2022 - 15th Annual Grand Pacific Chess Open (Victoria, BC)

 Hola!  So pleased to see one of the tournaments that Goddesschess has sponsored women's prizes for many years is once again going to be ON - in person over the board, hooray!  

The tournament will be held at The Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada).  

Quick Note:  For this event only Goddesschess is also sponsoring additional prizes for top finishing women in the U1700 group as follows:  $75, $50, $25.  All Goddesschess prizes are in addition to any other prize for which the player qualifies.

Registration for this tournament looks to be a record-breaker, and we're thrilled!  

15th Annual Grand Pacific Open
Easter 2022 
April 15 - 18 

(Summary below - for more details, click on link above)

Online RegistratIon or by mail at 1012 Spiritwood Place, Victoria, BC  V8Y 1C6 (with cheques payable to "Victoria Chess") or contact us at grandpacificopen@gmail.com  THERE IS NO ONSITE REGISTRATION.

 

Sections: 4 Sections:  Premier (FIDE and CFC rated); U2000 (CFC rated), U1700 (CFC rated), U1100 (CFC rated)

 

Round Times: 
Rd 1 at 6:00 pm Friday April 15 ;
Rds 2 and 3 at 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm Saturday April 16;

Rds 4 and 5 at 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm Sunday April 17;
Rd 6 at 10:00 am Monday April 18

 

Prize Fund:  $7000 Guaranteed;   

 

Premier:    $1000+trophy / $600 / $400 / $250;  U2100 $450 + trophy / $350 / $175;  Top BC resident qualifies for BC Closed; 

Top Women: $375 / $275 / $175

U2000:  $400 + trophy / $300 / $200; U1800 $225 + trophy / $150 / $75

Top Women: $100, $75, $50

U1700:  $200 + trophy / $150 / $75;  U1400 $125 + trophy / $100 / $75;

U1100:  $125 + trophy / $100 / $75; U900: trophy

Misc: 

- Unrated (top score in any section) $100; 

- Biggest upset $50

- Door prizes for rounds 2-6 (must be present at start of round to win)

- Top women & biggest upset are in addition to any other prize won.   If there are not enough women in the Premier section, remaining prizes will be distributed in the U2000 section etc.  Sponsored by Goddess Chess  Thanks!  

 

Throwing Over the Chessboard - An Analogy for Our Times

When I saw this article (an opinion piece) at The New York Times today, I immediately thought of many old tales of Kings and men of high rank who have smashed chessboards after losing a game, or used the chessboard to strike at the winner, wiping chess pieces off the board in a display of temper, etc.  

Putin Just Threw Over the Chess Board and Russians Feel Shame and Dismay 
March 31, 2022
Serge Schmemann

Check out Chessmaniacs.com "Sore Losers and Tempers in Chess" for some examples (by no means all of them) of players throwing hissy fits after losing a game of chess. 

Listverse.com also has an interesting list of "10 Craziest Events in the History of Chess," which includes a review of several chessplaying greats from the past who were from the beginning or ended up being mentally unbalanced - some claim as a result of the game and what it does to one's mind.  Check Out #2 on the List - "Chess Rage."   

A trip down memory lane and as far as I can tell, the use of the term "throwing over the chessboard" by The New York Times for the first time.  Many of my readers may not have been born in 1993, and many of my readers may have forgotten about this period in chess history, so take a trip down memory lane when chessplayers around the world revolted against a corrupt FIDE and formed their own independent players' association and held their own independent tournaments.

From The New York Times

Throwing Over the Chessboard

September 21, 1993

(From The New York Times' Digital Archives)