1998 Labour Day OpenChess Tournament Report
1998 Labour Day Open
Labour Day Open Crosstable Halifax, NS Sept 4-8 1998
#Name CFC# Rating rd1 rd2 rd3 rd4 rd5 rd6 rd7 rd8 total 1.Rob Villeneuve 101284 2145 +17 +11 +8 +15 -6 =7 +5 +2 6.5 2.Alvah Mayo 105142 2089 =18 +16 -15 +20 +13 =9 +14 -1 5.0 3.Justin Gulati 110208 2081 =20 +21 +38 -6 +17 -10 +13 -0 4.5 4.Tyler Reddy 111124 2069 =0 +22 +12 =7 =10 +19 -6 +8 5.5 5.Steve Saunders 103353 2059 =0 +23 =13 +9 +15 +6 -1 =7 5.5 6.Antoni Wysocki 108575 2047 +34 =12 +18 +3 +1 -5 +4 +9 6.5 7.Cedric Davies 108964 2015 +24 =13 +19 =4 +16 =1 =10 =5 5.5 8.Mike Guignard 104152 2012 +25 +14 -1 -13 +26 +22 -9 -4 4.0 9.Jason Kenney 110204 2008 =0 +32 +20 -5 +18 =2 +8 -6 5.0 10.Mike Eldridge 104341 1985 +26 -15 +41 +25 =4 +3 =7 +12 6.0 11.Tony Verma 122790 1965 +27 -1 =17 -22 -39 +30 +36 =16 4.0 12.Albert Ede 105141 1860 +29 =6 -4 +30 -19 +20 +23 -10 4.5 13.Fred Phillips 106253 1826 +30 =7 =5 +8 -2 +15 -3 =17 4.5 14.Bruce Fleury 109707 1793 +31 -8 -25 +33 +27 +39 -2 +19 5.0 15.Gary Phillips 104589 1779 +33 +10 +2 -1 -5 -13 +26 =38 4.5 16.David Poirier 106289 1773 +40 -2 =26 =28 -7 -23 +32 =11 4.0 17.John Klapstein 108446 1747 -1 +27 =11 +41 -3 =24 +39 =13 4.5 18.Carlos Drummond 108860 1740 =2 +35 -6 +32 -9 =38 +25 +21 5.0 19.Harold Uuetoa 101504 1680 =0 +39 -7 +36 +12 -4 =21 -14 4.0 20.Steve Karis 104771 1671 =3 +37 -9 -2 +32 -12 +28 +23 4.5 21.Aaron Childs 122990 1637 =0 -3 +34 =0 +25 =0 =19 -18 4.0 22.Ray Cooke 105493 1634 =0 -4 +35 +11 =0 -8 =0 -0 3.5 23.George Beals 105503 1603 =0 -5 -36 +0 +41 +16 -12 -20 3.5 24.Matthew Furrow 102948 1598 -7 +29 =0 =0 =0 =17 -38 =27 4.0 25.Joe Shea 109017 1587 -8 +31 +14 -10 -21 +33 -18 -29 3.0 26.Brian McGrath 120927 1571 -10 +40 =16 +38 -8 =0 -15 -15 3.0 27.David Gates 101536 1567 -11 -17 +40 +31 -14 -36 +34 -24 3.0 28.Steve Toth 102861 1456 =0 =0 =0 -16 -38 +41 -20 -39 2.5 29.Pat Diggins 104190 1437 -12 -24 -31 =0 +34 =0 +33 +25 4.0 30.John MacLean 108891 1432 -13 =0 =0 -12 =26 -11 +31 =32 3.0 31.Don Weagle 103757 1400 -14 -25 +29 -27 -33 +37 -30 -0 2.0 32.David Kimber 102829 1360 =0 -9 +37 -18 -20 +40 -16 =30 3.0 33.Jim Livingstone 123143 1343 -15 =0 =39 -14 +31 -25 -29 +41 2.0 34.Shawn MacPhee 123307 1326 -6 =0 -21 =40 -29 +35 -27 =0 2.5 35.Scott Usbourne 120430 unr =0 -18 -22 -0 =0 -34 +37 -40 2.0 36.Gary Ng new unr =0 -38 +23 -19 =30 +27 -11 +26 4.0 37.Joel Morin 120833 unr =0 -20 -32 -39 -40 -31 -35 +0 1.5 38.Gilbert Bernard 108248 1887 =0 +36 -3 -26 +28 =18 +24 =15 4.5 39.Prem Mahendranathan new unr =0 -19 =33 +37 +11 -14 -17 +28 4.0 40.Chris Maund 103904 1383 -16 -26 -27 =34 +37 -32 -41 +35 2.5 41.Garnet Bezanson 106461 1374 =0 +0 -10 -17 -23 -28 +40 +33 3.5
Round by Round Report based on Messages by Kim Tufts: Tournament organizer Albert Ede gamble on organizing an eight round tournament in Halifax on the Labour Day Weekend payed off with 41 participants from three provinces. The overall winners were Robert Villeneneuve and Antoni Wysocki. Please enjoy the report below.
Round 1
There were no upsets in round one but a few draws and some near misses for
draws, Steve Karis versus Justin Gulati and Carlos Drummond versus Alvah
Mayo. The latter game featured a
sudden-death ruling by Mr. Klapstein who was acting as Tournament Director
at the time. Carlos squandered several easy draws only to get his flag
horizontal. Mayo pressed
for a win in his opponent's confusion but it was opposite coloured bishops.
Drummond was finally able to find a more difficult method to draw and it was
ruled as such, although not without protest.
Round 2
Fred Phillips and Cedric Davies drew tonight in a bizaare ending; both
players were exhausted and perhaps didn't find the perfect moves, but
enough to draw. Robert Villeneuve versus Tony Verma seemed like a real see-saw battle, as
they took turns attacking each other... eventually Rob picked up the win
with a R+B vs B+P ending while Tony flagged.
Dave Poirer versus Alvah Mayo, with about 10 minutes left for Dave looked like a draw,
although in the end Alvah did win the game.
Cedric Davies might have lost but the draw was offered by Phillips Fred. You won't find the ending in any of the books as played! :) (N+2p's vs 4p's, 2 connected and passed) Villeneuve later admitted he should have lost a piece but his opponent feared a passer which could have been stopped. A swindle in his opponents time pressure...
After four rounds Rob Villeneuve leads with 4/4. Antoni Wysocki is alone at second with 3.5.
Round 3
Few surprises though Gary Phillips defeated Alvah Mayo after Alvah grabbed a pawn he shouldn't have.
Round 4
Much more eventful and included some real crushes on the top
boards with Robert Villeneuve versus Gary Phillips in a Kings Gambit,
Antoni Wysocki over Justin Gulati in
some kind of Modern where Antoni sacced a couple of pawns. Also noteworthy
was Ray Cooke's (1634) win over Tony Verma (1965).
A couple of negative events occurred as well when a new player failed to show and was awarded a forfeit. In another instance a player who has a history of unsportsmanlike behaviour was read the riot act by me when he stopped playing in a game where he was lost. He was roaming the playing hall and staying outside, etc. After a half hour of this nonsense I told him to make a move or be forfeited immediately. (At the time he was in check and had to move his King.) He did return to his board with much disgruntlement and a few moves later was mated. He also didn't shake hands with his much lower rated opponent but I would like to point out it was my own agitation with the situation and not his rather easygoing opponent which caused my action.
(Note: Rule 15.1c in the CFC handbook states "A player who does not wish to
continue a lost game and leaves without being courteous enough to resign or
to notify the director may be severely penalized, at the discretion of a
director, for poor sportsmanship"
My rather liberal interpretation -as he hadn't actually left the playing
site- allowed me to make a threat which was probably not strictly covered in
this instance. Nevertheless, I think "having a word" with the player was a
good idea as it may dissuade such disgraceful behaviour in the future. Or
not...*shrug*) - Kim Tufts.
Most Improved Awards Before the start of the afternoon round the Nova Scotia Chess Association made presentations for the Most Improved Award (Aug '97 - Aug '98). This year's co-winners were Tyler Reddy and Jason Kenney. Tyler received a gift certificate to Chapter's bookstore while Jason received an Aradora chess clock. Both players increased their ratings over 400 points and made it into expert class in the preceding twleve months.
Previous winners were Cedric Davies (97), Bill Pettipas (96), and Alvah Mayo (95).
Round 5
Sunday's rounds saw a new leader - twice!
First, Robert Villeneuve lost to Antoni Wysocki this morning in a game
described as "wacky" by both players. Not a classic.
Round 6
In round six Antoni Wysocki loose to Steve Saunders in another odd game. Steve assumes the mantle for now and plays Villeneuve tomorrow. The field is still very tight. Also noteworthy was Mike Eldridge's win over Justin Gulati, a game assumed to be Justin's early on.
Round 7
Robert Villeneuve, playing white, defeated Steve Saunders in a Nadjorf Sicilian Polugayevsky Variation, sacrificing a knight early on in a theoretical position after Steve slipped. Robert remarked "the game was won at home." Antoni Wysocki, playing white, won an Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined after Tyler Reddy missed an opportunity to improve an attack, Tyler dropping a rook. Jason Kenney defeated Mike Guignard with a passed pawn on the seventh and opposite bishop with good ending technique.
Round 8
We saw a real crush on board one as Robert Villeneuve won a piece
as black playing the Accelerated Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence
on move 24 from a messy position Alvah Mayo
underestimated. While on board two Antoni Wysocki defeated Jason Kenney to share 1st prize
with Rob. Mike Eldridge claimed third with a win over Albert Ede.
There was an amusing draw as John Klapstein dropped a piece while
lauching an attack, then moved to reach a perpetual by sacrificing his
remaining two rooks! (Fred Phillips was his opponent.)
Prize Winners
Labour Day Open prize winners were:
1st-2nd Rob Villeneuve 6.5
Antoni Wysocki
3rd Mike Eldridge 6
U1900 Carlos Drummond 5
Bruce Fleury
U1700 Steve Karis 4.5
U1500/unr Prem Mahendranathan 4
Gary Ng
Pat Diggins
We also have a PGN (Portable Game Notation) file of some games from this tournament. PGN files may be viewed on word processors, web browsers or played on a computer screen board with PGN viewers or chess databases.
To leave a comment to the person who maintains this file, send email to nschess@chebucto.ns.ca