Note: Participation in all Chess Nova Scotia events is subject to Government of Nova Scotia guidelines. See policy here. Participants must also abide by the Covid-19 policies of the event host.
- Registration at 10 a.m.
- Matches from 11a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break.
- $15 registration fee.
- Cash prizes.
Contact: David Payne: david@payneful.ca
- When the tournament begins, to go to the DGT Link to see the live games, click HERE
Please read and follow all of the instructions below.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. DO NOT INQUIRE.
The tournament will follow Government of Nova Scotia Guidelines re COVID-19. It will also follow the COVID-19 protocols of its host, Saint Mary’s University, which can be viewed here. Masks are generally recommended. Note that a player who arrives at the tournament with a cough or cold and flu-like symptoms may be declined entry. A player may be asked to withdraw if such symptoms appear during the event. The arbiter will rule in such cases.
Registration process:
- Send an email message to Ken Cashin skcashin@outlook.com to tell him that you intend to play. This must be done before 6 p.m., Tuesday November 5th. Also provide your age and your chess rating, if you have one. This is the “pre-registration” step.
- Purchase or renew your Chess Federation of Canada membership. You can do that online, here. Or, you could pay Ken Cashin for it onsite on the first day of the tournament. If you will be paying Ken Cashin for the CFC membership, please email him the registrant’s date of birth and home town.
*** Payment method onsite for CFC membership is cash only ***
- Check in at the registration desk before 5 p.m. on Friday November, 8th and pay the tournament entry fee (see fees below). This you pay to Ken Cashin onsite at the tournament.
*** Payment method for tournament entry fee is cash only ***
*** All players MUST check in at the reg desk well in advance of — ONE HOUR BEFORE — the start of the first round in order to be paired for the first round. This is so that Ken knows they are on site and able to play and that he has time to do the pairings and start the first round on time, for everyone’s benefit. Please follow the rules.
Note: If you expect to be late on the Friday of the tournament, then between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. you MUST contact Ken by email (skcashin@outlook.com) or cell phone or text (902 478-2359) to let him know. Still, even in this case, you must show up on site by 5:30 p.m. in order to be paired.
Also, if you determine that you cannot play in the tournament after all, you must let Ken know.
Date of tournament: November 8th-10th, 2024
Location: Saint Mary’s University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, N.S., Loyola Academic Complex, rooms LA173, LA174, and LA175.
See building LA on campus map here.
Tournament director/contact: Ken Cashin skcashin@outlook.com
Arbiter: Chris Felix
Type: Five round Swiss.
Check-in and Registration: Friday, November 8th, onsite, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm. Late registrants will be disqualified from playing in the first round. Do not be late.
Rounds:
Rd 1: Friday, November 8th, 6 p.m.
Rd 2: Saturday, November 9th, 10 a.m.
Rd 3: Saturday, November 9th, 4:30 p.m.
Rd 4: Sunday, November 10th, 9 a.m.
Rd 5: Sunday, November 10th, 3:30 p.m.
Note that the reason the games start a little earlier on Sunday is to give out-of-town participants more daylight time to travel home after the tournament.
Prizes: Cash prizes will be awarded, based on the number of entrants. The tournament winner’s name will be engraved on the Saint Mary’s Cup trophy.
Time control: Game in 2 hours, with 30-second increments starting at move one. Note: if numbers warrant, the tournament will be run as a sectional; i.e., in two or more sections, determined by the ratings of the players.
Tournament Entry Fee:
Adults (age 18 and over): $40
Seniors (age 65 and over): $35
Juniors (under age 18): $35
Byes: Up to two (2) half-point byes are available, but must be requested to the tournament director before the tournament begins, i.e., either before or at the time of registration.
Forfeits: Players are required to play all five rounds unless they have declared byes beforehand, as indicated above. Unless they have declared a bye for a particular round, players who do not show up for a game will be forfeited for that game, i.e., they will earn a score of zero for the game and their opponent will earn a score of one point for the game. Players who do not show up for their games will be automatically withdrawn from the tournament.
Also, a player is expected to show up on time for the start of the round, as a courtesy to their opponent. If a player does not show up within an hour after a game starts, the player will be forfeited for that round, i.e., they will earn a score of zero for the game and their opponent will earn a score of one point for the game.
Forced byes: In rounds where there is an uneven number of players, a full-point, forced bye will be given to one player, as determined by the pairing software.
*** Note: In addition to paying the tournament entry fee stated above, to participate in the tournament a player must be a member of the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC). The membership can be purchased online on the CFC site before the tournament, or can be paid to the tournament director onsite at time of registration.
*** Note: This tournament is subject to the Chess Nova Scotia Fair Play and Electronic Device Policy.
Updated: November 8th, 2024
Confirmed Participants (71) (Note: the CFC ratings below are as of the date above and may not reflect the most recent CFC tournament results. Ratings are included here only to give potential tournament entrants an idea of who is playing and the level of competition to expect.)
- Sriram Sarja (2353)
- Calix Marchand (2199) (Bye in round 5)
- Sam Heran-Boily (2035)
- Kyle Creamer (1988)
- Glenn Charlton (1907) (Bye in round 1)
- Louis Fillmore (1899)
- Remo Lacson (1876)
- Ryan Memet (1831)
- Paulo Ferreira (1807) (Byes in rounds 2 and 4)
- Josh MacRitchie (1777)
- Rikuto Nakayasu (1758) (Byes in rounds 1 and 2)
- Jamil Muradov (1744) (Byes in rounds 3 and 5)
- Donald MacLean (1687)
- Alex Sanford (1683)
- Han Zhang (1682) (NB)
- Ken Cashin (1678)
- Alice Yancey (1672)
- Eric Newman (1652)
- Calvin Scallion (1647)
- Thales Nunes (1638) (Byes in rounds 2 and 3)
- Phil Boyle (1628) (Bye in round 1)
- David Payne (1627)
- Ryan Weir (1622) (Bye in round 1)
- Jordan Winfield (1622)
- Elon Lau (1586)
- Jarrett Gabriel (1555)
- Emmanuel Simiyu (1555)
- Patrick Wain (1552) (Bye in round 1)
- Hazen Burton (1496)
- David Wang (1494)
- Greg Van De Moortele (1487) (Bye in round 1)
- Kaven Sharma (1453)
- Jay Toulany (1449)
- Charles Culver (1445)
- Pranesh Suresh (1434)
- Aden Yip (1415)
- Skye Cross (1394)
- Paul Bates (1391)
- Travis Lloyd (1371)
- Joseph Jewells (1360)
- Remi Petch (1354)
- Eva Norovsambuu (1335)
- Callum Engelberts (1329) (Bye in round 5)
- Irina Volosincu (1306)
- Tris Winfield (1295)
- Sam Jubin (1295)
- Liam Mailman (1275)
- Kevin Ellis (1268)
- Olivia Shi (1255) (Bye in round 2)
- Andrew Mayo (1253)
- Vanshpreet Singh (1248)
- Omar Ashour (1215) (Bye in round 2)
- Yash Pal (1208)
- Ujjwal Sujith (1202) (Byes in rounds 2 and 5)
- Andrew Ali (1195)
- Axel Aubin (1156) (NB)
- Tommy Tang (1145)
- Agamnoor Singh (1136)
- Matthew Wright (1123)
- Rushi Patel (1123)
- John MacLean (1121) (Byes in rounds 1, 2 and 3)
- Patrick Connor (1118)
- Daniel VanderVeen (1109)
- Edisson Ducusin (1021)
- Jude Carter (1033)
- Daiwik Keshav (909)
- Minkyu Shin (895)
- Shantakumaran Vinayagaperumal (UNR)
- Khushi Naik (UNR) (Byes in rounds 3 and 5)
- Eeshan Sharma (UNR)
- Frank Ripley (UNR)
Accommodations:
Affordable hotels nearby:
Comfort Inn, Bedford Highway (near MSVU)
Chebucto Inn, Lady Hammond Road (between MSVU and SMU)
Robie’s End, (B&B, very close to SMU)
And a little more upscale…
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax – Bedford, 980 Parkland Drive (near MSVU)
Chateau Bedford Trademark Collection by Wyndham, 133 Kearney Lake Road (near MSVU)
Lord Nelson Hotel, 1515 South Park Street (closer to SMU)
Atlantica Hotel Halifax, 1980 Robie Street (closer to SMU)
*** Note: If you are looking for a roommate to share hotel and/or travel costs with for the Saint Mary’s Open 2024 tournament, please contact: Ken Cashin skcashin@outlook.com to have your name and contact info posted on this site, here, for others to contact you. A list will be published below for people looking for roommates for the tournament.
For details see: Atlantic Christmas Chess Festival – Google Docs
Saint Mary’s University, Loyola Academic Complex, Rooms LA173, 174, and 175
Contact: daniel.rokhvarger@yahoo.ca
Featured events:
Atlantic Christmas Chess Festival- Rapid Championship (Dec. 19)
Atlantic Christmas Chess Festival- Open Championship (Dec. 20-22)
Atlantic Christmas Chess Festival- Blitz Championship (Dec. 21)
Atlantic Christmas Chess Festival- Bughouse Championship (Dec. 22-NEW!!)
This tournament is a low-pressure event open to everyone. It’s an opportunity to compete with players in the local area over the board to just have loads of fun.
Link for Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/JNsGbkTrKn
**Please note that we won’t be accepting any registrants on the day of the tournament or the day before.
Please fill out the form in the link above by Jan. 16thth if you wish to participate in the tournament**
Date: Jan. 18th, 2025
Location: Goldberg Computer Science Building, Room 143. 6050 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H
1W5
Campus Map: https://www.dal.ca/campus-maps/building-directory/studley-campus.html
Type: 5-Round-Swiss
Cost: $20
**Please send an e-transfer to chess@dal.ca to pay the entrance fee or pay with cash during registrationconfirmation. However, no change will be provided if you are paying with cash.**
Time Control: Game in 15 minutes with a 10-second increment starting at move 1
Prizes:
• Medals will be given to the top 3 players.
• Cash prizes will be awarded to high-performing players based on entries.
• The winner of this tournament will be qualified to play in the Dalhousie Chess Championship
(DCC).
• Grand Prix points will be given to the top 12 places.
Tiebreaks:
• There will be no tiebreaks for cash prizes. Cash prizes will be split evenly amongst tied finishing
positions.
• Tiebreaker games will only be used to determine winners of medals and DCC qualifications.
• Tiebreaker time control will be game in 3 minutes with a 2-second increment starting at move 1
• One game tiebreaker with random colors. If the game results in a draw, the players will swap
colours and play again.
Rules: This tournament will follow the FIDE Laws of Chess. To learn more about the rules, please visit the website in the link below.
https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023
Schedule:
**Players MUST show up at least 15 minutes before the opening announcement to confirm your
registration, or you won’t be able to play in the first round.**
Check-in: 9:30 AM
Opening Announcements: 10:30
Rd 1: 11:00 AM
Rd 2: 12:00 PM
Rd 3: 2:00 PM
Rd 4: 3:00 PM
Rd 5: 4:00 PM
Tie Breakers and awards ASAP after Round 5
*Please note that this is a tentative schedule, and is subject to change*
To see the entire tournament schedule for the next year, please go to the link below:
This tournament is a low-pressure event open to everyone. It’s an opportunity to compete with players inthe local area over the board to just have loads of fun.
This tournament is rated by the Maritime Chess Centre (MCC), but pairings will be based on
CFC regular ratings. No membership is required—simply show up, compete, and you’ll receive
an official rating after the event.
Link for Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/rf9fZnydFV
**Please note that we won’t be accepting any registrants on the day of the tournament or the day before.
Please fill out the form in the link above by Jan. 16th if you wish to participate in the tournament**
Date: Jan. 19th, 2025
Location: Goldberg Computer Science Building, Room 143. 6050 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H 1W5
Type: 8-Round Double Swiss
Cost: $10
**Please send an e-transfer to chess@dal.ca to pay the entrance fee or pay with cash during registration confirmation. However, no change will be provided if you are paying with cash.**
Time Control: A game in 3 minutes with a 2-second increment from move 1
Prizes:
• Medals will be awarded to the top 3 players.
• Grand Prix points will be given to the top 12 places
Tiebreaks:
• Tiebreaker time control will be game in 3 minutes with a 2-second increment starting at move 1.
• One game tiebreaker with random colors. If the game results in a draw, the players will swap
colours and play again until a decisive game.
**Players MUST show up at least 15 minutes before the opening announcement to confirm your
registration, or you won’t be able to play in the first round.**
Check in – 9:30 AM
Opening Announcements – 10:30 AM
Round 1 – 11:00 AM
Round 2 – 11:30 AM
Round 3 – 12:00 AM
Round 4 – 1:00 PM
Round 5 – 1:30 PM
Round 6 – 2:00 PM
Round 7 – 2:30 PM
Round 8 – 3:00 PM
Tiebreaks Award ASAP after Round 8
*Please note that this is a tentative schedule and is subject to change*
To see the entire tournament schedule for the next year, please go to the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1A4VdT4MDX/
- When the tournament begins you can view the games in progress by going to the following link for DGT Live: LINK.
Tournament results
*** All 64 available tournament entry spots have been filled. Registration is now closed.
Please read and follow all of the instructions below.
Tournament health protocols:
Masks are generally recommended. Note that a player who arrives at the tournament with a cough or cold and flu-like symptoms may be declined entry. A player may be asked to withdraw if such symptoms appear during the event. The arbiter will rule in such cases.
Registration process:
- Send an email message to Ken Cashin skcashin@outlook.com to tell him that you intend to play. This must be done before 6 p.m., Tuesday February 18th. Also provide your age and your chess rating, if you have one. This is the “pre-registration” step.
- Purchase or renew your Chess Federation of Canada membership. You can do that online, here. Or, you could pay Ken Cashin for it onsite on the first day of the tournament. If you will be paying Ken Cashin onsite for the CFC membership, please email him the registrant’s date of birth and home town.
*** Payment method onsite for CFC membership is cash only ***
-
Check in at the registration desk before 5 p.m. on Friday February 21st and pay the tournament entry fee (see fees below). This you pay to Ken Cashin onsite at the tournament.
*** Payment method for tournament entry fee is cash only ***
*** All players MUST physically check in at the reg desk well in advance of — ONE HOUR BEFORE — the start of the first round in order to be paired for the first round. This is so that Ken knows they are on site and able to play and that he has time to do the pairings and start the first round on time, for everyone’s benefit. Please follow the rules.
Note: If you expect to be late on the Friday of the tournament, then between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. you MUST contact Ken by email (skcashin@outlook.com) or cell phone or text (902 478-2359) to let him know. In this case, you must show up on site by 5:30 p.m. in order to be paired.
Also, if you withdraw from the tournament you must let Ken know.
Date: February 21-23, 2025
Location: Mount Saint Vincent University, 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, N.S., MARGARET NORRIE MCCAIN CENTRE, rooms 105 and 106.
See building # 1 on campus map here.
Arbiter: Roger Langen
Type: Five round Swiss.
Registration/Check-in: Friday, February 21st, onsite, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Rounds:
Rd 1: Friday, February 21st, 6 p.m.
Rd 2: Saturday, February 22nd, 10 a.m.
Rd 3: Saturday, February 22nd, 4:30 p.m.
Rd 4: Sunday, February 23rd, 9 a.m.
Rd 5: Sunday, February 23rd, 3:30 p.m.
Prizes: Cash prizes will be awarded, based on the number of entrants. The tournament winner’s name will be engraved on the Bluenose trophy. (In the case of a tie for first place, the name engraved on the trophy will be decided by tiebreak).
Time control: Game in 2 hours, with 30-second increments starting at move one. Note: if numbers warrant, the tournament will be run as a sectional; i.e., in two or more sections, determined by the ratings of the players.
Tournament Entry Fee:
Adults (age 18 and over): $50
Seniors (age 65 and over): $40
Juniors (under age 18): $40
Byes: Up to two (2) half-point byes are available, but must be requested to the tournament director before the tournament begins, i.e., either before or at the time of registration.
Forfeits: Players are required to play all five rounds unless they have declared byes beforehand, as indicated above. Unless they have declared a bye for a particular round, players who do not show up for a game will be forfeited for that game, i.e., they will earn a score of zero for the game and their opponent will earn a score of one point for the game. Players who do not show up for their games will be automatically withdrawn from the tournament.
Also, a player is expected to show up on time for the start of the round, as a courtesy to their opponent. If a player does not show up within an hour after a game starts, the player will be forfeited for that round, i.e., they will earn a score of zero for the game and their opponent will earn a score of one point for the game.
Forced byes: In rounds where there is an uneven number of players, a full-point, forced bye will be given to one player, as determined by the pairing software.
*** Note: This tournament is subject to the Chess Nova Scotia Fair Play and Electronic Device Policy.
Accommodations:
Affordable hotels nearby:
Comfort Inn, Bedford Highway (near MSVU)
Chebucto Inn, Lady Hammond Road (between MSVU and SMU)
Robie’s End, (B&B, very close to SMU)
And a little more upscale…
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax – Bedford, 980 Parkland Drive (near MSVU)
Chateau Bedford Trademark Collection by Wyndham, 133 Kearney Lake Road (near MSVU)
Lord Nelson Hotel, 1515 South Park Street (closer to SMU)
Atlantica Hotel Halifax, 1980 Robie Street (closer to SMU)
*** Note: If you are looking for a roommate to share hotel and/or travel costs with for the Bluenose Open 2025 tournament, please contact: Ken Cashin skcashin@outlook.com.
List of people looking to share travel and/or room costs, contact Ken Cashin for more details:
*** ONLY 64 SPOTS AVAILABLE ***
Updated: February 21, 2025
Confirmed Participants: 62
Note: the ratings below are as of the date above and may not reflect the most recent CFC tournament results. Ratings are included here only to give potential tournament entrants an idea of who is playing and the level of competition to expect. To check CFC ratings go here.
- Sriram Sarja (2352) Bye in Round 2
- Calix Marchand (2237)
- Juan Ramirez-Orta (2040)
- Sam Heran-Boily (2040)
- Kyle Creamer (1995)
- Jose Gonzalez-Cueto (1977)
- Paul Dec (1968)
- Glenn Charlton (1944)
- Remo Lacson (1929) Bye in Round 1
- Louis Fillmore (1917)
- Janos Gregory (1910)
- Tanusri Sridhar (1895)
- Julius Lopez (1891) Bye in Round 1
- Alice Yancey (1885)
- Alex Nuschke (1874)
- Ryan Memet (1862)
- Emma Novovsambuu (1847)
- Brian McKay (1833)
- Josh MacRitchie (1832)
- Jordan Winfield (1824)
- Ken Cashin (1801)
- Elon Lau (1784)
- Eric Newman (1775)
- Goldy Vu (1760)
- Patrick Wain (1749) Bye Round 1
- Jay Toulany (1745)
- Jim Livingstone (1744) Bye Round 1
- David Payne (1736)
- Dev Gupta (1732)
- Jason Gregory (1729)
- Pavithran Arivazhagan (1715)
- Kaven Sharma (1710)
- Calvin Scallion (1708)
- Jarrett Gabriel (1682)
- Aden Yip (1644)
- Joshua Harmon (1627) Bye Round 1
- Eva Novovsambuu (1625)
- Travis Lloyd (1623)
- Charles Culver (1617)
- Kevin Ellis (1599)
- Irina Volosincu (1597)
- Aakash Agam (1596)
- Remi Petch (1570)
- Andrew Mayo (1566)
- Kenny Dolson (1559)
- Tris Winfield (1542)
- Dianjia (Alex) Liu (1533)
- Agamnoor Singh (1529)
- Vanshpreet Singh (1517)
- Abel Koshy (1503)
- Patrick Connor (1499)
- Ujjwal Sujith (1485)
- Matthew Wright (1468)
- Xinyi Olivia Shi (1436) Bye in Round 1
- Bern Langen (1395)
- Minkyu Shin (1345) Bye in Round 2
- Khushi Naik (1341) Bye Round 1
- Wyatt Pokorny (1232) Byes in Rounds 4 and 5
- Dhyey Sarja (0974)
- Dakodah Desroches (UNR)
- Kaleb Wells (UNR) Bye in Round 4
- John Hubley (UNR)
Live broadcasts, including commentary by NSSCA President Chris Felix:
https://www.youtube.com/@dalchess
Day 1 Live Broadcast starts at 9:30am Saturday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asKxFfpGca8
Day 2 Live Broadcast starts at 9:45am Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpZ-1fZAzNE
!! VENUE CHANGE !!
Chess tournament at Saint Mary’s University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, N.S., Loyola Academic Complex, rooms LA175, LA274, and LA296
See building LA on campus map here.
Director: Daniel Rokhvarger daniel.rokhvarger@yahoo.ca
See list of registered players HERE
Festival events:
Open Championship:
Rapid Championship:
Blitz Championship:
Bughouse Championship: