Tournament Details

5th Annual Abe Yanofsky Memorial Tournament

This tournament is the signature event of the Manitoba Chess Association. It is named in honour of Abe Yanofsky, the first chess player in the British Commonwealth to be awarded the Grandmaster title.
Mr. Yanofsky, who died in 2000, was a prominent Winnipeg lawyer and city councillor.

Dates: Friday, August 31 to Sunday, September 2, 2007
Location: Riddell Hall, University of Winnipeg
Prize Fund: $ 4,000 in total (based on entries)
Format: 5 round Swiss System, Two Sections
Open Section [will be submitted for FIDE rating]
U 1800 Section
Round Times: Friday 7:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m
Time Control: 30 /90, All/1 (30 moves in 90 minutes / Remainder in 60 minutes) [Note: First round may be G /120 - TBA]
Entry Fee: $ 60
Juniors (under 18 years of age) - Seniors (over 60 years of age)- $ 50
$ 10 discount for entry by August 7, 2007

CFC Membership also required

Registration: on site, Friday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m., or in advance -
cheques payable to:
Manitoba Chess Association
c/o Lorne Gibbons
44 Ainsdale Way
Winnipeg, MB R2C 4B4


Prizes: (based on entries):
Open Section: 1st $ 1,000 , 2nd $ 700, 3rd $ 500
Top A Class - $ 250, 125

U 1800 Section 1st $ 500, 2nd $ 375
Top U1600 $ 250, $ 100

New for 2007 !: Novice Section

Open to players who have never played in a Chess Federation of Canada event and are unrated.

1 day events on each of Saturday and Sunday. $ 100 in prizes each day ! (Saturday 1st place not eligible for Sunday 1st place prize)

Entry Fee $ 10 per day. Registration at 9:30 a.m. Rounds begin at 10:00 a.m each day.

Winnipeg Free Press article July 21, 2007

Chess / Cecil Rosner

Sat Jul 21 2007

THE fifth annual Abe Yanofsky Memorial Tournament is set for the University of Winnipeg on Labour Day weekend, and once again it promises to be the biggest event on the local schedule.

The tournament honours Winnipeg's best-known chess personality, Abe Yanofsky, Canada's first grandmaster and an eight-time national champion. He died in 2000, and the memorial tournament has brought together strong players from across town and around the world.

Recently an exhibit of Yanofsky memorabilia was on display outside the mayor's office at city hall. You can catch a glimpse of some of the materials, still on display in a glass case, at the city's archives building on William Avenue. Included is Yanofsky's original scoresheet of his win against Peruvian champion Dulanto in the 1939 Buenos Aires Olympiad, one of the century's best-known games.

The Yanofsky Memorial has featured a collection of strong grandmasters over the years, including Kevin Spraggett, Mark Bluvshtein and Sergey Shipov. The very first edition of the memorial featured six grandmasters, and was won by long-time Yanofsky friend and colleague, Arthur Bisguier of the U.S.

This year, with no invited grandmasters, the chances for local players winning big prizes is high. And with an enhanced prizefund of $4,000, interest should be substantial.

The tournament runs Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Riddell Hall at the University of Winnipeg. It is a five-round event in two sections (Open and Under 1800). Top prize is $1,000, with many class prizes as well. Entry fee is $60 ($50 for Juniors and Seniors).

This year there is a new wrinkle: two one-day tournaments for complete beginners. If you have never played in a rated tournament, consider this one. On Sept. 1 and 2 there will be separate, one-day events for novices, with $100 prize funds. Entry fee is $10.

Register between 6-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31 at Riddell Hall for the main event, or on either Saturday or Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for the novice tournaments.

For further information, contact Blair Rutter at blairrutter@shaw.ca, or go to http://aymemorialchess.blogspot.com, or to www.chessmanitoba.com

* * *