2018 Ontario Girls U-19 Championship: qualifier for the SPFGI and the CYCC Feb 24-25

[Gary Hua]

For the third year in a row, GM Susan Polgar and Webster University kindly invite Canadian girls to take part in “The Annual Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Invitational” scheduled to take place in Saint Louis, Missouri. The 15th edition of this tournament will be held in July 2018 (exact dates TBA). That event will offer more than $200K in prizes and scholarships.




The annual Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Invitational is the most prestigious All-Girls event in the United States. An agreement to invite Canadian girls has been negotiated and is kept alive by FA Andrei Botez who is the SPF plenipotentiary representative for Canada. Andrei is also the perennial captain of Team Canada at the SPFGI! Qualification process in Ontario and Quebec is the responsibility of FA Vadim Tsypin. In the past, these two provinces have sent to the SPFGI such distinguished representatives as Linda Shi, Yi Lin Li, WIM Maïli-Jade Ouellet, Rebecca Giblon, WGM Qiyu Zhou, WFM Svitlana Demchenko, all of whom created big splash at Webster.

Elevate My Chess Canada is thrilled to announce that in 2018 it will be organizing a new FIDE-rated tournament, the 2018 Ontario Girls U-19 Championship, which would serve as a qualifier both for the SPFGI and the CYCC.



That’s right! All girls resident in Ontario who are under 19 years old on January 01, 2018, and have never attended traditional college on a full-time basis are eligible to play. The winner will be crowned the Ontario U-19 Girls Champion and becomes an official representative of Ontario to the SPFGI, to whom Webster University graciously extends free accommodation on campus. In addition, we, the organizers, will provide the winner with a transportation grant of up to $500 to attend the SPFGI (please see the flyer for terms and conditions).

Is your daughter in a younger age group? Not sure whether you will succeed against older, more experiences girls? No need to worry, enroll her to play. Every girl who achieves at least the 50% score will qualify - upon approval by the Canadian Chess Federation (CFC) - for the Canadian Youth Chess Championship (CYCC) that will take place in Québec City on July 01-05, 2018. This is a unique opportunity for Ontario girls of all ages to qualify in a safe, secure, welcoming environment and to boost their FIDE and CFC ratings ahead of the CYCC! Plus, there are beautiful trophies for the first three places, and water / coffee / snacks on-site.

This tournament is yet another example of a successful cooperation between chess professionals in Ontario and Quebec. We’re looking forward to combine the best elements of chess culture in the two largest provinces, and to provide a unique comfortable experience for all participants, especially for the younger ones.

The Championship will take place in Mississauga, ON on February 24-25, 2018. Register online at
https://elevatemychess.com/ontariopolgar/

Please see all details in the tournament flyer as well as reproduced below.

Format: Regular Swiss, 5 rounds. Rated: FIDE / CFC / CMA.
Tiebreaks: For the 1st place: Armageddon W6’- B5’. Other: Direct Encounter, then Median Buchholz.

Time control: 60'/end + 30" incr. Clocks and chess sets supplied. Bring your own if you prefer.

Organizer: Elevate My Chess Canada Inc.

Chief Arbiter: Vadim Tsypin, FIDE Arbiter.

When: February 24-25, 2018.
Late registration Saturday, February 24 from 9 am to 9:30 am.
Rounds 1, 2, 3 Saturday, February 24 @ 10 am, 1:30 pm, 5 pm.
Rounds 4, 5 Sunday, February 25 @ 1 pm and 4:30 pm.

Where: Erindale United Church, 1444 Dundas Crescent, Mississauga, Ontario L5C 1E7

Entry fees: Best price: $60 if registered and paid before 2018-Jan-15. Add $15 afterwards. Add $25 on site. No reimbursement after 2018-Jan-15. Cancellation fee of $20 prior to Jan 15.

Payment: Online at http://elevatemychess.com/ontariopolgar/

Prizes: The winner becomes the 2018 Ontario U-19 Girls Champion and the official Ontario representative for the SPFGI. Beautiful trophies for the Top-3 players. Certificates of Qualification for the 2018 CYCC in a corresponding age group. The winner will receive a transportation grant of up to $500 (based on 20 paid registrations) to attend the SPFGI in St. Louis, Missouri, in July 2018. This money is payable upon successful completion of all rounds of the SPFGI.

Information: Via e-mail to info@elevatemychess.com

Come one, come all! Let’s show what Ontario girls are capable of!