2012 Ontario Girls' Chess Championship - One Week to Go!

Join in on the excitement at this year's Ontario Girls' Chess Championship! The OGCC is one of the largest tournaments for female chess players in Canada. Now in its 10th year, there are even more opportunities and surprises! With over 100 girls already signed up, as well as guests, simuls, activities (and who could forget the pizza lunch?)...don't miss out! Registration is still open. More details at this site: http://www.ogcc2003.ca/index.html

Tournament date:  Saturday May 19, 2012

Location:  Marshall McLuhan Catholic S.S., 1107 Avenue Road, Toronto

If interested, please register by May 17, 2012. Siblings & parents tournaments also available...or just drop by for a visit! All are welcome.

NEW THIS YEAR: 

"Ontario - Quebec: Champion of each section from G.1 to G.6 in OGCC 2012 will be invited to represent Ontario to play the top girls from Quebec on June 9 in Kingston."

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Finalist Achievements Notice

Please take time to read through the wonderful achievements of the Elaine Howie Fund "Top 12" finalists, below. All of them had such a great year! Awards were much-deserved.

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

I am also looking to contact the following players:

* Qiyu Zhou
* Yuanchen Zhang
* Michael Song
* Richard Wang
* Melissa Giblon
* Zong Yang Yu

If you know any of these juniors, please inform them of their award. They can contact me at the email above to claim their prize.

Good luck to all in 2012. Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Nicholas Lee (Gold)

Nicholas Lee, 2011 Alberta Youth Chess Championship

Nicholas Lee
GRADE 7, Calgary, Alberta

School: Glenmore Ac.

Nicholas Lee is a grade 7 student from Calgary, Alberta. During 2011, he attended Calgary Chess Club as well as various tournaments across Alberta. Nicholas demonstrated significant progress in all fourteen events he took part in, reaching new heights at an incredible pace. Many times, he finished not just with great results, but amazing spirit and placements amongst much higher-rated players. Almost half his performances were at least 250 points above his pre-tournament CFC rating, and that doesn’t even account for his remarkable second place finishes at the Alberta Chess Challenge and Calgary Youth Chess Championship. These factors alone were enough to credit the “Gold Award” to Nicholas’ name. However, I knew I had made the right decision when his family sent a very touching letter describing Nicholas’ chess journey. Nicholas started playing chess only a couple years ago, in the fall of 2009, when he had just turned nine years old. Combining personal passion and a self-directed drive to compete and improve, he developed with increasing strength in a relatively short period of time. “The Elaine Howie Fund Gold Award is tangible affirmation of Nicholas’ hard work and improvement and provides reinforcement for his continued chess development.”

Nicholas would like to thank God, his family, and the Calgary chess community. Special appreciation goes to Tony Ficzere, Roy Yearwood, Simon Ong, and especially Dan Kazmaier – for their interest, encouragement and support of his tournament chess journey. Nicholas’ family would also like to congratulate all fund award winners.

Photo provided by Nicholas' family.

Full list of Nicholas' best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 14th in U14 (CFC 1474) and 25th in Grade 7 (CMA 1431) by the end of the year
· CFC +373, CMA +355
· Rating progress in all 14/14 tournaments in 2011!
· Representing Calgary Chess Club and various tournaments in Alberta
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Back2School Tournament
· 2nd place (3.0/4.0), Alberta Chess Challenge, Grade 6, winning two playoff games
· 2nd place (3.0/4.0), Calgary Youth Chess Championship, U12, performance rating of 1222 (121 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1101)
· 2nd place (3.5/5.0), Calgary Regional Chess Challenge, Grade 6, winning two playoff games
· 2nd place (4.0/6.0), Calgary Junior Knockout Championship & Reserves
· Tied for 3rd place (3.0/5.0), AYCC, U12, performance rating of 1423 (259 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1164)
· Tied for 3rd place (3.0/5.0), Schleinich Memorial Championship, performance rating of 1307 (180 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1127)
· Performance rating of 1733 (458 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1275), Calgary International
· Performance rating of 1692 (259 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1433), Alberta Junior Championship
· Performance rating of 1639 (417 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1222), Alberta Reserves Championship
· Performance rating of 1630 (267 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1365), Calgary Chess Club Championship
· Performance rating of 1587 (262 pts. above Nicholas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1325), Edmonton International Reserves

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Olivier Kenta Chiku-Ratte (Gold)

Olivier Kenta Chiku-Ratte
GRADE 7, Montreal, Quebec

School: Jean-Eudes (coll.)

Olivier Kenta Chiku-Ratte is a grade 7 student from Montreal, Quebec. During 2011, he participated extensively in a variety of events across Canada, including those at the Montreal Chess Club, Varenne Chess Club, and Ahuntsic Chess Club. At the international level, he set the stage with an admirable winning streak in the Under 12 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. Furthermore, as one of the most talented juniors in the country, he posted numerous fantastic results in CFC, FQE, and CMA events. Highlights include first place in the competitive Under 12 section of the Canadian Youth Chess Championship, first place at the Quebec Chess Challenge, second place at the Canadian Chess Challenge, second place at the Quebec Sponge Towels Championship, second place at the Quebec Open, and an incredible 2200 performance in the Open section of the Canadian Open. Olivier Kenta continues to strive to challenge himself and reach new heights. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. I will let these words, sent by a supporter (whom I will keep anonymous), speak for themselves: “He is an incredible player with a great talent and a very good fighting spirit...when people around here see him, they immediately think about Lesiege and Roussel-Roozmon, who looked like him at his age and are now grandmasters.”

As you can see, Olivier Kenta was a natural choice to receive the “Gold Award”. Congratulations!

Full list of Olivier Kenta's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 1st (FQE 2187) & 6th (CFC 2072) in U14 and 1st in Grade 7 (CMA 2246) by the end of the year
· CFC +396, FQE +101, CMA +140
· Representing Montreal Chess Club, Varenne Chess Club, and Ahuntsic Chess Club
· Participation in various secondary school matches
· Extensive participation in Open Sections within the CFC, FQE, and CMA!
· Participation in the WYCC, U12, including an admirable winning streak at the start
· 1st place out of 45 players (6.5/7.0), CYCC, U12, performance rating of 2084 (355 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1729)
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Quebec Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· Tied for 1st place (4.5/5.0) and tied for 2nd place (4.0/5.0), Quebec Grand Prix Tournaments, U12
· 2nd place (7.5/9.0), Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 6, after winning playoff
· Tied for 2nd place out of 60 players (6.5/9.0), Quebec Sponge Towels Championship, Open Section, performance rating of 2237 (139 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 2098)
· Tied for 2nd place (6.5/9.0), Quebec Open, performance rating of 2182 (236 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1946)
· Tied for 2nd place (3.0/5.0), Varennes Tournament, Invitational Section, CFC performance rating of 2324 (278 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2046), FQE performance rating of 2328 (151 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 2177)
· Tied for 2nd place (4.0/5.0), Ahuntsic Club Championship
· Tied for 3rd place (3.5/5.0), Oasis Tournament
· Tied for 88th place out of 152 players (4.0/9.0), Canadian Open, Open Section, performance rating of 2200 (355 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1845)
· Score of 5.0/5.0, K-6 Team Championship
· Performance rating of 2271 (223 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 2048), Saint-Jean Tournament
· Performance rating of 2073 (397 pts. above Olivier-Kenta’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1676), Ottawa Spring Open
· Now the highest-rated member of Team-Quebec

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Finalist Achievements (Silver)

Sergey Noritsyn
GRADE 3, Richmond Hill, Ontario

Sergey Noritsyn is a grade 3 student from Richmond Hill, Ontario. During 2011, he attended ten events in Canada, nine in which he performed well enough to progress his rating! He also participated in the Under 8 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. Other highlights of his year include a first place finish at the Canadian Youth Chess Championship and second place at the Canadian Open (U1600). Even more, as the youngest member of this year’s “Top 12”, Sergey has many years ahead of him. I wish him all the best as he continues to develop. Congratulations!

Full list of Sergey's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 1st in U10 (CFC 1714) and 6th in Grade 3 (CMA 1388) by the end of the year
· CFC +252, CMA +750
· Rating progress in 9/10 tournaments in 2011
· Representing various CFC tournaments in Toronto, Guelph, and Hamilton
· Participation in the WYCC, U8
· 1st place (6.5/7.0), CYCC, U8
· 1st place (4.5/5.0), Guelph Winter Pro-Am, U1600, performance rating of 1681 (219 pts. above Sergey’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1462)
· Tied for 2nd place (7.0/9.0), Canadian Open, U1600, performance rating of 1666 (105 pts. above Sergey’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1501)
· Tied for 3rd place (3.5/5.0), Hart House Holidays Open, U1900
· Performance rating of 1894 (257 pts. above Sergey’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1637), Guelph Fall Pro-Am, U2000
· Performance rating of 1816 (307 pts. above Sergey’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1509), Hamilton Winter Open, U1900
· Performance rating of 1762 (167 pts. above Sergey’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1595), Toronto Thanksgiving Open, U2000

Zong Yang Yu
GRADE 7, Montreal, Quebec

School: Notre-Dame (coll.)

Zong Yang Yu is a grade 7 student from Montreal, Quebec. During 2011, he attended Montreal Chess Club and Chess ‘n Math’s Montreal Saturday Club, as well as various secondary school matches and other events around Quebec. He consistently posted top scores in these events. Particularly noteworthy were his first place finishes at the Quebec Sponge Towels Championship and Pepsico Junior Championship. Zong Yang clearly has excellent spirit for the game. Congratulations!

Full list of Zong Yang's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 3rd in U14 (FQE 1814) and 5th in Grade 7 (CMA 1951) by the end of the year
· FQE +542, CMA +463
· Representing the CMA Montreal Saturday Club, and Montreal Chess Club with consistent top finishes/high performances
· Participation in various secondary school matches
· Extensive participation within the FQE and CMA
· 1st place (8.0/9.0), Quebec Sponge Towels Championship, Section B, performance rating of 1870 (238 pts. above Zong Yang’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1632)
· 1st place (4.0/5.0), Pepsico Junior Championship, U12
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), two Quebec Grand Prix Tournaments, U12 and U14
· 1st place (7.0/8.0), Notre-Dame Holiday Tournament
· 1st place (4.0/4.0), Notre-Dame October Tournament
· 3rd place (4.0/5.0), Quebec Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· Tied for 3rd place (4.0/5.0), Santa Claus (Pere Noel) Tournament, Section C, performance rating of 1550 (278 pts. above Zong Yang’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1272)
· Tied for 3rd place (3.5/5.0), Quebec Class Championship, Section D, performance rating of 1672 (265 pts. above Zong Yang’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1407)
· Score of 5.0/5.0, K-6 Team Championship

John Doknjas
GRADE 7, Surrey, British Columbia

School: Lochiel U-Connect Education Centre

John Doknjas is a grade 7 student from Surrey, British Columbia. During 2011, he attended Langley Club, various elementary school matches, and many large events in BC. Of particular note were his first place finishes at the Canadian Chess Challenge, BC Junior Championship, BC Youth Championship, Canadian Open (U2000), and BC Chess Challenge. John continues to represent his family and province with amazing spirit. I’m sure he will excel for many years to come. Congratulations!

Full list of John's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 8th in U14 (CFC 2063) and 6th in Grade 7 (CMA 1944) by the end of the year
· CFC +160, CMA +272
· Representing Langley Club
· Participation in various elementary school matches
· 1st place (8.0/9.0), Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Fraser Valley Regional Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· 1st place (4.0/5.0), BC Junior Championship, performance rating of 2156 (120 pts. above John’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2036)
· 1st place (4.5/5.0), BCYCC, U12
· Tied for 1st place (7.0/9.0), Canadian Open, U2000, performance rating of 2106 (137 pts. above John’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1969)
· Tied for 1st place (4.5/5.0), BC Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· Tied for 2nd place (5.0/7.0), CYCC, U12
· Tied for 2nd place (4.5/6.0), BC Open, performance rating of 2269 (241 pts. above John’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2028)
· Tied for 2nd place (3.5/5.0), New Year Open, performance rating of 2123 (220 pts. above John’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1903)
· Tied for 11th place out of 86 players (4.0/6.0), Grand Pacific Open, performance rating of 2129 (195 pts. above John’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1934)
· Score of 5.0/5.0, BC Elementary Team Tournament

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Finalist Achievements (Bronze)

Melissa Giblon
GRADE 7, Thornhill, Ontario

School: Henderson Av. P.S.

Melissa Giblon is a grade 7 student from Thornhill, Ontario. During 2011, she attended twelve events in Canada, eleven in which she performed well enough to progress her rating! She represented Canada in the Under 12 Girls section of the World Youth Championship, and had a standout first place finish at the Canadian Youth Chess Championship. In addition to ongoing successes, the Giblon family has been extremely dedicated to chess for many years. Congratulations!

Full list of Melissa's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 28th in U14 (CFC 1528) and 21st in Grade 7 (CMA 1453) by the end of the year
· CFC +180, CMA +218
· Participation in the WYCC, U12 Girls
· Rating progress in 11/12 tournaments in 2011
· Participation in various elementary/secondary team tournaments
· 1st place (7.0/7.0), CYCC, U12 Girls, performance rating of 1586 (195 pts. above Melissa’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1391)
· Tied for 1st place (4.0/5.0), OGCC, Grade 6
· 2nd place (3.5/5.0), OYCC, U12 Girls
· 2nd place (4.0/5.0), York Region Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· Score of 4.5/5.0, Ontario Teams Chess Championship, K-6
· Score of 3.0/4.0, Ontario Teams Chess Championship, K-9
· Performance rating of 1685 (211 pts. above Melissa’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1474), Toronto Labour Day Open, U2000

Nicolas Robichaud
GRADE 9, Moncton, New Brunswick

School: Ste-Bernadette

Nicolas Robichaud is a grade 9 student from Moncton, New Brunswick. During 2011, he attended sixteen events in Canada, fifteen in which he performed well enough to progress his rating! He and his family are extremely committed to the game, travelling not just around the Maritimes, but across the country to events such as the Canadian Youth Chess Championship and Canadian Chess Challenge. Not only did he represent his province well in both these events, he brought a great, positive attitude. As quoted by his family, “Nicolas really enjoyed his experience as a member of team New Brunswick and his travel at Victoria BC for the CCC2011 (Canadian Chess Challenge), a wonderful experience at the other side of Canada.”

Nicolas also finished first place at the New Brunswick Chess Challenge, second place at the Nova Scotia Youth Tournament, and gave shining performances at the Charlottetown Open & Maritime Open. Congratulations!

Nicolas would like to send out a huge thanks to the Maritime chess community, and to his parents for supporting his experience (including travel opportunities). His family would like to congratulate the rest of the fund finalists as well.

Full list of Nicolas' best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 39th in U16 (CFC 1518) and 41st in Grade 9 (CMA 1318) by the end of the year
· CFC +254, CMA +300
· Rating progress in 15/16 tournaments in 2011
· Representing various tournaments across the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI), including the Maritime Team Championship
· Great commitment to chess – over half of his tournaments involved travel, including to the CYCC and Canadian Chess Challenge
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), New Brunswick Chess Challenge Championship, Grade 8
· 1st place (4.5/5.0), October seasonal tournament, performance rating of 1635 (167 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1468)
· 2nd place (4.0/5.0), Nova Scotia Youth Tournament, Section 2
· Tied for 2nd place (3.0/5.0), March winter tournament, performance rating of 1618 (308 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1310)
· 3rd place (3.0/5.0), Dec-Feb tournament, performance rating of 1556 (292 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1264)
· Performance rating of 1736 (374 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1362), Charlottetown Open
· Performance rating of 1628 (173 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1455), Maritime Open
· Performance rating of 1621 (216 pts. above Nicolas’ pre-tournament CFC rating of 1405), CYCC, U14

Nikola Isaev
GRADE 11, Saint-Hubert, Quebec

School: Jean-Eudes (coll.)

Nikola Isaev is a grade 11 student from Saint-Hubert, Quebec. During 2011, he attended Chess ‘n Math’s Montreal Saturday Club as well as various secondary school matches and other events around Quebec. Highlights include first place finishes at the Quebec Sponge Towels Championship and Montreal Open. As the only senior student in this year’s fund, Nikola will serve as a great example for rising juniors. His great attitude towards the game will inspire both now and in the future. Congratulations!

Full list of Nikola's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 23rd in U18 (FQE 1676) and 24th in Grade 11 (CMA 1473) by the end of the year
· FQE +520, CMA +306
· Representing the CMA Montreal Saturday Club
· Participation in various secondary school matches
· 1st place (8.0/10.0), Quebec Sponge Towels Championship, Section C, performance rating of 1488 (156 pts. above Nikola’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1332)
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Montreal Open, Section C, performance rating of 1703 (169 pts. above Nikola’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1534)
· Tied for 3rd place (4.0/5.0), Santa Claus (Pere Noel) Tournament, Section C, performance rating of 1560 (404 pts. above Nikola’s pre-tournament rating of 1156)
· Tied for 3rd place (3.0/5.0), Florence Tournament, Section A, performance rating of 1787 (365 pts. above Nikola’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1422)
· Tied for 4th place (3.0/5.0), Pepsico Junior Championship, U16, performance rating of 1754 (103 pts. above Nikola’s pre-tournament FQE rating of 1651)
· Score of 3.0/3.0, Secondary Team Championship

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - Finalist Achievements (Special Mention)

Qiyu Zhou
GRADE 6, Ottawa, Ontario

School: Huron St. J.P.S.

Qiyu Zhou is a grade 6 student from Ottawa, Ontario. During 2011, she attended RA Chess Club, Hart House Chess Club, and Annex Chess Club. Altogether, she participated in twenty events in Canada, seventeen in which she performed well enough to progress her rating! She also attended the World Youth Chess Championship with a sensational 12th place (tied for 9th place) finish. Qiyu was selected to receive the Youth Girls Award for her all-around success, including a first place finish at the Ontario Youth Chess Championship and second place finishes at the Canadian Youth Chess Championship and Ontario Chess Challenge. Congratulations!

Qiyu's family would like to give "many thanks for the great support from all members from Hart House Club, Annex Club, and RA Club, special thanks to Mr. Alex Ferreira from Hart House, Mr. Ted Winick from Annex Chess Club, Mr. Robert Hamilton & Mr. Gordon Ritchie from RA Club, for their high attention to her chess development".

Full list of Qiyu's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 3rd in U12 (CFC 1953) and 30th in Grade 6 (CMA 1280) by the end of the year
· CFC +334, CMA +422
· Rating progress in 17/20 tournaments in 2011
· Representing RA Chess Club, Hart House Chess Club, and Annex Chess Club
· 12th place (tied for 9th), WYCC, U12 Girls
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), OYCC, U12 Girls
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Toronto Qualifier, Grade 5
· Tied for 1st place (4.0/5.0), Seaway Valley Open, performance rating of 2223 (412 pts. above Qiyu’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1811)
· Tied for 1st place (4.0/5.0), Kingston Open
· 2nd place (6.0/7.0), CYCC, U12 Girls
· 2nd place (4.5/5.0), Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 5
· 3rd place (4.5/6.0), Hart House Reading Week Open, U1900, performance rating of 1842 (165 pts. above Qiyu’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1677)
· Tied for 6th place (3.5/6.0), Ontario Open, U2000, performance rating of 1895 (222 pts. above Qiyu’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1673)

Yuanchen Zhang
GRADE 5, Markham, Ontario

School: Ashton Meadows P.S.

Yuanchen Zhang is a grade 5 student from Markham, Ontario. During 2011, he attended Scarborough Chess Club as well as various tournaments across Ontario and Quebec. Yuanchen was chosen as part of the “Top 12” for his remarkable 9th place finish in the Under 10 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. Other highlights include first place finishes at the Canadian Youth Chess Championship and Ontario Chess Challenge, as well as commendable performances at many regional events. Yuanchen is well-known to the chess scene and continues to excel. Congratulations!

Full list of Yuanchen's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 2nd in U12 (CFC 2029) and 2nd in Grade 5 (CMA 1774) by the end of the year
· CFC +191, CMA +264
· Representing Scarborough Chess Club as well as various CFC tournaments across Ontario and Quebec
· 9th place, WYCC, U10
· 1st place (6.0/7.0), CYCC, U10
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 4
· Tied for 3rd place (3.5/5.0), Ottawa Winter Open, Section B, performance rating of 2068 (230 pts. above Yuanchen’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1838)
· Tied for 3rd place (3.0/5.0), Ottawa Autumn Open, Section B
· Tied for 3rd place (3.5/5.0), Guelph Winter Pro-Am, U2000
· Tied for 3rd place (5.0/9.0), SCC Spring Into Summer, Over 2000, performance rating of 2063 (131 pts. above Yuanchen’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1932)
· Performance rating of 2199 (212 pts. above Yuanchen’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 1987), Hart House Holidays Open

Michael Song
GRADE 7, North York, Ontario

School: Denlow P.S.

Michael Song is a grade 7 student from North York, Ontario. During 2011, he attended Scarborough Chess Club as well as various tournaments across Ontario. Michael was chosen as part of the “Top 12” for his outstanding 3rd place finish in the Under 12 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. Very few Canadians have been able to reach such an amazing accomplishment at the international level. Michael also excelled at the national & regional levels with highlights including first place finishes at the Ontario Chess Challenge and Toronto Junior Championship. Congratulations!

Full list of Michael's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 3rd in U14 (CFC 2184) and 8th in Grade 7 (CMA 1859) by the end of the year
· Representing Scarborough Chess Club as well as various CFC tournaments across Ontario
· 3rd place, WYCC, U12
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Ontario Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), Toronto Grand Prix event, U14
· Tied for 1st place (5.5/7.0), Toronto Junior Championship
· Tied for 1st place (5.0/7.0), SCC Jack Frost, 2000+, performance rating of 2323 (136 pts. above Michael’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2187)
· Tied for 1st place (3.0/4.0), London June Open
· Tied for 2nd place (5.0/7.0), CYCC, U12
· Tied for 2nd place (4.0/5.0), OYCC, U12
· 3rd place (6.5/9.0), Canadian Chess Challenge, Grade 6
· 3rd place (5.5/9.0), SCC Championship
· Tied for 4th place (3.0/5.0), Hamilton Summer Open, Top Guns, performance rating of 2252 (182 pts. above Michael’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2070)
· Performance rating of 2440 (331 pts. above Michael’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2109), SCC Falling Leaves, 1800+
· Performance rating of 2422 (287 pts. above Michael’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2135), Hart House Holidays Open

Richard Wang
GRADE 9, Edmonton, Alberta

School: Grandview Heights E.J.H.

Richard Wang is a grade 9 student from Edmonton, Alberta. During 2011, he attended Edmonton Chess Club as well as various tournaments across Alberta. Richard was chosen as part of the “Top 12” for his stellar 10th place (tied for 4th place) finish in the Under 14 section of the World Youth Chess Championship. Richard has proven time and time again that he is one to watch at the international level. Other events he excelled in include the Canadian Youth Championship & Alberta Youth Chess Championship (both first place finishes), the Edmonton Chess Club Capablanca Classic (first place & performance rating of 2470 - wow!), and the Northern Alberta Open (tied for first place). I’m sure we will see a lot more of Richard’s success in the future. Congratulations!

Full list of Richard's best achievements in 2011:

· Ranked 1st in U14 (CFC 2306) and 1st in Grade 9 (CMA 2317) by the end of the year
· CFC +42, CMA +15
· Representing Edmonton Chess Club as well as various CFC tournaments across Alberta
· 10th place (tied for 4th), WYCC, U14
· 1st place (6.0/7.0), CYCC, U14
· 1st place (5.0/5.0), AYCC, U14
· 1st place (4.0/5.0), ECC Capablanca Classic, performance rating of 2470 (160 pts. above Richard’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2310)
· Tied for 1st place (4.0/5.0), Northern Alberta Open, performance rating of 2378 (112 pts. above Richard’s pre-tournament CFC rating of 2266)
· 3rd place (3.0/4.0), ECC Skeel Memorial
· Tied for 3rd place (3.0/5.0), Alberta Junior Championship
· Tied for 3rd place (4.0/8.0), Edmonton Championship

2011 Elaine Howie Fund - The Big Announcement!

It's finally time to announce the prize order for the Elaine Howie Fund "Top 12" finalists!

This year's prizing was an extremely tough decision. All the players mentioned had a spectacular year, and deserve to be recognized for their achievements. However, there were two players who stood out the most. Both reminded me of all-around values this fund was set up to highlight, but in two very different ways. Therefore, I would like to award two “gold” placements (instead of one “gold” and one “silver star”), each which will receive a cheque for $100. There will still be three “silver” placements, displayed below, leaving three “bronze” awards, one Youth Girls Award, and the three special mentions (that were announced earlier). I want to stress that all placements are incredible achievements. Decisions often came down to very slight differences because everyone in the “Top 12” had a lot of positive aspects that set him/her apart. I believe you will all have bright futures.

Now for the big announcement...

The Gold Award, which consists of a "gold" certificate, 2011 Top 12 pin, and $100 prize money (each), goes to Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte and Nicholas Lee!

Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte (QC) demonstrated outstanding leadership in 2011, progressing with performances seldom seen for juniors his age. He also participated in a broad range of clubs/events, served as a role model for development in Quebec (and the rest of Canada), and set the stage for Canadian Team confidence at the international level. He is definitely one to watch as a forerunner in Canadian chess.

Nicholas Lee (AB) is the kind of player I had dreamed of awarding through this fund process. Others sometimes wonder why I don’t just pick the #1 players in each age category and make them the “Top 12”. Well, here’s my answer: although rating is a significant factor in decisions, it is just one number. It does not necessarily show who made progress during the year, who participated in a variety of events, who demonstrated commitment/consistency/spirit, or even how long a player has been playing (it takes time to build up a rating, so a newer player, or one from a particular region, could have a lot of potential but still not be at the very top of rating lists). I want to make sure players like Nicholas Lee receive recognition too. His performances have grown significantly throughout the year, with consistent progress in ALL fourteen events he participated in! Multiple times, he placed in the top three spots among players much higher in rating. He also seems very committed to chess in his home province of Alberta.

The Silver Award, which consists of a "silver" certificate and 2011 Top 12 pin, goes to Sergey Noritsyn (ON), Zong Yang Yu (QC), and John Doknjas (BC).

The Bronze Award, which consists of a "bronze" certificate and 2011 Top 12 pin, goes to Melissa Giblon (ON), Nicolas Robichaud (NB), and Nikola Isaev (QC).

The Youth Girls Award (Special Mention), which consists of a certificate, 2011 Top 12 pin, $100 prize money, and free entry into the 2012 Ontario Girls' Chess Championship (http://www.ogcc2003.ca/, entry courtesy of Corinna Wan), goes to Qiyu Zhou (ON).

Special Mention, which consists of a certificate and 2011 Top 12 pin, goes to Yuanchen Zhang (ON), Michael Song (ON), and Richard Wang (AB).

In early February, I will be posting a full set of 2011 highlight achievements for each member of this year’s “Top 12”. Please let me know if you would like to share a positive message for one or more of the recipients with that post!

Note: Award recipients may be eligible for future fund prizes (based on performance each year). However, those receiving $100 will not be eligible for further prize money unless the fund structure is changed to allow for a significant prize difference.

If you have been mentioned in the award lists above and have not contacted me yet, please do so to receive your prize. I would also appreciate if someone would spread the word, especially in French to the players in Quebec.

Good luck to everyone in 2012. Looking forward to seeing more great results from our youth players!

2011 Elaine Howie Rating Clubs

Juniors are capable of so much progress in chess! In recognition of their efforts, I have assigned players to "clubs". Each club is based on a certain amount of rating increase in both CFC (and/or FQE) and CMA in the year 2011. CFC and FQE ratings are based on regular (slow) games. Those mentioned have also met the criteria of being in the top fifty lists for the CFC/FQE/CMA and have recent participation in a CFC or FQE event (since September). Even the "100 club" is a huge achievement, so keep up the good work!

In bold are the names of players who were in the “Top 12” last year. This year’s progress is a very significant achievement for them since they have made great strides two years in a row. Congrats!

Note: Rating increase is not the only factor considered in the selection & ordering of the “Top 12” finalists. The finalists are named in my previous post, and their award order will be announced soon.

EH 100 club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
Kaixin Wang	3	AB	+ 624	N/A	+ 105
Kaining Lin	3	AB	+ 382	N/A	+ 101
Frank Wang	3	ON	+ 658	N/A	+ 119
Hou Han Zhang	4	QC	N/A	+ 162	+ 141
Varun Sekar	4	ON	+ 127	N/A	+ 265
Jiaxin (Dora) Liu	5	ON	+ 184	N/A	+ 119
Dennis Shamroni	5	ON	+ 215	N/A	+ 113
Ananda Saha	5	QC	N/A	+ 143	+ 435
Jingzhi (Edwin) Xu	5	BC	+ 220	N/A	+ 144
Terrence (Terry) Ju	5	ON	+ 216	N/A	+ 146
Jason Cao	6	BC	+ 132	N/A	+ 297
Matthew Zita	6	AB	+ 126	N/A	+ 740
Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte	7	QC	+ 396	+ 101	+ 140
Yu Qing Liu	7	QC	N/A	+ 117	+ 169
Lakes Liang	7	ON	+ 257	N/A	+ 119
Sheng-Ming Gu	8	QC	N/A	+ 113	+ 139
Cedric Lepine	9	QC	N/A	+ 143	+ 286
James Fu	9	ON	+ 161	N/A	+ 112
Yimang Yang	9	ON	+ 144	N/A	+ 221
Aquino Inigo	11	ON	+ 121	N/A	+ 242
David Itkin	11	ON	+ 105	N/A	+ 259

EH 150 club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
Harmony Zhu	1	BC	+ 156	N/A	+ 274
Rohan (Shiyam) Talukdar	3	ON	+ 160	N/A	+ 481
Patrick Angelo Tolentino	4	AB	+ 164	N/A	+ 194
Matthew Geng	4	BC	+ 196	N/A	+ 217
Yuanchen Zhang	5	ON	+ 191	N/A	+ 264
Jeffrey Xu	5	ON	+ 259	N/A	+ 177
Matthieu Johnson-Constantin	5	QC	N/A	+ 170	+ 260
Razvan Preotu	7	ON	+ 180	N/A	+ 570
John Doknjas	7	BC	+ 160	N/A	+ 272
Melissa Giblon	7	ON	+ 180	N/A	+ 218
Chang Yun	8	QC	+ 315	+ 159	+ 174
Qun Tian Xiang	9	QC	N/A	+ 165	+ 182
Michael Gomes	9	ON	+ 177	N/A	+ 184

EH 200 club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
David Yao	4	AB	+ 559	N/A	+ 240
Varshini Paraparan	4	ON	+ 203	N/A	+ 568
Yue Tong (Davy) Zhao	4	ON	+ 252	N/A	+ 208
Richard Chen	5	ON	+ 546	N/A	+ 222
Jackie Peng	8	ON	+ 241	N/A	+ 412
Dragos (Octavian) Manailoiu	8	QC	N/A	+ 372	+ 205
Emile Trottier	12	QC	+ 305	+ 248	+ 389
David Miller	12	AB	+ 205	N/A	+ 513

EH 250 club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
Sergey Noritsyn	3	ON	+ 252	N/A	+ 750
Luke Pulfer	3	BC	+ 289	N/A	+ 337
Kevin Yi-Xiao Yie	4	ON	+ 270	N/A	+ 259
Dinny Wang	5	ON	+ 424	N/A	+ 262
Constance Wang	5	ON	+ 264	N/A	+ 347
Michael Chang	7	QC	N/A	+282	+ 296
Mathew Herdin	8	BC	+ 256	N/A	+ 496
Ryan Lo	9	BC	+ 250	N/A	+ 300
Owen Qian	9	ON	+ 253	N/A	+ 315
Nicolas Robichaud	9	NB	+ 254	N/A	+ 300
Krishneel Singh	10	AB	+ 300	N/A	+ 258

EH 300 club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux	2	QC	N/A	+ 311	+ 719
Immanuel Huang	4	ON	+ 300	N/A	+ 325
Qiyu Zhou	6	ON	+ 334	N/A	+ 422
Nikola Isaev	11	QC	N/A	+ 520	+ 306

EH 350+ club

Name	Grade	Province	CFC Rating	FQE Rating	CMA Rating
Jia Yu Luo	3	QC	N/A	+ 350	+ 462
Eric Zechen Wang	6	ON	+ 421	N/A	+ 371
Zong Yang Yu	7	QC	N/A	+ 542	+ 463
Nicholas Lee	7	AB	+ 373	N/A	+ 355

Further Honourable Mentions
Taylor Zhang (ON, Grade 3) and Benjamin Lin (ON, Grade 2) would have been in the “EH 200 Club”

Our 2011 WYCC Team: Luke Pulfer, Frank Wang, Sergey Noritsyn, Rohan (Shiyam) Talukdar, Taylor Zhang, Jeannie Zhang, Yuanchen Zhang, Dinny Wang, Constance Wang, Varshini Paraparan, Lily Zhou, Michael Song, Razvan Preotu, Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte, Qiyu Zhou, Melissa Giblon, Rachel (Long-Xin) Tao, Dorsa Moayyed, Richard Wang, Mark Plotkin, James Fu, Agastya Kalra, Yimang Yang, Bryant Yang, Rebecca Giblon, Joanne Foote, Louisa (Qian Qian) Hou, Konstantin Semianiuk, David Zhang, Nikita Gusev, Mike Ivanov, Simon Gladstone, Myriam Roy, Chang Yun, Regina-Veronicka Kalaydina, Tina Fang, Kimia Moayyed, Loren (Brigham) Laceste, Yelizaveta (Liza) Orlova, Linda Fu

Our 2011 Pan-Am Team: Jackie Peng, Dezheng Kong, Jiaxin (Dora) Liu

2011 Elaine Howie Fund

Who's excited to find out this year's "Top 12"? Well, you'll be happy to know I've been toiling at it all weekend...and the results are in!

Donations this year: $145 for the main part of the fund + $100 specifically for the Youth Girls Award + a bit more to come for Chinese New Year

So there will be two main awards, $100 each, and one Youth Girls Award, $100. Twelve juniors, including the three receiving monetary prizes, will be announced as the "Top 12". Each will receive an award pin & certificate. Certificates will be marked Gold (x1), Silver (x3 - one which will be "Silver Star"), Bronze (x4), and Special Mention (x4 - one which will be the "Youth Girls Award"). Below, I will announce the twelve selected, but will not announce the full selection of awards until later this month. For now, if you see your name as part of the twelve recipients, please contact me (checkmateupdate@gmail.com) as soon as possible with your mailing info so that your package can be ready to go by February.

Selection rules were pretty much the same as last year. In particular, the following process was used:

1. Rating lists were looked up for juniors under the age of eighteen. Those considered were within the top fifty players in their age category for the CMA (http://www.chess-math.org/), and either the CFC (http://www.chess.ca/) or FQE (www.fqechecs.qc.ca/cms/index.php). Province and gender were not used as major selection criteria (except for the Youth Girls Award), though overall diversity of the fund was considered. Last year's recipients were also considered. However, past students and others I have worked with were not eligible. To further narrow the pool, juniors considered had to have played in at least one CFC or FQE event since September 2011.

2. After the first lists were composed, rating differences from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 were calculated (2011 ending rating minus 2011 starting rating) for each rating category (CFC, FQE, CMA). Only those with positive rating differences were still eligible.

3. In all rating categories, I looked for this as minimum progress: progress of 150 if initial rating <1000, progress of 100 if initially rated 1000-2000, progress of 50 if initially rated 2000-2200, progress of 25 if initial rating>2200

4. Individual tournaments/performances of those remaining were analyzed, particularly participation & performance in larger Canadian tournaments (CYCC/YCCs, Canadian Open, Quebec Open, “Junior” tournaments, Chess Challenge, etc.)

5. Looked at overall participation & consistency.

6. Other considerations, such as international results, were used to determine the final list.

7. We had such a great team in Brazil this year that I wanted to leave some space in the "Top 12" for juniors who achieved spectacular WYCC results. These juniors will receive a "Special Mention" certificate, but to be fair, will not be eligible for monetary prizes since the award categories (gold, silver, ...) are primarily based on Canadian event performance.

Sooooooo.....drum roll please.....the "Top 12" this year are:

*ordered by grade; monetary prize winners & award categories are still TBA*

Nine still eligible for full awards:
Sergey Noritsyn (ON, Grade 3)
Qiyu Zhou (ON, Grade 6)
Olivier-Kenta Chiku-Ratte (QC, Grade 7)
Zong Yang Yu (QC, Grade 7)
John Doknjas (BC, Grade 7)
Melissa Giblon (ON, Grade 7)
Nicholas Lee (AB, Grade 7)
Nicolas Robichaud (NB, Grade 9)
Nikola Isaev (QC, Grade 11)

Three receiving "Special Mention" awards:
Yuanchen Zhang (ON, Grade 5) - 9th place U10 WYCC
Michael Song (ON, Grade 7) - 3rd place U12 WYCC
Richard Wang (AB, Grade 9) - 10th place U14 WYCC

My heart also goes out to Taylor Zhang (ON, Grade 3) and Benjamin Lin (ON, Grade 2). They both had amazing years, and I've had the pleasure of working with them in the past, but as a result of this affiliation, they were not eligible for fund awards.

An additional note: I found this year's fund list kind of interesting. It ended up quite representative of diversity in Canada, but a coincidence to include so many from grade 7 and a few "Nicks". Grade 7 players made a lot of progress this year, no doubt, but there were so many keen players in various grades that made my decision tough. Canadian juniors are doing very well!

Thanks to organizers, supporters, coaches, parents, and anyone else who has made junior chess possible. On a computer screen, it looks like a bunch of words and numbers, but behind those words and numbers is a lot of work...a lot of potential! There are people spending countless hours putting together events, maintaining all the information (that we often take for granted), providing travel opportunities, encouraging the kids, teaching life skills, and so much more. Kudos goes to those who have been updating the CFC/FQE/CMA websites. This fund would be impossible without you...the new CFC site has some very nice features, the CMA site is a pleasure to surf through as usual (and it didn't block me out for a couple days like it did last year - I think the site got confused when I searched so much info at once haha), and the FQE site has a lot of really cool stuff - the graphs and general organization of the site is great. Fortunately I still remember some high school French...at least enough for these purposes. Lastly, a big shoutout for the wonderful person who inspired this fund - my aunt Elaine Howie. Cancer took her life nearly five years ago, yet her spirit lives on. She would have been extremely proud of all of you.

Questions? Please contact checkmateupdate@gmail.com.