Books and Equipment

Here are my favourites:
http://www.cajunchess.com/
--> wholesale pricing
--> specials
--> great variety of merchandise

http://www.polgarchess.com/
--> good supply at reasonable prices
--> a portion of sales goes towards chess sponsorship & programs

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chess
--> you can always count on amazon!!!
--> books and software, great selection
--> free shipping offers

Some books/equipment also available on chapters.ca, ebay.ca/ebay.com, etc...

CFC bookstore:
http://astore.amazon.ca/chesfedeofcan-20

CFC equipment store:
http://members.chess.ca/store/

NEW BOOK ALERT!
Pre-order is available for Hikaru Nakamura and Bruce Harper's new book, "Bullet Chess: One Minute to Mate" on Amazon.ca -->
http://www.amazon.ca/Bullet-Chess-One-Minute-Mate/dp/1888690674/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250717400&sr=8-1

Hazel's Jokes

Okay, too much serious stuff below (as requested by my poll). So now something fun...another joke I came up with today. Enjoy!

How can you tell when a knight is dizzy?

It's always dizzy! It can never move in a straight line!

Congrats!

The 2009 Canadian Closed is now over, and the winner is....IM Jean Hebert! Congratulations!

Results: http://monroi.com/2009-canadian-closed-chess-championship-results.html

Ooooh....and I forgot to follow the 2009 Canadian Junior. Congrats to FM Raja Panjwani!

Results: http://monroi.com/2009-canadian-junior-chess-championship-results.html

Upcoming Chess Tournaments in Ontario

CASUAL & RATED
Oriole Chess Club
--> Oriole Community Centre, 2975 Don Mills Road, Toronto
--> Sunday August 23 & 30, 1 pm
--> Contact Corinna Wan corinna.wan@utoronto.ca
--> http://www.angelfire.com/alt/ochess/

CASUAL & NON-RATED
Chess in the Library
--> Brookbanks Library, 210 Brookbanks Dr., Toronto
--> Pleasant View Library, 575 Van Horne Avenue, North York
--> Saturdays, 10 am - noon
--> Contact Yuanling Yuan yuanling_1@yahoo.com
--> http://yuanlingyuan.blogspot.com/

CHILDREN/STUDENTS
Knights of Chess
--> 8108 Yonge St. #211, Vaughan
--> August 24 - 28, 11 am
--> Contact Yuri Lebedev lebedev@post.com
--> http://chess-math.org/pdf/knights.pdf

Swansea Town Hall
--> Swansea Town Hall Community Centre, 95 Lavinia Avenue, 2nd floor, Toronto
--> Saturdays, 1 pm - 4 pm
--> Contact Natalia Khoudgarian 416 879-7300
--> chessforchildren.ca

TOURNAMENT & RATED
Toronto Labour Day Open
--> Macedonian Community Hall, 76 Overlea Blvd., Toronto
--> September 5-7
--> Contact Bryan Lamb bryan.lamb@rogers.com
--> http://www.gtachessevents.memberlodge.com/

More tournaments --> http://www.chess.ca/ontario.htm

Click on "Links" on the side bar to look for chess clubs and other websites.

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

What an honour it was to find out that Kevin Spraggett featured me on his post --> http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the recognition!

Another Top Ten

Yes, because I love you all so much....another top ten list...and a very special one this time.

Top 10 chess questions I've been asked in the past, and answers!
Note: only two questions will be posted each day, so keep checking back!

1. Is chess a sport?
I was asked this question at a tournament at Tartu College while being filmed on TV. I think I was the only girl at the tournament, so the interviewer wanted me to answer a tough one. I was very hesitant to speak (I used to be REALLY shy), and ended up giving a very poor answer. So to redeem myself, here is a brief version of the answer I would have given if asked the same question today:
"Chess is like any other sport, except hidden in the mind. While a soccer coach must strategize where to place his players, a chess participant must strategize where to place his pieces. He must think about what his opponent is planning, and perform tactics and moves to overcome obstacles. He must prepare and practice, and set his mind into a more competitive mode. Overall, chess is a special kind of game which may be known as a "mental sport"."

Here is a link to a more formal definition of "sport" from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

2. Why do you play chess?
I play chess because I enjoy the game and its complexity. I started playing as a child, so it has a special place in my heart, and more or less has become a part of me after so many years. I also love teaching chess and discussing strategy.

Top Ten is back!

To celebrate the 200th page view, here is a new top 10 list:

Top 10 reasons why you love this blog ;D
1. You love chess
2. Unique material
3. Interesting material
4. Updated frequently
5. For all ages
6. Supports juniors and other members of the chess community
7. Linked to the Chess in the Library program
8. Useful links
9. Canadian!
10. You don't hear much else from Hazel :)

More Than 200 Page Views!

Wow, what a jump over the 200 mark! Thanks to everyone for visiting...and as I always say, keep supporting Canadian chess!