5A. Discussion Items - 6. New or other business

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Post any new items or other business for discussion here.

[Michael Barron]

Dear chess friends,
Chess Olympiad 2016 is just around the corner and we should be already working on Canadian Team preparation for this prestigious event.

According to the CFC Handbook (http://chess.ca/handbook#section-9):

907. Selection Ratings

Selection of players for the Teams by rating shall be based on the average of the player’s highest CFC rating and highest FIDE rating during the year prior to the start of the selection process (which begins 180 days before the start of the Olympiad).

a) Established CFC and FIDE ratings shall be used to determine team selection.

b) The CFC shall publish, with each rating update, a list of the top 10 Selection Ratings and the top 10 Selection Ratings of female players


I would like to ask CFC Master Representative to assume responsibilities of the CFC Olympiad Coordinator and to prepare Selection Ratings Lists for Open and Women's Canadian Teams.

[Victor Plotkin]

Yes, I can do it. Just want to be sure I fully understand the rules.

1. Olympiad starts at Sep 17, 2016. 180 before this date is Mar 21, 2016. That means the last and final update should be take into account FIDE ratings from Mar 1, 2016 and last CFC update before Mar 21, 2016.

2. We still have a minimum of 10 games for this Olympiad. 20 games will be required later. 10 games must be played between Mar 21, 2015 and Mar 21, 2016.

3. Updates could be done monthly, that means Jan 1, Feb 1, Mar 1 and Mar 21, 2016.

[Fred McKim]

Is Bareev eligible to play and if so any idea if he will ?

[Michael Barron]

Dear chess friends,
There is an interest to send Canadian team to World Senior Team Championship 2016 - please see http://www.chesstalk.info/forum/showthread.php?13849-Very-pleased-to-Announce!!


I am very pleased to Announce the formation of the first ever over 50 team to represent Canada at next years World Senior Team Championship competition in Dresden . Our team is in board order 1 IM Jean Hebert 2 IM Deen Hergott 3 IM Tom O'Donnell 4 IM Dave Ross 5 FM Paul Ross .Some of us are a little rusty but have promised to train hard.Our team will be young[relatively speaking] and hungry and who knows ,with a bit of luck a top ten finish is not out of the question!!Our expenses will be significant.Airfare roughly $1200,room $600 , Entry fee 250euros . I have spent most of my chess life as a player and coach and if anyone has any ideas about how to find sponsors be they cfc,fqe or Chess and Math or private please send me an email as I don't really know how one goes about this part. There is no limit to the number of teams allowed so if anyone else is interested start planning now.The event runs from June26-July 4th 2016.This is a great opportunity to meet and play some living chess legends. There is also a section for players over 65. Thanks in advance for any ideas on fund raising.

Could CFC and FQE somehow support this initiative?
Maybe as a part of CFC-FQE agreement?

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Dear chess friends,
There is an interest to send Canadian team to World Senior Team Championship 2016 - please see http://www.chesstalk.info/forum/showthread.php?13849-Very-pleased-to-Announce!!



Could CFC and FQE somehow support this initiative?
Maybe as a part of CFC-FQE agreement?

We do have an Olympiad and a Women's Championship along with Zonal fee that are probably a bit higher on our priority list. My suggestion would be to approach some local businesses and perhaps to hold some simuls in local malls and libraries. Twenty dollars to play an IM or FM with proceeds to fund the team. A pasta fundraiser with a silent auction worked well for Windsor last year.

Maybe we could add an over 50 event to be held at the same time as CYCC that could be used to start a Senior fund similar to the youth fund but oriented for senior events? Or perhaps we could simply add a senior event with a portion of the proceeds going to fund an over 50 team. Paul Ross will need to update his membership. When is the tournament?

[Vladimir Semyonov]

I understand that Evgeny is eligible to play for Canada. As far as his play at the Olympiad is concerned, I understand that Evgeny had a brief chat with Mr. Plotkin but nothing has been proposed to him yet.

[Victor Plotkin]

For Dec 14, 2015. FIDE--CFC--average.

1. GM E.Bareev 2675--2708--2691.5.
2. GM A. Kovalyov 2623--2653--2638.
3. GM E.Hansen 2583--2648--2615.5.
4. GM B.Sambuev 2546--2666--2606.
5. GM K.Spraggett 2543--2618--2580.5.
6. IM R.Preotu 2463--2647--2555.
7. GM A.Lesiege 2528--2577--2552.5.
8. IM A.Hambleton 2446--2606--2526.
9. IM N.Noritsyn 2454--2586--2520.
10. IM T.Krnan 2449--2569--2509.

T.Krnan qualified as a Canadian Champion. Among top-10 players only N.Noritsyn has played less than 10 games (9).

[Victor Plotkin]

Women Team. I hope, I made no mistakes here.
For Dec 14, 2015. FIDE--CFC--average.

1. Q.Zhou 2328--2328--2328.
2. Y.Yuan 2270--2337--2303.5.
3. N.Khoudgarian 2118--2294--2206.
4. N.Starr 2127--2140--2133.5
5. M.-J.Ouellet 2005--2169--2087.
6. L.Agbabishvili 2018--2153--2085.5.
7. J.Peng 1922--2146--2034.
8. Li Yilin 1968--1986--1977
9. R.Giblon 1810--1933--1871.5
10. Janet Peng 1728--1879--1803.5

I didn't take into account players who has no FIDE or CFC-rated games played from Mar 21, 2015.

N.Khoudgarian has played 5 games, L.Agbabishvili has played 6 gamed. All other players meet the minimum requirement.

[Valer Eugen Demian]

Why no WFM Alexandra Botez on this list?
https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2603365
Based on the FIDE rating she should be 5th on it...

[Victor Plotkin]

For the same reason you don't see players like L.Bogdan (FIDE 2180), D.Khaziyeva (FIDE 2115), D.Kagramanov (FIDE 2067) and many others.

They did not play a rated game from Mar 21, 2015.

[Vlad Rekhson]

I would like to propose an idea to have a national scholastic championship in Canada. This can follow the American format where the competition is individual based on four different scholastic divisions (high school, Jr. High, Elementary and K-3). The top four players count for a team score which adds an important team element. Over the past 3 years we have experimented with it in Alberta and although our numbers can't compare to those in Central Canada, it has become our most successful junior event as far as numbers are concerned.
I think that it would be nice to have a national event supported by CFC that would work in this format.

[Valer Eugen Demian]

For the same reason you don't see players like L.Bogdan (FIDE 2180), D.Khaziyeva (FIDE 2115), D.Kagramanov (FIDE 2067) and many others.

They did not play a rated game from Mar 21, 2015.

Those players have not played a game in years; at least Alexandra has played last year. Anyway, I understand your point. Thank you! :)

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I would like to propose an idea to have a national scholastic championship in Canada. This can follow the American format where the competition is individual based on four different scholastic divisions (high school, Jr. High, Elementary and K-3). The top four players count for a team score which adds an important team element. Over the past 3 years we have experimented with it in Alberta and although our numbers can't compare to those in Central Canada, it has become our most successful junior event as far as numbers are concerned.
I think that it would be nice to have a national event supported by CFC that would work in this format.

Yes, these types of events are very popular in Michigan and they allow Canadian players to participate for most of them. There are usually lots of big trophies. Our high school team won their division. The K-8 came in second. K-5 came in third and our K-3 tykes finished 4th even though our group was shorthanded because some of the better kids went to a big money tournament in Ohio. I would especially like this if we allowed U.S. players to play also. Usually what they do is that the Michigan players are awarded the title of Michigan champion and the Canadians still get the first place trophy. The fees are usually quite reasonable ($20 per player or sometimes a bit more after the early bird deadline).

[Vlad Rekhson]

Yes, these types of events are very popular in Michigan and they allow Canadian players to participate for most of them. There are usually lots of big trophies. Our high school team won their division. The K-8 came in second. K-5 came in third and our K-3 tykes finished 4th even though our group was shorthanded because some of the better kids went to a big money tournament in Ohio. I would especially like this if we allowed U.S. players to play also. Usually what they do is that the Michigan players are awarded the title of Michigan champion and the Canadians still get the first place trophy. The fees are usually quite reasonable ($20 per player or sometimes a bit more after the early bird deadline).

I am not sure whether Canadians are allowed to play in the US National events, which are quite massive. When I lived in the US I played in the Super-Nationals which are held once every four years and attract roughly 5,000 players! Normally the event is divided based on the four age categories so each has roughly 1300 participants.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Are there any plans afoot for a women's zonal? Are there any deadlines from FIDE with respect to dates that this should be completed?

[Vlad Rekhson]

Are there any plans afoot for a women's zonal? Are there any deadlines from FIDE with respect to dates that this should be completed?

If no one else bids, I believe that Jina Burn from Fort McMurray could do it and have nice funding for it, but of course that would be quite far for most participants. Speaking of national events, have we given up on having a Canadian Junior?

[Hal Bond]

We are thinking about it for the Kitchener Chess Festival next year. The Women's WC Tournament is scheduled for October of next year although no bids have been received, which should mean that early August will be soon enough for our Zonal.

[Vlad Rekhson]

We are thinking about it for the Kitchener Chess Festival next year. The Women's WC Tournament is scheduled for October of next year although no bids have been received, which should mean that early August will be soon enough for our Zonal.

Hal, do you plan other special events during the Kitchener festival which might conflict with the Calgary International which will be at the same time? We are planning to have a Swiss with probably 5 GMs and norms.

[Hal Bond]

The Calgary International sounds awesome Vlad! Kitchener has no such plans at present. It is conceivable that we could do something with IM norms but that is not likely at this point and I doubt it would conflict with Calgary in any case.

[Lloyd Lombard]

One item I'd like to put up for discussion:

Saskatchewan Chess Association Funds – The CFC currently holds funds in trust for the Saskatchewan Chess Association. As “the” National organization which supports chess, it seems to me that we (the CFC)have an obligation to ensure that our provincial associations are healthy and thriving. I have no doubt that if and when the Saskatchewan provincial association comes back to life, that the CFC will be willing to assist them in any way possible. It’s obviously in the CFC’s interest to do so. The more provincial organizations we have in good shape, the better for the CFC. I hope to see the Saskatchewan Chess Association (or whatever they'll call themselves when they re-organize), will come together and work to promote chess in Saskatchewan. I would suggest that they will have to form a provincially registered society with an executive and satisfy the CFC that they will use the funds to promote and organize chess in Saskatchewan. Hopefully, someone will come forward and organize themselves to do so. Other conditions may well be imposed by the CFC to ensure the monies are put to good use before transferring the funds to the new organization to ensure legitimacy.

[Lloyd Lombard]

CFC and Related Minutes (ie. Chess Foundation)- I’ve been involved in a number of organizations over the years and minutes are often a difficult item to keep track of. Not sure of the solution, however recent executive discussions regarding past issues with the Chess Foundation and other CFC issues have brought forth the importance of maintaining good minutes/records of the organization’s past. Without a building to maintain these records, it becomes difficult to maintain continuity of those records. It is possible to scan all the records and keep them electronically but that takes a lot of time and effort in doing it, collating them and making sure they’re in an easily accessible format. Likely never to get done unless we have someone hired to do it. Not sure whether we could get a gov grant to get that done ? It seems to me that "all" the CFC's records should be kept for historical and practical purposes.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

CFC and Related Minutes (ie. Chess Foundation)- I’ve been involved in a number of organizations over the years and minutes are often a difficult item to keep track of. Not sure of the solution, however recent executive discussions regarding past issues with the Chess Foundation and other CFC issues have brought forth the importance of maintaining good minutes/records of the organization’s past. Without a building to maintain these records, it becomes difficult to maintain continuity of those records. It is possible to scan all the records and keep them electronically but that takes a lot of time and effort in doing it, collating them and making sure they’re in an easily accessible format. Likely never to get done unless we have someone hired to do it. Not sure whether we could get a gov grant to get that done ? It seems to me that "all" the CFC's records should be kept for historical and practical purposes.

Actually that is a very good idea. We have actually kind of started down that path with Michael Von Keitz doing a lot of work in this regard. One of my upcoming tasks is to find some money to help compensate for his work and help in this regard.

[Hal Bond]

When the building was sold, some materials were sent to the National Archives, some merch was sold off and everything else was moved to a storage trailer and storage costs were incurred. During his Presidency Michael undertook to empty the storage trailer and digitize our records. This was a daunting, thankless task. I helped him. Saleable inventory was liquidated and Michael scanned all of the magazines and all the old minutes and cross tables (Governor Letters) he could find. There are some gaps in the older GLs I believe.

[Paul Leblanc]

Unless it's just my ineptitude, there do not appear to be archives of our recent quarterly meetings and AGMs on the website. Some of them have a link that leads to nowhere. The "Governors Letters" page seems to have been abandoned 2 years ago.
I faithfully send in my annual Foundation reports and ask for them to be posted but the most recent one I can find on line is from April 2013 and is posted on the Governors Letters page.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Unless it's just my ineptitude, there do not appear to be archives of our recent quarterly meetings and AGMs on the website. Some of them have a link that leads to nowhere. The "Governors Letters" page seems to have been abandoned 2 years ago.
I faithfully send in my annual Foundation reports and ask for them to be posted but the most recent one I can find on line is from April 2013 and is posted on the Governors Letters page.


When we changed server companies the files got scrambled. They are all there in the meeting room area. You can see them sort of correctly by sorting by date of last post. The problem is that in order to fix it you have to be able to create subforums which I can't do for some reason. Then you would have to find the hundred hours to move the unholy mess into its proper structure.

Oh and if you do it without the right permissions it gets fixed temporarily but then it gets scrambled again.

[Lyle Craver]

Do we have a master list of what's been digitized? I have a box roughly 1'x1'x1' containing mostly GLs from the 80s and 90s and would love to get a list so I could go through that box tossing those that are digitized and preserving those I have that aren't.

I haven't the expertise to go from printed document -> PDF but would be happy to do what I can.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Do we have a master list of what's been digitized? I have a box roughly 1'x1'x1' containing mostly GLs from the 80s and 90s and would love to get a list so I could go through that box tossing those that are digitized and preserving those I have that aren't.

I haven't the expertise to go from printed document -> PDF but would be happy to do what I can.

Most printer/scanners come with software that lets you do it automatically. My Brother printer does anyway.

[Lyle Craver]

Most printer/scanners come with software that lets you do it automatically. My Brother printer does anyway.

I get that - what I've driving at is do we have a master list of what the CFC has digitized and what we don't. I'd be quite happy to ditch what's already done and take a go at the ones I have that aren't on the list

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I get that - what I've driving at is do we have a master list of what the CFC has digitized and what we don't. I'd be quite happy to ditch what's already done and take a go at the ones I have that aren't on the list

We do but it would take a massive search of my emails and probably several hours for me to deliver such a list because many of the file names were at times cryptic as I recall.