Canadian Open is underway

The Canadian Open Chess Championship is the country's premier event for chessplayers to meet and compete. 280 players including 22 Grandmasters are now squaring off in Ottawa, Canada's capital, July 7 to 15, 2007.

Please visit the Canadian Open Blog for the latest news and updates

Official Results of 2007 Canadian Youth Chess Championship

The official results of the Canadian Youth Chess Championship held at July 3-6 at the Chateau Laurier.

Girls Under 8

1. Kelly Wang
2. Aleksandra Milicevic
3. Cendrina Bilodeau-Savaria

Boys Under 8

1. Janak Awatramani
2. Yinshi Li
3. John Doknjas

Girls Under 10

1. Rebecca Giblon
2. Joanne Foote
3. Lin Fei Kang

Boys Under 10

1. Christopher Knox
2. Zhaoyang Luo
3. Richard Wang

Girls Under 12

1. Myriam Roy
2. Alexandra Botez
3. Erika Ruiter

Boys Under 12

1. Nikita Kraiouchkine
2. Joey Qin
3. Nikita Gusev
   

Girls Under 14

1. Liza (Yelizaveta) Orlova
2. Dalia Kagramanov
3. Catherine Frenette

Boys Under 14

1. Arthur Calugar
2. Lloyd Mai
3. Louie Jiang

Girls Under 16

1. Sonja Xiong
2. Jasmine Du
3. Chelsea Ruiter
   

Boys Under 16

1. Haonan Zhou
2. Eric Hansen
3. Aman Hambleton
   

Girls Under 18

1. Gabrielle Nadeau
2. Amelia Mandamin

Boys Under 18

1. Ling-Feng Ye
2. Bindi Cheng
3. Derek Jia

2007 Canadian Open Round 1 will be commencing at 2:00pm EDT.

Posting and Results will be post at http://canchess.blogspot.com

CYCC Playoff and Final Round Results

At 5:53 pm: all playoff rounds concluded.

u8B Janak 1st, Yinshi 2nd
u8G Cendrina 3rd
u10G Rebecca 1st, Joanne 2nd, Lin Fei 3rd
u10B Richard 3rd
u12B Nikita Gusev 3rd.
u12G Myriam 1st, Alexandra 2nd
u14G Dalia 2nd, Catherine Frenette 3rd
u14B Lloyd 2nd, Louie 3rd u16B Eric 2nd, Aman 3rd
u16G Sonja wins, Jasmine places second, Chelsea third.
u18B no playoffs
u18G no playoffs

Full results can be found at:
http://cocycc.pbwiki.com/results

CYCC Top Standings after Round 6

Canadian Youth Chess Championship Top Standings after Round 6:

Boys Under 8 (tied)

• Janak Awatramani
• Yinshi Li

Girls Under 8

• Maxin, Janelle

Boys Under 10

• Christopher Knox
  

Girls Under 10 (tied)

• Rebecca Giblon
• Joanne Foote

Boys Under 12

• Nikita Kraiouchkine

Girls Under 12 (tied)

• Roy, Myriam
• Botez, Alexandra

Boys Under 14

• Lloyd Mai

Girls Under 14

• Liza (Yelizaveta) Orlova

Boys Under 16

• Haonan Zhou

Girls Under 16 (tied)

• Jasmine Du
• Sonja Xiong

Boys Under 18

• Ling-Feng Ye

Girls Under 18
Gabrielle Nadeau declared section winner

Round 7 begins at 9:30am EDT tomorrow. Playoffs are at 2:30pm

Full standings can be found at: http://cocycc.pbwiki.com/results

Live coverage of selected games are available at http://www.monroi.com/

CYCC Top Standings after Round 4

Canadian Youth Chess Championship Top Standings after Round 4:

Boys Under 8 (tied)

• Janak Awatramani
• Yinshi Li

Girls Under 8

• Maxin, Janelle

Boys Under 10 (tied)

• Christopher Knox
• Zhaoyang Luo

Girls Under 10

• Rebecca Giblon

Boys Under 12

• Nikita Kraiouchkine

Girls Under 12 (tied)

• Roy, Myriam
• Botez, Alexandra

Boys Under 14

• Lloyd Mai

Girls Under 14

• Liza (Yelizaveta) Orlova

Boys Under 16

• Haonan Zhou

Girls Under 16

• Jasmine Du

Boys Under 18

• Bindi Cheng

Girls Under 18

• Gabrielle Nadeau declared section winner

Round 5 begins at 9:30am EDT today.

Full standings can be found at: http://cocycc.pbwiki.com/results

Live coverage of selected games are available at http://www.monroi.com/

Susan Polgar thrills the kids at the CYCC Opening Ceremonies

Susan Polgar was the centre of excitement at today’s opening ceremonies of the 2007 Canadian Youth Chess Championship. More than 180 kids and their parents crowded into the Fairmont Chateau Ballroom to witness this unprecedented event in Canadian chess history.

GM Polgar, with her two sons, Tom and Leeam, and her business manager, Paul Truong, marveled at the tournament venue.

“An incredible playing hall” remarked GM Polgar, “and a great learning experience, giving young players wonderful opportunities to visit new places and make new friends.”

Mainstream media in Ottawa proved to be extremely interested in GM Polgar and the CYCC. TV camera crews were on hand at the opening ceremonies. In between signing autographs for the kids, Polgar managed to squeeze in interviews with both major TV news networks. Later in the day, GM Polgar was also interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Radio.

Gordon Ritchie, Chair of the Organizing Committee, kicked off the opening ceremonies. Speeches were given by Mr. Ritchie, Bill Allen of TELUS, the major sponsor of the CYCC, and Bill Doubleday, President of the Chess Federation of Canada.

GM Polgar gave a speech and to formally conclude the opening ceremonies, performed the ceremonial first move.

Shortly thereafter, Round 1 of the tournament began. There was a discernible buzz in the tournament hall as several players were equipped with Monroi devices to record their moves and broadcast their games in real time in on the Internet. Parents equipped with laptops were stationed in the hotel hallways, following the action.

The first day of the 2007 CYCC was a great day for chess. GM Polgar made a great impression on the kids. But equally so, Ottawa, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, and the CYCC made a great impression on GM Polgar.

You can read Susan’s impressions of Ottawa on her blog at: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/ . If you wish to follow the CYCC games online, please visit: http://monroi.com/wdc . Tournament results are posted as they are available at: http://cocycc.pbwiki.com/results

2007 CYCC: GM Susan Polgar meets Canada's best young chessplayers

Four-time World Women's Chess Champion Susan Polgar received a warm welcome Monday afternoon from the players of the 2007 Canadian Youth Chess Championship.

GM Polgar, the CYCC's honorary chairperson and a leading advocate of youth chess, arrived in Canada after making the long drive from New York to Ottawa. She had flown to New York hours earlier from Budapest.

Still, GM Polgar was in good spirits, traveling with her two sons, Tom and Leeam, and her business manager Paul Truong. From the Chateau Laurier, they strolled along the Rideau Canal to Ottawa City Hall for the CYCC's opening reception. Upon her arrival, GM Polgar mingled with the eager throng of players and their parents.

Soon after, the formal ceremonies began. Gordon Ritchie, Chair of the 2007 CYCC Organizing Committee (shown above with GM Polgar, her manager and her sons), introduced Dave Gibbons of the Ottawa Mayor's Office, who welcomed GM Polgar and the CYCC's participants on behalf of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien. GM Polgar gave a brief speech wishing success to the CYCC participants. After, she was interviewed by several Ottawa television news reporters.

GM Polgar will have a busy day Tuesday, which is Day One of CYCC competition. She will spend one-on-one time with CYCC players when their games are finished, and lecture to players over the lunch hour, and speak to parents when the second round of CYCC play takes place. Beginning in the early evening, GM Polgar will give a simultaneous exhibition, taking on dozens of CYCC players at once.

Her presence at the event is made possible thanks to the generous support of TELUS Corp., the major sponsor of the 2007 CYCC.

The 2007 CYCC qualifies Canada's best young chess players for the 2007 World Youth Chess Championship, to be held in Antalya, Turkey this fall. More than 180 Canadian boys and girls -- a record number -- are competing in the 2007 CYCC from July 3 to 6 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

Additional photos of the CYCC opening reception can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/canopenchess/CYCC