The CFC Regular Chess Post – February 12/13 – Hansen – 2012 Canadian Chess Player of the Year.

Press Release – 13/2/11

For ten years now, Toronto chess historian and organizer, David Cohen, has established a private award, Canadian Chess Player of the Year. It is a vote by Canadian chess journalists. A few years ago, David also introduced a “fan ballot” – the winner gets one vote added to the journalists’ votes.

Grandmaster Eric Hansen of Alberta is the 2012 Canadian Chess Player of the Year! Eric also won the Fan Ballot.

Attachment 181

Eric’s major accomplishment in 2012 was achieving sufficient Grandmaster Norms to secure the valued World Chess Federation title of Grandmaster ( awarded in January, 2013 ). But he also placed first in a number of significant tournaments, and had other good finishes, as seen below:

7th, 4/9, UT Dallas GM Invitational, Richardson, USA, 2011.12.15-21, Category: 10.
1st, 8/8, 3rd Jerry Hanken Open, Stillwater, USA 2.18-20; =15th, 5.5/9,
21st Chicago Open, Chicago, USA 2012.5;
1st, 7.5/9, 49th Canadian Open Championship, Victoria, BC, July;
9/13 =5th, World Junior U20 Ch, Athens, Greece, August;
7/9 =1st, 2nd Isthmia Open A, Vrachati, Korinthia, Greece, August, GM Norm;
7.5/10 Olympiad, Istanbul, Turkey, August-September, GM Norm (counts double) and qualified GM title;
=1st, 8.5/11, 7th American Continental (Pan-Am) Championship, Mar del Plata, Argentina, Oct. 12-21.
4th, 1.5/4, 2012 Pan-Am Ch playoff, Oct., qualified to 2013 World Cup;
=3rd, 7/9, Open, University of Mexico Chess Festival, Mexico City, Mexico, Nov.;
1st, 8.5/9, Panama Open, Panama, Nov.-Dec.;
=4th, 6.5/9, Groningen Open A, Groningen, Netherlands, Dec.

In the overall vote of journalists, International Master Aman Hambleton finished second, Canadian Champion Grandmaster Bator Sambuev was third and Canadian Junior Champion International Master Richard Wang was fourth.

Major Canadian player accomplishments in 2012 and past winners of Canadian Chess Player of the Year: http://www.canadianchess.info/canadi...layerYear.html

As a result of his finish in the American Continental Championship, this year Eric will play in the 2013 World Cup, the first step in the cycle of determining a challenger to the current World Champion, Viswanathan Anand (India),. Eric will be a worthy Canadian Representative in the hunt for the World Championship title!

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator
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