Correspondence Chess

I stumbled upon a website with results of old Canadian Correspondence Chess tournaments.

Here is a result that I either didn't know about (yes, that was quite possible in 'postal chess'), or have forgotten about for over 30 years:

 Browsing the site, I saw several local players who won national championships;
Ole Hellsten, Art Prystenski, Don Campbell, and several other local players who competed.

2012 May TNT starts Tuesday May 1

2012 May TNT 

$ 15 entry fee  -   Prizes will be based on entries. 

Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42
4CM42 <-click here for map
5 rounds - May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29- (This is not a knockout tournament, players will play all 5 rounds)(note: if you can not play one or more rounds please notify the Tournament Director - you will receive a bye for that round)
Please note that we intend to start the first round at 7:00 p.m. sharp.

Tuesday Night Tournaments are held every month of the year, (except for November and December when things are organized a little differently).

There is one game per week.

All of the TNTs are Swiss (pairing) style tournaments with a time control of G /110 minutes [Each player has 1 hour 50 minutes  to complete their moves, the game will be be 3 hours and 40 minutes maximum]

The TNTs are typically 4 round events (one game for 4 consecutive Tuesdays in the month). Some months have  5 Tuesdays, such as May 2012 !

Start time is 7:00 pm and the TD will confirm costs
$ 15 entry fee and CFC membership required[$ 20 for a one-tournament membership or $ 49 for 12 months- new members pay only $ 36 for the year for the CFC membership])

Registration for tournament -Tuesday, May 1 - approximately 6:35 pm to 6:50 pm

Registration will be cut off at 6:50 pm. (If you think you may be late, please send an email to
chessmanitoba 'at' gmail.com) before 5:30 pm

Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42
4CM42 <-click here for map



Easiest way to get there is to take the elevator at the north end (Ellice) to the 5th Floor(if that Elevator is operating) Otherwise, there is an elevator just to the west of the old Bookstore location.  Our goal is to start the first round at 7:00 p.m. sharp. 

2012 April TNT has been rated by the CFC

See the crosstable here.http://chess.ca/crosstable?tournament_check_number=201204019&key=fa5375df32bda8862801ea43b6358683

Congratulations to the following who achieved new peak ratings:

Jason Repa 2057
Leor Wasserman 1975

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - April 21, 2012

from the Winnipeg Free Press

White to mate in 2 (Hume)
1. Rb8

Tournament Directors Wanted

The Manitoba Chess Association is run by volunteers.  Amongst the most important volunteers are the Tournament Directors. 
The Tournament Director's main duties for a tournament are:

1. Ensuring the tournament room is set up ready for play - 
1.  including setup of boards, clocks, scoresheets. (often there are other players that will help with this)
2. Taking registrations and CFC memberships.
3. Making and posting game pairings.
4. Recording results
5. Ensuring a general level of decorum in the tournament room (more often than not that means telling spectators to reduce their noise level)
6. Resolving disputes (these rarely occur)
7. Ensuring boards, clocks, sets, etc. are put away.
8. Returning the room to the condition before we arrived 
1. wipe blackboard, return chairs to original positions

Most of these activities are simple.  In my estimation, only 2,3,and 6 require some experience which can be learned 'on the job'. For 3 - we use SwissSys, that automates the pairing logic.
 The other attribute required is that the TD must be dependable, ie for Tuesday Night tournaments, the TD must be at the U of W in time to get the above accomplished, typically for weeks 2,3 and 4 of any month, being in the room by 6:40 pm should be adequate.  To assist TDs, the MCA has established that parking will be reimbursed.  There is a parking lot just to the east at the corner of Ellice and Balmoral that I have been using.

If you are interested in learning to be a TD, send me, Tony Boron,  an email  - chessmanitoba at gmail dot com
The goal is to have a pool of reliable TDs to share the workload. It is quite possible that you are not interesting in performing all the tasks, but just some.  That would work also.

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - April 7, 2012

from the Winnipeg Free Press

White to mate in 2 (Szoghy)

1. e7

2012 April TNT starts Tuesday, April 3, 2012

2012 April TNT

$ 15 entry fee  -   Prizes will be based on entries. Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42 4CM42 <-click here for map 4 rounds - April 3, 10, 17, 24 - (This is not a knockout tournament, players will play all 4 rounds) Please note that we intend to start the first round at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Tuesday Night Tournaments are held every month of the year, (except for November and December when things are organized a little differently). There is one game per week. All of the TNTs are Swiss (pairing) style tournaments with a time control of G /110 minutes [Each player has 1 hour 50 minutes  to complete their moves, the game will be be 3 hours and 40 minutes maximum] The TNTs are typically 4 round events (one game for 4 consecutive Tuesdays in the month). Start time is 7:00 pm and the TD will confirm costs $ 15 entry fee and CFC membership required[$ 20 for a one-tournament membership or $ 49 for 12 months- new members pay only $ 36 for the year for the CFC membership]) Registration for tournament -Tuesday, April 3 - approximately 6:35 pm to 6:50 pm Registration will be cut off at 6:50 pm. (If you think you may be late, please send an email to chessmanitoba 'at' gmail.com) before 5 pm (you can try later, but the wireless access at the U may be problematic) Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42 4CM42 <-click here for map Easiest way to get there is to take the elevator at the north end (Ellice) to the 5th Floor(if that Elevator is operating) Otherwise, there is an elevator just to the west of the old Bookstore location.  Our goal is to start the first round at 7:00 p.m. sharp.

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - March 24, 2012

from the Winnipeg Free Press

Mate in 2 (Lindgren)

1. e6