FM Jason Cao Wins 2010 Canadian Chess Player of the Year Award
PRESS RELEASE #7/2010
DATE: Monday, December 13, 2010
BY: the Chess Federation of Canada ( CFC )
B.C. WRITER/CONTACT: Brian Raymer, President, Victoria Junior Chess Society (250-595-0025; braymer@telus.net)
CFC CONTACT: Bob Armstrong, CFC Governor ( 416-469-5905; bobarm@sympatico.ca )
INTERVIEW: can be arranged
TOPIC : 9-year old Canadian Wins 2010 Canadian Chess Player of the Year Award
9-Year old Canadian FM Jason Cao Wins 2010 Canadian Chess Player of the Year Award !!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1BFDAXV7YP...0/IMG_5171.JPG
( Jason in Greece at 2010 WYCC )
Each year the Canadian Chess Journalists, supplemented by one public Fan Ballot, pick the player who has achieved the most in Canadian chess in the past year – this is run by Canadian chess historian and organizer David Cohen.
This year the choice of the journalists, and the Fan Ballot were the same ( first time this has happened ) – 9-year old Victoria, B.C. junior, FM Jason Cao, Under 10 Years Old World Chess Champion. Jason is a grade 5 student at Campus View Elementary School in Victoria, B.C..
Jason pulled ahead of well-known Canadian players like Thomas Roussel-Roozman, Canada’s newest Grandmaster, Grandmaster Mark Bluvshtein, who defeated then # 2 in the world, Veselin Topalov ( Bulgaria ) at the 2010 Chess Olympiad, top Chess Federation of Canada-rated Canadian, Grandmaster Bator Sambuev, and top female Canadian chess player, Women’s International Master Yuanling Yuan.
It is Jason’s dream to one day be World Chess Champion. On October 30, 2010 in the last round of the World Youth Chess Championships in Greece, Jason, representing Canada, took the first step towards that goal. He won his game, and won the World Under 10 Years Old Chess Championship. This had not been done for Canada since 1986, when it had been won by Jeff Sarwer ( and his sister, Julie Sarwer, had won the World Girls U 10 Championship ). As a result of this accomplishment, Jason achieved his FIDE Master title.
Prior well-known Canadian winners are ( adapted from David Cohen’s Canadian Chess website ):
2009 IM Jean Hébert
2008 GM Mark Bluvshtein
2007 IM Nikolay Noritsyn
2006 GM Kevin Spraggett
2005 GM Mark Bluvshtein
2004 GM Mark Bluvshtein
(1st) 2003 GM Pascal Charbonneau
(1st) 1979 GM Kevin Spraggett
Fan Ballot
2009 FM Shiyam Thavandiran
2008 FM Shiyam Thavandiran
(1st) 2007 WCM Alexandra Botez
Jason has a great chess future in Canada, and in the world !
Background to CFC Press Releases :
Recently, I volunteered for the CFC non-executive officer position created at the Toronto July 2010 CFC AGM, the " Public Relations Coordinator " position ( upgrading the prior position of Director of Publicity ). I am the first one to take on this position.
Bylaw 3 of the CFC Handbook, under Duties of Officers in Section 8C, gives the mandate of this position as:
8C. The Public Relations Coordinator will be responsible for promoting the image of the CFC and for promoting chess generally to the public. As such the Public Relations Coordinator will, among other things:
- deal with mainstream media to promote significant chess news, such as Canadian Chess Champions, a new Canadian GM, major tournaments like the Can. Closed, Canadian Open, Can. Women’s Closed, CYCC, etc., the various benefits accruing from playing chess and other positive aspects of the chess culture.
I will write some press releases myself, and on some I will be collaborating with others, under who's name the press release will appear. I look forward to the cooperation of the many Canadian chess personalities who may find themselves the subject of CFC Press Releases. CFC cannot do it alone – chess promotion requires the cooperation of everyone, if we are to make chess a more mainstream activity in Canada.
Feel free to make use of the CFC Press Releases in any publicity efforts you might be undertaking. I would appreciate being advised of any efforts made and use of the material, so CFC can build a file on the efforts being made to promote chess in Canada.
Newspapers do not acknowledge press releases ( too many daily ) and to my knowledge do not notify you if they make use of one. So if you see an article on this in any of the papers, please advise me. I have been warned that it has not been easy to get chess material into the mainstream media, and so CFC should have very modest expectations of success on this front. But hopefully, over time, with developing contacts, this will change.
Because the CFC has never before had this position filled, it has never developed a bank of Canadian mainstream media contacts who might be willing to publish CFC Press Releases on chess items, or to write articles on chess. So, if anyone has any newspaper, television or radio contacts I might be able to use, or any advice on this effort, please e-mail me : bobarm@sympatico.ca
CFC Rating Increase for FM Jason Cao
Post by CFC President, Bob Gillanders, on the members' CFC Chess Chat Forum, today, Tuesday, Dec. 21:
Jason Cao – CFC rating 1921
Tomorrow, Jason will receive an early Christmas present of 352 rating points from the CFC. His CFC rating will be adjusted upwards from 1569 to 1921 to match his FIDE rating.
The CFC executive, as well as rating auditor, Governor Bill Doubleday, has approved the adjustment. The adjustment comes from a request from Governor Paul Leblanc who wrote:
“Prior to the WYCC, Jason’s performance record in his last open event was 1870 at the Langley Open, confirming that his playing strength is much higher than his current CFC rating of 1569. It would be an injustice to Jason and his opponents if he continued to be rated at such a low level in upcoming events.”
I must point out that this is not a repudiation of the CFC rating system, but a one time extraordinary adjustment. I think we can all agree that Jason is an extraordinary young man. All rating systems, including ours, have difficulty in rating youngsters who show rapid improvement. A lag is common, and will correct itself over time. There are no plans to adjust ratings wholesale nor to change the formula, but that should not bar us from using some discretion on a case by case basis.
Besides, Jason’s opponents will be intimidated enough facing a World Champion, they don’t need the added pressure of huge rating losses!
Merry Christmas Jason!
