Find the event report here. See below for event details.
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 2nd – March 3rd, 2024. 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 12 players per team, and two pools per team. The tournament is a Team Rapid and Blitz, with each point counting towards the overall team score.
Sections: Each school will have a Team A and Team B, 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, Round Robin. Pairings will be announced by February 29th, 48 hours before the start of the tournament.
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.
Players: Please contact your university representative if you are interested in playing for your team.
Attention all “double chess” lovers and strategists! Get ready to experience the exhilarating world of Bughouse Chess, the most captivating and thrilling chess variant ever created! Join us on Friday February 9th, 2023 from 7 pm – 8:30 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, February 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room.
WHAT: 5 round double-round blitz event (Swiss), with a 5 minute time control.
RATED: Unrated
ENTRY FEE: Free for members, $10 for non-members, free for titled players. Register onsite before 7pm.
PRIZE FUND: Hart House Chess Club sweatshirts for both winners.
For the first time in the 21st Century, the Hart House Chess Club hosted the Toronto Rapid Championship in the Hart House Great Hall on Saturday, April 20th. The rapid tournament was a 6-round FIDE-rated and CFC-rated Rapid Swiss Event with a 10 mins + 5 seconds increment time control. Students were encouraged to attend and enjoy a break from exams!
IM Nicholas Vettese won the Toronto Rapid Crown section with a score of 5.5/6. Closely followed by FM Mike Ivanov and FM Aaron Reeve Mendes. In the U1800 section, Sudip Poudel, Korbin Schantz, and Jayden Lau tied for 1st. Finally, in the U1400 section, Ariel Emengga was first, followed by a tie between Jacob Fischer, Titan Wang, Calvin Devries, Mohammad Alsaiah, German Ierzhakov, and Alex Li for 2nd – 7th.
Chief TD was Alex Ferreira, assisted by Victor Zheng, Tanner McNamara, Bowen Zhang, Ahmed Khalf, and Michael Corrie.
Thank you all for coming and congratulations to all the winners! We hope to see you at future Hart House events soon.
For the original tournament post, see below.
Tournament Details
WHEN: Saturday, April 20th, 10 am – 2:30 pm. Rd #1 starts at 10:00 A.M. WHAT: 6-round FIDE Rated, CFC-Active Rated Swiss Tournament, 10 mins + 5 secs/move increment time control. WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON) Great Hall (playing hall) and East Common Room (analysis) RATINGS: CFC Quick Rated & FIDE Rapid Rated for Crown and U1800. CFC classical ratings will be used for Rd #1 pairings and final prizes. All players must have a valid CFC membership to play. ROUND TIMES: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 11:30 am, 12:15 pm, 1:00 pm, 1:45 pm SECTIONS: Crown (FIDE and CFC), U1800 (FIDE and CFC), U1400 (CFC) EQUIPMENT: HHCC will supply all chess equipment PRIZES: $5000 based on 180 players (1-3 weeks processing time paid via cheque or direct deposit). Prize winners: check your emails for confirmation and next steps after the event. Chief Arbiter: FA Alex Ferreira CAPACITY: 200 ORGANIZERS: Hart House Chess Club
Entry fees and Registration
Registration: Online via the Hart House Registration website by Thursday, April 18th at 11:59 pm. Onsite registration accepted until 9 AM for $50.
Entry Fees: $40 by April 1st at 11:59 pm, $45 afterwards until Thursday April 18th 11:59pm. Discounts: $20 discount for unrated players in their first tournament (see below) and $20 discount for U of T students. Max one discount per player. U of T student discount applied automatically. Unrated players are ineligible for prizes. Free for WIM/IM/GM/WGM.
Hart House Great Hall
Additional Information
Byes: Up to one 1/2 point bye for rounds 1-5 can be requested by emailing us by April 18th 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. Section Eligibility: No playing up allowed. Highest of CFC Regular/CFC Active/FIDE Rapid Ratings used. 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 hhtournaments@gmail.com. CFC Active or CFC Regular: this tournament will use the highest of either CFC Regular/CFC Active/FIDE Rapid for section eligibility, however, CFC Regular will be used for pairings. 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. Directions to/from Candidates Venue: 1 hr walk, 16 minute bus, 45 min transit 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 Chess Tournaments, regularly attracting over 200 players.
Welcome to a new year! Join us for the 2024 Hart House Chess Club Blitz Championship to crown our annual blitz champion! Open to all, it’s an 11-round unrated swiss event to start off the semester! Students and community members are welcome and encouraged to come! Free pizza provided at 6 pm in the Reading Room during casual play! Prizes for unrated, top-woman, and various sections!
Format and event details
WHEN: Friday, January 12th, 2024, 7pm – 10 pm. Rd #1 starts at 7:10 P.M.
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – East Common Room.
WHAT: 11-round single-round Blitz Event (Swiss), using a 3 minute + 2 second time control.
RATED: Unrated
ENTRY FEE: FREE for members and students,$10 for non-members, free for FMs at least 1 week before. Pay onsite with cash before 6:45pm.
PRIZE FUND: $400 minimum guaranteed: 1st place – $125; 2nd place – $75; 3rd place – $50; Top Woman – $50; Top U1900 – $50; Top U1400 – $50; unrated – $20.
SPECIAL PRIZES: All participants will be entered into a door prize for a HHCC t-shirt and toque.
MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 80 players.
NOTE: chess sets and boards provided, proceeds will help with the Club’s fundraising efforts, including the HHCC’s CUCC team in late January.
We are excited to announce another edition of the Reading Week Open from Saturday, February 17th, to Monday, February 19th. During the 2024 Family Day long weekend, join us at Hart House for our annual chess event. There are six different sections to suit all levels, from beginners to masters! Official flyer
WHERE: Great Hall, East Common Room, Hart House, University of Toronto.
WHEN: February 17th, 18th, 19th (Family Day Weekend)
SCHEDULE: 6 Round Swiss split in six sections.
Open Sections: Saturday 10:00 am & 4:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, and Monday at 10:00 am & 4:00 pm.
Junior Sections: Sunday at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, & 5:00 pm, Monday at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, & 5:00 pm.
TIME CONTROL: 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1, for all sections.
STYLE: 6 Round Swiss split in 6 rating sections – Crown (2200+), Under 2200, Under 1900, Under 1600, Under 1300 Sections, U1200-Juniors
RATING: All sections will be CFC rated. Crown, Under 2200, Under 1900 section, and Under 1600 sections will also be FIDE rated. Crown Section will be paired using FIDE ratings.
FORFEIT TIME: Players who do not arrive within 30 minutes of the round start time will be forfeited.
BYES: Maximum 2 half-point byes in rounds 1-4 if requested in advance before the start of Round 1.
PRIZE FUND: $8000 based on 200 entries
ORGANIZER: Hart House Chess Club with FA Alex Ferreira as arbiter.
Early: $70 by January 31st at 11:59pm Regular: $80 by February 15th at 11:59 pm Late: $100 cash only on-site
U1200 Junior Section
Any junior with a rating under 1200 CFC can register for the 2-day event with 30-minute + 30-second increment time control. Discount of $35 to play in the Juniors-only section. No cash-prizes for the Junior tournament, only trophies. Juniors must be born in 2006 or later.
REGISTRATION
REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. Capacity across all sections reached.
Online registration is open until February 15th at 11:59 PM. In-person and telephone registration is available through the Hart House Information Desk during Hart House Hours until February 15th.
Cheque registration (arrival by February 15th, 2024) can be made payable to The Governing Council of the University of Toronto, state Hart House Chess Club in the description, at 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto ON, M5S 3H3. No post-dated cheques.
PLAYING UP
Extra $20 to play up a section. A player must have a minimum 2200 CFC or 2000 FIDE rating to play in the Crown. In all other sections, requests to play up must be done at registration or via the tournament email by Feb. 15 at 11:59 pm and then paid by cash before 9:30 am. Play-up is allowed only for players within 100 rating points of the section’s minimum rating. For example, a player in the Under 1600 section wanting to play up in the Under 1900 section must have a rating no lower than 1500.
DISCOUNTS
$35 discount for University of Toronto students (automatic discount) and unrated players . Max one discount per player. Unrated players are not eligible for prizes. Free entry for IMs/WIMs/GMs/WGMs if registered by Jan 31st. Please email us for all discount information.
OTHER INFO
DGT Boards: HHCC will provide 12 DGT boards for the Crown section. Games will be published online with a delay.
CFC ID: Registrants for all non-junior only sections must be current CFC members https://chess.ca/membership-fees. Payment should be done online. Unrated players should get a CFC membership prior to registering.
Equipment: Chess sets and clocks supplied. HHCC will provide DGT boards for the Crown section.
Notation: Notation is mandatory for all moves starting from move 1.
Parking: Parking is available in select locations. Due to ongoing Landmark Project construction, parking is very limited and may be higher than expected.
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.
Foreign Ratings: all participants must disclose all foreign ratings at time of registration or via email. Accessibility and Visitor Information: Hart House is an accessible building and conveniently located. For further details, visit Visitor Information and Accessibility.
TEAM PRIZE: $400 ($100 per player), teams of 4 players, representing at least 3 different sections. All individual scores will be added up to fiaznd the winning team. Register your teams in-person before Round 2.
Questions? Any question regarding the tournament, including registrations, must be sent to hhtournaments@gmail.com, not the Hart House Hub.
Withdrawals
Last minute withdrawals, bye requests, inquiries, please email hhtournaments@gmail.com, and do not call Hart House.
Monday February 19th, use building entrance closest to Great Hall – other entrances may be closed.See below
Pre-Registration
Players will be placed in sections according to eligibility, based on Feb 15 ratings’ update. Not necessarily how people registered themselves. Pre-registered as of Feb 16.
GM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux showcasing the Navy Blue HHCC t-shirt!
The Hart House Chess Club is proud to have high quality, club branded merchandise available for purchase. 100% of proceeds supports the activities and members of the Hart House Chess Club.
As of 2025, the Club maintains a stock of:
t-shirts available at $25 per shirt.
To purchase merchandise, please purchase online here and contact us at hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca to coordinate a pickup. Alternatively, you may pay in-person at the Hart House HUB, during Casual Chess Fridays or during tournaments.
Call for Support
During its history, Hart House Chess Club has benefited crucially from the number of its members who have chosen to maintain their association and support of the Club beyond their time as students. This has helped the Club to maintain continuity not only of its existence but also of its character. Anyone who has played at the Club will attest to the liveliness of its atmosphere and the enthusiasm of its members. The stream of students who have come through its doors over the years consists of the whole range of players, from complete beginners to ones with international titles.
HHCC Toque
As the Club moves into its 127th year of existence as U of T’s official Chess Club, its initiatives keep increasing, hitting record numbers of club members as well as internal and external events. More and more students get to enjoy the invaluable benefits of the game in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. However, these rich activities have also resulted in increased costs, costs that we need your support to sustain.
If you would like to make a donation instead, please visit Donation
Find the event report here. See below for event details.
The 2024 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 Jan 26th to Jan 28th in Kingston Ontario, hosted by Queen’s University Chess Club. There is no qualifying procedure and everyone is welcome to play. Registration and accommodation fees will be covered by the Hart House Chess Club with a $30 nonrefundable deposit.
CUCC 2023 Information
When: January 26th – 28th, 2023
Where: Grant Hall, Queens’ University, Kingston, ON
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.
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 Echecs (FQE).
U of T team coach: CM Koosha Jaferian
Schedule:
Friday, January 26th
Bughouse: 7PM (to be confirmed)
Saturday, January 27th Round 1: 9:00 AM Round 2: 1:30PM Round 3: 6PM
Sunday, January 28th Round 4: 9:00AM Round 5: 2PM Closing Ceremony: ASAP after round 5
Time control: 90 mins + 30 sec/per move increment
Hotel: Econolodge, 840 Princess St, Kingston, ON K7L 1G3
Contact: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca if you have any questions
List of things you are responsible for:
1. Be a member of the Hart House Chess Club [mandatory]
You can do this at Hart House main desk or online for free.
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.
3. Sign up on Hart House Registration
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 January 12th to guarantee their spot on the team. Please join the waitlist so that you know when we open more spots!
4. Sign Waiver from Hart House
Because Hart House financially sponsors this event for students, a waiver form must be filled following registration. We will send you this waiver via email with a deadline for completion in early January. Following waiver completion, your spot will be secured.
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!
The Hart House Chess Club is pleased to announce that the 2024 Canadian Zonal and 2024 Canadian Women Zonal will be held from Wednesday, March 27th to Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024, at Hart House, University of Toronto. In addition, a 7-round Swiss event will be held from Friday, March 29th to Monday, April 1st and will be open to all.
The Canadian Zonals, also known as the Canadian Closed, is the most important Canadian chess event of the year, with winners going on to represent the Canadian Chess Olympiad team and the Canadian World Cup contingent.
HISTORY
The Hart House Chess Club has served as one of the premier destinations for Canadian chess for the past 128 years. The Club has hosted numerous Canadian Zonal/Closed Chess Championships in the past, including events in 1972 and 1978 (see photos below).
VENUE
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. Since its founding in 1919, Hart House has hosted numerous Canadian Open and Closed tournaments and welcomed many World Champions. Since 2008, the venue has hosted two of the biggest Toronto chess events yearly, the Hart House Holidays and Hart House Reading Week Open Chess Tournaments.
Join the Hart House Chess Club on Friday, December 1st, from 6:00 pm – 7:00pm in the Hart House Bickersteth Room for a Master Lecture given by WIM Yunshan Li. Students and members can join for free; non-members are asked to donate to the Club onsite. We hope to see you there!
Date: Friday, December 1st, 2023 6 pm – 7 pm
Location: Bickersteth Room, Hart House (3rd floor)
Lecture: Advanced lecture by WIM Yunshan Li, with a focus on her games and training regimen that she believes helped her become one of the strongest women’s chess players in Canada.
Entry-Fees: U of T students and HHCC members FREE, otherwise $10 (donation requested but not required)
Bio: Women’s International Master Yunshan Li is currently one of the strongest players in Canada, with a FIDE rating of 2281. She is currently a student at the University of Toronto and plays on the Varsity Chess Team. She has appeared on the FIDE top-100 list for top-girls numerous times. She is one of Canada’s leading women chess players and is expected to compete for Canada in the 2024 Olympiad.
Hart House Chess Club 