On March 24, 2023, the 2023 Ivy League Blitz Tournament was held at Hart House during the 5th Ivy League Challenge. Open to all, this 7-round unrated Swiss event featured $400 in prizes.
Top-seed was GM Andrew Tang, followed by WIM Yunshan Li, CM Koosha Jaferian, and IM Nicholas Vettese. The tournament went smoothly, with 41 players signing up for the 7 round event. GM Andrew Tang took a commanding lead and didn’t drop a point, to finish 6/6 before his final round bye. The final result was a 3-way tie for first between GM Tang, CM Jaferian, and FM Zomorrodian at 6 points.
The top-woman prize was won by WIM Yunshan Li and WFM Cindy Qiao, who had 4.5/7. IM Nicholas Vettese finished 4th with 5/7.
Jeremy Peters finished with top-U1900 with 4/7. Joshua Bakradze finished top-U1400 with 4/7 as well. Finally, the top-unrated prize was split between Yukuan Zou, Daniel Rokharget, and Ivan Ovchinnikov.
Thank you to everyone for coming out and having such a fun time! Thank you to the event organization conducted by Victor Zheng and Bowen Zhang.
WHAT: 7-round single-round Blitz Event (Swiss), using a 3 minute + 2 second time control.
RATED: Unrated
ENTRY FEE: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, free for FMs at least 1 week before. Free for Ivy League Challenge participants. Pay online via registration page by midnight Mar. 23rd or onsite with cash before 7:45pm (if space permits).
PRIZE FUND: Minimum $400 as follows: 1st place – $115; 2nd place – $75; 3rd place – $50; Top Woman – $40; Top U1900 – $40; Top U1400 – $40.
SPECIAL PRIZES: All participants will be entered into a door prize for a HHCC hoodie, t-shirt, and toque.
PIZZA: FREE PIZZA for everyone served at ~7:15 PM. RSVP online here.
On February 3rd, 2023, a crowd of 10 teams competed in a bughouse tournament hosted by the Hart House Chess Club. Due to the crazy weather, only local players were able to make it out to the Club for the festivities and indulge in the provided free donuts! The winners of the event were a team of IM Nicholas Vettese and Denys Melynchuk, who defeated numerous teams, including a team headlined by NM alumnus Jim Zhao.
NM Jim Zhao and in the distance, IM Vettese’s team.
Come out of the cold and join us inside the Reading Room of Hart House on Friday, February 3rd from 7:10 pm – 9:00 pm for a bughouse tournament! You can sign up at the Hart House Reading Room anytime between 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm during Casual Play the day of. If you don’t have a team, you can register as a “solo,” and we will pair you up. This is the perfect way to meet new people and have a good time!
If you don’t know the rules of the game, come by and chat with an Exec before the tournament!
Free entries for all members and the prize will be two $25 gift cards for the two players of the winning team! (for non-members, a fee of $5)
Bughouse is a popular variant of chess that is played with teams of 2 players. The goal of this tournament is to get you to engage with others and have fun! It should be a fun night! We play bughouse with clock move and place-mates.
FORMAT AND EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: Friday, February 3rd, 7pm – 9pm. Rd #1 starts at 7:10 P.M.
WHERE: Hart House (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto) – Reading Room.
WHAT: 6-round single-round Blitz Event (Swiss), using a 5 minute time control.
RATED: Unrated
ENTRY FEE: Free for members, $5 for non-members. Pay onsite with cash before 7:00pm. Free for titled players.
PRIZE FUND: $25 for each member of the winning team.
SPECIAL PRIZES: All participants will be entered into a door prize for a HHCC t-shirt and toque.
To officially welcome back everyone to the HHCC, we’ll be hosting our semi-annual Welcome Back Pizza Party! We hope you will join us on Friday, January 13th, 6-7pm in the Hart House Reading Room as we celebrate the start of another chess-filled year.
This is a wonderful opportunity to see your old chess friends and to meet new ones. We’ll also be sharing lots of exciting news and would love to answer any questions you might have about HHCC, so please do come by! Free pizza for all!
From January 10th to 31st, 2023, the Hart House Chess Club hosted a Weekly Winter Swiss chess tournament allowing students and community members to play CFC-rated, 90 minutes plus 30 second increment games against one another. The result was 12 players competing in tense and competitive chess against one another for 4 weeks. The overall winner was Slava Lukinykh, who scored 3/4 and clinched top spot in the tournament. The tournament was held alongside the 2023 GTCL Team Chess Championship, this version of which was hosted by the Hart House Chess Club for the first time in its history.
The Weekly Winter Swiss alongside the 2023 GTCL Team CC
Players in the Winter Weekly Swiss
In addition to the 2023 Greater Toronto Chess League Team Chess Championship, the Hart House Chess Club will host a Winter Weekly Swiss focused on providing rated classical chess playing opportunities for players of all levels. Entry is free for all HHCC members and players of the GTCL Team CC. Minimal entry fees for all others.
FORMAT & EVENT LOGISTICS
WHERE: Debates Room or East Common Room, Hart House, University of Toronto.
FORMAT:
CFC-rated swiss tournament over 4 weeks
4 rounds weekly over 4 weeks.
1 section
ROUNDS: clocks start at 7:10 pm Tuesdays from Jan. 10th – Jan. 31st.
TIME CONTROL: 90 mins + 30 secs/move increment
EQUIPMENT: HHCC will supply all chess equipment, including score sheets
ARBITER: HHCC Execs with NA Alex Ferreira assisting
PRIZES: HHCC t-shirt prizes for winners
ENTRY FEES:
$0.00 for all HHCC members and GTCL Team CC participants.
$10.00 per match or $30.00 per tournament for community members/public. Pay by cash before 6:30 pm.
REGISTRATION: email us at hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca or complete registration form at least 2 hours in advance of Round 1 of the tournament. In-person registrations accepted from 6:30 pm – 6:45 pm weekly if space permits.
BYES: 1/2 point byes can be requested for any round if requested before Round 1, 0 point byes can be requested for any round if requested 24 hrs in advance.
The club has booked one of the Debates Room, 24’ x 72’ (capacity 90) or East Common Room, a size of 22’ by 68’ (capacity 90), for the duration of the tournament.
East Common Room
Debates Room
The rooms are located in Hart House, 7 Hart House Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3. Ample food and entertainment can be found nearby within walking distance. Ample paid parking is available at a flat rate of $10 per evening throughout the University of Toronto campus – street parking is also available. Hart House is within 10 minutes of walking distance between two subway stations, Museum and St. George. Free Wi-Fi is available for all participants.
Weekly Schedule:
Rounds start at 7:10 pm on Tuesdays
Round 1: January 10th – Debates Room
Round 2: January 17th – East Common Room
Round 3: January 24th – East Common Room
Round 4: January 31st – East Common Room
pre-registered
Player Name
Membership or playing in GTCL Team CC
CFC ID
CFC Rating
Sam Chen
Community Member / Public
175633
1440
Mohankumar Janakiraman
Community Member / Public
175419
217
Daniel Wang
HHCC Member
178191
1417
James Mourgelas
Community Member / Public
108540
1279
Boomba Nishikawa
HHCC Member
178151
NA
Liam McNally
HHCC Member
178152
NA (1177 Quick Rating)
Alex Wang
HHCC Member
167967
1803
Enkhzul
HHCC Member
NA
Na
Isabelle Zhu
HHCC Member
149553
1409
David
Community Member / Public
178658
NA
Slava Lukinykh
Community Member / Public
174578
1235
Hart House, University of Toronto
NOTE FOR HHCC MEMBERS
HHCC players have the option of playing in this tournament or the GTCL Team CC. GTCL Team CC is intended for stronger players with tournament experience looking to represent the Club for the entire 9-weeks. The Winter Weekly Swiss is intended to provide more rated, competitive chess playing opportunities for our members. One of the goals is to prepare our members to compete at the Canadian Universities Chess Championship in late January, and at the Reading Week Open.
The Hart House Chess Club is closed from Dec. 23th – Jan.6th. However, the Club will return following the holiday season with many exciting events.
Casual play returns on Fri. Jan. 6th with reduced scheduling from 6pm – 9pm. On Fri. Jan 13, regular scheduling returns from 4pm-11pm alongside our semester Pizza Party at 6 pm followed by the Hart House Chess Club Blitz Championship at 7pm. During the pizza party, we will also announce the full HHCC winter schedule and conduct a puzzle solving raffle for HHCC merchandise.
The Club will also be hosting the Greater Toronto Chess League Team Championship Tuesdays from Jan. 10th – Mar. 14th, 2023. All HHCC members wanting to play longer games and represent the Club are invited to play.
On Monday, December 19th, registration for the Canadian Universities Chess Championship opens for all University of Toronto students and staff. This is a very exciting event intended for both beginners and advanced players of the Club.
The 2023 Hart House Reading Week Open has also opened for registrations. Pre-registered lists will be updated approximately weekly but we hope to pass the 212 participants at the Holidays Open.
Join us for the return of our annual chess tournament in the Great Hall! Open to all, this tournament offers fun and competitive play for all levels! There are various skill level groups to accommodate all interested players. Official flyer
WHERE: Great Hall, Hart House, University of Toronto.
WHEN: February 18th, 19th, 20th (Family Day Weekend)
SCHEDULE: 6 Round Swiss split in sections. Round times: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at 10:00 am & 4:00 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 & Under 1000 Sections
RATING: All sections will be CFC rated. Crown, Under 2200, Under 1900, & 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 Alex Ferreira as arbiter.
Feb 23: The event report is now done! Thank you for attending!
Feb 21: Thank you for attending this year’s tournament! We’re currently processing photos and will release them all this week alongside the event report.
Feb 16: Two days to go! Please see our pre-tournament announcements here.
Feb 9: The tournament is now sold-out. Titled players, please email us if you want to play.
Feb 1: We have secured the East Common Room for DGT broadcasting and game analysis for rounds 3-6. Reading Room will also be available.
Jan 19: One month left until the event and one week until early-bird registrations close.
Dec 16: Registrations are now open
REGISTRATION
TOURNAMENT IS SOLD-OUT
REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSED
NO IN-PERSON REGISTRATION
ENTRY FEES
Early: $70 by January 26th at 11:59pm Regular: $80 by February 15th at 11:59 pm Late: $100 cash only on-site.
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 emailed to 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 (using code: OpenUnrated35) . Max one discount per player. Unrated players are not eligible for prizes. Free entry for IMs/WIMs/GMs/WGMs if registered by February 4th. Please email us for all discount information.
OTHER INFO
Chess sets and clocks supplied. HHCC will provide DGT boards for the Crown section.
Notation is mandatory for all moves starting from move 1.
Parking is available in select locations. Due to ongoing Landmark Project construction, parking is very limited and may be higher than expected.
Any question regarding the tournament, including registrations, must be sent to hhtournaments@gmail.com, not the Hart House Hub.
Free Wi-Fi will be made available.
TEAM PRIZE: $400 ($100 per player), teams of 4 players, representing at least 3 different sections. All individual scores will be added up to find the winning team. Register your teams in-person before Round 2.
Players will be placed in sections according to eligibility, based on Feb 15 ratings’ update. Not necessarily how people registered themselves. Pre-registration lists will be updated every week. Pre-registered as of Feb 16.
On January 13th, 2023 the Hart House Chess Club hosted its 2023 Blitz Championship at Hart House, the University of Toronto.
The top seeds were IM Advait Patel, a third-year Computer Science student, IM Nicholas Vettese, a first-year general Arts & Science student, WIM Yunshan Li a second-year Psychology & Anthropology student, CM Koosha Jaferian, a Computer Science alumni, and first-year Law Student FM Tanraj Sohal.
The event was held in the East Common Room after feedback from members in Fall 2022 was that rooms were not big enough to run both Casual Chess Fridays and a full-scale chess tournament. 60 students and community members showed up to compete and try their luck at the $400 prize fund. The event was an unrated, 11-round, single round swiss blitz event using a 3+2 time control.
The top-seeds of the tournament performed as expected, with Advait and Tanraj both finishing undefeated as 1st and 2nd. Nicholas tied with alumni Jonathan Yu and first-year Eilia Zomorrodian for tied 3rd. WIM Yunshan Li finished fourth and Top-Woman with 7.5/11. Congrats to Advait Patel for becoming HHCC’s 2023 Blitz Champion!
For full tournament results, please see our chess-results page here. Event was organized and directed by Victor Zheng, Exec at the HHCC.
Gallery
prize distribution
Prize
First Name
Last Name
1st ($100)
Advait
Patel
2nd ($75)
Tanraj
Sohal
3rd ($20 each)
Eilia
Zomorrodian
Nicholas
Vettese
Jonathan
Yu
U1900 ($15 each)
Ande
Li
Daniel
Botello
Ali
Shaftka
U1400 ($20 each)
Artham
Bhoutika
Joshua
Bakradze
Top Woman ($40)
Yunshan
Li
Top Unrated ($15 each)
Chol
Akol
George
Eilender
Krishi
Saikia
Prize distribution for the 2023 HHCC Blitz Championship
Original event post below…
Join us for the 2023 Hart House Chess Club Blitz Championship! Open to all, this 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 reading room! Details for the Welcome Back Pizza Party.
WHEN: Friday, January 13th, 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: $10 for members, $20 for non-members, free for FMs at least 1 week before. Pay online via registration page by midnight Jan. 12th or onsite with cash before 6:45pm.
PRIZE FUND (est. based on 60 entries): $385 as follows: 1st place – $100; 2nd place – $75; 3rd place – $50; Top Woman – $40; Top U1900 – $40; Top U1400 – $40.
SPECIAL PRIZES: All participants will be entered into a door prize for a HHCC t-shirt and toque.
MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 68 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.
The Hart House Chess Club is proud to have won the bid for the 2023 Greater Toronto Chess League Team Championship! We look forward to welcoming teams from across the Greater Toronto Area for this annual chess competition. Matches will be played on Tuesday evenings at Hart House on the University of Toronto campus. This event is the first post-pandemic GTCL Team CC, since the 2020 event hosted by Willowdale Chess Club.
4 team Round Robin (3 matches over three weeks) in the final stage
Top 2 teams from each group go to Final A (1-4 places),
Next two teams – to Final B (5-8 places) and
Last two teams – to Final C (9-12 places).
All teams will play eight matches, with the tournament ending on Feb. 28th (not March 14th as originally planned).
Teams and pairings for the first five weeks will be split into groups based on top-4 players’ average ratings
Pool A: Teams 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 12.
Pool B: Teams 2, 3, 6, 7, 10 and 11.
ROUNDS: clocks start at 7:10 pm Tuesdays (weekly starting Jan 10th).
TIME CONTROL: 90 mins + 30 secs/move increment
EQUIPMENT: HHCC will supply all chess equipment, including score sheets
DGT BOARDS: 12 DGT boards will be used to broadcast games live online. Commentary by HHCC members and special guests will be provided on the HHCC Twitch and YouTube pages.
ARBITER: NA Alex Ferreira and HHCC Execs as assistants
PRIZES: trophies for winners
ENTRY FEES: $0.00 (GTCL will pay the rating fees and prizes)
The first twenty teams may enter. The HHCC reserves the right to have both a student team and an alumni team. Additional teams may enter, space permitting.
Teams from any GTCL club, organization, or group. No limit on number of teams.
Teams consist of 4 players with any number of substitute players in a pre-assigned order.
Players must have CFC memberships that expire after March 14, 2023.
Only one player per team must register via the registration form. As of Jan. 1st, registrations are now closed – players can be added to teams by emailing organizers until Jan. 9th 7:10 pm ET.
Benefits:
participants will receive a $10 discount to the Hart House Reading Week Open and member pricing to other HHCC events held during the season. Discounts announced Round 1.
HH will organize slow-rated games in a swiss format across four weeks (x2) during GTCL – participants of GTCL can play a game even if not in the top four lineup on a given week. Details for Weekly Winter Swiss
VENUE
The club has booked one of the Debates Room, 24’ x 72’ (capacity 90) or East Common Room, a size of 22’ by 68’ (capacity 90), for the duration of the tournament.
The rooms are located in Hart House, 7 Hart House Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3. Ample food and entertainment can be found nearby within walking distance. Ample paid parking is available at a flat rate of $10 per evening throughout the University of Toronto campus – street parking is also available. Hart House is within 10 minutes of walking distance between two subway stations, Museum and St. George. Free Wi-Fi is available for all participants.
Weekly Schedule:
Rounds start at 7:10 pm on Tuesdays (1 round per week)
Those interested in represent the Hart House Chess Club at this tournament should email hhchess@utoronto.ca. We hope to send both a student and alumni team to represent the Club.
HHCC players have the option of playing in this tournament or the Weekly Winter Swiss. GTCL Team CC is intended for stronger players with tournament experience looking to represent the Club for the entire 9-weeks. The Winter Weekly Swiss is intended to provide more rated, competitive chess playing opportunities for our members. One of the goals is to prepare our members to compete at the Canadian Universities Chess Championship in late January, and at the Reading Week Open.
The 2023 Canadian University Chess Championship is coming-up soon and we want to inform everyone of the logistics for this year. 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.
updates
March 5: Please check out this event recap by Derek Ma from UofT’s Varsity Chess Team
Jan 14: A form has been sent to all confirmed players to confirm their interest.
Jan. 13: The final list of players will be contacted soon. Top-4 players are now confirmed.
Jan 2: Pre-registered player list has been posted. We will email you if you are confirmed.
Dec 28: We now have 22 registrants! Those with confirmed spots will be contacted early January. The waitlist is still open for all HHCC members.
Dec 26: The deadline to inform the Club for highest rated players is January 13th to guarantee their spot on the team.
Dec 19: The registration link is now LIVE for Hart House Chess Club student members. Up to 20 HHCC student members will receive subsidized funding, on a first-come-first-serve basis except for 4-spots reserved for highest-rated players.
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 or staff members. All participants must also be members of the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) or the Fédération Québécoise des Echecs (FQE).
HHCC Head Coach: CM Koosha Jaferian
Schedule:
Friday, January 27th
Opening Ceremony: 6PM National Capital Bughouse: 7PM
Saturday, January 28th Round 1: 9:30 AM Round 2: 1:30PM Round 3: 6PM
Sunday, January 29th Round 4: 10:00AM Round 5: 2PM Closing Ceremony: ASAP after round 5
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 accessible 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 13th to guarantee their spot on the team.
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!
In 2018, UOttawa also hosted the CUCC, and it was a great success! See our event report here.
We are delighted to share with the Hart House community that the annual Hart House Holidays Open Chess Tournament is back! We hope you will join us from December 9th – 11th at Hart House for the return of our annual flagship event. With five rounds in 6-sections for all skill levels, this is the perfect opportunity to play a competitive chess tournament. Official flyer.
Tournament News
New as of Nov. 29: Tournament standings, pairings, detailed pre-registered lists, policies, venue information, food options, and more can be found on the Tournament Website.
Dec 12: Congrats to all winners and thank you for participating at our event! We’ll be contacting winners this week on prize distribution and ratings should be updated by Wednesday. The event report will go up this week. Photos taken during the event by former HHCC Exec Panagiotis Tsialas can be found here. Photos taken by the CFC can be found here.
Dec 13: The event report can be found here. Thank you for coming out!
Standings and Pairings
Cross-tables and previous rounds’ pairings can be viewable below.
WHERE: Great Hall, Hart House, University of Toronto.
WHEN: December 9th, 10th, 11th.
SCHEDULE: Friday 9th at 6:30pm, Saturday 10th at 10:00am & 4:00pm, Sunday 11th at 10:00am & 4:00pm
TIME CONTROL: 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1, for all sections.
STYLE: 5 Round Swiss split in 6 rating sections – Crown (2200+), Under 2200, Under 1900, Under 1600, Under 1300 & Under 1000 Sections
PRIZE FUND: $8000 based on 200 entries
RATING: All sections will be CFC rated. Crown, Under 2200 & Under 1900 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.
ORGANIZER: Hart House Chess Club with Alex Ferreira as arbiter.
CAPACITY: 200 players in Great Hall, plus possible side rooms
Registration
Online registration is available until December 7th at 11:59 PM. In-person and telephone registration is available through the Hart House Information Desk during Hart House Hours.
Cash registration is only available onsite before 5:30pm on December 9th
Cheque registration (arrival by December 7th, 2022) can be made payable to The Governing Council of the University of Toronto, state Hart House Chess Club in description, at 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto ON, M5S 3H3. No post-dated cheques.
Entry Fees
$70 by November 16th at 11:59pm, $80 by December 7th at 11:59pm and $100 cash only on-site.
Playing up
Extra $20 to play up a section (pay onsite before 5:30pm). Playing 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. Unless the fee is paid, players will automatically be placed in their appropriate section prior to the start of the tournament.
Discounts
$35 discount for University of Toronto students 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 November 25th. Please email us for all discount information.
OTHER info
Please bring chess sets and clocks if possible. HHCC will provide DGT boards for the Crown section.
