Three players from the newly formed Moose Jaw Chess Club travelled to Saskatoon on October 7 for the Bridge City Chess Club ANCOP Tournament, the first in-person chess tournament for all three players, who became Chess Federation of Canada members and received formal ratings following the event.
The tournament was a Rapid 25 format with a 10-second increment, meaning that players each had 25 minutes on the clock to begin, and gained 10 seconds each time they made a move. Each match took a maximum of about an hour, in other words, and each player fought four to five games.
Erik Lew, 12, competed in the sub-1100 rated section. He won three games and lost two, tying two other players for the 5th to 7th places in the section.
"I'm really enjoying this tournament, this is my first tournament ever," Lew said during the break between games 4 and 5. "The other players here are pretty good, if you're not careful you're going to get stuck thinking about time, so you have to be on edge the whole game."
Eric Wilder, 18, is a passionate chess student and has previously won an online rapid tournament. He eventually tied two other players for the 9th to 11th places in the Open section, notching two wins, a draw, and two losses. The Open section is the most competitive, with some of Saskatchewan's top-rated participating — the eventual winner, François Crépault, is rated 1893.
"It's pretty fun here, rough start but kicking it off now with some wins," Wilder reported. "My first opponent was solid and stayed solid, then I made a mistake, he made a mistake, and we ended off with a draw. My second game, my opponent was very solid. He did not make any mistakes and I ended up losing that one.
"My third game, I switched it up with an unorthodox opening called the Nimzo-Larson and I managed to take him off guard and take that game. In my fourth, we were both blitzing out our moves and I managed to win with a surprising bit of luck. He thought he'd pinned my queen and I took his bishop, then I had a royal fork up my sleeve and I got up a piece and won."
Yours Truly competed in the Open section, dropping three out of four games to talented, serious, unforgiving opponents, and scraping out a win on game number five to only just avoid a shut-out and finish 15th.
The tournament environment was friendly and polite, but there is absolutely no mercy over the board and every player there was competent and knowledgeable. It was interesting to witness the egalitarian nature of competitive chess — each of the sections (Open, U1400, U1100) had a wide range of ages, with one young player who could not have been more than 10 years old tying for second place in the Open.
The experienced chess adjudicators, coaches, and organizers from clubs in Saskatoon and Regina extended a warm welcome to the Moose Jaw players and expressed their hope to see the Moose Jaw Chess Club grow and participate in more provincial competitions.
The Moose Jaw Chess Club meets several times a month for non-competitive, relaxed play. All are welcome, regardless of age or skill level.
The next chess club meeting is Sunday, October 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Public Library.
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