The CFC Regular Chess Post – June 28/12 – 3rd Annual Chess in the Library Festival.

( press release submitted by founder, and top-rated Canadian Woman, WIM Yuanling Yuan )

Press Release Contact: Yuanling Yuan, 416-273-1255 FREE 416-273-1255 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; info@chessinthelibrary.com

STUDENT-RUN CHESS PROGRAM IN CANADIAN LIBRARIES HOSTS 3rd ANNUAL FESTIVAL

Chess in the Library’s THIRD ANNUAL CHESS FESTIVAL will take place on Saturday, June 30th, 2012 from 11:00am to 4:30pm, in the auditorium of the North York Central Library (5120 Yonge Street), to celebrate the organization’s 3 year anniversary.
CITL, run by student volunteers, is an organization that promotes chess by running weekly chess programs in libraries across Canada and even one in the States. The organization was founded in June 2009 by Canada’s number one ranked women chess player—WIM (Woman International Master) Yuanling Yuan, at the age of 16.

Over the three years the organization has been running, 31 public libraries have joined the network, 15 of which are in Toronto, including the initial branches Brookbanks, Fairview, Maria A. Shchuka, and Deer Park. Nationwide branches exist in Barrie, Ottawa, Calgary, Newmarket and Victoria as well as an international branch in Washington, D.C. The program is expected to spread to even more locations in the next few months.

The festival comprises of a team tournament, a puzzle competition, activities with a giant
chess set, as well as a chess simul where Candidate Master Mike Ivanov will simultaneously play 20 players. The best players from each participating CITL library in Toronto and surrounding regions (Newmarket, Barrie, Ottawa, London, Vaughan) will be invited to the exclusive main event – a free tournament (a rare occurrence in Canadian chess). 3 sections of tournament play will be in place:

Grade 3 & Under, Grade 6 & Under and Open (for students Grade 12 and Under).

Each section will be awarded individual and team trophies, medallions, and chess books, as well as a huge annual trophy for the top team in the Open section.
Also present will be Founder and President Yuanling Yuan, Vice-President Gal Gross,
Treasurer Aaron Zhang, Director of Communications Vivek Chachcha, and Scarborough Regional Director Kevin Wu, as well as many of the dozens of branch leaders and volunteers that make the program possible. Awards will be given out as well for the organization’s Volunteer of the Year, who will be voted for on-site among several nominees. This is the third installation of the yearly festival. Last two year’s event was highly successful, with over 100 participants attending for a day of chess festivities. Even more participants are expected this year with the expansion of the program and opening of new libraries!

For more information on the Chess in the Library organization, please visit our official website at www.chessinthelibrary.com or contact Yuanling Yuan at info@chessinthelibrary.com

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator

The CFC Regular Chess Post – June 27/12 – Edmonton International.

Starts today! – Wed., June 27

10-player Round Robin:

GM Nigel Short (2705, England)
GM Anton Kovalyov (2619, Argentina)
GM Victor Mikhalevski (2519, Israel)
IM Irina Krush ( 2457, USA )
IM Edward Porper (2414, Edmonton, Canada)
FM Vladimir Pechenkin (2312, Edmonton, Canada)
FM Richard Wang (2307, Edmonton, Canada)
IM Leon Piasetski (2304, B.C., Canada)
NM Robert J. Gardner (2202, Edmonton, Canada)
FM Dale Haessel (2161, Calgary, Canada)

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator

The CFC Regular Chess Post – June 26/12 –CFC/FQE Negotiating Exchange of Services Agreement.

CFC President Michael von Keitz has summarized the agreement, negotiated at this point by the executives of both organizations, as follows:

“ There is a proposal on the table for the FQE and the CFC to co-operate better going forward. This is not a full-fledged re-affiliation, but a significant step in that direction. The proposal calls for an exchange of goods and services, with particular emphasis on tournament access and wider distribution of our respective publications. More importantly, it will represent upfront support for FIDE-related travel costs, including but not limited to the Olympiad. We will also enjoy the benefits of an expanded membership base – enhanced fundraising capabilities, more CFC and FIDE rated tournaments in Quebec and broader appeal for prospective sponsors. This is a win-win agreement which will generate an earmarked surplus of funds from Quebec each year. In essence, the arrangement boils down to an inverted provincial-national fee structure in recognition of the significant role the FQE plays in French-speaking Canada. A role we have been consistently unable to fill.”

The agreement is now before the CFC Governors on their confidential on-line discussion board for debate, and a vote on the acceptance of the proposed agreement is expected soon. This is a major step forward for Canadian chess since the two organizations have operated to a great degree as two solitudes for a long time, though with some more cooperation in recent years. Hopefully the terms of the agreement will be seen as mutually beneficial enough to lead to adoption. Likely any attempt at renegotiation of the terms will lead to another long hiatus of cooperation.

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator

The CFC Regular Chess Post – June 25/12 – Guelph Summer Pro-Am Result.

June 23-24, 2012
Room 442, Guelph University Centre
5 Round Swiss; A SWOCL Grand Prix Event
3 Sections: FIDE Rated Pro, FIDE Rated U2000, U1600
Standings: Pro Section

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Tot

1 GM Bator Sambuev 2700 W7 D9 W6 W5 W2 4.5
2 IM Artiom Samsonkin 2550 W12 D3 W4 W14 L1 3.5
3 Michael Song 2277 W11 D2 D10 W13 D4 3.5
4 FM Victor Plotkin 2411 W16 W18 L2 W7 D3 3.5

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator

The CFC Regular Chess Post – June 22/12 – Ottawa Olympic Waive Active Tournament.

On Tomorrow! Saturday, June 23, 1pm-5:30. RA Centre, Ottawa.

An Olympic Waive tournament is a fund-raiser for the Canadian Chess Olympic team(s): $20 from each entry goes to the Olympic fund. If that isn't a good enough reason for you then here's another:
GM Nigel Short has agreed to play!
Unless you have been invited to play in the top section at the Edmonton International or the London Classic, this is your best chance to play Nigel one-on-one in a tournament. And, to give everyone (including unrated players) an equal chance to play him, Nigel's opponents for Rd.1 and 2 will be selected at random from the bottom half of his score group. Normal Swiss pairings everywhere else.

Tournament Info:

Date: Saturday, June 23, 2012; Rd.1 @ 1pm. Remaining rounds ASAP.
Rds: 5
TC: 20 min + 5 sec
EF: $45 for non-RA Members; $40 RA Members.
Register at RACC Thursday nights, or on site between 12:15pm and 12:45 pm
Prizes: $20 per entry goes to Canadian Olympic fund, the remainder goes to the winner. CFC caps or "Bobby Fischer Live" DVD to best score from bottom and middle 1/3.
TDs: John Upper, Stijn de Kerpel.
Note: CFC Membership is not required. Nigel's opponents for Rd.1 and 2 will be selected at random from the bottom half of his score group. Normal Swiss pairings everywhere else. If necessary a TD will play as floater to guarantee no forced byes. Sets and Clocks supplied by RACC.

Updates and Other Events, visit the RACC website

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator