Congrats to Canadian GM Eric Hansen for winning the tradtional Guernsey International which finished this past weekend.

After a couple of rough and luckless months on the road, which saw the Albertan star travel wide and far (Spain, South Africa, Holland,France and Iceland), it was sweet to find himself back in the saddle:

Eric will now take a well deserved one month break back in Canada. Ontario IM Aman Hambleton also participated in Guernsey, scoring a respectable 3rd place. (Both Hambleton and Hansen often play in the same tournaments)

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Eric is probably a bit disappointed with his recent results, especially after such a great start at the beginning of the year in Gibraltar.  I saw Eric in Linares in early September (and even played with him!) and his play was fine, but a bit shaky.  He had difficulties handling the clock and spoilt a number of good positions.  My advice to him then, as it is now, is to just weather the bad times and keep on keeping on!  It just takes a couple of good, inspiring wins to catapult your rating over the 2600-plus barrier.

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TODAY’S WINNING SMILE!

Brazilian chess player Thauane de Medeiros

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GRANDA VICTORIOUS IN BRAZIL!

Congrats to Peruvian GM Julio Granda for winning the American Continental (on tiebreak) this past weekend!  The 47 year old Granda once more proves that you only get better with age!  With this victory Granda qualifies for next year’s world championship elimination tournament.  Three other spots were also won, by Shankland, Leitao and Ortiz.

No Canadians participated.  Originally IM Raja Panjwani had intended to participate (I myself toyed with the idea of playing, also, but I could not get out of my  prior committments) but time restrictions at university forced him to decline at the last moment. Eric Hansen apparently had contacted the CFC many months ago to see if he could play, but there was some confusion about the qualification process and failing to resolve this issue Eric chose to play elsewhere.

Neither were there any Canadians participating in the recently concluded World Junior in India. One might rightfully ask whether the CFC has merely forgotten to promote master chess, or whether this is deliberate. There was no Canadian Woman’s Championship this year. The Canadian chess politikos, struggling from all sorts of problems–chronic and imaginary–generously bestows an annual budget of ZERO dollars to promote master chess in Canada.  Clearly sufficient in the eyes of some, but not all. The Canadian Men’s Championship has not been held for 2 years–there is neither an interested organizer nor a sponsor–but there is talk that in 2015 the Canadian representative in the world championship elimination tournament will be decided by lottery.

Surely if master chess is being (deliberately?!) neglected, the CFC should atleast compensate by prioritizing amateur club-chess and occasionally update its website! The time for excuses has expired a long time ago…

CFC webpage today.  The WYCC is now ancient history.

Ditto above comment. ‘RECENT PHOTOS’ were ‘recent’ some four months ago!