After a delay of about one year, the Nova Scotia Chess News is back! As your interim editor, I would like to have four issues released each year. These issues will hopefully be released every January, April, July, and October. The size of each issue will depend upon the amount of news to report, the number of chess related articles contributed from our members, as well as other factors. Since this is intended to be your newsletter, I would be happy to hear from you regarding suggestions on the format and content.

Since this is the first issue in over a year, this newsletter contains brief summaries of the major tournaments held since the previous issue. Future issues will contain info only from events held during the previous three month period.

The Nova Scotia Chess Association is looking for someone who would be interested in taking on the job of editing this newsletter for the long term. So, if you have an interest in writing about chess related items, have access to a computer, and also have some basic writing skills, please let us know if you would like to help. If you would like to donate some of your time to this worthwhile cause, please contact either Steve Saunders or myself. Your help would be very much appreciated.

David Kenney

Interim Newsletter Editor

During the Annual General Meeting of the Nova Scotia Chess Association held in May 2001, the following Directors were elected for the 2001/2002 fiscal year. At a subsequent NSCA Directors Meeting, it was decided that these individuals would assume the following officer and/or Governor positions as noted below:

Chairman Steve Saunders

Vice-Chairman Albert Ede

Secretary-Treasurer David Kenney

Director at Large Michael Eldridge

CFC Governor Gilbert Bernard

CFC Governor Alvah Mayo

The Nova Scotia Provincial Youth Chess Championships will again be organized by the Nova Scotia Scholastic Chess Association (NSSCA). The NSSCA did an excellent job at organizing this event last year and therefore, the NSCA has agreed to again let them organize the event for this year.

The Canadian Youth Chess Championship is a tournament which is run in five sections: Under18, Under 16, Under 14, Under 12, and Under 10. This year’s final will be held in Montreal in July just prior to the start of the Canadian Open. The top three boys and top three girls in each age section from each Provincial Canadian Youth Chess Championship tournament will be invited to participate in the National Championship.

The Canadian Zonal Chess Championship will be held this year in Richmond, British Columbia during the March 21 to April 2 period. Players who will be participating this year include GM Kevin Spraggett (2633), GM Alexandre Lesiege (2617), IM David Ross (2433), IM Brian Hartman (2427), and FM Jonathan Berry (2386). The upcoming Nova Scotia Closed Chess Championship will determine our Provincial Champion who will earn the right to represent Nova Scotia in the Canadian Zonal Chess Championship. This is starting to look like it is going to be an exciting tournament to watch this spring.

(as of January 16, 2002)

1. Huber, Robert 2230 ------ (Provisional Rating)

2. Reddy, Tyler 2205 1924

3. Lomond, Gerald 2182 2057

4. Charlton, Glenn 2167 1935

5. Mayo, Alvah 2136 1652

6 Wysocki, Antoni 2101 1834

7. Villeneuve, Robert 2091 1834

8. Saunders, Stephen 2084 1708

9 Klapstein, John 2055 1583

10. Kenney, David 2012 1685

11. Kenney, Jason 2010 1461

12. Pentz, Brian 1952 1905

13. LeBlanc, Gerald 1946 1811

14. Eldridge, Michael 1913 1843

15. Ng, Gary 1909 1838

16. Naugler, Rex 1904 1901

17. Burgess, Brian 1894 1772

18. Cosman, Tom 1884 1786

19. Clair, Joe 1862 1768

20. Poirier, David 1843 1450

1. Reddy, Tyler 2205 1924

2. Kenney, Jason 2010 1461

3. Ng, Gary 1909 1843

4 Candow, John 1819 1375

5. Gabriel, Jarrett 1560 1321

6. Livingston, Alex 1556 1128

7 Dunphy, Andrew 1465 1557

8 Penny, Mark 1479 1016

..9 Jivalian, Raffi 1407 ------

10. Currell, Sean 1165 819

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5.

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 The Gurgenidze system. The basic idea of this system is to get a closed center, closed flank, closed, well, everything. If Black gets a break in, usually he is better, if not, usually it's a draw. Larry does everything he can to keep the position as open as possible, and to not let Black get rid of his possibly bad Bishop on c8. 5.h3 Nf6 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Nxe4 8.Bxe4 Bf5 9.Bxf5 Qa5+ 10.c3 Qxf5 11.0-0 [Modern theory tends to prefer 11.Qb3 and doesn't believe in Black's position.] 11...Nd7 [The more pragmatic 11...0-0 may be preferred in the future after the treatment in this game.] 12.Re1 e6 13.Qb3 Qb5?N A very very unfortunate novelty. [13...0-0-0 14.a4 (14.Be3 Nb6 15.c4 h6 16.a4 Qa5 17.Qc2 Qf5 18.Qb3= Bellin - Kushnir, Haifa 1976) 14...Bf6 15.a5 a6 16.c4 g5~~ Kochyev - Zilberman, Cheliabinsk 1975; 13...b6 14.Qa3 a5 15.c4 Bf8 16.Qb3 Bb4 17.Re2 0-0 18.Bg5 h5 19.Qe3+/= Lobron - Gruenfeld, Luzern 1979] And now, Larry sees another barricade worth storming. 14.Rxe6+!? fxe6 15.Qxe6+ Kd8 [15...Kf8 16.Bf4! is rather fatal.] 16.Bg5+ Kc8 17.Re1 Rf8?! 18.Qe7 Kc7? It's not clear why Black has to sacrifice the piece, for example after [18...Rg8 it might be hard to get in, although activating the a8 rook is a problem for Black.] 19.Qxg7 Rxf3 So this is Foygel's idea! He's attacking the g5 bishop too. Unfortunately White has a clever riposte: 20.Re5! Qxb2 21.gxf3 It may seem a little silly to resign in this position, however the fact is that the d7 knight is actually quite soon to perish along the seventh rank. Also, Black's kingside is on the menu. 1-0

• The Canadian Junior Chess Championship was won by Stephen Glinert of Ontario after tie-breaking games. Stephen ended the event with a score of 6.5 in this eight round event. John Candow, who was the only participant from Nova Scotia, completed the tournament with three points.
  
• The first stage of the FIDE Chess Championships took place in Moscow November 25th - December 14th 2001 (Kremlin). This produced a final between Vassily Ivanchuk and Ruslan Ponomariov which will take place January 16th-26th 2002. For those who may be interested there will be full daily coverage on The Week in Chess web site.
  

• The 64^th Corus Chess Tournament is now underway and will be run from January 11-27, 2002 in Wijk aan Zee, Nederlands. Although this tournament is not as strong as in past years it still has 10 of the top 20 players in the world. It appears that the various weekend open tournaments which are part of this event attracted over 1000 players from various countries. The weekend swiss events were all filled to capacity from advance entries submitted by November. The good news that was announced at the start of this tournament is that funding will be provided for the next three years to keep this long running major chess tournament alive. There is excellent daily coverage from the web site The Week in Chess. (This is one tournament that I personally would like to attend some day in the future. Editor)
  

• The US Chess Championship was recently held in Seattle and ended on January 13. There were 56 players in the event including for the first time 12 women. GM Larry Christiansen placed first after winning the tie-breaking blitz playoff against Nick De Firmian. Here are the top finishers GM Larry Christiansen 2571 (6.5), GM Nick de Firmian 2536 (6.5), GM Alexander Shabalov 2606 (6), GM Joel Benjamin 2593 (6), GM Alexander Ivanov 2578 (6), GM Alex Yermolinsky 2574 (6), GM Alex Stripunsky 2542 (6), and IM Boris Kreiman 2493 (6). Some of our local players had an opportunity to meet Larry Christiansen last summer when he played in the Canadian Open held in Sackville, NB.
  

• Tyler Reddy is Nova Scotia’s newest Master having obtained a 2205 rating as a result of his performance at the Canadian Closed Zonal in August. Congratulations Tyler for your outstanding achievement and best of luck in future events.
  
• National Master Ed Urquhart has recently moved away from Nova Scotia and has settled in Toronto, Ontario. We are all sorry to see NS losing one of it’s best chess players but we wish Ed all the best in his future endeavors.
  

• Congratulations are also extended to Steve Saunders who placed second in the recent Canadian Correspondence Chess Association's KE56, the E-mail Championship of Canada tournament. Steve has kindly provided us with a few of his games which are noted below.
  

[Event "KE56"] [Site "CCCA"]
[Date "1999.11.27"] [Round "1"]
[White "Saunders, Steve"]
[Black "DEIDUN, Joe Jr."]
[Result "1-0"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2 cxd4 6.exd4 d5 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf4 Nc6 9.Be3 O-O 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Ncxd5 exd5 12.Bd3 Bg5 13.O-O Bxf4 14.Bxf4 Qf6 15.Be3 Bf5 16.Be2 Rac8 17.b4 Ne7 18.Bf3 Rc3 19.Qa4 Nc6 20.Rac1 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Nxd4 22.Bxd4 Qxd4 23.Rd1 Qe5 24.Qxa7 Bc2 25.Rc1 Re8 26.g3 Qb2 27.Rf1 Bd3 28.Rd1 Qc3 29.Kg2 Be4 30.Qe3 Qc6 31.Bxe4 dxe4 32.Rc1 Qd7 33.Rc4 f5 34.Rc5 Qe6 35.a4 Re7 36.b5 h6 37.Qf4 Rf7 38.a5 Kh7 39.h4 Qd7 40.h5 Qe6 41.Re5 Qd7 42.a6 bxa6 43.bxa6 Qc7 44.Rb5 {44.Rxf5 Qxf4 45.Rxf4 Ra7 46.Rxe4 Rxa6 wins a pawn but the rook ending is a draw.} 44... Qxf4 45.gxf4 Ra7 46.Rb6 {the rook on this square is more effective than following the endgame rule "rooks behind pass pawns" because of the clamp on Black's king side} 46...Rd7 47.Rb7 Rd1 48.a7 Ra1 49.Rc7 Ra4 50.Kf1 Ra2 51.Re7 Ra1+ 52.Ke2 Ra2+ 53.Ke3 Ra4 54.Rc7 Ra3+ 55.Kd4 Ra5 56.Kc4 Ra3 57.Kb5 1-0

[Event "KE56"] [Site "CCCA"]
[Date "1999.11.27"] [Round "1"]
[White "MORRELL, Gordon "]
[Black "Saunders, Steve"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.Nf3 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nc3 d6 7.d4 Nc6 8.d5 Ne5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Qb3 Kh8 11.Be3 h6 12.Rad1 g5 13.c5 f4 14.Bd2 a6 15.Na4 Bg4 16.Rfe1 Rb8 17.Ba5 Qc8 18.d6 exd6 19.cxd6 cxd6 20.Rc1 Qd7 21.Bc7 Rbe8 22.Bxb7 fxg3 23.hxg3 Be6 24.Qa3 Qf7 25.Rf1 Re7 26.Bxd6 Rxb7 27.Nc5 Rd8 28.Nxb7 Qxb7 29.Rc7 Qe4 30.Be7 Bd5 31.Qf3 Qxf3 32.exf3 Rb8 33.b3 Bxf3 34.Rfc1 Nd5 35.Rc8+ Rxc8 36.Rxc8+ Kh7 37.Ba3 e4 38.Bf8 Bd4 39.Bc5 Bc3 40.Rd8 Nf6 41.Rd6 Be2 42.b4 Kg6 43.a4 Kf5 44.Bd4 Bxd4 45.Rxd4 Ke5 46.Rd8 h5 47.Rh8 Kd4 48.Rh6 Nd5 49.b5 axb5 50.axb5 Bxb5 51.Rxh5 g4 52.Rg5 Be2 53.Rg8 Bf3 54.Re8 Kd3 55.Rd8 e3 56.fxe3 Kxe3 57.Rc8 Be4 58.Ra8 Nf4 59.Ra3+ Nd3 60.Rb3 Kf3 61.Kh2 Ke2 62.Ra3 Ne1 63.Ra4 Kf3 64.Ra2 Bc2 65.Ra1 Kf2 66.Ra2 Kf1 67.Rb2 Bd3 68.Rb4 Kf2 69.Rb2+ Be2 70.Ra2 Nf3+ 71.Kh1 Ng5 72.Kh2 Ne4 73.Ra4 Nd2 0-1


[Event "KE56"] [Site "CCCA"]
[Date "1999.12.06"] [Round "1"]
[White "Saunders, Steve"]
[Black "BARKWELL, Mike C "]
[Result "1-0"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Be7 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.Bg2 Nd5 15.Qe2 Bb7 16.Qe5 Rf8 17.Bxd5 cxd5 18.Nxb5 Qa5+ 19.Nc3 Ke7 20.O-O-O Rab8 21.Rde1 Qb4 22.Qc7+ Kf6 23.f4 Ba6 24.Qe5+ Kg6 25.Re2 Rb7 26.Nxd5 exd5 27.f5+ Kh7 28.f6 {with mate very soon} 1-0

[Event "KE56"] [Site "CCCA"]

[Date "1999.12.06"] [Round "1"]
[White "Saunders, Steve"]
[Black "MORLEY, Paul"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.e3 Ngxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.Be2 d6 10.O-O Bxd2 11.Qxd2 O-O 12.b4 a5 13.a3 Rd8 14.Qc3 Qf6 15.Qd4 Re8 16.c5 dxc5 17.bxc5 Bf5 18.Rfd1 Bc2 19.Rd2 Rad8 20.Bxe5 Rxd4 21.exd4 Qf5 22.Bxc7 Be4 23.Bxa5 Bd5 24.Bf1 Qf4 25.Rd3 Bc4 26.Bd2 Qf6 27.Re3 Rxe3 28.Bxe3 Bxf1 29.Rxf1 Qa6 30.d5 Qxa3 31.c6 1-0

Date: January 25, 26, 27, 2002 Place: Cole Harbour Place (Westphal Room), 51 Forrest Hills Parkway, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Rds: 5 Type: Round Robin TC: 30 moves in 90 minutes then Sudden Death in One hour. EF: $35 Times: Round #1 Jan. 25 at 6:30pm; Round #2 Jan. 26 at 10:00am; Round #3 Jan. 26 at 4:00pm; Round #4 Jan. 27 at 10:00am; Round #5 Jan. 27 at 4:00pm Prizes: Winner will have his/her entry fee to the Canadian Closed paid if the individual enters the 2002 Canadian Closed.

Date: April 19, 20, 21, 2002 at the same location as last year, the Wandlyn Hotel in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Please mark your calendars! entry fee is $25, with Juniors, Seniors and Chess Masters (currently over 2200 CFC Rating) paying only $10. Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) membership is required to play. If you are joining the CFC for the first time, we will not charge an entry fee if you join with a a full CFC membership. 5 round swiss pairing 30 moves in 90 minutes followed by sudden death in 60 minutes Prize fund will be proportional to the entry fees minus expenses No smoking in the tournament room Site:Auberge Wandlyn Inn Salon C 50 North Street Bridgewater NS B4V 2V6 Tel. 902-543-7131

Fax 902-543-7170

The Bluenose Chess Club hosts a monthly blitz tournament at the club’s meeting room at the Dalhousie Student Union Building. The 5-minute blitz tournaments are held the first Monday night of every month (except holiday Mondays) in room 307 of the DAL SUB located on University Avenue in Halifax. The tournaments are open to everyone and there are no entry fees. If you wish to enter, please register at the Bluenose by 7:00pm on the day of the tournament.

International Master Tom O’Donnell easily won the Unamaki Open with a 5.5/6 score which was a full point over his nearest competitors Steve Saunders and Aaron Cooper who both finished with 4.5 points. Alvah Mayo placed third with 3.5 points. The Unamaki Open is an annual tournament organized by Gilbert Bernard and held in Waycobah beside the magnificent Bras d’ Or Lakes in Cape Breton. This open tournament continues to attract a high percentage of strong players, with five of the thirteen players having ratings over 2000 including an IM.

The fifth annual Lunenburg County Open was held in April 2001 and was run as a two section event. The playing site, Wandlyn Inn in Bridgewater, is a favourite with the local players where they have ample room to play and excellent lighting. This tournament regularly attracts players from out of the province (PEI & NB). At the end, this year’s event was won by Justin Gulati from PEI who is cuurently attending university in Ontario. Second place went to New Brunswick native Richard Bowes and third place went to Aaron Cooper from PEI. Jason Mercer won the Under 1700 Section. Many thanks to Steve Saunders and his volunteers in Bridgewater for always putting on a first class tournament.

Open Section

The annual Atlantic Native Closed was won this year by Gilbert Bernard achieving 4.5 points in this five round swiss event. Second place went to Joe Clair. Gary Phillips and Jarrod Paul both tied for third place with 2.5 points.

Upcoming Tournament Schedule for Nova Scotia:Jan. 25-27 Nova Scotia Closed Chess Championship,Cole Harbour Place, Dartmouth. Contact David Kenney 462-7455

Jan. 25-27 Cole Harbour Winter Open, Cole Harbour Place (Westphal Rm), Dartmouth. Contact David Kenney 462-7455

Feb. 22-24 Bluenose Chess Club Open, 5-Rd Swiss, Room 227, DAL SUB, Halifax. Contact David Kenney 462-7455

Apr. 19-21 Lunenburg County Open, 5-Rd Swiss, Wandyln Inn, Bridgewater. Contact Steve Saunders 624-9361

May 17-20 Nova Scotia Open - Details (To BeAnnounced)

Jun. 28-July 1 Canada Day Open - Details (To BeAnnounced)

Aug. 30-Sep. 2 Labour Day Open - Details (To BeAnnounced)

Oct. 25-27 Cole Harbour Winter Open, Cole Harbour Place, Dartmouth. Contact David Kenney 462-7455

Nov. 29-Dec.1 Dartmouth Open, Cole Harbour Place (Westphal Rm), Dartmouth. Contact David Kenney 462-7455

Problem #2 1. Qc8 Kxe4 2. Qc4++ or 1. Qc8 Ke6 2. Qg8++ or 1. Qc8 d6 2. Nc3++

Vice-Chairman: Albert Ede phone: 865-5856

Secretary-Treasurer: David Kenney phone: 462-7455 e-mail: dkenney@accesscable.net

Director: Michael Eldridge phone: 798-2474

Director (Cape Breton): Gilbert Bernard phone: 756-3333 e-mail: gil.bernard@ns.sympatico.ca

Director: Alvah Mayo phone: 453-5608 e-mail: a_mayo@stmarys.ca

Gilbert Bernard phone: 453-9631 e-mail: gil.bernard@ns.sympatico.ca Alvah Mayo phone:453-5608 e-mail: a_mayo@stmarys.ca