Author: harthousechess

The Hart House Chess Club is pleased to announce an upcoming FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar at Hart House, Fri. Nov 10th – Sun. Nov. 12th, 2023. The seminar will be conducted by Canada’s leading Arbiter and organizer, International Arbiter Hal Bond.

Amongst his many accolades, Hal Bond has served as the Chief Arbiter at the 2012 Women’s World Chess Championship, Deputy Arbiter at the 2012 World Chess Championship, and as the Chief Arbiter of the 2017 World Youth Chess Championship.

WHEN: Friday, November 10th, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Saturday November 11th 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, Sunday November 12th 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Committees Room.
WHAT: FIDE Arbiter Seminar hosted over 3 days
WHO: The Lecturer will be IA/IO Bond, Hal (CAN), FIDE Lecturer.
ENTRY FEE: $250 paid online only
CAPACITY: 15 participants
LANGUAGE: The language of the seminar will be English.
ORGANIZERS: Hart House Chess Club
EQUIPMENT: All materials provided

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The Seminar will give norms and titles of FIDE Arbiter, according to the Regulations for the titles of Arbiters.

Note: All participants must be National Arbiters to register.

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SCHEDULE:
November 10:
6pm – 10pm Role of Arbiters, Laws of Chess (4hrs)
November 11:
10 am – 12 pm Ratings and OTB Title Regulations (2hrs.)
12 pm- 1 pm System of Games, Tie-breaks (1 hour)
2 pm – 4:30pm: Swiss Pairings, (2.5 hrs)
4:30 – 6pm Competition Rules, Equipment standards and clocks (1.5hrs)
November 12:
10 am – 11 am Arbiter Title Regs (1 hr)
11 am – 12 pm: Fair Play (1 hr)
12 pm – 2 pm: seminar review (2 hrs)
2 pm -6 pm : Exam (4 hrs)

Official FIDE posting: https://arbiters.fide.com/news/event/138th-internet-based-fide-arbiters-seminar-chess-federation-of-canada?instance_id=17693

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REGISTRATION:

Registration is available here. Please note that there are some pre-requisites required before signing up for this event. For information, please email us at hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

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For more information regarding the FIDE Arbiter seminar and system, see:
1. https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B0602
2. https://arbiters.fide.com/arb-titles/fide-arbiters-system

REPORT:

FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar in Toronto (CAN) – Report

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The Hart House Chess Club is participating in an outdoor chess event organized by Queen’s University Chess Club on Saturday, August 5th. In association with Fred Victor, a Toronto non-profit with the mission to improve the health, income and housing of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. All proceeds from the charity event will be donated to Fred Victor.

Queen’s University Chess Club is the host of the 2024 Canadian University Chess Championship, which will be held in January 2024 in-person at Queen’s University. More information will be announced and posted on the HHCC website as information becomes available.

FORMAT AND LOGISTICS

Where: Regent Park, Toronto, M5A 3G1, Toronto, Ontario
When: Saturday, August 5th, 2023 from 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Format: Casual Play followed by a Blitz tournament from 4 pm – 8 pm
Sections:
– Beginner to intermediate (Online Elo: 100-1700)
– Intermediate to advanced (Online Elo: 1800+)
Cost: free casual play, $10 for blitz (students), $15 for blitz (non students)
Eligibility: only to everyone including non-students
Registration: online via Google Forms
Organizer: Queen’s University Chess Club
Email:  Queen’s U: 19dt17@queensu.ca, hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca
CFC: unrated
Equipment: Chess sets and clocks supplied

Join the Hart House Chess Club (HHCC) for a Summer Junior Tournament on Saturday, August 26th, in the Hart House Debates, Committee, Meeting Rooms. The tournament includes game analysis provided by UofT’s top chess players.

Format: 4-round CFC-Regular Rated, Swiss Tournament
Location: Hart House Debates Room, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3
Time Control: 45 mins + 15 secs/move increment from move 1 for all sections
Rating: Both sections will be CFC Classical Rated
Capacity: 50
Rounds: 9:00 am, 11:15 am, 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm
Awards Ceremony: 6:00 pm or ASAP after round 4
Sections:  U1300, U900
Equipment: HHCC will supply all chess equipment
Prizes: Trophies for 1st-3rd in all sections, top-girl
Entry Fees: $35.00 by July 31st, $40.00 before noon August 24th and is only available on the Hart House website. 
Registration: via Hart House website by noon Fri. August 25th, 2023. No onsite registration. Once full, a waitlist will open for possible additional spots.
Eligibility: This tournament is juniors 18 and under only, born 2005 or later.
Organizer: Hart House Chess Club

Game Analysis: Free game analysis will be provided between every round for players interested in analyzing their games with some of U of T’s strongest chess players. This is your chance to learn and compete in a CFC event in a community of chess lovers. Analysis will be conducted in the Committees Room.

Free snacks and water provided. Coffee also will be available for parents.

Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) Membership: Updated CFC memberships are not required since this tournament is a juniors-only event. However, players must have a CFC ID, which can be created here: https://www.chess.ca/en/players/membership-fees/.

Chess Notation: chess notation is required for this tournament for all moves until a player reaches 5 minutes. For more info, see: https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-notation.

New to chess tournament players: After completion of this tournament, you will get a CFC rating. No memberships are required, however, a member ID must be created. For a refresher on tournaments, see our New To Tournament Guide.

Parents: Children and teens must be supervised at all times. Please do not disturb students and other guests of Hart House. Players and their parents will be held responsible for any damages and fees caused by their actions and may be further sanctioned from Hart House Chess Club events.

Pairings and Standings

U1300 Pairings and Standings

U900 Pairings and Standings

Pre-Registered: (Updated August 26)

Starting Rank	Name of Participant	CFC ID	CFC Regular Rating	Quick Ratings (used for section eligibility)	Section	Byes
1	Noureddin T Mohamed	176495	1264	1511	U1300
2	Noah Chung	177781	1223	1214	U1300
3	Joshua Visva	175355	1222	1067	U1300
4	Andy Rui Wang	167302	1134	1303	U1300
5	Tommy (Zhuoxuan) Li	179190	1047	1032	U1300
6	Angela Wang	175459	1043	1346	U1300
7	Darren Chen	176209	1025	1072	U1300
8	Alyssa (Zhuojing) Li	179191	990	1011	U1300
9	Yiguo Gao	169414	985	1054	U1300
10	Shannon Zhao	179928	959	1087	U1300
11	Bryan Liang	177485	958	819	U1300
12	Jachin Liem	172356	902	660	U1300
13	Jayden Henry Tan	179333	897	1147	U1300
14	Michael Ivkin	175540	895	1074	U1300
15	Ridit Kakani	180518	875	1545	U1300
16	Jayden Kwok	180577	871	926	U1300
17	Connor Cao	181297	860	594	U900
18	Emma Yang	161205	842	1167	U1300
19	Sunny Wu	162808	810	1157	U1300
20	Etienne Ma	179465	798	1151	U1300
21	Cedric Gao	175697	798	901	U1300
22	Ian Gao	177611	776	799	U900
23	Evan Gao	177612	741	784	U900
24	Luke Ma	179464	734	1174	U1300
25	Jasper Liem	172354	717	560	U900
26	Harold Zhang	180565	707	915	U900
27	Caleb Liem	172355	679	642	U900
28	Cecilia Gu	178668	629	737	U900
29	Archer Feng	179922	589	905	U900
30	Jasper Feng	182453	582	719	U900
31	Roger Yang	180149	420	990	U900
32	Ethan Soong	182091	0	1148	U1300
33	Michael Sirkovich	183783	0		U900
34	Adrian Aranha	183755	0	807	U900
35	Bosco Sham	181164	0	1220	U1300
36	Brendan Madden	183838	0		U900
37	Kimberley Place	182441	0	477	U900
38	Balzac Zukerman-Desjardins	NA	0		U900
39	Ashwin Raja Perumal	183894	0		U900
40	Callum Cheng	182119	0		U900
41	Benjamin Thomas	183903	0		U900
42	Coen Kwok	183916	0		U900
43	Sou Yamauchi	184043	0		U900
44	Arham Bhura	182671	0	855	U900
45	Lucas Jia	180138	0	850	U900
46	Shiven Priebe	183932	0		U900
47	John Nguyen	180674	0	1073	U1300
48	Benjamin Chung	184042	0		U900	Bye Rd 3,4
49	Satoya Insel	184056	0		U900
50	Nova Cassel	168670	0		U900
51	Owen Hodnett	184303

For more details of past iterations, see 2023 Hart House Spring Junior.

Email: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

Want to showcase your speed chess skills? Join the Club on Fri. June 30th at Hart House for a speed chess tournament featuring 7 double-rounds of 1 min + 1 second bullet starting at 7 pm! We hope to see you there!

FORMAT AND EVENT DETAILS

• WHEN: Friday, June 30th, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
• WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room.
• WHAT: 7 double-round Bullet Event (Swiss), with a 1 minute + 1 second time control.
• RATED: Unrated
• ENTRY FEE: Free for members, $10 for non-members, free for titled players. Register onsite before 7pm.
• PRIZE FUND: Guaranteed $150. Distribution announced onsite.
• MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 50 players.
• NOTE: chess sets and boards provided

CONTACT:

Any questions can be sent to: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

Arbiter/Organizer: NA Victor Zheng

REPORT

On June 30th, the Canada Day Eve Bullet took place at Hart House chess club in order to rejoice in the statutory holiday.

Serving as the prelude of the national celebration for the anniversary of the confederation, the tournament was made up of 7 double-round bullet games with a time control of 1min+1s. A total of 21 players of various skill levels participated in this event.

The top place was gained by IM Alexander Reprintsev with scores of 12/14 followed by CM Koosha Jaferian with 11/14 and IM Mark Plotkin 10.5/14.

Join the Hart House Chess Club for the first blitz tournament of the summer this Friday, June 16th at Hart House! We’re playing 5 rounds of 5 minutes + 2 seconds blitz starting at 7 pm! We hope to see you there!

FORMAT AND EVENT DETAILS

• WHEN: Friday, June 16th, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
• WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room.
• WHAT: 5-round Blitz Event (Swiss), with a 5 minute + 2 second time control.
• RATED: Unrated
• ENTRY FEE: Free for members, $10 for non-members, free for titled players. Register onsite before 7pm.
• PRIZE FUND: Guaranteed $150. Distribution announced onsite.
• MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 50 players.
• NOTE: chess sets and boards provided
• Report Available

CONTACT:

Any questions can be sent to: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca.

Arbiter/Organizer: NA Victor Zheng

Photo Credits: Jiduo An, Hart House

Congrats to Ethan, Fengxi, Yunshan, Nicholas, Bingfei, Isabelle, and Cindy for qualifying to the PanAms to represent the Club!

See below for original event post:

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The Club will be holding a qualifying tournament from September 9th-10th to select players to represent the University of Toronto at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championships to be held next year in McAllen, Texas, Jan 4th – 7th, 2024. Travel and accommodation will be covered partially by HHCC.

PANAM INFO:

The annual Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Championship is the pinnacle of international collegiate chess. Dubbed the “World Series of College Chess”, the Club had fundraised and fielded teams to the tournament every year since 1965 (less COVID restricted years). The storied championship pits the best collegiate chess teams against one another from the North and South Americas. The Hart House Chess Club, representing the University of Toronto, has won the championship 6 times, the most from any non-American school.

Pan-Am-Qualifiers SCHEDULE:

Time Control:  60 minutes + 30 seconds increment

Check-in: 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Round 1:  9:30 am September 9th
Round 2:  12:45 pm September 9th
Round 3:  4 pm September 9th
Round 4:  9:30 am September 10th
Round 5:  12:45 pm September 10th
Tiebreaks (if needed)  4pm September 10th

0-point-byes are in effect.  Players are expected to play all rounds.
Forced byes will be awarded 1 point.

Players are required to check-in by 9:30 am to be paired for Round 1.

Ratings will be used for seeding/pairing purposes but the tournament itself will not be rated with the Chess Federation of Canada.

REGISTRATION: available online here, or in-person at the Hart House Info Desk. Also available in-person before 9:20 am day of the event. With valid proof of student enrollment.
WHAT: Unrated 5 Round Swiss Tournament with a 60 min + 30 sec increment time control.
COST: Free
WHERE: Hart House Debates Room, Committees Room for analysis/skittles
ELIGIBILITY: Current U of T students.

Pairings and Standings

Swiss: https://chess-results.com/tnr817381.aspx?lan=1

Tie-breaks: https://chess-results.com/tnr818093.aspx?lan=1

For more info, see the 2023 PanAm Qualifiers and the event report from last year’s PanAms in Seattle.

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The tournament will select 7 players based on final standings to represent the Hart House Chess Club and the University of Toronto at this year’s Pan-Ams. A mandatory fee of $250 for all participants is required and paid before end-of-September, however, the Club will cover the rest of fundraising costs. We ask that you only play in the tournament if you want to play in the Pan-Ams. Note that one spot was given out last year to Eilia Zomorrodian due to visa timelines.

It’s another semester, which means lessons are starting up again! For 12-weeks this Summer, the Club is hosting free lessons for all members of the Club. Students can become members for free.

Summer semester lessons begin this Friday, June 9th, 2023 and run until September 1st, 2023! 13-weeks of free chess classes for everyone interested in learning and being in a chess environment! Students can get their free membership and show up day-of! No need to commit to all lessons – you can show up to one, some, or all of them! Community members can become a Hart House Chess Club member for the summer to take part in lessons.  The lessons are structured in a way that missing lessons due to midterms, assignments, and exams will not affect learning outcomes.

Beginner Lessons: Fridays, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM will be taught by Victor Zheng (CFC: 2079) and Bowen Zhang (CFC 1348). Victor is a 3rd year CS Specialist student, a Varsity Chess Team player, and Secretary/President of the Club this year. Bowen is a 4th year Medical Biophysics PHD student and Events Director of the Club who also has lots of experience coaching beginners on playing chess! Both are looking forward to sharing their knowledge with everyone this summer!

Format: (Note: this format may change) The first 45 minutes will be a prepared lesson conducted on the weekly selected topic. Then, the second 45 minutes will be a mixture of activities such as playing out a positions, blindfold chess, hand and brain, blitz tournaments, or other interactive chess activities. 

Beginner Lesson Plan for Summer 2023: (subject to change) 

1. The rules of chess/mate in one, piece value, piece value in relation to pawn structure
2. Basic Checkmates/more complicated piece checkmates
3. Double attack, discovered check, double check, forks and windmills
4. Skewers, pins
5. Overloading (golden rule of attacking) deflection, attraction, clearance
6. Zugzwang (in the middle game and in the endgame – pawn promotion)
7. Checkmate patterns (backrank etc.)
8. Pawn endgames (majority v minority etc.)
9. Rook endgames
10. Openings (opening trees, differences in pawn structures etc.)
11. Middle game strategy 
12. Course Recap and Review
13. Guest Lecture by GM Vinay Bhat (East Common Room)

Location: All lessons will be held in the Bickersteth Room of Hart House. 

For all details on lessons, please visit our main Lessons page. See you there!