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| Alina L'Ami sight-seeing in Quebec City. |
Showing posts with label 2011 Montreal Open Chess Chamionships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011 Montreal Open Chess Chamionships. Show all posts
Saturday, October 1, 2011
WGM Alina L'Ami Writes of the Montreal Championnat
I had previously posted to a Chessbase article that WGM Alina L'Ami did for Chessbase that was published in Spanish. Here is the English version of her photo essay. She sure did pack a lot of travelling and sight-seeing into her week in Quebec!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Cafe Pi Hits the News!
Hooray! I'm very happy to see that this chess cafe cum art gallery is getting the recognition it deserves! The recent simul held by WGM Alina L'Ami, who won the title Women's Champion of Montreal during the 2011 Montreal Open Championships, is also mentioned.
I was first introduced to Cafe Pi in December, 2001 by Mr. Don after we arrived back in Montreal from the Initiativ Gruppe Konigstein meeting of chess historians in Amsterdam. I had a few days layover in Montreal before coming back home, and one of the places Don and I went was to Cafe Pi, which he had discovered a short time before himself. When I last visited Montreal (June, 2003), we once again visited Cafe Pi. Both times we played a couple games of chess and had coffees.
The serious players all bunch up toward the windows and front door overlooking the busy street outside. I remember from my June, 2003 visit the windows were rolled back so that the space was wide open. The cigarette smoke rolls out those opened windows thick and heavy! Passersby on the street can stop and look in for a bit and watch the action. There are always kibbitzers at those front tables, but there are some at the back tables too. Mr. Don and I sat toward the back of the long, narrow space, where doors for the restrooms are located and a back door, open and beckoning people into the darkness of the back yard -- I always have wondered what the heck is out there??? During one visit in 2003 we attracted a kibbitzer of our own and had a great time talking with him -- not exactly conducive to playing good chess but who am I kidding? I'm no player but I have dreams about becoming world champion (not kidding, I really do dream about that).
One thing - I haven't been there since they painted the walls that bright red! When I was last there, the walls were white. I don't know I could stand the red for too long - I'm aggressive enough as it is, darlings, thank you very much!
From the Montrealgazette.com
Montreal has a long history of chess cafés, but none of them ever managed to stay in business for very long. So when Arpad Kiss decided to name his new café after the most famous constant in mathematics, he had no idea that it would live up to its name and become such a fixture within the community.
Kiss noted that he came up with the idea for "Pi" because "it is a mathematical symbol and chess is a logical game. Pi is also an irrational number so it's mysterious and inconclusive. It combines logic and art."
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Café Pi is more popular than ever and remains one of the most unique destinations on The Main.
From the moment you walk in the door it's evident that this is no ordinary coffee shop. Countless chessboards sit on the surface of practically every table, the squares occupied by black and white pieces that seem as if they can hardly wait for two people to sit down and take them to war. Near the back, men (the clientele is mostly male) sit alone, quietly studying strategy books or solving intricate chess problems. From out of nowhere onlookers gather around particularly intense battles and then disperse just as quickly to get back to their own games.
Kiss attributes the success of Café Pi to a combination of three things, "Apart from being a place where people can come and play chess, we're also an art gallery and a fair trade-coffee shop" he said.
Indeed, local artwork covers practically every wall. A different artist is featured every month and the café does not charge a commission on any sales.
"It's nice to help artists get a start on their careers," said Vanessa Kiss, the café's artistic director, as she spoke to local photographer Stephane Fauliau near the front window.
"I was asking some friends where I could exhibit my work and they recommended this place," said Fauliau. "I called this morning and Vanessa told me to just drop by. They make the whole process very easy," he added.
Meanwhile, Jean-François Martinez sat alone at a table near the centre of the café engrossed in a popular chess magazine. "I come two or three times a week," he said, "mostly to play Blitz."
In Blitz games, each player has only five minutes to make all of his or her moves. Café Pi is well know for its Blitz tournaments, which are held on the first Sunday of every month.
The café also sponsors events alongside famous chess players. For example, on Sept. 6, Romanian grandmaster Alina L'Ami was on hand to conduct a simultaneous exhibition, i.e. she played multiple games at the same time.
Both the Blitz tournaments and the simultaneous exhibitions are extremely popular. "It's proof that there's a market for a chess café. There are enough people playing chess in Montreal to make these events possible," said Kiss
You don't need to be an expert to play in any of the tournaments, and even if you're a beginner, it's easy to just walk through the doors and strike up a random game.
Café Pi's website emphasizes that chess is, "one of the few games in which luck is not a factor - and neither is race, religion, age, and social class. In an individualistic world where the loneliness of people is becoming more widespread, chess brings individuals closer together."
Acutely aware that many people choose to play the game on a computer rather than face to face, Kiss takes the unifying role of chess very seriously. According to Kiss, the whole experience of playing chess is equally as important as what's happening on the board. "You have the touch, you have the feeling, and you have the emotion of the person sitting across from you that you can never have when you sit in front of a computer screen. Computers take the romance out of chess," he explained. A customer sitting at the next table promptly concurred. "Chess," he said, "C'est un amour."
I was first introduced to Cafe Pi in December, 2001 by Mr. Don after we arrived back in Montreal from the Initiativ Gruppe Konigstein meeting of chess historians in Amsterdam. I had a few days layover in Montreal before coming back home, and one of the places Don and I went was to Cafe Pi, which he had discovered a short time before himself. When I last visited Montreal (June, 2003), we once again visited Cafe Pi. Both times we played a couple games of chess and had coffees.
The serious players all bunch up toward the windows and front door overlooking the busy street outside. I remember from my June, 2003 visit the windows were rolled back so that the space was wide open. The cigarette smoke rolls out those opened windows thick and heavy! Passersby on the street can stop and look in for a bit and watch the action. There are always kibbitzers at those front tables, but there are some at the back tables too. Mr. Don and I sat toward the back of the long, narrow space, where doors for the restrooms are located and a back door, open and beckoning people into the darkness of the back yard -- I always have wondered what the heck is out there??? During one visit in 2003 we attracted a kibbitzer of our own and had a great time talking with him -- not exactly conducive to playing good chess but who am I kidding? I'm no player but I have dreams about becoming world champion (not kidding, I really do dream about that).
One thing - I haven't been there since they painted the walls that bright red! When I was last there, the walls were white. I don't know I could stand the red for too long - I'm aggressive enough as it is, darlings, thank you very much!
From the Montrealgazette.com
By JOSH RUBIN, The Gazette
Montreal has a long history of chess cafés, but none of them ever managed to stay in business for very long. So when Arpad Kiss decided to name his new café after the most famous constant in mathematics, he had no idea that it would live up to its name and become such a fixture within the community.
Kiss noted that he came up with the idea for "Pi" because "it is a mathematical symbol and chess is a logical game. Pi is also an irrational number so it's mysterious and inconclusive. It combines logic and art."
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Café Pi is more popular than ever and remains one of the most unique destinations on The Main.
From the moment you walk in the door it's evident that this is no ordinary coffee shop. Countless chessboards sit on the surface of practically every table, the squares occupied by black and white pieces that seem as if they can hardly wait for two people to sit down and take them to war. Near the back, men (the clientele is mostly male) sit alone, quietly studying strategy books or solving intricate chess problems. From out of nowhere onlookers gather around particularly intense battles and then disperse just as quickly to get back to their own games.
Kiss attributes the success of Café Pi to a combination of three things, "Apart from being a place where people can come and play chess, we're also an art gallery and a fair trade-coffee shop" he said.
Indeed, local artwork covers practically every wall. A different artist is featured every month and the café does not charge a commission on any sales.
"It's nice to help artists get a start on their careers," said Vanessa Kiss, the café's artistic director, as she spoke to local photographer Stephane Fauliau near the front window.
"I was asking some friends where I could exhibit my work and they recommended this place," said Fauliau. "I called this morning and Vanessa told me to just drop by. They make the whole process very easy," he added.
Meanwhile, Jean-François Martinez sat alone at a table near the centre of the café engrossed in a popular chess magazine. "I come two or three times a week," he said, "mostly to play Blitz."
In Blitz games, each player has only five minutes to make all of his or her moves. Café Pi is well know for its Blitz tournaments, which are held on the first Sunday of every month.
The café also sponsors events alongside famous chess players. For example, on Sept. 6, Romanian grandmaster Alina L'Ami was on hand to conduct a simultaneous exhibition, i.e. she played multiple games at the same time.
Both the Blitz tournaments and the simultaneous exhibitions are extremely popular. "It's proof that there's a market for a chess café. There are enough people playing chess in Montreal to make these events possible," said Kiss
You don't need to be an expert to play in any of the tournaments, and even if you're a beginner, it's easy to just walk through the doors and strike up a random game.
Café Pi's website emphasizes that chess is, "one of the few games in which luck is not a factor - and neither is race, religion, age, and social class. In an individualistic world where the loneliness of people is becoming more widespread, chess brings individuals closer together."
Acutely aware that many people choose to play the game on a computer rather than face to face, Kiss takes the unifying role of chess very seriously. According to Kiss, the whole experience of playing chess is equally as important as what's happening on the board. "You have the touch, you have the feeling, and you have the emotion of the person sitting across from you that you can never have when you sit in front of a computer screen. Computers take the romance out of chess," he explained. A customer sitting at the next table promptly concurred. "Chess," he said, "C'est un amour."
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
Saturday, September 17, 2011
2011 City of Montreal Open Chess Championships
More photos and post-tournament follow-ups! Thanks to all who took and submitted photographs (including Mr. Don). The photographs below are from, I believe, Claude Provencher, sent by Bernard Ouimet. Merci!
The Championnat sent me a link to WGM Alina L'Ami's article about her experiences in Canada and at the 2011 Montreal Championnat at the Spanish site for Chessbase - it's in Spanish but the photographs speak a thousand words in all languages! Three of Alina's games are featured at the end of the article:
Alina's world. Canada ? Chess !
Canada does not evoke chess at first. Rather, one thinks of ice hockey, maple syrup or large forest (at this time of the year the foliage is turning gold and red). During her trip to Montréal and Québec City, Alina l'Ami experienced chess so intensely that from now on the game will remain associated with the most septentrional country of the American continent. In just three days she played a five round open tournament in Montréal and gave two simuls. She learned many things about Canadians : they do not lock their doors, pedestrians have no respect for the red traffic lights, they eat French fries with cheese and brown sauce and put maple syrup in their coffee. And as chessplayers, they are much stronger than their Elo rating indicates.
This was Alina's first visit to Canada but we hope it will not be her last!
WGM Alina L'Ami (left) and Myriam Roy (right) - Myriam played in the A Section (along with Alina), a brave chess femme!
WGM L'Ami receives her memorial and certificate for winning the title "Women's Champion of the Montreal Open." This photo makes me smile - it seems all of the men in the photo were enamoured of the lovely WGM L'Ami :) Unfortunately, I am not able to super-size the photo (a step back from the tools I used to have here at Blogger) so that you can really see the expressions on the men's faces!
Mixing it up. This photo speaks for itself.
WGM L'Ami v. Emile Trottier.
One of the winners of a Goddesschess class prize! Each winner receives a Certificate in addition to her cash prize.
One of the more popular new features at the Championnat this year was the free buffet (two photos below). Playing chess is hard work and one works up an appetite! The average chessplayer also does not have a lot of "spare" money to pay for meals on tournament days and they end up wasting money eating bad food out of vending machines! Much better to provide nourishing fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses and sandwiches! A lot of work behind the scenes went into providing the buffet. Our sincere thanks to all of those volunteers - we love you!
Setting the clocks.
Action on the top boards.
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..." Quote from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." Here is our very own 2011 wizard in charge of putting up the top boards game action on the large screen so all can watch.
Goddesschess first got involved with the City of Montreal Open Chess Championships in 2009. Our initial goal was to branch out our sponsorship in Canada, which is the home of one of our principals and founders. To that end, we surveyed a list of upcoming events throughout Canada and found the Championnat. We contacted the organizers with an offer of a small sponsorship of cash prizes for the ladies. The rest, as the saying goes, is Herstory...
The Championnat sent me a link to WGM Alina L'Ami's article about her experiences in Canada and at the 2011 Montreal Championnat at the Spanish site for Chessbase - it's in Spanish but the photographs speak a thousand words in all languages! Three of Alina's games are featured at the end of the article:
Alina's world. Canada ? Chess !
Canada does not evoke chess at first. Rather, one thinks of ice hockey, maple syrup or large forest (at this time of the year the foliage is turning gold and red). During her trip to Montréal and Québec City, Alina l'Ami experienced chess so intensely that from now on the game will remain associated with the most septentrional country of the American continent. In just three days she played a five round open tournament in Montréal and gave two simuls. She learned many things about Canadians : they do not lock their doors, pedestrians have no respect for the red traffic lights, they eat French fries with cheese and brown sauce and put maple syrup in their coffee. And as chessplayers, they are much stronger than their Elo rating indicates.
This was Alina's first visit to Canada but we hope it will not be her last!
WGM Alina L'Ami (left) and Myriam Roy (right) - Myriam played in the A Section (along with Alina), a brave chess femme!
WGM L'Ami receives her memorial and certificate for winning the title "Women's Champion of the Montreal Open." This photo makes me smile - it seems all of the men in the photo were enamoured of the lovely WGM L'Ami :) Unfortunately, I am not able to super-size the photo (a step back from the tools I used to have here at Blogger) so that you can really see the expressions on the men's faces!
Mixing it up. This photo speaks for itself.
WGM L'Ami v. Emile Trottier.
One of the winners of a Goddesschess class prize! Each winner receives a Certificate in addition to her cash prize.
One of the more popular new features at the Championnat this year was the free buffet (two photos below). Playing chess is hard work and one works up an appetite! The average chessplayer also does not have a lot of "spare" money to pay for meals on tournament days and they end up wasting money eating bad food out of vending machines! Much better to provide nourishing fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses and sandwiches! A lot of work behind the scenes went into providing the buffet. Our sincere thanks to all of those volunteers - we love you!
Setting the clocks.
Action on the top boards.
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..." Quote from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." Here is our very own 2011 wizard in charge of putting up the top boards game action on the large screen so all can watch.
Goddesschess first got involved with the City of Montreal Open Chess Championships in 2009. Our initial goal was to branch out our sponsorship in Canada, which is the home of one of our principals and founders. To that end, we surveyed a list of upcoming events throughout Canada and found the Championnat. We contacted the organizers with an offer of a small sponsorship of cash prizes for the ladies. The rest, as the saying goes, is Herstory...
Friday, September 16, 2011
2011 City of Montreal Open Chess Championships: Interview with WGM Alina L'Ami
A post-Championnat interview with WGM L'Ami.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Photos and Videos from 2011 City of Montreal Open Chess Championships
Posted at Photobucket.
More videos, including this interview with the charming Allison Tsypin and her Dad. Allison was going to have her 8th birthday the day after the interview - during the Championnat (I don't know the exact date -- the Championnat ran from September 9 - 11, 2011). Near the middle of this video, Allison and her Dad are talking about the chess lessons she has been taken and some of the tools and resources she has used to improve her chess play. She mentions several authors by name, including GM Susan Polgar, who have helped her. I sincerely hope that Allison continues to play chess into that "gap" of ages she mentioned - between 25 and 65 - where there are so few players at local tournaments. I would like to see her play on one of the Canadian Chess Olympiad Teams! Go, Allison, Go! Allison completed the Championnat in the D Section with 2 wins and 3 losses.
More videos, including this interview with the charming Allison Tsypin and her Dad. Allison was going to have her 8th birthday the day after the interview - during the Championnat (I don't know the exact date -- the Championnat ran from September 9 - 11, 2011). Near the middle of this video, Allison and her Dad are talking about the chess lessons she has been taken and some of the tools and resources she has used to improve her chess play. She mentions several authors by name, including GM Susan Polgar, who have helped her. I sincerely hope that Allison continues to play chess into that "gap" of ages she mentioned - between 25 and 65 - where there are so few players at local tournaments. I would like to see her play on one of the Canadian Chess Olympiad Teams! Go, Allison, Go! Allison completed the Championnat in the D Section with 2 wins and 3 losses.
This photo gives an idea of the diversity of the players:
Here is a photo of WGM Alina L'Ami and Emile Trottier (Round 3 action - Alina defeated Emile):
2011 City of Montreal Open Chess Championships
The opening video. I can just feel the energy flowing - and what a great mix of people, young and old, female and male, wily veterans and beginners, all playing this wonderful game of chess together in the gorgeous surroundings of College Jean de Brebeuf. That is WGM Alina L'Ami in the opening frames, pretty in pink. As you'll see, there is another lovely young lady in pink who wanders into view later on:
A very special interview of Danny Goldenberg, who talks about the organization of The Royal Game (Jeu Royale) and plans to establish a special invitational event where Canadian chessplayers will have the possibility to score IM norms -- and a few more surprises, too.
An interview (in French, no translation available) with Joliet Philogenes. My French is practically non-existent, but I believe that Mr. Philogenes is an immigrant from Haiti to Canada and has settled in Quebec. He has played in many international tournaments. The lady sitting next to him is his wife - I am not certain if the young people introduced at the end of the video are some or all of their children or children and a student or two! Mr. Philogenes' enthusiasm for the Royal Game comes through loud and clear, no matter the language barriers! His comments include ruminations on the bonds that the game of chess creates among players, no matter what country they are from and what languages they speak.
2011 City of Montreal Chess Championships: The Ladies!
Another successful event this year, and the organizers are very happy! So are we!
Here are the chess femmes who participated in all sections, and the winners of the Goddesschess prizes (we did not offer a prize for the A Section but we did sponsor WGM Alina L'Ami) -- in bold blue, Goddesschess prizewinner #1 and in bold black, #2:
Section B : Shi Ling Yun ; Yu Kexin ; Ma, Indy
Here are the chess femmes who participated in all sections, and the winners of the Goddesschess prizes (we did not offer a prize for the A Section but we did sponsor WGM Alina L'Ami) -- in bold blue, Goddesschess prizewinner #1 and in bold black, #2:
Section A : L’Ami, Alina ; Roy, Myriam ; Zhou Qiyu
Section B : Shi Ling Yun ; Yu Kexin ; Ma, Indy
Section C : Saulnier-Legault, Léa ; Utepova, Alika ; Nicole, Chantal ; Serban, Diana
Section D : Ouellet, Maili-Jade ; Lorraine Dubois ; Édouard, Marie ; Fleurisca, Robesca , François, Yodeline ; Gao, Catherine ; Lapointe, Louise ; Roussel, Lauriane ; Tinica, Sabina ; Tsypin, Allison
The women count was 21, the best we had over the past four years!
Some special videos:
Some special videos:
Chantal Nicole, legally blind (she played in the C Section), and Bertrand Auger, discuss (in French, no translation), how Chantal came to play chess and the unique challenges involved in playing chess when visually impaired:
In Part 2, Chantal demonstrates a machine that allows her to record the moves of a game for later analysis:
An interview with 11 and 1/2 years old Diane Serban (played "up" a level, in the C Section):
Don McLean has many videos, including an extensive video interview with WGM Alina L'Ami. I'll post it as soon as I have it! I will separately post other video interviews from the Championnat.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
2011 Montreal Chess Championships
Round 4 results and standings have been posted. WGM L'Ami was bounced from first place to 5th place after a loss behind the black pieces to GM Batuev and - looking at updated standings after R4, FM Louie Jiang (CAN 2327) is currently in 1st place. L'Ami has white in R5 against Martin Leutschaft. Can she pull up in the standings? Here are standings for the A Group.
Corrected player account is 213 (I think) - with 21 chess femmes, for a participation rate of about 10%.
Updated shortly after 7 p.m. St. Louis time - current results in the A Group - all games either not yet finished or results not yet reported:
Corrected player account is 213 (I think) - with 21 chess femmes, for a participation rate of about 10%.
Rank after Round 4
Annotation: Tie Break1: The results of the players in the same point group#results against Tie Break2: Fide Tie-Break Tie Break3: Sum of Buchholz-Tie-Breaks (all Results) |
Updated shortly after 7 p.m. St. Louis time - current results in the A Group - all games either not yet finished or results not yet reported:
Round 5 on 2011/09/11 at 15:00
|
2011 Montreal Open Chess Championships
Final tally on registraton: 235 players per an email from Mr. Don.
Link to blog entries and a video - just checked and its through Round 3. Rounds 4 and 5 will be held today. A tough schedule.
You can find Group A standings here - L'Ami is confirmed in first place after the R3 with 3.0, ahead of two other players also with 3.0 on the basis of tie-breaks. Excellent!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Chess Femme News
2011 FIDE World Cup
Well, crap, Judit Polgar lost her first game with the white pieces against Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba , which means she has to win with black tomorrow in order to go to play-offs on Thursday.
Polgar is presently scheduled to play in St. Louis at the Kings v. Queens Chess Tournament at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Play begins Saturday, September 10th. If she makes it through to Round 5, she won't be in St. Louis! I checked last night at the chess club's website - Martha Fierro is a substitute player for the chess femmes. If that happens, those women won't stand a chance in hell of a team win for the femmes. Fierro just is not in the same league as a player of Polgar's caliber. Polgar was the women's team only chance of winning against Nakamura; I can't see any of the other players, much as I like them, doing anything against Nakamura, or even Anatoly Karpov, a last minute substitute for the men's team.
So, this event has gone from MUST SEE to something much less exciting.
In the meantime, the last US player in the World Cup, GM Gata Kamsky, also lost his game today. A draw tomorrow sends him home.
Shenzhen FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011
Gee, wonder who will win this one?
Botvinnik Memorial (Women)
I can't make heads or tails out of the official website, which is in Russian! But there are photos of the four chess femmes who played, and I know from The Week in Chess that GM Viktorija Cmilyte won. The other femmes were GM Koneru Humpy of India, GM Tatiana Kosintseva of Russia, and IM Elina Danielian of Armenia.
This does not bode well for Humpy: Viktorija Cmilyte won the women's event and there too the top seed finished last. That's from The Week in Chess, oh my.
2011 Montreal Open Chess Championships
Website. I would be remiss if I did not remind you of this great event that starts on Friday, September 9, 2011 in beautiful Montreal, Quebec. Goddesschess has underwritten expenses since the 2009 Championnat for female chessplayers of merit to appear and play for the title. This year WGM Alina L'Ami (ROU 2368) will be appearing.
I'm happy to report that at present there are 179 pre-registered players! This year, for the first time, there is a separate "A" group that will be FIDE rated. Goddesschess also provides prizes for the top two chess femmes in Sections B, C and D.
Can we break a record? 2010's Championnat saw 204 players! In 2009 there were 191 players!
We'd also like to see a record number of chess femmes participating. Thus far, here are the names of pre-registered players:
Group A (besides WGM L'Ami):
Myriam Roy (2102)
Group C:
Nicole Chantale (1172)
Diana Serban (1052)
Alika Utepova (?)
Group D:
Lorraine Dubois (1066)
Marie E. Eduoard (unr?)
Roberta A. Fleurisca (unr?)
Yodeline Francois (unr?)
Lauriane Roussel (954)
Sabina Tinica (unr?)
Alison Tsypin (762)
I will check with the organizers to confirm pre-registered femmes. I'd love to break a record for female participation this year!
Well, crap, Judit Polgar lost her first game with the white pieces against Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba , which means she has to win with black tomorrow in order to go to play-offs on Thursday.
Polgar is presently scheduled to play in St. Louis at the Kings v. Queens Chess Tournament at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Play begins Saturday, September 10th. If she makes it through to Round 5, she won't be in St. Louis! I checked last night at the chess club's website - Martha Fierro is a substitute player for the chess femmes. If that happens, those women won't stand a chance in hell of a team win for the femmes. Fierro just is not in the same league as a player of Polgar's caliber. Polgar was the women's team only chance of winning against Nakamura; I can't see any of the other players, much as I like them, doing anything against Nakamura, or even Anatoly Karpov, a last minute substitute for the men's team.
So, this event has gone from MUST SEE to something much less exciting.
In the meantime, the last US player in the World Cup, GM Gata Kamsky, also lost his game today. A draw tomorrow sends him home.
Shenzhen FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011
| Shenzhen WGP 2011 Shenzhen CHN Thu 1st Sep 2011 - Thu 15th Sep 2011 Leading Round 0 (of 11) Standings: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Name | Ti | FED | Rtg |
| 1 | Hou Yifan | GM | CHN | 2578 |
| 2 | Ju Wenjun | WGM | CHN | 2536 |
| 3 | Victorija Cmilyte | GM | LTU | 2525 |
| 4 | Zhu Chen | GM | QAT | 2490 |
| 5 | Anna Muzychuk | IM | SLO | 2545 |
| 6 | Zhao Xue | GM | CHN | 2497 |
| 7 | Yildiz, Betul Cemre | WIM | TUR | 2308 |
| 8 | Munguntuul Batkhuyag | IM | MGL | 2465 |
| 9 | Elina Danielian | GM | ARM | 2517 |
| 10 | Alisa Galliamova | IM | RUS | 2498 |
| 11 | Ruan Lufei | WGM | CHN | 2477 |
| 12 | Ekaterina Kovalevskaya | IM | RUS | 2421 |
Gee, wonder who will win this one?
Botvinnik Memorial (Women)
I can't make heads or tails out of the official website, which is in Russian! But there are photos of the four chess femmes who played, and I know from The Week in Chess that GM Viktorija Cmilyte won. The other femmes were GM Koneru Humpy of India, GM Tatiana Kosintseva of Russia, and IM Elina Danielian of Armenia.
This does not bode well for Humpy: Viktorija Cmilyte won the women's event and there too the top seed finished last. That's from The Week in Chess, oh my.
| Botvinnik Memorial w Moscow (RUS), 2-3 ix 2011 | cat. XII (2545) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| 1. | Cmilyte, Viktorija | g | LTU | 2525 | * | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2676 | |||
| 2. | Danielian, Elina | g | ARM | 2517 | 1 | 0 | * | * | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 3½ | 2610 | |||
| 3. | Kosintseva, Tatiana | g | RUS | 2536 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | * | * | 0 | ½ | 2½ | 2490 | |||
| 4. | Koneru, Humpy | g | IND | 2600 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | * | * | 2 | 2401 | |||
Round 1 (September 2, 2011) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danielian, Elina | - Cmilyte, Viktorija | 1-0 | 53 | E60 | King's Indian without Nc3 | |
| Kosintseva, Tatiana | - Koneru, Humpy | 0-1 | 46 | C84 | Ruy Lopez Centre Attack | |
| Round 2 (September 2, 2011) | ||||||
| Kosintseva, Tatiana | - Danielian, Elina | 1-0 | 41 | B12 | Caro Kann Advanced | |
| Koneru, Humpy | - Cmilyte, Viktorija | 0-1 | 45 | A61 | Benoni | |
| Round 3 (September 2, 2011) | ||||||
| Cmilyte, Viktorija | - Kosintseva, Tatiana | 1-0 | 33 | D38 | QGD Ragozin | |
| Danielian, Elina | - Koneru, Humpy | ½-½ | 66 | D02 | Queen's Pawn Game | |
| Round 4 (September 3, 2011) | ||||||
| Cmilyte, Viktorija | - Danielian, Elina | 1-0 | 61 | A35 | English Symmetrical | |
| Koneru, Humpy | - Kosintseva, Tatiana | ½-½ | 69 | E46 | Nimzo Indian Rubinstein | |
| Round 5 (September 3, 2011) | ||||||
| Cmilyte, Viktorija | - Koneru, Humpy | 1-0 | 32 | D38 | QGD Ragozin | |
| Danielian, Elina | - Kosintseva, Tatiana | 1-0 | 24 | A09 | Reti Opening | |
| Round 6 (September 3, 2011) | ||||||
| Kosintseva, Tatiana | - Cmilyte, Viktorija | 1-0 | 38 | B77 | Sicilian Modern Dragon | |
| Koneru, Humpy | - Danielian, Elina | 0-1 | 52 | D11 | Slav Defence | |
2011 Montreal Open Chess Championships
Website. I would be remiss if I did not remind you of this great event that starts on Friday, September 9, 2011 in beautiful Montreal, Quebec. Goddesschess has underwritten expenses since the 2009 Championnat for female chessplayers of merit to appear and play for the title. This year WGM Alina L'Ami (ROU 2368) will be appearing.
I'm happy to report that at present there are 179 pre-registered players! This year, for the first time, there is a separate "A" group that will be FIDE rated. Goddesschess also provides prizes for the top two chess femmes in Sections B, C and D.
Can we break a record? 2010's Championnat saw 204 players! In 2009 there were 191 players!
We'd also like to see a record number of chess femmes participating. Thus far, here are the names of pre-registered players:
Group A (besides WGM L'Ami):
Myriam Roy (2102)
Group C:
Nicole Chantale (1172)
Diana Serban (1052)
Alika Utepova (?)
Group D:
Lorraine Dubois (1066)
Marie E. Eduoard (unr?)
Roberta A. Fleurisca (unr?)
Yodeline Francois (unr?)
Lauriane Roussel (954)
Sabina Tinica (unr?)
Alison Tsypin (762)
I will check with the organizers to confirm pre-registered femmes. I'd love to break a record for female participation this year!
Friday, July 15, 2011
2011 Montreal Open Chess Championships
The Championnat will be held in beautiful Montreal, Quebec September 9 - 11, 2011. This is our third year of sponsorship for the venerable event! Information (in English). More information and a short video showing off the beautiful playing venue and opening action from the 2010 Championnat.
It is a pleasure to work with the organizers of this great event. Since our initial involvement (2009) they have demonstrated a constant dedication and fervor to making each year's Championnat the best it can be. Indeed, planning for the next Championnat begins almost immediately after the conclusion of the last!
This year, Section A action is FIDE rated! The playing venue is once again the beautiful hall at the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 3200 Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine (on the campus of the University of Montreal). The guaranteed prize fund has been increased to $6000 (Canadian) this year. What's not to love?
This year Goddesschess is again providing class prizes for female chess players in the B, C and D section and we are very pleased to sponsor the appearance of WGM Alina L'Ami (ROM 2312), who will be competing in the A Section!
Among Alina's chessly accomplishments:
World Champion under 10 (in Brazil, 1995)
European Champion under 18 (in Spain, 2003)
Balkan Women Champion (in Turkey, 2003)
You can find out more about Alina at her website. She is married to GM Erwin L'Ami of the Netherlands.
Alina recently competed in and finished first in the Women's section of the CUCA International in Luanda, Angola. Talk about an exotic location! More about it in this Chessbase article. Alina just finished a fine performance in the Barbera del Valles International Open (Group A) (July 4 - 12, 2011), in Spain, in 10th place overall with 6.0/9 and the top finishing female player. Alina did a report on this event for Chessbase.
Some of her chess games. Alina at Facebook.
Please join us in celebrating the 91st Montreal Open Chess Championships!
It is a pleasure to work with the organizers of this great event. Since our initial involvement (2009) they have demonstrated a constant dedication and fervor to making each year's Championnat the best it can be. Indeed, planning for the next Championnat begins almost immediately after the conclusion of the last!
This year, Section A action is FIDE rated! The playing venue is once again the beautiful hall at the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 3200 Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine (on the campus of the University of Montreal). The guaranteed prize fund has been increased to $6000 (Canadian) this year. What's not to love?
 |
| Alina L'Ami at Barbera del Valles 2011 |
Among Alina's chessly accomplishments:
World Champion under 10 (in Brazil, 1995)
European Champion under 18 (in Spain, 2003)
Balkan Women Champion (in Turkey, 2003)
You can find out more about Alina at her website. She is married to GM Erwin L'Ami of the Netherlands.
Alina recently competed in and finished first in the Women's section of the CUCA International in Luanda, Angola. Talk about an exotic location! More about it in this Chessbase article. Alina just finished a fine performance in the Barbera del Valles International Open (Group A) (July 4 - 12, 2011), in Spain, in 10th place overall with 6.0/9 and the top finishing female player. Alina did a report on this event for Chessbase.
Some of her chess games. Alina at Facebook.
Please join us in celebrating the 91st Montreal Open Chess Championships!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
91st City of Montreal Open Chess Championships
We have partnered with the organizers of this fine event since 2009 to bring top-level female players to the Championnat in addition to sponsoring class prizes for female chessplayers who participate. Stay tuned for further news!
This year's Championnat, the 91st in its illustrious history, will be held September 9 - 11, 2011 in Montreal in the beautiful surroundings of College Jean de Brebeuf (on the grounds of the University of Montreal).
This year the A Section is FIDE rated!
Guaranteed Prize Fund 6 000 $
SECTION A (>=2000 or Quebec rating index >=21
1 350 $, 675 $, 335 $, 175 $, 100 $ (<2300), 85 $ (<2100)
SECTION B <2000
725 $, 360 $, 180 $, 100 $, 80 $ (<1800), 70 $ (Cadet), 45 $ & 35 $ (women)
SECTION C <1600
425 $, 210 $, 105 $, 75 $, 70 $ (<1400), 55 $ (Cadet), 35 $ & 25 $ (women)
SECTION D <1200 et s/c
250 $, 125 $, 80 $, 60 $, 55 $ (<1000), 40 $ (Cadet),
25 $ & 15 $ (women), 35 $ (unrated)
I blogged extensively about the 90th (2010) Championnat (if the link works!)
Don McLean of Goddesschess did a number of videos, available at You Tube. Here is one:
By the way, GM Kosteniuk did watch the video and had a good laugh :)
This year's Championnat, the 91st in its illustrious history, will be held September 9 - 11, 2011 in Montreal in the beautiful surroundings of College Jean de Brebeuf (on the grounds of the University of Montreal).
This year the A Section is FIDE rated!
Guaranteed Prize Fund 6 000 $
SECTION A (>=2000 or Quebec rating index >=21
1 350 $, 675 $, 335 $, 175 $, 100 $ (<2300), 85 $ (<2100)
SECTION B <2000
725 $, 360 $, 180 $, 100 $, 80 $ (<1800), 70 $ (Cadet), 45 $ & 35 $ (women)
SECTION C <1600
425 $, 210 $, 105 $, 75 $, 70 $ (<1400), 55 $ (Cadet), 35 $ & 25 $ (women)
SECTION D <1200 et s/c
250 $, 125 $, 80 $, 60 $, 55 $ (<1000), 40 $ (Cadet),
25 $ & 15 $ (women), 35 $ (unrated)
I blogged extensively about the 90th (2010) Championnat (if the link works!)
Don McLean of Goddesschess did a number of videos, available at You Tube. Here is one:
By the way, GM Kosteniuk did watch the video and had a good laugh :)
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