Attention all chess enthusiasts and strategists! Get ready to experience the exhilarating world of Bughouse Chess, the most captivating and thrilling chess variant ever created! Join us this summer on Friday March 7th, 2025 from 7 pm – 9 pm for a great night of bughouse!
What is Bughouse Chess? Bughouse Chess is the fusion of lightning-fast gameplay and strategic teamwork, where two teams of two players apiece battle it out simultaneously on two chessboards. It’s like chess on steroids! Teamwork makes the dream work!
WHEN: Friday, March 7th, 7:00 pm – 9 pm.
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room.
WHAT: 5 double-round Blitz Event (Swiss), with a 5 minute time control.
RATED: Unrated
ENTRY FEE: Free for members, free for non-members but ineligible for prizes. Register onsite before 7pm.
PRIZE FUND: Guaranteed $200. Distribution announced onsite.
MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 20 teams
NOTE: chess sets and boards provided. There will be no Quads tournament on March 7th
MAXIMUM RATINGS: There is a team max-average rating limit of 2300 based on CFC active ratings.
March 29–30, 2025 — The Hart House Chess Club proudly represented the University of Toronto in a thrilling intercollegiate chess showdown against the University of Waterloo’s Chess Club. Played across 18 boards, the competition showcased a wide spectrum of talent—from rising amateur players to International Masters.
Manuel Drehwald vs Rachel Spanglet on Board 18. Photo by Derek Ma
After two days of intense play, the University of Toronto emerged victorious with a narrow edge, scoring 236.5 points to Waterloo’s 195.5 points.
Tournament Format
The event followed a two-day team format:
Day 1 featured blitz and rapid rounds. Players were divided into three pools of six, with pools competing in a double-round Scheveningen-style blitz tournament (12 games total), followed by 2 rapid games.
Day 2 concluded with 4 additional rapid games per player.
Meals were also part of the experience—Hart House catering on Day 1 and pizza on Day 2 fueled the competitors throughout the weekend.
Individual RESULTS
University of Toronto
Blitz Top Performer: Manuel Drehwald — 11/12 points
Top Rapid Performers: Max England, Nicholas Vettese, Mark Li, and Bingfei Wang — 5/6 points each
University of Waterloo
Top Blitz Performer: Christopher Xiang — 8/12 points
Top Rapid Performers: William Ratelband and Cody Ruan — 5/6 points each
Max England vs Olivier Lalonde on Board 1. Photo by Derek Ma
See below for the original event post and details. Photos of the event are available here.
The Hart House Chess Club (University of Toronto) and University of Waterloo Chess Club have agreed to an inter-university match between the clubs from March 29th – March 30th, 2025. As two leading university hubs for chess in Ontario, this match will see two schools battle it out for school pride and glory. The tournament is a Team Match with Scheveningen pairings, and players will play only against players from opposing schools. There will be 18 players per team, and three pools per team. The tournament is a Team Rapid and Blitz, with each point counting towards the overall team score.
Tournament Overview
WHERE: Music Room, Hart House, University of Toronto.
WHEN: March 29th – March 30th
SCHEDULE: 6 Double-Round Blitz Round-Robin tournament, split in 3 sections. Followed by a 6 Single-Round Rapid Tournament.
TIME CONTROL: Blitz: 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment from move 1. Rapid: 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment from move 1.
RATING: All sections will be CFC Active Rated. Blitz will be FIDE Blitz Rated. Rapid will be FIDE Rapid Rated.
DGT Boards: All games will be broadcast live on DGT boards. Game delay of 60 seconds for blitz, 3 minutes for rapid.
Organizers: Victor Zheng (Toronto), Josh Zabor – (Waterloo)
Arbiters: Victor Zheng, Tanner McNamara, Michael Corrie
Media: Stella Ting, Derek Ma
Blitz Tournament
Team tournament of 6 double rounds starting at 12 noon, Saturday March 29th
Time Control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds increment
Round Times: Round 1 at 12 noon, subsequent rounds every 15 minutes with event ending around 3 pm.
Sections: Each school will have a Team A, Team B, and Team C each with 6 players.
Team A will play all players of Team A in blitz.
Rapid Tournament
Team tournament of 6 rounds starting at 4 pm, Saturday March 30th
Time Control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment
Sections: Each school will have a Team A, Team B, and Team C each with 6 players.
Team A will play all players of Team A in rapid.
Pizza will be provided on Sunday afternoon after Round 2.
Tournament System:
Scheveningen System – Pairings will be announced by noon March 28th.
Prizes:
Team Plaque for overall team winner. A Rapid win counts as 2 points and a Blitz win as 1 point. If team are tied in points after the Rapid, a single-game tiebreaker blitz will be played from a player nominated from each school, until a decisive result is achieved.
Individual Prizes: $100 + Plaque for 1st for the top-player in each section for each tournament.
Live Broadcast
The top-12 games will be broadcast live on DGT boards available for blitz and rapid.
PAIRINGS
Pairings and team standings for the tournament are available here. Drawing of lots were held alongside team representatives on March 26th to determine pairings and starting rank orders. Results, pairings, and crosstables are available on chess-results.
The University of Toronto has won the the 2025 Canadian University Chess Championship (CUCC)! Team A with IM Nicholas Vettese, FM Sergey Noritsyn, FM Max Rusonik, Fengxi Mao, and Samuel Zhang finished with a perfect 5-0 match points to win the tournament hosted at the Université de Montréal.
The Hart House Chess Club representing the University of Toronto, sent 4 teams to the tournament with numerous players also winning individual prizes. The hosts were the Université de Montréal Chess Club and McGill Chess Club.
The Hart House Chess Club is excited to host an electrifying chess showdown between International Masters Mark Plotkin and Nicholas Vettese. Join us for this spectacular event where two of Canada’s top chess talents will compete across multiple formats.
Who is IM Nicholas Vettese:
IM Nicholas Vettese at Hart House in 2024
Nicholas Vettese is a current student at the University of Toronto who began playing chess at the tender age of six, in Grade 1. This was by way of an elementary school lunchtime program that his mother discovered. Excelling rapidly, he became the top-rated player on the Canadian Under-10 list and at the age of 10, he became the youngest-ever Canadian National Master. In 2021, he won the North American Youth Chess Championship, which crowns the best U18 chess players in North America and subsequently achieved his International Master title. He has played for the Hart House Chess Club’s PanAmerican Intercollegiate and Canadian University Championship teams.
Who is IM Mark Plotkin:
IM Mark Plotkin at Hart House in 2024
Mark Plotkin is a distinguished Canadian chess player and coach, holding the FIDE title of International Master. Mark’s journey in the world of chess began with the aid of his father, Victor Plotkin, a strong FIDE Master and captain of several Canadian Olympiad teams. His early exposure to the game laid the foundation for a notable career that would see him rise to prominence in the chess community. Mark pursued higher education at the University of Toronto, getting a degree in Political Science and Journalism, where he not only sharpened his academic skills but also joined the Hart House Chess Club and contributed to the university team’s victory in the Canadian University Chess Championship.
Why should you watch the match
The match pits the two of the strongest University of Toronto students of the past 10 years against one another to see who is the strongest of all. There is a lot on the line as the two battle to see who is truly the master of all formats (Classical, Rapid, and Blitz).
Event Details
Dates: Thursday, January 30th, 2025 – Saturday, February 1st, 2025
Organizer: Hart House Chess Club
Location: Hart House, University of Toronto 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3
Rated:
FIDE rated in Standard, Rapid, and Blitz
CFC rated in all formats
Spectators: Spectators are welcome for all portions of the match. Please note that all electronic devices must be turned off. The organizers reserve the right to revoke spectator access at any time.
DGT Boards All games will be broadcasted and will feature a delay on lichess.org at the follow link.
Classical chess: 15-minute delay
Rapid chess: 2-minute delay
Blitz chess: 30-second delay
Points System:
10 points for a Classical match win
5 points for a Rapid match win
2 points for a Blitz match win
Each format totals 40 points, with a combined total of 120 points available. The player with the most points at the end will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the prize fund will be split equally.
Prize Fund: $500, distributed based on the percentage of wins.
Schedule and Format
Classical
Time Control: 60 minutes + 30-second increment from move 1
Thursday evening: 1 game (7:05 PM, South Sitting Room)
Time Control: 15 minutes + 5-second increment from move 1
Saturday Morning: 8 games starting at 10 AM
Rounds begin approximately 10 minutes after the previous game concludes.
Lunch break at 1 PM
Blitz
Time Control: 3 minutes + 2-second increment from move 1
Saturday Evening: 20 games starting at 5:30 PM
Games are scheduled approximately every 12 minutes, with short breaks after every set of 5 games.
Detailed Schedule
Thursday, January 30th, 2025 – South Sitting Room
7:05 PM: Classical Game 1
Friday, January 31st, 2025 – Bickersteth Room
10:00 AM: Classical Game 2
2:00 PM: Classical Game 3
6:00 PM: Classical Game 4
Saturday, February 1st, 2025 – South Sitting Room
Rapid Schedule:
10:00 AM: Game 1
10:50 AM (approx): Game 2
11:40 AM (approx): Game 3
12:30 PM (approx): Game 4
1:00 PM: Lunch Break
2:00 PM (approx): Game 5
2:50 PM (approx): Game 6
3:40 PM (approx): Game 7
4:30 PM (approx): Game 8
Blitz Schedule:
5:30 PM: Game 1
Games follow approximately every 12 minutes, with breaks after every set of 5 games.
Join Us
Experience the thrill of competitive chess in a dynamic atmosphere at Hart House. Witness masterful strategies unfold live and cheer on your favorite IM as they vie for victory. Spectators are welcome to watch online or in-person!
The 2025 Toronto Rapid Chess Championship was held at Hart House on April 27th with 118 participants. The winners were IM Mark Plotkin in the Crown section, Justin Yuan in U1800, and Fred Chun in U1400. Photos by Jay Bhadreshwara.
Photos from the Canadian Chess Federation Newsletter (John Upper) are available here. Photos from the Club’s photographer Jay Bhadreshwara are available here.
The Hart House Chess Club is proud to host the 2025 Toronto Rapid Championship at Hart House on Sunday, April 27th, 2025. The tournament is a 7-round Swiss Tournament with a time-control of 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move increment.
The Hart House Chess Club successfully hosted the 2024 Toronto Rapid on April 20th, 2024 with 140 participants. We are looking forward to hosting the tournament again and welcoming back the community to Hart House.
Byes: Up to one 1/2 point bye for rounds 1-6 can be requested by emailing us by Fri. April 25th at 11:59pm. Endorsement: Tournament is endorsed by the Greater Toronto Chess League (GTCL) CFC Memberships: Registrants must be current CFC members. All memberships should be paid and renewed online at https://chess.ca/membership-fees. Full year $48 for adults, $32 for juniors ($12 for adults, $6 for juniors for single-tournament). Foreign players $8. Unrated Players: Review our New To Tournament Guide for expectations before playing in your first tournament. Photography: By signing up, you permit HHCC the ability to take and use photos from the tournament on its social media. If you would not like your photo used, please email us at hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca. CFC Active or CFC Regular: this tournament will use CFC Active/FIDE Rapid for section eligibility. Up to TDs discretion. Foreign Ratings: all participants must disclose all foreign ratings at time of registration or via email. Accessibility and Visitor Information: Hart House is a accessible building and conveniently located. For further details, visit Visitor Information and Accessibility. Food and Restaurants: Hart House is located in Downtown Toronto, just minutes from most major restaurants and eateries, including Tim-Hortons, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. In addition, sit-down restaurants are located throughout the area on Bloor, College, Spadina, Bay and Yonge Streets. All are within 15 minutes of walking distance.
The tournament will be hosted at the historic, neo-gothic building, Hart House, at the University of Toronto. Hart House is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful student centers and is a visual icon of the University of Toronto. The grand interior of Hart House is designed with high arched ceilings that vary from room to room.
Since 2008, the venue has hosted two of the largest annual Toronto chess events, the Hart House Holidays and Hart House Reading Week Open.
Welcome back to a new year of chess at Hart House! The Hart House Chess Club is kicking off the new year with a Welcome-Back Pizza Party and the annual HHCC Blitz Championship on Friday, January 10th, 2025.
At 6 pm, come to Hart House to indulge in pizza, talk to Executives, ask questions, and learn about our offerings this semester. In addition, all guests are encouraged to participate in Casual Chess! All those intending to participate are asked to complete our RSVP form no later than Wednesday, January 8th at 6 pm.
Afterwards, join us for the 2025 Hart House Chess Club Blitz Championship! Open to all, this is a 9-round unrated swiss event to start off the semester! Students and community members are welcome and encouraged to come!
Pizza party details
WHEN: Welcome Back Pizza: Friday, January 10th 6 pm – 7 pm – Reading Room
RSVP required for pizza, see this form and fill by 6 pm, Thursday, Jan 9
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room
blitz Format and event details
WHEN: Friday, January 10th, 7:30 pm – 10 pm. Rd #1 starts at 7:30 P.M.
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – East Common Room.
WHAT: 9-round single-round Blitz Event (Swiss), with a 3 minute + 2 second time control.
RATED: Unrated
REGISTRATION: On-site registration before 7:15 PM
ENTRY FEE: FREE for members, $10 for non-members, free for FMs and above. Pay onsite with cash before 7:15 pm.
PRIZE FUND (est. based on 60 entries): $400 as follows:
1st place – $120
2nd place – $80
3rd place – $50
Top Woman – $50
Top U1900 – $50
Top U1400 – $50
SPECIAL PRIZES: All participants will be entered into a door prize for a HHCC merchandise.
The 2025 Canadian University Chess Championship is coming up soon and we want to inform everyone of the logistics for this year. This year’s tournament is from January 24th to 26th in Montreal, Quebec, and is being hosted by the Université de Montréal and McGill University chess clubs. There is no qualifying procedure and everyone is welcome to play. The Hart House Chess Club will send four teams to CUCC this year on a first-come, first-serve basis, of which a maximum of two teams will play in the Crown section. Registration fees and accommodation will be covered by the Hart House Chess Club with a $30 nonrefundable deposit.
Organizers: UdeM and McGill University Chess Clubs — Official Website
Tournament: 5-round team Swiss (4 players per team) Each team may have a reserve fifth player, who may be substituted at will. The board order must be determined before the first round. The board order must generally follow ratings.
Time control: 90 mins + 30 sec/per move increment
Eligibility: All players must be University of Toronto students, faculty, or staff members. All participants must also be members of the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) or the Fédération Québécoise des Échecs (FQE).
Hotel: Lodging information is available here. Please note that the club will coordinate accommodation and cover costs — final details will be emailed to registered players.
Contact: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca if you have any questions
Schedule
Friday, January 24th Opening Ceremony and Technical Meeting @ 6:00 PM Round 1 @ 6:30 PM
Saturday, January 25th Round 2 @ 10:00 AM Lunch @ 2:00 PM Round 3 @ 3:00 PM
1. Hart House Chess Club Membership [mandatory]. If you have not already done this, you can do this at Hart House main desk or online for $10 (Winter semester.)
2. Chess Federation of Canada Membership The CUCC will be rated with the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC). Some of you are already active members of the chess tournament scene, others are not. If not, you will have a published rating based on your results, after this tournament. You can get an annual CFC membership on-line for $48 or a single tournament membership for $20.
3. Paying Fees and Registering Hotel fees and registration fees are all accommodated by Hart House Chess Club. Participants will be asked to cover their travel fees.
Link to the sign-up page is now online here. Spots are given out in order of registration, except 4 spots reserved for the highest rated players. Highest rated players must inform the Club by December 15th to guarantee their spot on the team.
Because Hart House financially sponsors this event for students, the following Asana form must be filled immediately following payment. Following successful payment and completion of the Asana form, your registration will be confirmed.
The CUCC is a team event that will provide for an excellent tournament experience and a wonderful team-bonding event, so come prepared to play some chess and enjoy yourself! One of the goals of the Club is to encourage beginners and new-to-chess members to participate! We highly encourage beginners and those without tournament experience to play at this event!
In 2024, Queen’s University hosted the event. See last year’s event report here.
The Greater Toronto Chess League Cup is back again for another year at the Annex Chess Club. The Greater Toronto Chess League runs chess matches between clubs in the Toronto region and this year’s Cup tournament will be held on Monday, December 9th from 7 pm – 11 pm. Full event info can be found here.
Matches are four-on-four, featuring some of the strongest players in each GTA club. This year’s GTCL Cup is a 5-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 15 minutes per player, plus a 5-second-per-move increment from move 1 team. Each team consists of 4 players with the option of including one alternate. The event is CFC quick-rated and, CFC membership is required. Games will be played on Monday, December 9th, 7-11:30 PM.
Format: 5-round Swiss (team vs. team) in two sections – Championship and U1800 teams play in separate sections.
Round Times: Round 1 starts at 7:00 pm sharp; subsequent rounds to begin every 45 minutes; event expected to be over by 11:30 pm. Players are expected to arrive by 6:30 pm to check-in. Hart House Chess Club members are expected to arrive by 6:50 pm.
Time Control: 15 minutes plus a 5 second increment after every move.
Location: Annex Chess Club, 918 Bathurst St, Toronto
CFC Memberships: The Club will subsidize student members’ first tournament CFC membership. Please contact us for details.
Entry Fee: 100% discounted entry for Hart House Chess Club members. Up to 12 players will be subsidized (first come first served), plus a waitlist for dropouts. HHCC will aim to cover as many interested players as possible.
Eligibility: All Hart House Chess Club members are eligible to represent our club at the 2024 GTCL Cup (a student membership is free). Our alumni are also welcome to play.
Registration: If you want to represent Hart House Chess Club in the tournament, please fill out this form. We are happy to accommodate people who want to play alongside their friends (e.g. as a team of four/five)!
Deadline for Registration: Saturday, December 8th or until space runs out. The Club will also maintain a waitlist for participants.
The members of U of T’s Varsity Chess Team represent U of T at various events throughout the year. The 2025 Varsity Chess Team consist of the following students.
Samuel Zhang is a first year undergraduate student studying Math, Physics, and Economics. From when he learned the game at the age of 10, chess realized his thirst for competition, from playing his dad to competing in tournaments just a year later. Samuel reached the title of USCF candidate master less than 2 years after his first tournament, and continued to play throughout high school and now into university. He’s been teaching chess for the past 4 years at his own chess club that he started for his town, and continues to teach now in Toronto. Samuel first visited the Hart House Chess Club when he competed in the 2024 Canadian Zonals, scoring 6/7 winning 6 games in a row, and reaching a CFC rating of 2322. He is grateful to be a part of the club’s board and hopes to grow HHCC’s community in any way he can.
Hart House Chess Club 