The Canadian Championship was held at Tartu College in Toronto from August 20 to August 29.  Sponsored by Beltzberg Technologies, the $21,000 prize fund attracted a field of 69 players.  Repeating as Canadian Champion was Pascal Charbonneau; he and Eric Lawson tied for first with 7/9, but Pascal won the playoff.  A complete list of prize winners, along with crosstables, photos, and games (as of press time most of the games from round 8 and all those from round 9 were unavailable) can be found at www.chessontario.com.

The prize for the top B.C. player went to Roman Jiganchine; despite having not played for two years, Roman demonstrated his knowledge of the Ruy Lopez enroute to scoring 5.5/9.  Jack Yoos and Lucas Davies both ended the tournament with 5 points; Jack's result was below his expected score, but Lucas had a solid performance after losing tragically to Charbonneau in the first round.  Valentina Goutor's score of 4 points was sufficient to win the Top Woman prize, and Noam Davies found the going tough as one of the lowest-rated players but still managed 2.5/9.  Congratulations to all our B.C. representatives!

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 g6 7.g4 b5 8.g5 b4 9.gxf6 bxc3 10.bxc3 exf6 11.Bf4 Qa5 12.0-0 Bh3 13.Re1 Be7 14.Bf3 0-0 15.e5 fxe5 16.Bh6 Ra7 17.Bxf8 Bxf8 18.Rb1 e4 19.Rxb8 exf3 20.Qxf3 Qg5+ 21.Qg3 Re7 22.Rbb1 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Qd2 24.Qe3 Bh6 25.Qxd2 Bxd2 26.Re2 Bxc3 27.Re3 Bxd4 28.Rxh3 Bc5 29.Rb3 Kg7 30.Rb8 a5 31.a4 Bb4 32.Rxb4 1-0

Anastasovski,N - Davies,L [B12] CAN ch Toronto (2.30), 21.08.2004

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 Bxd3 5.Qxd3 e6 6.Be3 Ne7 7.Nf3 Qa5+ 8.c3 Qa6 9.Ke2 Qxd3+ 10.Kxd3 Nd7 11.Nbd2 f6 12.Rhe1 Ng6 13.Kc2 Kf7 14.h4 h5 15.g3 c5 16.Rac1 Be7 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Kb1 c4 19.Re2 b5 20.Kc2 a5 21.Rce1 Ra6 22.Nb1 b4 23.Bc1 Rb8 24.Nfd2 e5 25.dxe5 Ndxe5 26.f4 Nd3 27.Rf1 a4 28.Rf3 b3+ 29.axb3 axb3+ 30.Kd1 Bc5 31.Nf1 Ra1 32.Nfd2 Ne7 33.f5 Nc6 34.Re6 Nce5 35.Rf1 Rg8 36.Rf3 Nxf3 37.Nxf3 Rxb1 38.Rc6 Rxc1+ 39.Kd2 Rc2+ 40.Kd1 Nxb2+ 41.Ke1 Re8+ 42.Kf1 Rc1+ 43.Ne1 Rcxe1+ 44.Kg2 R8e2+ 0-1

Southam,D - Davies,N [A16] CAN ch Toronto (2.34), 21.08.2004

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.Ne5 Ndb4 7.a3 Bg7 8.Nxc6 Nxc6 9.g3 Bd7 10.Qd1 Nd4 11.b4 a5 12.Rb1 axb4 13.axb4 Be6 14.Bg2 Ra1 15.Bb2 Bb3 16.Qc1 ½-½

Davies,N - Aspler,G [B07] CAN ch Toronto (4.33), 23.08.2004

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f3 Bg7 5.Be3 0-0 6.Qd2 Re8 7.0-0-0 Nbd7 8.e5 c6 9.exf6 Bxf6 10.h4 b5 11.h5 Qa5 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.Bg5 Bg7 14.Bh6 Bh8 15.Qg5 Bf6 16.Qg3 b4 17.Ne4 Qxa2 18.Qh2 Qa1+ 19.Kd2 Qxb2 20.Be3 Bg7 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Bh6 e5 23.Bxg7+ Ke7 24.Qh4+ f6 25.Bxf6+ Ke6 26.Bc4+ d5 27.Qg4+ Kf7 28.Rh7+ Kf8 29.Qxg6 Qxd4+ 30.Bd3 1-0

Goutor,V - Khaziyeva,D [B07] CAN ch Toronto (5.34), 24.08.2004

1.e4 d6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 5.Bc4 f6 6.Be3 c6 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.0-0-0 Kc7 9.Nge2 b5 10.Nxb5+ cxb5 11.Bd5 Kb8 12.Bxa8 Kxa8 13.Rxd7 Bxd7 14.Rd1 Bc8 15.Rd8 Ne7 16.Bc5 Ng6 17.Rxc8+ Kb7 18.Bxf8 Kxc8 19.Bxg7 Rg8 20.Bh6 Ne7 21.g3 Kc7 22.Be3 a5 23.Bc5 Nc8 24.Nc3 Kc6 25.b4 axb4 26.Bxb4 Rg7 27.Kd2 Nb6 28.Ke2 Rd7 29.f3 h5 30.a3 Rg7 31.Nd1 Nc4 32.Ne3 Nxe3 33.Kxe3 Rc7 34.h3 Kd7 35.c3 Ke6 36.g4 h4 37.Kd2 Rd7+ 38.Kc2 Kf7 39.Bc5 Rc7 40.Bf2 Kg6 41.Be3 Rc4 ½-½

Jiganchine,R - Djerkovic,M [C92] CAN ch Toronto (6.13), 25.08.2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Qd7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.d5 Ne7 13.Nf1 h6 14.Ng3 Bb7 15.Nh2 Ng6 16.Ng4 Nxg4 17.hxg4 Nf4 18.Nf5 g6 19.Ne3 c6 20.g3 Nh3+ 21.Kg2 Ng5 22.dxc6 Bxc6 23.Nd5 Bg7 24.Bxg5 hxg5 25.Nb6 Qb7 26.Nxa8 Bxe4+ 27.f3 Bc6 28.Nb6 Qxb6 29.Bd5 Qb7 30.Bxc6 Qxc6 31.Qd2 e4 32.fxe4 Rxe4 33.Kh3 Be5 34.Qxg5 Kg7 35.Qd2 f5 36.gxf5 Rxe1 37.Rxe1 Qf3 38.Qg5 Qxf5+ 39.Qxf5 gxf5 40.Kg2 a5 41.a4 b4 42.Rxe5 bxc3 43.Re2 1-0

Yoos,J - Lavin,D [B33] CAN ch Toronto (6.23), 25.08.2004

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.Bf4 Ne5 9.Be3 Qc7 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qf3 a6 12.g4 b5 13.g5 Nd7 14.0-0-0 b4 15.Ne2 Bb7 16.Ned4 Nc5 17.Nd2 Rc8 18.Nxc6 Qxc6 19.Bxc5 Qxc5 20.Bd3 g6 21.h4 Bg7 22.Nb3 Qb6 23.h5 Rg8 24.hxg6 hxg6 25.Rh7 a5 26.Qh3 Kf8 27.f5 exf5 28.exf5 gxf5 29.Bxf5 Rc7 30.g6 a4 31.gxf7 Rxf7 32.Nd4 Bxd4 33.Rxf7+ Kxf7 34.Be6+ 1-0

Goutor,V - Cleto,S [B02] CAN ch Toronto (6.34), 25.08.2004

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Ng8 3.d4 c6 4.f4 Na6 5.Nf3 e6 6.a3 Nh6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.c4 0-0 9.Nc3 Bh4+ 10.Nxh4 Qxh4+ 11.g3 Qd8 12.Qc2 g6 13.Ne4 Nf5 14.Nf6+ Kh8 15.g4 1-0

Kret,T - Yoos,J [D07] CAN ch Toronto (7.16), 26.08.2004

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3 Bxf3 6.exf3 dxc4 7.Be3 Qd7 8.Qa4 Rd8 9.0-0-0 Nb4 10.Qxa7 Qc6 11.Qa5 Nf6 12.a3 Nbd5 13.Nb5 Bd6 14.Na7 Qd7 15.Bxc4 Ra8 16.g4 0-0 17.g5 Nh5 18.g6 hxg6 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Qxd5 Rxa7 21.Rhg1 Nf4 22.Qc4 Ra4 23.Qf1 Qf5 24.h4 Qd5 25.Rg5 Qb3 26.Rb5 Rc4+ 27.Kb1 Qxb5 0-1

Djerkovic,M - Davies,L [B17] CAN ch Toronto (7.19), 26.08.2004

Stephen Wright won by a clear margin the 4th Vancouver Saturday Swiss.  In the last round, he defeated Alfred Pechisker (2171), and he accumulated 4.5 points in total.  Edward Tang finished in second place with 3.5 points.  The next saturday swiss will start on September 18, 2004:

Vancouver Chess League: Saturday Night Swiss (Qualifier #1)

Dates: Saturdays September 18, 25 & October 2, 16, 23
Place: Vancouver Bridge Centre, 2776 East Broadway (at Kaslo), Vancouver

Black makes a critical decision not to play sharply and keep the position closed against the promising junior player Louie Jiang.  I could have chosen the normal course of action and played a sharp Sicilian, but the flaw with this approach is that White in many lines can turn his brain off and play Be3, f3, Qd2, castle queenside and launch an attack.  I wanted to make Louie think for himself much earlier and in general keep him from positions rich in tactics where his tendency for calculation would be well harnessed.

In doing so, Black oversteps the bounds of acceptable risk and allows a losing position.  White, however, was not up to the task on consolidating an extra exchange and allowed Black to gain counterplay and eventually win the game.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7!? This is a rare system that T. Petrosian and Andersson have used. Black is willing to defend passively for a long time for long-term prospects.

5.f4?!

Strategically dubious. White voluntarily entombs his B/c1.  Black needs to be able to exploit this type of positional liberty accurately in a closed position.  However, this was the first sign that my opponent did not really understand what was needed in this type of position.

1. 5.Qg4 This is a more normal continuation. 5...f5 6.Qg3 (6.exf6 Nxf6) 6...b6 7.h4 Bb7!? 8.Bd3!? Nc6 9.Nge2 (9.Nf3 0-0-0 10.Bd2) 9...0-0-0 This is the type of position I had in mind (Yip) 10.Bd2 Nh6! 11.a3?! (11.0-0-0!?; better is 11.Bxh6! gxh6 12.Qe3 intending g3, Nf4 Keres) 11...Be7! 12.Bb5 (12.Qxg7? Ng4) 12...Rdg8 13.Qd3 Nf7 14.0-0-0 Kb8! 15.Nf4 Qc8! 16.Nce2 Ncd8! 17.Qb3?-/+ Losing a pawn (17.c3 c5 18.Kb1-/+ Clarke) 17...c6! 18.Bd3 c5 19.dxc5 Bxc5-/+ 20.Nh3 Nxe5 21.Bf4 Ndf7 22.Bb5 (22.Ng5 Bd6; 22.Qc3 Bd6) 22...Ka8 23.Nd4 Ng6 24.Qa4 Bxd4 25.Bd7 Qf8 26.Rxd4 e5! 27.Rb4 (27.Rxd5 Nxf4!; 27.Bc6 Qc8) 27...exf4 28.Rxb6 Nfe5 29.Rxb7 Kxb7 30.h5 Qd6 31.hxg6 Qxd7 32.Qxf4 Nxg6 0-1 Olafsson,F-Petrosian,T/Bled 1961/MCL/[Bulletin] (32);
2. 5.Nge2!? b6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 Ne7 8.b4 Highly committal. 8...0-0 9.Bd3 c5 10.0-0 Nbc6 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.bxc5 Nxe5 13.Bxh7+ Starting an attack that will be snuffed out by a defensive exchange sacrifice. 13...Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Qxe5 f6 16.Qe2 Rb8 17.a4 Rb4 18.Rd1 Qc6 19.Nb5 Ba6 20.Qe1 Re4 21.Qa5 Rb8 22.Rb1 Ra8 23.c3 Qc8 24.c4 Nc6 25.Qd2 Rxc4 26.Nd6 Qd7 Black dumps an exchange and takes over the game. 27.Nxc4 Bxc4 28.Qf4 d4 29.Qd6 Rd8 30.Qxd7 Rxd7 31.f3 e5 (with compensation) 32.g4 Be2 33.Re1 Bxf3 34.h3 Kf7 35.Kf2 Bd5 36.Bd2 g5 37.a5 e4 38.a6 Ne5 39.Kg3 Nd3 40.Red1 Nxc5 41.Bb4 Ne6 42.Rbc1 0-1 Sakharov,Y-Petrosian,T/Tbilisi 1956/EXT 99 (42)

5...b6 6.Nf3

1. 6.Be3 Ba6 7.Bxa6 Nxa6 8.Qd3 Nb8 9.Nge2!? Preventing the traditional doubling of the c-pawns. 9...Ne7 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.Nxc3 Nbc6 12.0-0 f5 Normal blockading play. 13.b4 Nd8 14.a4 Nb7 15.Qa6 c6 16.Ra3 0-0 17.h4 Rfc8 18.Rf3 c5 19.bxc5 bxc5 20.Rb3 Rcb8 21.Rf1 cxd4 22.Bxd4 Nc6 23.Bf2 Nba5=+ 0-1 Ristic,S-Voigt,M/Hamburg 1993/EXT 97 (58);
2. 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Ba6 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.Qd3 Nb8 10.g4 h5! A thematic challenge. 11.Qh3 g6 12.Ne2 Qa4 13.Kd1 Nh6 14.gxh5 Nf5 15.Ng3 Nxg3 16.hxg3 Rxh5 17.Qg2 Rxh1+ 18.Qxh1=+ 0-1 Bouwens,H-Timmer,R/Haarlem 1994/EXT 99 (33)

6...Bb7!? Electing to keep the tension by not trying for ..Ba6 and a bishop trade.

[6...Ne7 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Ba6!? Leaving White with a "bad" B. 9.Bxa6 Nxa6 10.a4 Nb8 11.0-0 Nbc6 12.Nd2 Na5 13.Qf3 Rc8 14.Ba3 c5 15.dxc5 bxc5= 0-1 Gunnarsson,G-Antoshin,V/Reykjavik 1976/EXT 98 (62)]

7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Ne7 9.Bd3 Nbc6 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.Be3 Nf5 12.Bf2 h5 13.Re1 g6?!

This removes all dynamism from the kingside based on .f6 and gives up on the dark squares.  However, Black wants to secure the Nf5. This is a highly risky decision.  [More to the point is 13...Nce7!? 14.c4 dxc4 15.Bxc4=  The result is an open position and White has a clear plan of B moves, c4+d5. 15...Ng6!? And now white is suffering from black's piece pressure. 16.a4 (16.g3?! Qc6!=+) 16...Nxf4 17.a5 Kb8 18.axb6 cxb6 19.Ba6 Ba8 20.c4 with compensation.  Despite his pawn minus, White has established a dynamic equilibrium with piece pressure against black s king and the potential central break d4-d4.]

14.Qe2 Na5 15.Nd2

The start of an erroneous regrouping.  All the defects in Black s pawn structure are on the kingside so the knight should be on the kingside.  In the manoeuvering part of the game where understanding the needs of the position are more important than brute force tactical calculation, my opponent starts to falter.  However, Black is also not conducting the game flawlessly either.

15...Qe7!? 16.Nb3

This seems to misplace the knight more than anything.  Curiously, this becomes White s most unproductive piece until the end of the game.  Black arranges his pawns so as to take away important squares from the knight.

16...Nc6 17.a4 a5!

Black has to seal the queenside.  Black uses the same type of play on the queenside that are common in some lines of the Nimzo-Indian defence.  Here a wide range of experience in other openings is helping Black find his way in an otherwise unfamiliar opening.  Black also fixes the a-pawn in place for the ending and just by luck this plays a very important role in the eventual endgame conversion phase for Black.

18.Qd2 h4

My general approach was to try to give White hard decisions during the game and give him lots of things to think about.  Here White has to address what to do about the further threatened advance of the h-pawn.

19.h3

White further compromises his pawn structure on the kingside.  The Black pawn plays a role in fixing White s expansion on the kingside but can also be a liability in the endgame.  In any event, Black is willing to take a middlegame risk in order to generate chances on the kingside.

19...Rhg8?!

Wrong rook.  I didn't want to take the pressure off the d-file and allow central play with c3-c4. However, my fears were groundless.

[19...Rdg8!? 20.c4 dxc4 21.Bxc4 g5 22.d5 Nb4=+ Some simple calculation would have revealed that c3-c4 was a bluff and not a useful way for White to play.]

There are two main battle plans in this position

1. c3-c4 for White
2. ...g6-g5 for Black

Each side must make moves that further their own plan while at the same time preventing the opponent s plans.  Here, Black is fully conscious of c3-c4 and plays to maintain the pressure on the d-file to hold White up.  However, inexact calculation leads to an inappropriate allocation of force to do this job.  This underscores the role of calculation in support of strategic goals.

20.Kh2 g5?! Now Black is committed to blundering an exchange. 21.Bxf5 exf5 22.fxg5 Rxg5?+-

I was considering this exchange sacrifice before but did not realize it was just a blunder.  Now again we see how poor calculation can affect the course of a game.  Black is lulled into a losing course of action through the inability to make a long range calculation at the appropriate time.

23.Bxh4 Rxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Qxh4

The game has been reduced to a consolidation exercise for White.  His king is slightly exposed and he has to control the passed f-pawn.  This means he has to find moves that control h3 and f4 in the most economic manner.  It is clear that Black must play the role of defender.  The most important thing for Black to do is keep calm and make the job as hard as possible for White.

A deeper look at Black s position reveals some defensive resources that should be maximized.

1. He has a passed f-pawn for one.
2. He has the possibility of pressure on the h-file against Kh2.
3. He has potentially useful minor pieces that can defend his weak pawns if given a chance.

25.Qg3 [25.Rg1 Rh8 26.Raf1 Ne7 27.Qg3 Qh6 28.Rf3+-] 25...Qh6!?

Prophylactic play.  Black aims to stop Nd2, re-activating the misplaced knight.  Small details are very important in this position.  Black, in formulating his plays, asks himself, "What is White s worst piece and how should he improve its position?" The answer is the sickly knight on b3 which needs to be re-routed back into the game via d2.

26.Rf1 Ne7 27.Rae1 Kb8 28.Qf4 Qh5 Of course a queen trade is out of the question. 29.Rg1 Rh8 30.Qg3?!

An inaccuracy.  White is not alert to the defensive resources of Black s position and allows unnecessary counterplay.  Even though Black has been miscalculating, he is not the only one making mistakes. [Better is 30.Re3 Ng6 31.Qg5+-, forcing the queens off with an easy win for White.]

30...Bc8! With compensation: now Black has somewhat justified his exchange blunder.  Within the span of a few moves, Black is now back in the game.

31.h4!?

An expected turn of events has happened.  White has gone from winning with a clear exchange advantage to a defender holding off Black s tactical compensation.  It is often difficult to adjust to change in roles and this may lead to additional mistakes.  White saves himself for the moment after a long think.  However, he has a better try in 31.Re3! f4 32.Qxf4 Bxh3 33.Rg5 Qh7 34.Kg1 Bf5 35.Kf1 Despite the open nature of the White king, there is no clear way for Black to get at it. 35...Be4 (35...Bxc2 36.Nd2 Bg6=) 36.Nd2 Bxc2 37.Qf6 Ng6 38.Nf3 and White is starting to unravel.

31...Ng6-/+ I did not think the game would last much longer. 32.Kg2 f4 33.Qd3 33...Nxh4+?=+ Sloppy tactics.  Chopping a pawn with check and an attack seemed like the right thing to do but I should have looked harder.  Here I was over confident and overlooked a stronger non-checking move.  Better was 33...Bf5!-+ Driving the queen from the third rank is key to helping the attack.  34.Qd1 Qxh4.  After the game Louie confidently pointed out this better move.  Now White has a chance to breath.

34.Kf2 Bf5 One move too late. 35.Qe2 Qh6?

Again, sloppy tactics in the conduct of an attack.  Better is 35...f3!  I was reluctant to play this move but a deep calculation here to move 40 would have alleviated my fears.  36.Qa6? This was what I was trying to avoid but it turns out that this is just a bluff as Black breaks through first with mating attack.  (36.Qd2 is not much better. 36...Ng2 37.Rh1 Bh3 38.Rd1 Rg8 Slowly building up.  White is helpless. 39.Qd3? Qh4+ 40.Kxf3 Bg4+ 41.Kxg2 Be2+ 42.Qg6 Rxg6#) 36...Ng2!? (This would have been hard to see) 37.Nxa5? Qh4+ In hindsight I would have been hard pressed to find his move during the game 38.Kxf3 Bg4+ 39.Kxg2 Qh3+ 40.Kf2 Qf3#

36.Qd2 White has a bad position.  [White can try 36.c4!? dxc4 37.Qxc4 Nf3(!) 38.Kxf3 Qh5+! And now White is lost 39.Kf2 (39.Kxf4? Mate in 10!. 39...Qh2+ 40.Kxf5 (40.Rg3 Qf2+ 41.Rf3 Rh4+ 42.Kg5 Qg2+ 43.Rg3 Qxg3+ 44.Kf6 Rh6+ 45.Ke7 Qg5+ 46.Ke8 Rh8+ 47.Kxf7 Rh7+ 48.Ke8 Qe7#) 40...Qf2+ 41.Ke4 Rh4+ 42.Kd3 (42.Kd5 Qf3+ 43.Re4 Qxe4#) 42...Rh3+ 43.Rg3 (43.Ke4 Qf3#) 43...Rxg3+ 44.Re3 Rxe3#) 39...Qh2+ 40.Rg2 Qh4+ The king is in a precarious position. 41.Kf1 (41.Ke2 f3+ 42.Kxf3 Qxe1-/+ 43.Qe2 Qc3+ 44.Kf4 Bh3 45.Rf2 (45.Rg3? Rh4+ 46.Qg4) 45...Rh4+ Mate in 7.) 41...f3-+ I don t think I would have been able to see this during the game.]

36...Be4-+ 37.Rh1 Bxh1 38.Rxh1 Qg5! Now its over. …Qg2. 39.Rg1 [39.Kf1 Qg4 40.Qe2 f3 41.Qf2 Qg2+ 42.Qxg2 fxg2+; 39.Rf1 Qg2+ 40.Ke1 Nf3+ 41.Rxf3 Rh1+ 42.Rf1 Qxf1#; 39.Qe2 Qg2+ 40.Ke1 Nf3+ 41.Qxf3 Rxh1+] 39...Qxg1+ 40.Kxg1 Nf3+ 41.Kg2 Nxd2 42.Nxd2 Rg8+ 43.Kf2 Rg3 44.Nf3 Kc8 [Better is 44...Rxf3+ Of course this will do the job but why not centralize the king first as White is really just helpless. 45.Kxf3 b5-+] 45.Ke2 Kd7 46.Kf2 Ke6 47.Ke2 Rxf3! Transposing down to a won pawn ending. 48.Kxf3 b5 And now the thematic breakthrough decides. [48...Kf5-+ also wins easily of course.] 49.axb5 a4 0-1 An interesting fighting game with errors on both sides.

Summary:

This was essentially an unprepared line where Black took some risks to get winning changes.

It is clear that

1. The opening was played badly. See the additional games for major themes
2. Black made some dubious decisions that were based on superficial calculation (the exchange sacrifice for one)
3. During the conduct of the sharp exchange down attack Black also made poor decisions (move 33 and 35) based on poor calculating ability.
4. The technical ending R v N was well played. Black showed good technique when the endgame presented itself.

U1500 SECTION juniors only; three- or four-round Swiss, time control of 60 minutes or 45 minutes per player, CFC regular rated

BOOSTER SECTION juniors only; five-round Swiss, time control of 30 minutes per player, CFC active rated

Prizes: There will be cash prizes in the top two sections.  The winner of the Open will receive $30, with other place and class prizes based on turnout; a similar prize structure will apply to the U1500 section.  Trophies and ribbons will be awarded in the Booster section.

Grand Prix Prizes: The Grand Prix applies to the Open and U1500 sections.  At the end of the year, each player takes the total of his or her six best results.  A player who plays in more than six Grand Prix events is able to discard his or her worst result(s), and therefore it is advantageous to participate in all eight events.

Open Section $200/$150/$100  U1900 - $100/$50  U1700 - $100/$50

U1500 Section $150/$120/$90  U1300 $90/$50

The following details apply to all eight events:

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Vancouver Bridge Centre (2776 East Broadway at Kaslo St.)
Registration: in advance or 9:30 a.m. 9:50 a.m. at site
Entry fee: $12

For more info, please contact the Provincial Junior Coordinators:

Katherine Davies: (604) 266-5842; mail-for-katherine@telus.net
Stephen Wright: (604) 221-7148; swright2@telus.net

Date: September 4-6, 2004
Place: UVIC Human & Social Development Bldg., Room A260/A250, Victoria, BC
Rds: 6
Type: Regular Swiss
Times: Game 1 at 10:00AM Sharp
TC: 40/120, SD/60
TD: Lynn Stringer
EF: Adults $35, Juniors $25
Prizes: TBA
Reg: In advance or at site 9:30am-10am
Org: Gregory Churchill, (gregorychurchill@shaw.ca)