Top FIDE-Rated Canadians/Can. Women at Jan. 1, 2009

[Bob Armstrong]

At January 1, 2009, the 5 highest FIDE rated Canadians are ( active in the last 24 months, internationally or in Canada ) :

# 1 : GM Kevin Spraggett, 5 times Canadian Champion ( last in 1996 ), at 2586 ( down 11 pts ) – now playing out of Portugal;
# 2 : GM Mark Bluvshtein ( 1988 ) at 2558;
# 3 : GM Pascal Charbonneau, 2002 & 2004 Canadian Champion, at 2500 – now working in USA;
# 4 : IM Thomas Roussel-Roozman ( 1988 ) at 2479.
# 5 : IM Igor Zugic, 2006 Canadian Champion, at 2462.

The current 2007 Canadian Champion, 17 year old IM Nikolay Noritsyn ( 1991 ), is rated 2381 ( up 9 pts. ) .

Canada has 3 inactive GM’s : Alexander Le Siege; Duncan Suttles; Dimitri Tyomkin.
There are 3 GM's currently residing in Canada who belong to other federations: Anton Kovalyov ( Argentina ); Hikaru Nakamura ( USA ); Bator Sambuev ( Russia ).

The top 5 FIDE rated Canadian women players are ( active in the last 24 months, internationally or in Canada ) :

# 1 : WFM Yuanling Yuan at 2205 ( up 48 pts. ! ).
# 2 : WIM Nava Starr, 8 time Canadian Women’s Champion ( last in 2001 ), at 2173.
# 3 : WIM Natalia Khoudgarian, 2006 & 2007 Canadian Women’s Champion, at 2137( down 12 pts. ).
# 4 : WFM Dina Kagramanov ( 1986 ), 2006 & 2007 Canadian Women’s Championship Runner-Up, at 2121.
# 5 : Irina Barron, at 2063.

There are two titled women players currently residing in Canada who belong to other federations: WFM Valeria Gasvind ( Estonia ); IM/WGM Sophia Polgar ( Hungary ).

Bob