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View Full Version : The CFC Regular Chess Post - July 7/11 - 2011 Can. Open



Bob Armstrong
07-07-2011, 06:30 PM
PRESS RELEASE #3/2011

DATE: Thursday, July 7, 2011
BY: The Chess Federation of Canada ( CFC )
TOURNAMENT CONTACT: Ted Winick, President, Chess Institute of Canada ( Tel.: 416-537-2299 ).
CFC CONTACT: Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator ( Tel: 416-469-5905; bobarm@sympatico.ca )
INTERVIEWS: can be arranged

TOPIC : 2011 Canadian Open Chess Championship

The 2011 Canadian Open Chess Championship Starts Sat., July 9th

This is the biggest annual tournament in Canadian chess, and attracts Grandmasters from all over the world, as well as our own Canadian GM’s. This year Canada has attracted 10 foreign GM’s from USA, Cuba, Georgia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Israel, as well as foreign international masters, and Women Grandmasters.

Two of the top Canadian GM’s will also be playing! GM Mark Bluvshtein

http://www.chessdom.com/images/store/mark-bluvshtein-tata-steel-22778.jpg

is the top international rated Canadian GM, and has recently become only the second Canadian to ever break the 2600 ranking barrier. He recently graduated from York University, and is currently taking a year off to play “ professional chess “ full-time.

The # 3-ranked Canadian player is GM Bator Sambuev,

http://www.chessbase.com/news/2011/events/sambuev01.jpg

recently immigrated from Russia. He is also the 2011 Canadian Champion ( in a recent tournament only open to Canadians, where Mark did not play ), and as well, under the Canadian ranking system, is # 1.

The tournament will be played in Toronto, Ontario this year at the Westin Harbour Castle, on the Toronto waterfront, from Saturday, July 9 ( round 1 @ 6:00 PM EDT ) to Sunday, July 17. There are 248 registrants in all levels ( there are three separate sections to the tournament ).

The competition for the top spot in the strong Open Section will be fierce, and our Canadian GM’s are given good chances!

The tournament website is: http://www.canadianchess.info/2011canadianopen

Background to CFC Press Releases :

In Aug., 2010, 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 ), first in an " acting " capacity, and then permanently. 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

Bob Armstrong, CFC Public Relations Coordinator