Category: News

Attention all members,

It’s election time!

Please carefully read the short outline below if you wish to exercise your right to vote or to become a part of the HHCC Executive Board for the 2025-2026 academic year!

Annual Club Elections

Interested in being a part of the executive team of the coolest Hart House Student Club?

Our annual election process begins!

Please find here the memorandum from the Alumni Chair regarding this year’s Election. Polls open after speeches and close at 9 pm.

---

The following are our six Executive positions.

The Secretary is responsible for calling meetings of the Executive, maintaining records (minutes) of all such meetings, refereeing all votes taken by the Executive, ensuring communication of all relevant Club information among Executive members, managing the schedule of weekly club meetings/events for rotations and ensuring executive commitment, maintaining an inventory of club equipment, organizing an annual General Assembly of the Club members, liaising with the Hart House staff via the Club’s Programme Advisor, and acting as the Club’s representative where necessary.

The Events-Coordinator is responsible for informing the Executive about the specifics of the Pan-Ams, the Pan-Ams Qualifier and the Canadian University Chess Championship, communicating with tournament organizers and all other relevant parties, overseeing the assembly of the Team, working with the Programme Advisor to organize accommodation, registration, and transportation for the Team, and dealing with all other concerns pertaining to these three events. The Events Co-ordinator is also charged with administering the special events hosted by the Club, such as the Master Lectures, the Casual Chess Tournaments, the Chess Lessons and the Simultaneous Chess Exhibitions.

The two Communications Representatives maintain a directory of email addresses for all Club members and interested parties, inform Club members of upcoming events, promotes the Club to prospective members, advertise Club events when required, and maintain the Club’s website and social media accounts.

The Treasurer is responsible for keeping an account of the Club’s revenues and expenditures, informing the Executive of any deviation from established budgets, and devising the annual budget with the input and approval of the Executive. The Treasurer is also responsible for keeping track of the chess materials borrowed by members as part of the Club’s lending library.

The Fundraising Representative acts closely with the Treasurer to determine the extent and nature of the Club’s financial needs, and organizes corresponding fundraising initiatives with the assistance of other Executive members.

Eligibility

All student club members, have the right to vote and to be candidates for an executive position, provided that they have been Hart House Chess Club members for at least one month on March 28th, 2025.

Students interested in nominating themselves are asked to email the Alumni Chair at elections@harthousechess.com expressing interest, and a short bio/background by Friday, March 21st at 10 pm. They are asked to include [HHCC Elections] as the subject of the email.

If there are two or more candidates for a position, a vote will be held to determine the successful candidate on March 28th at 6:30 pm. A person can be a candidate for more than one Executive position. The voting is done by secret ballot.

Immediately after election speeches, pizza, cake and soft-drinks will be served at the 2025 End-of-Year Social.

The electoral process will be administered by the club’s Alumni Chair, Ben Hahn. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Hahn at elections@harthousechess.com, indicating [HHCC Elections] as the subject of your e-mail.

Hart House Chess Club is an open and inclusive environment. As a positive space we welcome and encourage members of all sexes, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, languages, abilities, religions and creeds to participate in the student government of the club, either as members of the executive or as volunteers!

Thank you very much for your attention!

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. 

Registration: 

• Registration only available onsite before 6:45 PM

CONTACT:

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

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.

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

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
• Round Times: Saturday 4 pm and 5 pm. Sunday 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 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 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.

Players

University of Toronto

Name	CFC ID	CFC Rating	CFC Membership	FIDE ID	Team	Starting Position (by drawing of lots)
Max England	155135	2422	Valid	2622602	A	5
Nicholas Vettese	154199	2361	Valid	2620090	A	1
Fengxi Mao	166033	2340	Valid	2632586	A	3
Samuel Zhang	171147	2333	Valid	30942993	A	4
Henry Zhang	153836	2158	Valid	2620162	A	6
Cindy Qiao	155864	2122	Valid	2620243	A	2
Jack Klein	192526	2065	Valid	30978467	B	3
Bingfei Wang	172444	2043	Valid	8618585	B	4
Christopher Yu	167321	1884	Expired	329105180	B	2
Peter Yong Qiu	162493	1800	Valid	2637316	B	5
Yukuan Zou	178153	1786	Valid	2658615	B	6
Jinglai He	166992	1757	Valid	2637286	B	1
Manuel Drehwald	193444	1730	Valid	12934330	C	3
Joshua Bakradze	177444	1698	Valid	2648415	C	6
Sharif Hafez	190315	1464	Valid	2670143	C	4
Eric Lam	154275	1383	Valid	0	C	5
Samuel Zheng	169160	1034	Valid	0	C	1
Mark Li	191589	0	Valid	0	C	2

University of Waterloo

Name	CFC ID	CFC Rating	CFC Membership	FIDE ID	Team	Starting Position (by drawing of lots)
Olivier Lalonde	175462	2266	Expired	0	A	1
Momin Fayzan	186418	2168	Expired	0	A	3
Brendan Tan	157922	2150	Expired	2650401	A	6
Dorian Kang	155339	2101	Expired	2619156	A	4
Sanjay Ramesh	162979	2045	Expired	2631270	A	5
Savio Joseph Benher	161296	2032	Valid	2629453	A	2
(Tom) Minh Thong Nguyen	169333	1949	Valid	12405124	B	5
Sriram Kumar	172280	1948	Expired	30904730	B	4
William Ratelband	158224	1908	Valid	2630729	B	3
Malhar Singh	158060	1899	Valid	2628686	B	1
Nicholas Lyn	177402	1740	Expired	0	B	6
Christopher Xiang	160540	1697	Valid	2629534	B	2
Matthew Sekirin	175166	1818	Expired	2647273	C	5
Lily Zhou	151749	1688	Expired	2616343	C	3
Omkar Baraskar	184408	1682	Expired	33446660	C	4
Rachel Spanglet	175008	1678	Valid	0	C	6
Ziqi Zhou	175042	1656	Valid	2660768	C	1
Cody Ruan	157560	1478	Expired	0	C	2

Contact: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

Find the 2024 event report here.

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.

Chess Results: https://chess-results.com/tnr1091853.aspx?lan=1
DGT Games: https://lichess.org/broadcast/canadian-university-chess-championship-2025–crown/round-5/rpTvT5SU

In addition, CUCC 2026 will be hosted at Hart House of the University of Toronto from January 16 – 18, 2026.

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:

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:

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.

Livestream

A live broadcast for rounds will be available on our YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/@harthousechessclub

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)
• Friday: 3 games (10 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM, Bickersteth Room)

Rapid

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!

Contact: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca for questions.

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.
• MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 60 players.
• NOTE: chess sets and boards provided

Pre-registered, pairings, STANDINGS: Chess Manager.

Thank you for all coming. Winners below.

1st: Vettese, Nicholas
2nd: Mao, Fengxi
3rd: Plotkin, Mark
Top-Woman: Qiao, Cindy
U1900: Yuan, Justin & Gribilas, Tom & Alsaiah, Mohammad & Woo, Nicole
U1400: Zheng, Samuel

Contact:

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

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.

Contact: hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca

The Hart House Chess Club is pleased to announce the Fall 2024 Lessons and Quads Schedule! All Lessons and Quads will be held in the Bickersteth Room of Hart House. All are free to attend or participate for Members of the Club.

Lessons: This Fall, join us on Fridays throughout the semester for exciting lessons and lectures to help you become a better player. Members are entitled to free lessons this fall provided by expert lecturers and experienced players. 

Quads: This Fall, join us on select Fridays, from 7 pm – 9 pm for weekly CFC and FIDE-rated Rapid Quad tournaments.  A time control of 10 mins + 5 seconds increment allows for structured improvement and game play. It is also a great tournament for those new to chess. No commitment to all weeks is necessary, play whenever you can!

Registration and Interest Form: Those interested in attending or participating are encouraged to fill out the following form.

Lessons Details

Complete Beginners: 

• The expected audience are players who have never played chess or who only know how the pieces move. No chess experience is expected and fundamentals starting from piece movement will be covered. Interactive sessions, informative demonstrations, resources, and discussions will be provided to help students learn how to play. Registration is required for all prospective attendees. 
• Lessons will be co-taught: Victor Zheng (CFC elo 2192), Steven Guo (CFC elo 1638)
• Registration: Registration is required. Please fill out this form.
• Lessons will cover:
  • Week 1: Piece Value, Piece Movement, Openings
  • Week 2: Opening theory, strategies
  • Week 3: Middlegame theory, strategies
  • Week 4: Endgames, General Play, Conclusion
• Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Fridays September 20, 27, October 4, 11

Intermediate Lessons: 

• The expected audience are players who are looking to up their game. Players are expected to know fundamental ideas of piece movement, basic strategies of chess, and calculation methods. 10 lessons will be offered and participants can still learn something if they miss a class. All participants are expected to be members of the Hart House Chess Club.
• Registration: Registration is required here. However, participants can join at any point during the lesson schedule.
• Lessons will be taught by: Uttam Dhungel (CFC elo 1928)
  • Pawn structure
  • Imbalances
  • Middlegame strategy
  • Understanding endgames
  • Studying games of Masters
• Time: 5:30 pm – 7 pm Fridays
  • September 20, 27 
  • October 4, 11, 25
  • November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

---

Quad Tournament Details

The following section describes the 2024 Fall Quad tournament schedule.

A Quad Tournament is where all players are sorted from highest rating to lowest rating and the top four highest-rated players are placed in one section (a Quad), then the following 4 highest rated players are placed in another Quad. This process continues until all players are given a designated Quad. If there are 1, 2 or 3 players remaining after the last full Quad has been designated, those players will be placed in the last quad section and that section will play a 3 round Swiss match.

WHEN: Selected Fridays in Fall 2024.

• September 20, 27 
• October 4, 11, 24
• November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

WHAT: 3-round FIDE Rated (top two quads), CFC-Active Rated Quad Tournament, 10 mins + 5 secs/move increment time control.
WHERE: Hart House Bickersteth Room (3rd floor), (7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON)
RATINGS: CFC Quick and FIDE Rapid rated in top two quads. Otherwise, only CFC Quick Rated. CFC Quick ratings are used for all pairings. All players must have a valid CFC membership to play. Registration done in-person weekly first-come-first-served.
ROUND TIMES:  7:00 pm, 7:40 pm, 8:20 pm
SECTIONS: Players are split by ratings into pools of 4, with up to 4 pools.
EQUIPMENT: HHCC will supply all chess equipment
PRIZES: Each quad features a $50 first-place gift card prize.
CAPACITY: 16 per night
ENTRY FEES: Free for GMs, IMs, HHCC members. $20 otherwise.
REGISTRATION: Accepted ONLY in person from 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm. Fill out the following interest form to be notified of late-breaking news, updates, and to receive a weekly reminder email.

Chess Federation of Canada Memberships are Required: $12 for a one-time adult, or $48 for one year. https://www.chess.ca/en/players/membership-join/. For HHCC student members, a single tournament membership is covered for unrated players in their first tournament ($12 value).

Feedback Survey: please feel free to fill out this form

Questions?

hhchess@studentorg.utoronto.ca