free coffee or latte or any other beverage they wanted while they played. This
is good coffee, a huge difference from your everyday Tim Horton's coffee. The
music playing in the background is a rich mix of world rythums and eclectic
modern. Seemed to fit right in. Some of the other patrons wondered by and asked
questions as their curiosity was peeked.
Greg had little trouble disposing of me in our game although I was better for a
while, just couldn't bring home the full point. I thought I was winning, then
towards the end, I blitzed myself into mate! I didn't pay attention to the other
boards but Art Milne got a draw and Les was the only person to defeat Greg. It
really was a fun evening and we need to do this more often.
Kawa has offered their place to us whenever we want. I am thinking of arranging
chess meetings there on the last Sunday evening of every month. There will be no
charge, just show up and play. Very friendly atmosphere. Watch the website for
updates.
Thanks to Les for letting us take over Kawa and thanks to everyone who supported
the event.
Yam the man wins final CICC active fundraiser
May 15, 2011
In Calgary, if Hansen isn't playing, the most feared opponent is NM Alex Yam. He wins almost every event he enters in Alberta. He finished near the top of the crosstable in Victoria last month and earned a game against the tournaments top ranked player, GM Igor Rausis. Alex drew that game and went on to finish with 4.5/6 (tied with Rausis among others) for 3rd-10th. You can also add that Alex is only one of two people to defeat Hansen in the last 2 years in Canada, GM Charbonneau being the other. Diwen Shi also collected with pay cheque, finishing tied for 2nd with David Zhang (warming up for the Canadian Chess Challenge). Frank Kluytmans scored the biggest upset, defeating Roy Yearwood in the first round.
The main event of the Calgary International starts Thursday, May 19.
Hansen ties Sambuev at Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 11, 2011
After 9 grueling rounds, Eric finished at the top of the event with GM Bator Sambuev, each scoring 7.5/9. The tie-break was a 30 minute game with 10 second increment. The first game was a draw although Eric, with the white pieces was winning. Bator fought back to make the draw. In the second tie-break game, Bator had white and held the better position though out. Eric was unable to stop the passed b-pawn and resigned. Eric will still take the spot in the World Cup while Bator will take the spot on the Canadian Olympic Team.
Congratulations to GM Bator Sambuev on his fine performance and to IM Eric Hansen for his. Both players are worth champions.
Eric alone in 1st at Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 9, 2011
After 6 solid rounds, Eric is at the top of the xtab. Back to back wins against Morgan Mills and IM Nikolay Noritsyn pushed Hansen to 1st. Eric's fine play has been impressive. Round 7 sees Eric with black against IM Leonid Gerzhoy. Tuesday is a double-round day.Game times are 10 am and 2 pm EST. Watch the games live!
Hansen tied for 1st after 5 in Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 8, 2011
The Canadian Closed is taking place this week in Guelph, Ontario. Two Calgary players are there for a shot at the title, cash prizes or an IM title. After 5, Eric Hansen is tied for top honours with IM Noritsyn and Arther Calugar with 4/5. Hansen will fight Noritsyn. FM Dale Haessel had a good day today, scoring 1.5/2 with some nice chess. Round 6 is scheduled for Monday at 2 pm EST with live games. The 9 round championship concludes this Wednesday with the last round at 1 pm. You can follow the actions on the tournament website.
Calgary International Update
May 8, 2011
We had lined up IM Puchen Wang from New Zealand, but he had to withdraw. I am pleased to announce that he has been replaced by US IM Enrico Sevillano.
Sevillano is a very experienced IM with a GM rating (2510). He raises the FIDE average for the event to 2339, making it a FIDE category V. The IM norm will be 6/9 this year. A brief bio is available on the players page of the tournament website.
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #4
May 8, 2011
This event conflicted with the most important day of the year. As a result, only 9 brave players enlisted for the 4th of 5 Active fundraisers. Alex Yam surprised no-one by taking first, undefeated, scoring a perfect 5/5. Top U1800 was split between Mike Scholz and Zeling Li with 2/5. Frank Kluytmans won the Mother's Day prize and was awarded with a make-up kit and beauty products. Thanks to Deweese Wood and Frank Kluytmans for their help during the tournament.
Alberta Closed & Reserves
April 24, 2011
Eric Hansen went undefeated, 5-0 to win the 2011 Alberta Closed Championship.
Eric wins a paid spot in the Canadian Zonal next month in Guelph, courtesy of the Alberta Chess Association. IM Porper finished in second, scoring 4/5 to take second, followed by Nic Haynes with 2.5/5. Richard Wang chalked up 2 points and lots of valuable experience in this strong event. Vlad Rekhson finished with 1 and Dale Haessel was off form and could only manage .5. Congratulations to Eric on his strong performance. Best of luck in the Zonal.
Nandor Tot and Thomas Kaminski finished with 4/5 to tie for first in the Alberta Reserves. Top Under 1800 was split between Yuekai Wang, Diwen Shi and Hemant Persaud with 2.5/5. Top U1500 went to Nicholas Lee who also won the biggest upset prize for his victory over Shanker Ramon.
Art Milne wins April Active
April 19, 2011
Art Milne seems to be returning to his regular form. Art scored 4/5 to take clear first in this 5 round active event. Itohan Gold joined the tournament for the last 3 rounds, taking 2 half point byes. In the final round, Gold and Belly Cacho battled to a draw. Had one of those players won, they would have tied for first with Art. Gold and Cacho split the 2nd place prize. Chenxi Zhao captured Top U1700 with 3/5 and also won the Biggest Upset prize for his victory over Bill Bentley.
Grande Prairie defeats Calgary on the Internet
April 16, 2011
The Internet match between the Grande Prairie Chess Club and the Calgary Chess Club ended in a lopsided victory for GP. Initially, the match was to be over 4 boards, but Calgary could only field 3 players. In round 1, Calgary could only earn a half point with Tony Ficzere drawing with Alberta Junior Champion, David Miller. In the 2nd round, GP swept all 3 boards, giving them a final score of 5.5-0.5 in the six games. Calgary players were 1.Tony Ficzere, 2. Bill Bentley, 3. Frank Kluytmans. GP players were 1. David Miller, 2. Jim Roy, 3. Tim Pradzinski.
Congratulations to the GP Chess Club on their convincing victory. A rematch may be in the works.
FM Michael Langer joins the Calgary International
April 11, 2011
US FM Michael Langer will be playing in the Calgary International this year. Michael has played in Alberta several times over the past few years. He played in the 2009 Canadian Open and most recently at the 2010 Edmonton International. Michael is a pleasant addition to the tournament and will be looking to secure his 2nd IM norm in the event. Details can be found on the tournament website under players.
Date Change for Sunridge Mall
April 11, 2011
We have changed the dates due to some date conflicts for our exhibit at Sundridge Mall. We will now be at the Mall from April 27th through April 29th.
Yearwood wins again
April 3, 2011
Calgary's Roy Yearwood keeps rolling along, winning almost every tournament he enters. Roy tied for first at the Lethbridge Open with FM Vlad Pechenkin. His performance rating for the tournament was 2323 and he took home a good size prize along with his points. The tournament was both FIDE and CFC rated and you will be able to view the rated crosstable on the CFC website this Wednesday evening. Congratulations Roy!
2011 Calgary Closed and Reserves
March 29, 2011
Congratulations to IM Eric Hansen on winning the 2011 Calgary Closed. His opponent in the final round, Erik Tam, did not show so Eric won on forfeit. Eric went undefeated, scoring 6.5/7 to take clear first. Eric picks up $125 in cash plus $400 towards expenses to the tournament of his choice. Alex Yam finished alone in second with 5/7, drawing with Sean Perron in the final round from a slightly worse position. I think Alex called it the Yam Gambit!
View the final standings on the tournament page.
Congratulations to Ivan Kornilo who finished on top in the Reserve Section with 5.5/7. Arthur Milne and Belly Cacho split the 2nd place prize at 5/7. Things might have been different had Diwen Shi not missed round 6. As it was, Diwen captured the Top U1700 prize with his undefeated 4.5/7 and he also won the Biggest Upset prize for his round 4 victory over Belly Cacho (350 pt difference). Tom McKay and Ted Borowski split the 2nd U1700 prize. Brady Jahraus won the Top U1500 prize with 3/7.
View the final standings on the tournament page.
Prizes were paid out in cheque. If you left before the end of the tournament, you can pick up your prize this Thursday evening or the next time you visit the club.
ChessBase Lecture Series by Knut Neven
March 27, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club and Knut Neven are working together to develop a lecture
series to be held at the club. The series will concentrate on the use of
ChessBase. Knut has the most comprehensive knowlege of ChessBase in Canada. He
has also worked with ChessBase to develop CD's for them.
While many players have ChessBase, few players know how to use it effectively in
their training. Knut plans to show you the basics as well as the finer points of
using this powerful software to improve your game. The series will take part
over 3 or 4 weeks, the exact details are still being worked out.
Knut is currently designing the structure of this lecture series. We thought it
would be a good idea to ask users what they would like to see taught in the
course. So, if you are a ChessBase user, and you would like more detail on any
particular function within ChessBase, let us know and Knut will work this into
the series. Once we have your feedback, we will release the course outline, as
well as the dates and costs of the lecture series.
Please send your input to calchess@telus.net. We will make sure that your
requests will be included in the course.
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #2
March 27, 2011
With 15 players participating, the fundraiser was a success. Competition was tight with 3 masters taking part. Roy Yearwood just keeps on winning and today was no exception. Nobody could beat him and Roy finished with 4.5/5 to take first place all alone. Roy clinched top spot in the last round with a convincing win over Alex Yam. Along with his cash prize, Roy gets a paid entry into the Calgary International Reserve Section. Thomas Kaminski returned to the club and grabbed clear second with 4/5. Best Under 1700 was split between Tom McKay and the ever improving Krishneel Singh at 3/5. Deweese Wood grabbed the Biggest Upset prize for his win against Tom McKay. Special thanks to Jim Daniluk who intended to play, but even when he couldn't make the tournament, still donated $20 to the cause! Two book draws were done. Krishneel Singh and Bob Macfie were the lucky winners of the draws.
The next Active Fundraiser takes place on Sunday, April 10. We will be offering the same prizes with the exception that instead of the winner also winning a paid entry to the Calgary International Reserves, this prize will go to the player with the best performance Under 1800. If there is a tie, that prize will be decided by a 2 game blitz playoff. Visit the Tournament page for details.
University of Calgary Blitz Championship
March 27, 2011
Daniel Kazmaier reports that the UofC will be hosting this speed chess tournament on Saturday, April 9th. The event will take place at the University and is open to all players. Members of the UofC Chess Club can enter for $5 while non-members pay $10 (which includes the $5 membership fee to the UofC Chess Club). New this time is the free lunch offered by the organizers!
Click here for all tournament details.
Alberta Chess Challenge Warm-up Tournament
March 26, 2011
Calgary Junior Chess Club organizers Simon Ong and Angelo Tolentino organized this event in very short order. At least 27 players participated and it looks like the CJCC is gaining ground and members. The tournament was run in several sections and winners received medals for their fine performances.
Simon Ong has provided a full report.
Sunridge Mall
March 24, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club will be setting up at Sunridge Mall from April 19th through April 22nd. The giant chess board will be on display and we will have several boards set up for anyone to use. We will also be doing a fundraiser for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank at the same time while we are there. We will be looking for volunteers to help out. All you have to do is show up and play a few games of chess! If you would like to volunteer, please send us an email. We will inform you of our hours over the next few days and any other details. Email calchess@telus.net.
CCC vs. Grande Prairie Chess Club on the Internet
March 23, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club has been challenged by the Grande Prairie Chess Club to a 4 board match on the internet, most likely on FICS. Grande Prairie will be captained by Tim Pradzinski (who will also act as the team arbiter). They will likely be playing at the library. Here are the teams as of March 22:
Team Calgary
Jim Daniluk 2007
Simon Ong 1885
Bill Bentley 1861
Frank Kluytmans 1779
Arbiter: Tony Ficzere
Team average: 1883
Team Grande Prairie
David Miller 1965
Wade Caughlin 1964
Tim Pradzinski 1947
Jim Roy 1879
Team average: 1939
The match is to take place on Saturday, April 16 and will be two rounds with each player changing colours in the second round. The first round should start around 10 am. Team Calgary still needs confirmation from Jim Daniluk and Simon Ong so there may be openings. If you are interested in playing and your rating is between 1900 and 2000, email calchess@telus.net
Calgary Regional Chess Challenge
March 23, 2011
Check out the report by Simon Ong on this recently completed tournament. Congratulations to all the winners and great work by the Calgary Junior Chess Club. Click here for the report.
National Master Alex Yam is now available to give lessons!
March 23, 2011
Alex will now be providing private lessons to players from beginner to expert. Alex is one of the strongest players in the province and also contributes chess articles in Canada's national chess newsletter Canadian Chess News. For info on rates and courses, contact Alex by phone at 403.829.3008 or email backgammer@gmail.com
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #2 this Sunday
March 21, 2011
Come on out this Sunday for a day of Active Chess! We have added some additional prizes to entice you to play. The top finisher will receive a free paid entry to the Calgary International Reserve Section (a $40 value!). As well, we will be giving away 2 books throughout the day. All registered players will go into the two draws for the books. Show up this Sunday by 10:45 am to play!
2011 Calgary Closed & Reserves
March 14, 2011
Starting with round 5 we will be broadcasting 2 games from the Calgary Closed. Click here to view the games live, check out the standings and download the latest pgn file.
Check the latest pairings and results of the Calgary Reserves.
Calgary International Active Fundraisers
March 12, 2011
We will be holding several Active tournaments on Sundays leading up to the Calgary International. These tournaments are designed to give you the opportunity to play and help raise money for the Calgary International. 50% of all entries go towards the Calgary International. Here are the dates of the events:
Sunday, March 13
Sunday, March 27
Sunday, April 10
Sunday, May 8
Sunday, May 15
Cost to enter is $20. CFC membership is not required. All events start at 11 am. Email calchess@telus.net to enter any of these fun tournaments.
Internet Match with Saskatchewan
March 12, 2011
Congratulations to Team Saskatchewan on their fine performance over the Calgary Chess Club on Saturday, March 12. This 4 board, 2 round match ended with Saskatchewan winning by a score of 5.5/2.5. Robert Sasata went 2/0 over Dale Haessel. Keith MacKinnon scored 2/0 over Roy Yearwood. Jamin Gluckie finished 1.5/.5 over Vlad Rekhson and Krishneel Singh defeated Jason Xiao 2/0. Other matches are planned for the near future.
2011 Calgary Regional Chess Challenge
March 11, 2011
This event is open to all school-age children in Calgary. The tournament consists of 12 tournaments, one for each grade from grade 1 through grade 12. The winners qualify to attend the Alberta Chess Challenge which will be held in Red Deer in April. Click here for tournament information.
2011 Calgary International
February 23, 2011
Good news! There will be a Calgary International Chess Classic this year. The International section will be a 10 player round robin with IM norms guaranteed. Other details to follow.
Saturday Junior Chess Program
January 19, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club will be starting a junior chess program every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. The program is designed for any and all juniors and will feature instruction for both beginners and intermediate junior chess players. The program will begin on Saturday, January 22 and we will kick off the program with a lecture by chess expert, Jim Daniluk. All juniors are welcome to attend. Each week the club will provide an instructor who will run the program. Other instructors include Tony Ficzere and Roy Yearwood. Cost is a yearly junior membership to the Calgary Chess Club which is $20.
Internet Match with Kitchener-Waterloo
January 17, 2011
This match is on hold for now until Kitchener-Waterloo can work out their technical issues. Watch this page for updates. If you are interested in playing for Team Calgary, please contact Tony Ficzere at tficzere@telus.net.
Friday Night Lessons!
January 12, 2011
National Master Roy Yearwood will be giving a 10 week course starting Friday, January 14 until March 19. Drop by any Friday to register.
May 17, 2011
We broke last years attendance by 2. A total of 20 players participated (18
paid). The Canadian Champion showed up to collect the other players money for
the most part. Eric went undefeated scoring 12/12 in the 6 double round swiss.
Alex Yam missed the first round, but finished 2nd with 9/12. Top Under 1800 was
split 3 ways between Hemant Persaud, Chenxi Zhao and Ted Borowski at 6/12. The
youngest player in the event was 6 year old Ian Zhao who managed to win a few
games, finishing with 3 points! Ian will be a force in the not too distant
future. Thanks to everyone who showed up to set a new record.
Huber at Kawa
May 15, 2011
While we didn't get 10 players as was hoped, we did manage to fill 6 boards for
Greg to take on. Half were regular rated players, the other half were patrons of
Kawa. Several others showed up throughout the evening in make the event quite
enjoyable. It was good to see Stephen Peter come out among others.
Les, the owner of the coffee house was one of the players. He offered everyone
free coffee or latte or any other beverage they wanted while they played. This
is good coffee, a huge difference from your everyday Tim Horton's coffee. The
music playing in the background is a rich mix of world rythums and eclectic
modern. Seemed to fit right in. Some of the other patrons wondered by and asked
questions as their curiosity was peeked.
Greg had little trouble disposing of me in our game although I was better for a
while, just couldn't bring home the full point. I thought I was winning, then
towards the end, I blitzed myself into mate! I didn't pay attention to the other
boards but Art Milne got a draw and Les was the only person to defeat Greg. It
really was a fun evening and we need to do this more often.
Kawa has offered their place to us whenever we want. I am thinking of arranging
chess meetings there on the last Sunday evening of every month. There will be no
charge, just show up and play. Very friendly atmosphere. Watch the website for
updates.
Thanks to Les for letting us take over Kawa and thanks to everyone who supported
the event.
Yam the man wins final CICC active fundraiser
May 15, 2011
In Calgary, if Hansen isn't playing, the most feared opponent is NM Alex Yam. He wins almost every event he enters in Alberta. He finished near the top of the crosstable in Victoria last month and earned a game against the tournaments top ranked player, GM Igor Rausis. Alex drew that game and went on to finish with 4.5/6 (tied with Rausis among others) for 3rd-10th. You can also add that Alex is only one of two people to defeat Hansen in the last 2 years in Canada, GM Charbonneau being the other. Diwen Shi also collected with pay cheque, finishing tied for 2nd with David Zhang (warming up for the Canadian Chess Challenge). Frank Kluytmans scored the biggest upset, defeating Roy Yearwood in the first round.
The main event of the Calgary International starts Thursday, May 19.
Hansen ties Sambuev at Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 11, 2011
After 9 grueling rounds, Eric finished at the top of the event with GM Bator Sambuev, each scoring 7.5/9. The tie-break was a 30 minute game with 10 second increment. The first game was a draw although Eric, with the white pieces was winning. Bator fought back to make the draw. In the second tie-break game, Bator had white and held the better position though out. Eric was unable to stop the passed b-pawn and resigned. Eric will still take the spot in the World Cup while Bator will take the spot on the Canadian Olympic Team.
Congratulations to GM Bator Sambuev on his fine performance and to IM Eric Hansen for his. Both players are worth champions.
Eric alone in 1st at Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 9, 2011
After 6 solid rounds, Eric is at the top of the xtab. Back to back wins against Morgan Mills and IM Nikolay Noritsyn pushed Hansen to 1st. Eric's fine play has been impressive. Round 7 sees Eric with black against IM Leonid Gerzhoy. Tuesday is a double-round day.Game times are 10 am and 2 pm EST. Watch the games live!
Hansen tied for 1st after 5 in Canadian Closed & Zonal
May 8, 2011
The Canadian Closed is taking place this week in Guelph, Ontario. Two Calgary players are there for a shot at the title, cash prizes or an IM title. After 5, Eric Hansen is tied for top honours with IM Noritsyn and Arther Calugar with 4/5. Hansen will fight Noritsyn. FM Dale Haessel had a good day today, scoring 1.5/2 with some nice chess. Round 6 is scheduled for Monday at 2 pm EST with live games. The 9 round championship concludes this Wednesday with the last round at 1 pm. You can follow the actions on the tournament website.
Calgary International Update
May 8, 2011
We had lined up IM Puchen Wang from New Zealand, but he had to withdraw. I am pleased to announce that he has been replaced by US IM Enrico Sevillano.
Sevillano is a very experienced IM with a GM rating (2510). He raises the FIDE average for the event to 2339, making it a FIDE category V. The IM norm will be 6/9 this year. A brief bio is available on the players page of the tournament website.
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #4
May 8, 2011
This event conflicted with the most important day of the year. As a result, only 9 brave players enlisted for the 4th of 5 Active fundraisers. Alex Yam surprised no-one by taking first, undefeated, scoring a perfect 5/5. Top U1800 was split between Mike Scholz and Zeling Li with 2/5. Frank Kluytmans won the Mother's Day prize and was awarded with a make-up kit and beauty products. Thanks to Deweese Wood and Frank Kluytmans for their help during the tournament.
Alberta Closed & Reserves
April 24, 2011
Eric Hansen went undefeated, 5-0 to win the 2011 Alberta Closed Championship.
Eric wins a paid spot in the Canadian Zonal next month in Guelph, courtesy of the Alberta Chess Association. IM Porper finished in second, scoring 4/5 to take second, followed by Nic Haynes with 2.5/5. Richard Wang chalked up 2 points and lots of valuable experience in this strong event. Vlad Rekhson finished with 1 and Dale Haessel was off form and could only manage .5. Congratulations to Eric on his strong performance. Best of luck in the Zonal.
Nandor Tot and Thomas Kaminski finished with 4/5 to tie for first in the Alberta Reserves. Top Under 1800 was split between Yuekai Wang, Diwen Shi and Hemant Persaud with 2.5/5. Top U1500 went to Nicholas Lee who also won the biggest upset prize for his victory over Shanker Ramon.
Art Milne wins April Active
April 19, 2011
Art Milne seems to be returning to his regular form. Art scored 4/5 to take clear first in this 5 round active event. Itohan Gold joined the tournament for the last 3 rounds, taking 2 half point byes. In the final round, Gold and Belly Cacho battled to a draw. Had one of those players won, they would have tied for first with Art. Gold and Cacho split the 2nd place prize. Chenxi Zhao captured Top U1700 with 3/5 and also won the Biggest Upset prize for his victory over Bill Bentley.
Grande Prairie defeats Calgary on the Internet
April 16, 2011
The Internet match between the Grande Prairie Chess Club and the Calgary Chess Club ended in a lopsided victory for GP. Initially, the match was to be over 4 boards, but Calgary could only field 3 players. In round 1, Calgary could only earn a half point with Tony Ficzere drawing with Alberta Junior Champion, David Miller. In the 2nd round, GP swept all 3 boards, giving them a final score of 5.5-0.5 in the six games. Calgary players were 1.Tony Ficzere, 2. Bill Bentley, 3. Frank Kluytmans. GP players were 1. David Miller, 2. Jim Roy, 3. Tim Pradzinski.
Congratulations to the GP Chess Club on their convincing victory. A rematch may be in the works.
FM Michael Langer joins the Calgary International
April 11, 2011
US FM Michael Langer will be playing in the Calgary International this year. Michael has played in Alberta several times over the past few years. He played in the 2009 Canadian Open and most recently at the 2010 Edmonton International. Michael is a pleasant addition to the tournament and will be looking to secure his 2nd IM norm in the event. Details can be found on the tournament website under players.
Date Change for Sunridge Mall
April 11, 2011
We have changed the dates due to some date conflicts for our exhibit at Sundridge Mall. We will now be at the Mall from April 27th through April 29th.
Yearwood wins again
April 3, 2011
Calgary's Roy Yearwood keeps rolling along, winning almost every tournament he enters. Roy tied for first at the Lethbridge Open with FM Vlad Pechenkin. His performance rating for the tournament was 2323 and he took home a good size prize along with his points. The tournament was both FIDE and CFC rated and you will be able to view the rated crosstable on the CFC website this Wednesday evening. Congratulations Roy!
2011 Calgary Closed and Reserves
March 29, 2011
Congratulations to IM Eric Hansen on winning the 2011 Calgary Closed. His opponent in the final round, Erik Tam, did not show so Eric won on forfeit. Eric went undefeated, scoring 6.5/7 to take clear first. Eric picks up $125 in cash plus $400 towards expenses to the tournament of his choice. Alex Yam finished alone in second with 5/7, drawing with Sean Perron in the final round from a slightly worse position. I think Alex called it the Yam Gambit!
View the final standings on the tournament page.
Congratulations to Ivan Kornilo who finished on top in the Reserve Section with 5.5/7. Arthur Milne and Belly Cacho split the 2nd place prize at 5/7. Things might have been different had Diwen Shi not missed round 6. As it was, Diwen captured the Top U1700 prize with his undefeated 4.5/7 and he also won the Biggest Upset prize for his round 4 victory over Belly Cacho (350 pt difference). Tom McKay and Ted Borowski split the 2nd U1700 prize. Brady Jahraus won the Top U1500 prize with 3/7.
View the final standings on the tournament page.
Prizes were paid out in cheque. If you left before the end of the tournament, you can pick up your prize this Thursday evening or the next time you visit the club.
ChessBase Lecture Series by Knut Neven
March 27, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club and Knut Neven are working together to develop a lecture
series to be held at the club. The series will concentrate on the use of
ChessBase. Knut has the most comprehensive knowlege of ChessBase in Canada. He
has also worked with ChessBase to develop CD's for them.
While many players have ChessBase, few players know how to use it effectively in
their training. Knut plans to show you the basics as well as the finer points of
using this powerful software to improve your game. The series will take part
over 3 or 4 weeks, the exact details are still being worked out.
Knut is currently designing the structure of this lecture series. We thought it
would be a good idea to ask users what they would like to see taught in the
course. So, if you are a ChessBase user, and you would like more detail on any
particular function within ChessBase, let us know and Knut will work this into
the series. Once we have your feedback, we will release the course outline, as
well as the dates and costs of the lecture series.
Please send your input to calchess@telus.net. We will make sure that your
requests will be included in the course.
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #2
March 27, 2011
With 15 players participating, the fundraiser was a success. Competition was tight with 3 masters taking part. Roy Yearwood just keeps on winning and today was no exception. Nobody could beat him and Roy finished with 4.5/5 to take first place all alone. Roy clinched top spot in the last round with a convincing win over Alex Yam. Along with his cash prize, Roy gets a paid entry into the Calgary International Reserve Section. Thomas Kaminski returned to the club and grabbed clear second with 4/5. Best Under 1700 was split between Tom McKay and the ever improving Krishneel Singh at 3/5. Deweese Wood grabbed the Biggest Upset prize for his win against Tom McKay. Special thanks to Jim Daniluk who intended to play, but even when he couldn't make the tournament, still donated $20 to the cause! Two book draws were done. Krishneel Singh and Bob Macfie were the lucky winners of the draws.
The next Active Fundraiser takes place on Sunday, April 10. We will be offering the same prizes with the exception that instead of the winner also winning a paid entry to the Calgary International Reserves, this prize will go to the player with the best performance Under 1800. If there is a tie, that prize will be decided by a 2 game blitz playoff. Visit the Tournament page for details.
University of Calgary Blitz Championship
March 27, 2011
Daniel Kazmaier reports that the UofC will be hosting this speed chess tournament on Saturday, April 9th. The event will take place at the University and is open to all players. Members of the UofC Chess Club can enter for $5 while non-members pay $10 (which includes the $5 membership fee to the UofC Chess Club). New this time is the free lunch offered by the organizers!
Click here for all tournament details.
Alberta Chess Challenge Warm-up Tournament
March 26, 2011
Calgary Junior Chess Club organizers Simon Ong and Angelo Tolentino organized this event in very short order. At least 27 players participated and it looks like the CJCC is gaining ground and members. The tournament was run in several sections and winners received medals for their fine performances.
Simon Ong has provided a full report.
Sunridge Mall
March 24, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club will be setting up at Sunridge Mall from April 19th through April 22nd. The giant chess board will be on display and we will have several boards set up for anyone to use. We will also be doing a fundraiser for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank at the same time while we are there. We will be looking for volunteers to help out. All you have to do is show up and play a few games of chess! If you would like to volunteer, please send us an email. We will inform you of our hours over the next few days and any other details. Email calchess@telus.net.
CCC vs. Grande Prairie Chess Club on the Internet
March 23, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club has been challenged by the Grande Prairie Chess Club to a 4 board match on the internet, most likely on FICS. Grande Prairie will be captained by Tim Pradzinski (who will also act as the team arbiter). They will likely be playing at the library. Here are the teams as of March 22:
Team Calgary
Jim Daniluk 2007
Simon Ong 1885
Bill Bentley 1861
Frank Kluytmans 1779
Arbiter: Tony Ficzere
Team average: 1883
Team Grande Prairie
David Miller 1965
Wade Caughlin 1964
Tim Pradzinski 1947
Jim Roy 1879
Team average: 1939
The match is to take place on Saturday, April 16 and will be two rounds with each player changing colours in the second round. The first round should start around 10 am. Team Calgary still needs confirmation from Jim Daniluk and Simon Ong so there may be openings. If you are interested in playing and your rating is between 1900 and 2000, email calchess@telus.net
Calgary Regional Chess Challenge
March 23, 2011
Check out the report by Simon Ong on this recently completed tournament. Congratulations to all the winners and great work by the Calgary Junior Chess Club. Click here for the report.
National Master Alex Yam is now available to give lessons!
March 23, 2011
Alex will now be providing private lessons to players from beginner to expert. Alex is one of the strongest players in the province and also contributes chess articles in Canada's national chess newsletter Canadian Chess News. For info on rates and courses, contact Alex by phone at 403.829.3008 or email backgammer@gmail.com
Calgary International Active Fundraiser #2 this Sunday
March 21, 2011
Come on out this Sunday for a day of Active Chess! We have added some additional prizes to entice you to play. The top finisher will receive a free paid entry to the Calgary International Reserve Section (a $40 value!). As well, we will be giving away 2 books throughout the day. All registered players will go into the two draws for the books. Show up this Sunday by 10:45 am to play!
2011 Calgary Closed & Reserves
March 14, 2011
Starting with round 5 we will be broadcasting 2 games from the Calgary Closed. Click here to view the games live, check out the standings and download the latest pgn file.
Check the latest pairings and results of the Calgary Reserves.
Calgary International Active Fundraisers
March 12, 2011
We will be holding several Active tournaments on Sundays leading up to the Calgary International. These tournaments are designed to give you the opportunity to play and help raise money for the Calgary International. 50% of all entries go towards the Calgary International. Here are the dates of the events:
Sunday, March 13
Sunday, March 27
Sunday, April 10
Sunday, May 8
Sunday, May 15
Cost to enter is $20. CFC membership is not required. All events start at 11 am. Email calchess@telus.net to enter any of these fun tournaments.
Internet Match with Saskatchewan
March 12, 2011
Congratulations to Team Saskatchewan on their fine performance over the Calgary Chess Club on Saturday, March 12. This 4 board, 2 round match ended with Saskatchewan winning by a score of 5.5/2.5. Robert Sasata went 2/0 over Dale Haessel. Keith MacKinnon scored 2/0 over Roy Yearwood. Jamin Gluckie finished 1.5/.5 over Vlad Rekhson and Krishneel Singh defeated Jason Xiao 2/0. Other matches are planned for the near future.
2011 Calgary Regional Chess Challenge
March 11, 2011
This event is open to all school-age children in Calgary. The tournament consists of 12 tournaments, one for each grade from grade 1 through grade 12. The winners qualify to attend the Alberta Chess Challenge which will be held in Red Deer in April. Click here for tournament information.
2011 Calgary International
February 23, 2011
Good news! There will be a Calgary International Chess Classic this year. The International section will be a 10 player round robin with IM norms guaranteed. Other details to follow.
Saturday Junior Chess Program
January 19, 2011
The Calgary Chess Club will be starting a junior chess program every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. The program is designed for any and all juniors and will feature instruction for both beginners and intermediate junior chess players. The program will begin on Saturday, January 22 and we will kick off the program with a lecture by chess expert, Jim Daniluk. All juniors are welcome to attend. Each week the club will provide an instructor who will run the program. Other instructors include Tony Ficzere and Roy Yearwood. Cost is a yearly junior membership to the Calgary Chess Club which is $20.
Internet Match with Kitchener-Waterloo
January 17, 2011
This match is on hold for now until Kitchener-Waterloo can work out their technical issues. Watch this page for updates. If you are interested in playing for Team Calgary, please contact Tony Ficzere at tficzere@telus.net.
Friday Night Lessons!
January 12, 2011
National Master Roy Yearwood will be giving a 10 week course starting Friday, January 14 until March 19. Drop by any Friday to register.
