2013 March TNT starts Tuesday March 5, 2013

2013 March TNT
$ 15 entry fee  -   Prizes will be based on entries. 
Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42

4 rounds - March 5, 12, 19, 26 - (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.

All players must be CFC members (can be obtained during registration on-site)
[$ 20 for a one-tournament adult membership or $ 49 for 12 months- new adult members pay only $ 36 for a twelve-month CFC membership;
Junior (under 20)  members pay $ 10 for a one-tournament membership, $ 34 for a twelve-month CFC membership, new junior members pay only  $ 24 for a twelve month CFC membership]

Registration for tournament -Tuesday, March 5 - 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

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.

The 2013 February TNT has been rated by the CFC.

The 2013 February TNT has been rated by the CFC.
See the crosstable here

Congratulations to the following who achieved new peak ratings:

Alex Platt 1927
Phil Le Dorze 1788

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - February 9, 2013

from the Winnipeg Free Press

White to move and draw (Kubbel)

White need to keep the Q under wraps, but the Q has at least two escape routes currently; to Qg8 and via h6.  How to proceed ?  If  1.Ra4 Ke7 2.Ra7+ Kd6, and now what ?  What say you ? (don't use your engine).

2013 MB Championship Qualifying Update

On February 3, Kevin Li defeated Leor Wasserman for the 2012 Manitoba Junior Championship.
So the priority list is now clear:

8 player knockout
Qualifiers -
Qualifiers must play 10 standard rated games (somewhere in the world) during calendar 2012 in order to qualify. In order of preference - if the qualifying player did not want to participate or the qualifier is redundant, we continued down the list until there were 8 willing participants.

     1. Previous Year's Champion (TREVOR VINCENT)
     2. Winner of the Reserve (2012 Albert Boxer Memorial, KEVIN GENTES)
     3. MB Junior Champion (if rated above 1900) (KEVIN LI)
     4. Top Manitoban in AY Memorial (Fletcher Baragar, but  only 5 games played)
     5,6. Top 2 finishers in the Tournament of Champions (Kevin Gentes, ARVIN DAWA)
     7. Player with the best MTPPS (KEVIN LI)
     8. Player with the 2nd best MTPPS (JEFF BABB)
     9. 2nd Manitoban in the AY Memorial (JEFF BABB, JASON REPA)
    10. Player with the 3rd best MTPPS (Kevin Gentes)
     11. Player with the 4th best MTPPS 
    12. etc.from the MTPPS

Eligible Participants in order of qualifying (not necessarily seed order; seeding will be based on CFC rating at Dec 31, 2012) :

1. Trevor Vincent (Participation Confirmed)
2. Kevin Gentes (Participation Confirmed)
3. Kevin Li (Participation Confirmed)
4. Arvin Dawa (Participation Confirmed)
5. Jeff Babb (Participation Confirmed)
6. Jason Repa  (Participation Confirmed)

From the MTPSS

7. Aron Kaptsan (Participation Confirmed)
8. Samuel Lipnowski (Declined)
9. Nilo Moncal (Participation Confirmed)
10. Leor Wasserman
11. Sam Cleto
12. Gustavo Melamedoff
13.Myron Kernetsky
14. Anthony Boron

I will start contacting the eligible folks to confirm their interest until we have 8 players.

Cecil's Saturday Puzzle - January 26, 2013

from the Winnipeg Free Press

White to move and draw (Reti)

A real practical puzzle. I don't think I have seen this one before, but I have seen a Reti study similar to the above without the Bishop.  I believe the key concept in that one was that it take the same number of moves to go Kf8-Kf7-Kf6 etc-Kf1 - as Kf8-Ke7-Kd6-Kc5-Kd4-etc-Kf1.

So, my initial thought here is that we want to play the K to c5 to stop the bishop from stopping the White pawn from b5.  What about the other side ? Well, it looks like the advancing g pawn may just get in the way of the Bishop getting to h5.  

1 Ke7 g5 2. Kd6 g4 3.e7 Bb5 4. Kc5 Be8 5. Kd4 and draws.

2013 February TNT starts February 5

2013 February TNT
$ 15 entry fee  -   Prizes will be based on entries. 
Location: University of Winnipeg - Rm 4CM42

4 rounds - February 5, 12, 19, 26 - (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, February 5 - 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

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.

2013 January TNT has been rated by the CFC

Please see the crosstable here

Cecil Rosner's Chess Column January 26, 2013 - Barry Rasmussen

Cecil asked me to post his column here with enhanced game notes. (I may put the game in a play through format in the next few days).

Chess Column for January 26, 2013
By Cecil Rosner

Ten years ago yesterday, Manitoba lost one of its strongest and steadiest master players.

Barry Rasmussen was just 47 when he died suddenly. He was one of the highest-rated players in Manitoba at the time, and his legacy in provincial chess circles endures.

Barry and I played in many junior tournaments in the early 1970s, and while we both pursued very different careers outside of chess, we maintained a lifelong interest in the game. In Barry’s case, that meant keeping current with modern chess developments and continuing to compete at the highest levels in Manitoba.

After earning his Master of Divinity degree in 1983, Barry worked as a pastor in Pass Lake, Ontario and Thompson before moving back to Winnipeg in 1990. Eventually he took a position in Teulon, becoming pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Teulon and Gethsemane in Inwood. 

While working full-time, he managed to earn his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Manitoba. And in addition to chess, he avidly pursued golf, curling and hockey.

Barry was a fierce competitor, even in friendly encounters. During an annual get-together with chess friends, he was always full of good humour and spirits, but he never gave an inch in any of the friendly games we played.

Barry’s wife, Karen, has remarried and lives in Stony Mountain. Daughter Amy runs her own counseling business and has two young boys, while Michelle had her first child last year and is finishing her last year of nursing school. “Barry would be very proud of his girls and how they have moved on with their lives, and both in caring professions,” says Karen.

I asked one of Barry’s good friends, Fletcher Baragar, to annotate one of his games:

White: Barry Rasmussen; Black: Jack Yoos (Winnipeg Invitational, Winnipeg 1995). 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.Bh6 Bh6 7.Qh6 Qa5 8.Bd3 c5 9.d5 Nbd7 10.Nf3 b5 11.oo c4 12.Be2 b4 13.Nd1 Qc5  (13… Ne4 is met by 14.Bc4 followed by Re1 and White has the better game.)

 14.Ne3 c3 15.bc Qc3 16.Qh4! (An improvement suggested by English Grandmaster Michael Adams. In the game Adams- Van Wely, Debrecen 1992 White played 16.Ng5, but after 16…Ng8! Black had the advantage). 

16…Ne5? (A mistake, but Barry`s refutation was not easy to foresee.)

 17.Ne5 Qe5 18.Nc4!! (Excellent. The point is that Black cannot reply with 18…Qe4 due to 19.Nd6+!)

 18…Qc3 19.e5! (Strong play by White, opening up lines in the center in order to take advantage of White`s big lead in development. It turns out that Black’s failure to castle constitutes a serious liability.)

 19…de 20.d6 Qd4 (Seeking relief by exchanging queens.)

 21.Qg3 Be6 22.Rad1 (another piece enters the attack.)

 22…Qf4 23. Ne5 Qg3 24.fg (Queens are exchanged, but in exchange another line is opened and the second White rook joins the fray.) 

24…ed 25.Bb5+ Kf8 

(Other moves lose quickly. For example 25…Ke7 26. Nc6+ and 27.Rf6. Alternatively, 25…Nd7 26.Rd6 Rd8 27.Nd7 Bd7 28.Rd7 Rd7 29.Rd1 and White wins a piece.) 

26.Rd6 Kg7 27.Ra6 

 (Black has done well to get to this point. Material is equal and the Black king looks a bit more secure. However, the activity of the White pieces is simply too much for Black. Barry displays excellent technique in realising this advantage.)

 27… Rac8 28.Nc6! Nd5 29.Nd4 Rc7 (The bishop has no place to go. 29…Bg4 is met by the simple 30.h3.) 

30.Re6 fe 31.Ne6+ Kh6 32.Nc7 Nc7 33.Bc4 (The bishop dominates the knight. Even with the marked reduction in material, the superior activity of the White pieces is telling.)

 33…Rc8 34.Rf7 a5 35.g4! (Once again, the Black king is in danger.)

 35…Ne8 36.Be6 Rc2 37.h4 Rc7 38.Bd7! (The final point. 39.Be8 threatens to simply win the knight, and the king has to worry about 39.g5  Kh5 40.Rh7 Mate. Black is finished)

38…Nf6 39.g5+ Kh5 40.gf Kh4 41.Re7 Black Resigns.         

2013 Kent Oliver Memorial Active Rating Changes

Manitoba Chess Association Active Ratings.                  2013 Kent Oliver Memorial
Name	Old	Perf.	New	Change
Baron, Gustav	1390	1654	1462	72
Boron, Anthony	2026	1822	1987	-39
Czarny, Keith	1663	1853	1662	-1
De Groot, Steven	1962	1926	1955	-7
Gannon, Keith	1596	1531	1579	-17
Gilbang, Jhun	1811	1846	1815	4
Greenberg, Harley	1784	1583	1746	-38
Huston-earle, Joshua	1091	1253	1093	2
Iyer, Chandrashekhar	2253	2214	2249	-4
Keer, Keer	1472	1853	1582	110
Klusa, Lawrence	1339	1595	1399	60
Klusa, Mark	1557	1657	1572	15
Li, Shuaihua	1269	1181	1247	-22
Ma, Derek	1740	1414	1677	-63
Melamedoff, Gustavo	2031	2228	2071	40
Moncal, Nilo	2133	2161	2140	7
Platt, Alex	1851	1958	1867	16
Remillard, John	1548	1525	1540	-8
Schulz, Manny	1842	1861	1846	4
Towns, Barry	1720	1690	1709	-11
Trueman, Francis	1537	1415	1515	-22
Valentino, Marcos	2236	2330	2246	10
Wolchock, Theo	1648	1522	1616	-32