2009 CHESSCA OPEN is back! – October 31st – November 1st, 2009

[Mei Chen Lee]

2009 CHESSCA OPEN is back! October 31st – November 1st, 2009

Hello all!

Hope the gorgeous summer is treating everyone well!

Due to popular demand, we are very delighted to bring back the Chessca Open, to be held once again in the beautiful and historic town of Elora, Ontario. This year’s event will also feature a guided historical walking tour around the town of Elora, courtesy of the Elora Village Tour group. The tour is complimentary for all Chessca Open players. Also, players are welcome to join the Elora Town’s annual Halloween’s party at the Elora Mill Inn on Saturday night – tickets can be purchased at the door.

We have also negotiated substantially discounted room rates at the Elora Mill Inn, exclusive for all Chessca Open players. Room rates start at $159++ (excluding gratuity and taxes), and will include free parking and continental buffet breakfast for two. Please quote Chessca Open when making your reservation. Only 32 rooms/suites are available at the inn -- so book early to avoid disappointment! Details for the Inn are as below:

Elora Mill Inn
Website: http://www.eloramill.com
Phone: 1-866-713-5672
Person-in-charge: Kelly Gagnon

Due to space limitation, we are able to accommodate only up to 80 players this year. So register early to avoid disappointment!

Details of the tournament are as follow:

2009 CHESSCA OPEN

Date: October 31st – November 1st, 2009 (Saturday and Sunday)
Place: Elora Mill Inn, Elora, Ontario
Section, Rounds and Time Control: 1 section, 5 rounds, 90 minutes each to the finish
Entry Fee: $65 by October 15th, $80 after October 15th, $100 at the door
Prizes: Minimum $1,000 guaranteed in total prize fund
Byes: Maximum of 4 byes in rounds 1 to 4
Contact: Mei at meichenlee@gmail.com
Pictures from last year’s event: 2008 Chessca Open

Note: This is a CFC-rated tournament, therefore CFC membership is required. A one-time tournament membership can be purchased for $20 for the purpose of this event.

Schedule:

OCTOBER 31ST, SATURDAY

-- 8.30 am to 9.30 am: Check-in

-- 10 am to 1 pm: ROUND 1

-- 1.15 to 2.45 pm: Guided historical walking tour of the village of Elora (FREE for all players. Parents/visitors are most welcome to join us at only $10 per person). Tour provided by The Elora Village Tour group. Bring your walking shoes and camera! You will not be disappointed.

-- 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm: ROUND 2

-- 8 pm: Elora Town Halloween’s Party at the Elora Mill Inn (tickets can be purchased at the door)

NOVEMBER 1ST, SUNDAY

-- 9 am to 12 pm: ROUND 3

-- 1 to 4 pm: ROUND 4

-- 5 pm to 8 pm: ROUND 5


Pre-Registered List, as of October 29th, 2009

GM Bator Sambuev, 2638
IM Artiom Samsonkin, 2601
IM Tomas Krnan, 2490
Roman Sapozhnikov, 2404
Alexander Martchenko, 2355
FM Hans Jung, 2246
Erwin Casareno, 2203
Michael Humphreys, 2158
Brian Fiedler, 2146
Gordon Olheiser, 2122
Mikhail Egorov, 2106
Yuriy Kryvoshlyk, 2073
Christopher Knox, 2069
Vladimir Drkulec, 2060
Mahmud Hassain, 2047
Kyle Jolliffe, 1987
Aaron Both, 1984
James Fu, 1978
Raymond Singh, 1974
Laurentiu Grigorescu, 1957
Robert Gashgarian, 1939
Garvin Nunes, 1934
Richard Moran, 1929
Daniel Wiebe, 1929
Constantine Khayutin, 1928
Robert Gillanders, 1898
Robert Bzikot, 1888
Richard Garel, 1878
Tim Knechtel, 1867
Guannan Terry Song, 1821
John Jordan, 1813
Ferdinand Supsup, 1793
Michael von Keitz, 1747
Zeljko Kitich, 1741
Lee Hendon, 1689
Mario Moran-Venegas, 1642
Mate Milinkovic, 1639
Adam Cormier, 1638
Reuben McCleary, 1604
Mario Piccinin, 1595
Steve Karpik, 1565
Kyle France, 1537
Sebastian Niemiec, 1512
Giuseppe Del Duca, 1352
James Denis Dylan Martin, 1346
Kai Gauer, 1232
Damir Baizhiyenov, 1250
Benjamin Papernick, 1200
Rick McCleary, 1162
Henry Hu, 1098
Bogdan Bobin, 1072
Aterya Gupta, 847
Josh Perl, 788
Abraham Sheng, 780
Jack Barron, UNR
Kevaughn Ellis, UNR


Some additional pictures from the 2008 CHESSCA OPEN


Elora Mill Inn, Elora, Ontario
One of Ontario's "Four Great Mills" dating to the 19th century, the Elora Mill Inn promises a charmingly historic ambiance.


Gorgeous Elora, in October
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open


Nathan Farrant-Diaz’s mum, and Nikita Gusev’s father, Victor
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open


Tim Knechtel
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open


Gary and Al, Elora Village Tour Group
Guides, Gary and Al, in costume, potraying two characters from Elora's past. The guides will sing some songs and recite some poems as they speak of the nature of the village shortly after the arrival of the railways. You will be led along some pathways of the Elora Gorge and through some village streets. Several old buildings and unusual features of Elora will be pointed out.


Tim Murton’s Twilight Zoo, October 8th to 31st 2009, Elora, Ontario
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open
Kids of all ages will love this Halloween show! Amazing wire and paper scuptures by day, they take on an eerie glow as they light up the river bank by night. But be careful as you walk through the monster garden... you never know who - or what - is around the next corner! View Elora's own Loch Ness monster on the Grand River, and spot the new friends who have joined Nessie in the water this year. Plan on bringing the whole clan to see for yourselves. For more information, visit:http://www.twilightzoo.ca/id23.html


The Elora Gorge
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open
The Elora Gorge is several kilometres of 80-foot cliffs, caverns, rapids and quiet pools. During the summer, hiking along the cliffs and inner-tubing through the gorge are popular activities. Hiking trails begin right at Elora Mill Inn. During the winter months cross country skiing and scenic winter walks are popular. Inner tube rentals are available from the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. The Grand River also provides excellent fly-fishing, canoeing and kayaking.

The Elora-Cataract trail traverses 47 kilometres of scenic countryside. Along the trail, between Fergus and Elora is the Elora Quarry Conservation Area, an abandoned quarry that is a favourite spot for a refreshing dip.

The countryside surrounding Elora is lovely. You can visit Ontario's last remaining covered bridge at West Montrose, tour through Old Order Mennonite farm country, and visit many local museums or local galle ries such as The Styll Gallery.


Elora
Can you spot the Inn from here?
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open


Riverside shopping in Elora
Can you spot the Halloween skeleton?
By David Farrant, picture taken at the 2008 Chessca Open
The town of Elora is a charming and historic limestone village. Antique shops, studios and galleries are attractively housed in 19th-century limestone buildings along quaint Mill and Metcalfe Streets. Local art galleries, festivals, and farmer's markets in Elora and surrounding St. Jacobs offer a truly unique country Inn experience.


Getting to Elora is easy!
It is only 30 minutes from the 401 and a short drive from many other points of interest including Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Fergus.
From Toronto: Take 401 west towards London and follow the directions below.
From the 401: Follow Highway 6 North through Guelph.* Turn left onto County Road 7 just north of Marden. In about 10 minutes you will see Elora!
From Kitchener: Take Highway 86 north, and then County Road 22 north at the Waterloo City limits.
*County Road 22 turns into County Road 18 and you will end up at the stop lights at Salem. Keep straight and follow the road right into Elora!


See you at the 2009 Chessca Open!

Mei

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

thnx Mei for the answer.

***
not to confuse, the questions were deleted.

[Mei Chen Lee]

Hi Egidijus,

Thanks for the reminder. This is a CFC-rated tournament, therefore CFC membership is required. A one-time membership can be purchased at $20.

As for section, this year a 1-big-happy-Open section applies.

Cheers!
Mei.

[Garvin Nunes]

Did the CFC change the one tourney membership to 20 dollars?

[Mei Chen Lee]

Oh boy...

Note to all: The announcement has been edited to reflect the changes. Thanks Garvin!

[Mei Chen Lee]

August 22nd: The announcement above has been edited to include a PRE-REGISTERED list. To avoid multiple threads in this forum, the list will be updated periodically in the main announcement (top) in this thread.

So come back often to check the growing list!

Cheers,
Mei.

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Remembering the Best Chess Event I have ever played in Ontario? CHESSCA 2007!!!

http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2007...ssca-open.html

Right at the Mall, where the general public are passing and people asking questions... What's going on folks? How can I join in the fun? How come I don't know about this? Where can I buy a chess set or something to start with?

I think, if chess is going to appeal to the general public, Publicity and visibility are keys to it's promotion, where lots of people could see, where people wonders why a game of chess could attract players with such magnitude. Why chess?

The tournament organizer had also attracted several sponsors and given away several special and raffle prizes to participants. She chose the right and beautiful venue. Cash prizes and trophies were awarded to the
winners of the tournament. Free fruits, snacks and drinks. The only limitation was the size of the playing hall wherein the tournament organizer had to limit the number of participants.

I registered early because it's going to be another great and enjoyable chess tournament and let's have fun and save too!

Mei,
Do you still have pictures of this event to share?

Cheers and Kudos to Mei Chen Lee!

[Zeljko Kitich]

Wow Tim looks like that painting of that Greek god Prometheus or the giant Vulcan

Is he playing chess or forging a new position from the eternal elements & flame...

I assume since he's playing the black pieces in this stunning picture that he is an evil god...

[Mei Chen Lee]

Thank you, Ferdinand. The belief is very much appreciated.

My apologies for the delay in getting back to you on your previous message. Life has constantly been on the run with work and school. Also, I blame the very nice last few weeks of Canadian summer!

The only picture that I currently have on file from the 2007 Chessca Open is as below. The picture was taken by the local newspaper, Guelph Mercury.


STANDALONE FOR NEWS TONY SAXON, GUELPH MERCURY: Six-year-old Mila Milicevic of Toronto, and her stuffed dog, plays at the 2007 Chessca Open at the Old Quebec Street Mall Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. Roughly 90 competitors took part in the event, including a Russian Grand Master (GM Bator Sambuev) and the reigning Canadian women's champion, who happens to be Milicevic's mother, Miss Natalia Khoudgarian.

Other pictures will require some digging through – but they will follow shortly once I return from the Montreal Open.

All the best and see you at Chessca!

Kind regards,
Mei.

[Erik Malmsten]

Any prize for best Halloween costume?
Reduced entry fees for zombies? (They would lose on time anyways)
Are kids going to go game to game with an open bag to put sacked pawns in?
Can I use my orange and white chess board?
Is there a local bakery with pumpkin pie?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Originally Posted by Erik Malmsten

Any prize for best Halloween costume?
Reduced entry fees for zombies? (They would lose on time anyways)
Are kids going to go game to game with an open bag to put sacked pawns in?
Can I use my orange and white chess board?
Is there a local bakery with pumpkin pie?

All bravest will be sleeping in the Scary Inn:

[Mei Chen Lee]

SPONSORS

Good news! We have just received several sponsorships from various local businesses in Elora for the upcoming 2009 Chessca Open. All gifts received from our sponsors will be distributed to players as prizes at the 2009 Chessca Open.


New Orleans Pizza

16 Mill St. E., Elora, Ontario
Contact: Miss Lori Grob
(519) 846-2400

New Orleans Pizza has guaranteed a minimum of 6 gift certificates for the 6 best dressed players, valued at no less than $150 in total. This year, we have decided to distribute the best dressed prizes as such:

1. 1x Best dressed girl (below age 12)
2. 1x Best dressed boy (below age 12)
3. 2x Best dressed players
4. 2x Best dressed seniors (above age 55)


Estate of Mind

36 Mill Street West Elora Ontario
(519) 846-8137
http://www.estateofmind.ca/

One of the earliest guaranteed sponsors, Estate of Mind has graciously sponsored a gift basket valued at no less than $50 for the best female player. In addition, they have also added in a mystery prize, for the magic square competition. Details about the competition will be announced on the day of the tournament.


Elora Mill Inn

77 Mill St., West Elora, Ontario
1-866-713-5672
http://www.eloramill.com/

Last year, the Elora Mill Inn (EMI) had sponsored a gift certificate for a free stay in one of the Ontario Finest Inns establishments, valued at about $200 for the best dressed player. This year, the EMI has once again guaranteed their sponsorship in the tournament. Further details of their award will be released shortly.


The Dragonfly Café
15 Mill Street East, Elora, Ontario
(519) 846-0866

Miss Rebecca Cremasco of The Dragonfly Café has graciously provided their services in the promotion of the tournament in the city of Elora. The promotion includes an upcoming chess simultaneous exhibition at the local Elora Farmers’ Market, scheduled on September 26th 2009 (8.30 am – 1 pm). Come join us there!


Elora Village Tours
Gary Bryant
519-846-5567

Mr. Gary Bryan of the Elora Village Tours has graciously offered their services at a substantially discounted rate for all players of the 2009 Chessca Open. All players will be provided with a free local walking tour around the historic and beautiful town of Elora on the first day of the tournament. Elora is gorgeous in the fall – hope to see everyone there!



Best wishes,
Mei

[Jordan S. Berson]

Elora is a beautiful place... I took a ton of photos while passing through in June 2003. I wish I was still living in Ontario, I would play for sure.

Good luck everyone!! Jordan

[Hans Jung]

Well done on sponsorship Mei! It looks like you are in the process of building a chess community in Elora! (maybe you should consider moving there and starting a chess business)

[Mei Chen Lee]

Thank you, Hans.

I am merely paving the way for the greats like you, Hal Bond, Garvin Nunes, Bob Gillanders and Gordon Gooding to run the good race. Elora would be a very nice addition to the growing chess community in the Kichener/Waterloo, Guelph, Hamilton and Niagara regions.

Best wishes for the good work that you have been doing in Kitchener/Waterloo.

Keep up the good work!
Mei

[Ferdinand Supsup]

Hi Mei,

Your tournament looks promising with over 50% of preregistered participants above the rating of 1900. There will definitely be exciting and competitive games. But wait, are we supposed to be preparing some scary or "dug from the grave" chess openings variations like the Fried Liver, Orangutan or the timely Halloween Gambit?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ing_chess.html

Perhaps, the Frankenstein-Dracula Variation might be played for this special event.

http://alchessmist-chess-openings.bl...variation.html

Preregistered players as of 29th of September = 32

Cheers!

[Ferdinand Supsup]

A friendly reminder for those potential participants who have planned, not yet registered and wanted to avail of the significant discount of $15 (advance registration) or $35 (at the door) for the CHESSCA Chess Tournament that the deadline will be on Thursday, October 15.

Entry Fee: $65 by October 15th, $80 after October 15th, $100 at the door.

Thank You very Much!

FYI,

[Mei Chen Lee]

RE: 2009 Chessca Open: Early-bird rate – LAST DAY!

Hello all,

Just a friendly reminder that today is the last day to qualify for the early bird rate to the 2009 Chessca Open. Registrations received up to midnight will be accepted at a discounted rate of $65.

All other registrations received after October 15th will be charged the regular fee of $80. Walk-in entries accepted at $100.

Thanks,
Mei.

[Jonathan Berry]

I posted this two days ago, but it's gone:

The photos in this thread, especially the ones by David Farrant, comprise the best photo spread I've ever seen in connection with a chess tournament. This Is Art. Well done!

[Mei Chen Lee]

Thank you, Jon.

David's pictures are indeed a work of art. It was love at first sight on my end (referring to the pictures).

For your viewing pleasure, here are some additional pictures taken at the recent Brantford Food Bank Tournament, July 2009.

Enjoy!
Mei