Family Day

Who has the most say in a chess family?

Answer: The queen! She is highly-valued!

Hazel's Jokes!

Here's a twist on one of my favourite childhood jokes...

Why are flags on chess clocks usually red?

Answer: It's not easy falling in front of so many people!

(Based on the joke "Why do streetlights turn red?" Answer: You would too if you had to change in front of so many people!)

Chess Libs

Have you ever played Mad Libs (http://www.madlibs.com/)? They sure are a lot of fun, and produce hilarious results. In order to get this blog going again, I thought it would be interesting to make my own chess lib. Try it for yourself!

Instructions:

The following story is missing some words. Without revealing the sentences, have a friend fill out the form below using only the information provided (noun, verb, adjective, ...). Then put it all together and read it out loud!!! Trust me, in most cases, you'll get a good laugh.

Story (see form below):

Once upon a ___1___, there was a ___2___ chess king named Harry. He ___3___ all the squares, every one of them, ___4___ or white. He would ___5___ in his castle day in and ___6___ out, tending to his ___7___ knights and ___8___pawns. He would tell them stories of how one day, they might become ___9___, and find their own kings and castles. Yes, Harry had a ___10___ life. However, just over the squares was another king. Jealous of Harry’s ___11___, this king sent pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, and even a ___12___ to attack. As a result, Harry had to ___13___ from his happy ___14___ on g1, until at last, he thought he had escaped. He ___15___ and ___15___ until he noticed how far he had gone off track. He could no longer see his ___16___ anymore. Then, out of ___17___, someone screamed “___18___” and Harry fell to the board. Was this the end for the ___19___ king? ... Of course not, let’s ___20___ again!

Form:

Noun = person, place, or thing (boy, school, tree, ...)
Verb = action word (present tense - run, skip, dive, ...; past tense - ran, skipped, dove, ...)
Adjective = describes a noun (short, funny, fragile, ...)

1. Noun __________________
2. Adjective __________________
3. Verb (past tense) __________________
4. Colour __________________
5. Verb (past tense) __________________
6. Noun __________________
7. Adjective __________________
8. Adjective __________________
9. Noun (plural) __________________
10. Adjective __________________
11. Feeling __________________
12. Noun __________________
13. Verb __________________
14. Location __________________
15. Verb (past tense) __________________
16. Noun (plural) __________________
17. Location __________________
18. Expression __________________
19. Adjective __________________
20. Verb __________________

Top 12 Notice

I am still looking to contact the following members of the Top 12:

Patrick Angelo Tolentino

Jamil F. Kassam

Derick Aghamalian

Jeff Zhang

Yuekai Wang

Razvan having received his award:

Photo taken by Rene Preotu

Top 12 of 2010

Razvan Preotu
GRADE 6, Burlington, Ontario

School: Orchard Park P.S.

Shoutout: Razvan and his father would like to thank Mikhail Egorov for making his chess experience possible. Mikhail has assisted with training since 2009, and often accompanies Razvan to tournaments.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• 2010 Elaine Howie Fund recipient
• Ranked 4th in U12 (CFC 1973) and 9th in Grade 6 (CMA 1630) by the end of the year
• CFC +589, CMA +440
• Regular appearances at Hart House, Guelph, KW, and Hamilton tournaments
• Rating increases in all CMA tournaments and most CFC tournaments in which he participated
• First place (5.5/6.0), 2010 Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 5
• 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge participant, Grade 5
• First place (5.0/5.0), both The Chess Express October Tournament and KW Youth Monthly Tournament, King Section
• Tied for first (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 1852 (427 points above his rating of 1425 at the time), HCCC Holiday Series
• Performance rating of 1766 (244 points above his rating of 1522 at the time), third top upset prize, 2010 Niagara Falls Open
• Performance rating of 1851 (225 points above his rating of 1626 at the time = B class high performance list), featured in Shabalov's article, 2010 Canadian Open
• First place (4.5/5.0), performance rating of 2332 (650 points above his rating of 1682 at the time), Lasker Series 2010
• Performance rating of 1998 (193 points above his rating of 1805 at the time), 2010 Hamilton Summer Open
• First place (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 2088 (211 points above his rating of 1877 at the time), KW Oktoberfest, U2000
• Tied for second (5.5/8.0), 2010 Hamilton City CC Championships
• Tied for second (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 2084 (175 points above his rating of 1909 at the time), 2010 Holiday Series
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 2245 (287 points above his rating of 1958 at the time), 2010 HH Holiday Open, U2100

Luke Pulfer
GRADE 2, Surrey, British Columbia

School: South Meridian E.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 9th in U8 (CFC 1114) and 11th in Grade 2 (CMA 897) by the end of the year
• CFC +295, CMA +543
• Appearances at Langley Club and other junior tournaments in BC
• Tied for second (7.0/9.0), 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 1
• Tied for first (4.5/5.0), Vancouver Reg Chess Challenge, Grade K to 1
• Tied for first (4.5/5.0), 2010 BC Provincials, Grade 1
• Second place (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 1153 (280 points above his rating of 873 at the time), 2010 BCYCC, U8
• Performance rating of 1302 (320 points above his rating of 982 at the time), 2010 Langley Club Labor Day Open
• First place (4.5/5.0), 2010 St. George's Junior, Grade 1 to 2
• Tied for first (4.5/5.0), performance rating of 1341 (283 points above his rating of 1058 at the time), December Juniors Intermediate, U1200

Yue Tong (Davy) Zhao
GRADE 3, Scarborough, Ontario

School: Glad Park P.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 4th in U8 (CFC 1425) and 3rd in Grade 2 (CMA 1231) by the end of the year
• CFC +195, CMA +228
• Regular appearances at Knights of Chess and Scarborough Chess Club
• Participated in tournaments every month
• Second place/tied for second in Scholastic Grand Prix tournaments
• First place (5.0/5.0), 2010 Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 2
• Tied for second (7.0/9.0), 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 2
• Performance rating of 1606 (378 points above his rating of 1228 at the time = D class high performance list), 2010 Canadian Open
• Performance rating of 1731 (409 points above his rating of 1322 at the time), 2010 Hamilton Summer Open, U1900
• Performance rating of 1693 (273 points above his rating of 1420 at the time), 2010 Toronto Thanksgiving Open, U1900
• Performance rating of 1707 (355 points above his rating of 1352 at the time), 2010 HH Holiday Open, U1800

Nicole Birarov
GRADE 3, Thornhill, Ontario

School: Montessori E.C.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 12th in U8 (CFC 1056) and 7th in Grade 3 (CMA 1187) by the end of the year
• CFC +368, CMA +464
• Regular appearances at Knights of Chess
• Participated in tournaments every month
• WYCC participant, U8 girls (5.5/11.0 = 38th place)
• Tied for first/tied for second in Scholastic Grand Prix tournaments
• Tied for third (4.0/5.0), 2010 Ontario Chess Challenge
• 2010 NAYCC participant, U8 girls
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0), performance rating 0f 1042 (354 points above her rating of 688 at the time), 2010 OYCC, U8 girls
• Tied for second (5.0/7.0), 2010 CYCC, U8 girls
• Performance rating of 1366 (469 points above her rating of 897 at the time), 2010 Winter Open, U1700
• Performance rating of 1244 (282 points above her rating of 962 at the time), Knights of Chess Regular
• Tied for second (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 1487 (505 points above her rating of 982 at the time), 2010 HH Holiday Open, U1500

Patrick Angelo Tolentino
GRADE 3, Calgary, Alberta

School: St. Jerome E.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 18th in U8 (CFC 852) and 15th in Grade 3 (CMA 1094) by the end of the year
• CFC +238, CMA +195
• Regular appearances at Calgary Junior Chess Club
• First place (4.0/5.0), 2010 Alberta Chess Challenge, Grade 2
• Tied for second (7.0/9.0), 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 2
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0). Calgary Junior Halloween Open
• Second place (3.0/4.0), Calgary Rising Stars Training Camp
• Performance rating of 1252 (638 points above his rating of 614 at the time), 2010 University Battle of AB Open
• Tied for second (3.0/6.0), performance rating of 1068 (401 points above his rating of 667 at the time), Calgary Junior Knockout 2010
• Performance rating of 1095 (366 points above his rating of 729 at the time), 2010 CYCC, U8
• Tied for first (3.0/5.0), performance rating of 959 (153 points above his rating of 806 at the time), 2010 Calgary August Sectional, D
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 1015 (193 points above his (active) rating of 822 at the time), Calgary Halloween Junior Active
• Tied for third (3.0/5.0), 2010 Calgary Junior Novemeber Active
• Third place (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 1153 (270 points above his (active) rating of 883 at the time), CCC Rising Stars vs. Experience Active

Varshini Paraparan
GRADE 3, Toronto, Ontario

School: Golf Rd. J.P.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 19th in U8 (CFC 846) and 20th in Grade 3 (CMA 1011) by the end of the year
• CFC +200, CMA +376
• Regular appearances at Knights of Chess, Scarborough Chess Club, Queens & Kings School of Chess, and Canadian Chess Academy
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0), performance rating of 817 (171 points above her rating of 646 at the time), Canadian Chess Academy, C
• Performance rating of 930 (178 points above her rating of 752 at the time), 2010 S. Leacock CI Challenge
• Performance rating of 1032 (206 points above her rating of 826 at the time), 2010 SCC Championships, Reserves U1700
• Tied for first (4.0/5.0), 2010 OYCC, U8 girls

Daniel Zotkin
GRADE 4, Etobicoke, Ontario

School: All Saints E.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 6th in U10 (CFC 1698) and 4th in Grade 4 (CMA 1500) by the end of the year
• CFC +194, CMA +94
• Regular appearances at Knights of Chess, Scarborough Chess Club, and Swansea Chess Club
• Performance rating of 1746 (284 points above his rating of 1462 at the time), Knights of Chess April
• Tied for first (5.5/7.0), 2010 CYCC, U10
• Performance rating of 1848 (282 points above his rating of 1566 at the time), 2010 Toronto Labour Day Open, U1900
• Tied for third (4.0/6.0), performance rating of 2015 (387 points above his rating of 1628 at the time), 2010 Toronto Thanksgiving Open, U2100

Jamil F. Kassam
GRADE 5, Edmonton, Alberta

School: Pollard Meadows E.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 4th in U10 (CFC 1825) and 4th in Grade 5 (CMA 1627) by the end of the year
• CFC +301, CMA +212
• Regular appearances at Edmonton Chess Club
• Participated in tournaments every month
• First place (5.0/5.0), 2010 Edmonton Regional Chess Challenge, Grade 4
• First place (5.0/5.0), 2010 Alberta Chess Challenge, Grade 4
• Third place (7.0/9.0), 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 4
• First place (4.0/4.0), Northern Alberta Scholastic Championships Pro, Grade 5
• Tied for second (2.0/2.0), performance rating of 1741 (209 points above his rating of 1532 at the time), 2010 ECC February Sectional, C
• First place (4.5/5.0), 2010 AYCC, U10
• Performance rating of 1824 (254 points above his rating of 1570 at the time), 2010 ECC Spring Open
• Performance rating of 1442 (236 points above his (active) rating of 1206 at the time), ECC Saturday Active
• First place (5.0/6.0), performance rating of 1840 (217 points above his rating of 1623 at the time), ECC April Sectional, B
• Second place (4.0/5.0), ACA, U1800
• Tied for second (2.5/4.0), performance rating of 1967 (227 points above his rating of 1740 at the time), ECC Summer Open
• Tied for second (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 2099 (357 points above his rating of 1742 at the time), ECC Back to School Open
• Tied for third (3.0/4.0), ECC Preliminaries, U2000

Derick Aghamalian
GRADE 5, Thornhill, Ontario

School: St. Michael Ac.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 12th in U10 (CFC 1449) and 9th in Grade 5 (CMA 1493) by the end of the year
• CFC +85, CMA +292
• Regular appearances at Knights of Chess, Scarborough Chess Club, and Swansea Chess Club
• Participated in tournaments every month
• Third place (6.0/8.0), 2010 Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 4
• 2010 NAYCC participant, U10
• First place (5.0/5.0), 918 Bathurst Scholastic Tournament
• Performance rating of 1640 (312 points above his rating of 1328 at the time), 2010 Ontario Open, U1600
• First place (3.5/6.0), Knights of Chess - June
• Performance rating of 1586 (170 points above his rating of 1416 at the time), 2010 HH Holiday Open, U1800

Jeff Zhang
GRADE 5, Nepean, Ontario

School: Cedarview M.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 15th in U10 (CFC 1419) and 25th in Grade 5 (CMA 1155) by the end of the year
• CFC +247, CMA +178
• Regular appearances at Ottawa Summer Camp and RACC
• Tied third/first in Scholastic Grand Prix tournaments
• Tied first (4.0/6.0), Wizards Elite Winter 2010
• First place (4.5/5.0), WCC Winter 2010
• First place (5.0/5.0), Eastern Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 4
• NAYCC participant, U10
• Performance rating of 1388 (168 points above his rating of 1220 at the time), RA Pickup 1
• Performance rating of 1575 (331 points above his rating of 1244 at the time), 2010 Eastern Ontario Open, U1600
• Performance rating of 1554 (226 points above his rating of 1328 at the time), RA Pickup 3
• Tied for third (3.0/5.0), performance rating of 1574 (236 points above his rating of 1338 at the time), 2010 Ottawa Autumn Open, U1600
• Third place (5.0/7.0), 2010 RF Rogers, U1600
• Performance rating of 1776 (379 points above his (active) rating of 1397 at the time), 2010 Raletich Memorial Active

Juliaan Posaratnanathan
GRADE 8, Toronto, Ontario

School: King Edward P.S.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 17th in U14 (CFC 1920) and 13th in Grade 8 (CMA 1544) by the end of the year
• CFC +192, CMA +232
• Regular appearances at Scarborough Chess Club and Oriole Chess Club
• Participated in tournaments every month
• Number 17 on CFC's most active list for 2010
• Tied for third (4.0/5.0), Ontario Team Chess Championship
• Tied for fourth (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 1951 (272 points above his rating of 1679 at the time), Ontario High School Championship 2010, championship section
• Tied for second (3.5/5.0), 2010 OYCC, U14
• NAYCC participant, U14
• Top performance for B class, Canadian Open
• Performance rating of 2000 (164 points above his rating of 1836 at the time), 2010 Toronto Labour Day Open, U2100
• Performance rating of 2084 (217 points above his rating of 1867 at the time), 2010 Winter Open
• Tied for third (4.5/7.0), Falling Leaves Swiss, U2000

Yuekai Wang
GRADE 8, Calgary, Alberta

School: Harold Panabaker J.H.

Outstanding Achievements in 2010:

• Ranked 27th in U14 (CFC 1835) and 4th in Grade 8 (CMA 1764) by the end of the year
• CFC -3, CMA +288
• Regular appearances at Calgary Junior Chess Club
• First place (3.0/3.0), 2010 Calgary Regional Chess Challenge
• First place (4.5/5.0), 2010 Alberta Chess Challenge
• First place (5.5/6.0), 2010 Calgary Junior Chess Club Open
• First place (5.0/5.0), Calgary Junior Chess Club, U1500
• Tied for third (6.5/9.0), 2010 Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 7
• First place (5.0/5.0), Calgary Back to School Regular Tournament
• Tied for second (4.0/5.0), performance rating 2059 (221 points above his rating of 1838 at the time), 2010 University Battle of AB Open
• First place (4.5/5.0), 2010 AYCC, U14
• Tied for second (3.0/6.0), 2010 Calgary Junior Knockout
• Tied for first (4.5/5.0), 2010 Calgary Junior Open Active
• First place (5.0/5.0), CJCC Active, U1500
• Tied for second (3.5/5.0), performance rating of 2145 (216 points above his rating of 1929 at the time), 2010 Calgary CC Team Tournament

Additional Shoutouts from Hazel:

A big shoutout to WYCC participants, including gold medallist, Jason Cao! Similar shoutouts for participants at the Canadian Junior, NAYCC, Pan-Am Youth, Chess Challenges, and all other junior tournaments. Congrats for a great year!

Note: If any of the above information is incorrect, please send me an email: checkmateupdate@gmail.com

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hey Readers!

Know what? I missed you! Been super-busy with midterms, and now I have a lot to catch up on in terms of this blog. Almost reading week, so I'll actually have time to clean up/update some stuff. Sorry for the delays :(

Even though I haven't been posting for a couple weeks, a lot has been accomplished behind the scenes. I'm in contact with some of the parents of the top 12. However, I'm still missing quite a few, so if you know any of them, please pass along the message!!! These kids are just amazing, and shouldn't go unrecognized :) Furthermore, I've designed the certificates + currently in the process of ordering the small gifts for the top 12.

I'll be visiting a few junior chess events in the near future. That should be fun! I really enjoy seeing all the little geniuses!

Last announcement - the big winner of the fund....drum roll...

Razvan Preotu!!!

Congratulations, Razvan will receive $100 on behalf of the Elaine Howie Fund. It was such a tough decision, because all the Top 12 demonstrated unique characteristics of progress and leadership (I'll be posting a summary of accomplishments for all twelve soon). However, Razvan stood out due to his stellar performance in a variety of areas, as well as unmatched consistency - out of the 25 tournaments he participated in, his rating increased in all but three (and one of the three was breakeven). Even more, he achieved remarkable results in eight of his CFC tournaments, the most obvious being the Lasker Series, where he scored 4.5/5 with a performance 650 rating points above his rating at the time!!! As mentioned, more details to come...

To clarify the results of this decision. Razvan will receive a $100 cheque, a certificate, and small prize. Unless the monetary part of the fund significantly changes in the future, he will not qualify to receive the award twice. However, he can still be in future top 12 lists. All others in the current top 12 can qualify for both future lists and future monetary prizes. If enough funds are collected before the summer, another junior will be selected from the current list (since some funds got moved from 2010 to 2011).

I want to stress that it is an amazing accomplishment regardless of whether or not you receive a prize. The idea is to recognize great junior chess in Canada, and I personally commend you for your efforts. Parents, coaches, tournament organizers, and other supporters - thank you for the time and resources you have generously provided for these kids & many others!!!

Any questions can be sent to checkmateupdate@gmail.com. I will also accept any photos or games you wish to feature.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!

Sincerely,

Hazel