Toronto Chinese Chess Championship set for July

Toronto, May 13 – Come challenge Toronto’s best Chinese chess players in the 2006 running of the Toronto Xiangqi Association’s annual open tournament.

The 2006 “Gallant Marble Cup” Toronto Xiangqi Open will take the form of a Swiss tournament, to be held three straight Sundays – July 8, 16 and 23, followed by matches for first and third place on July 30 at the Oriental Centre. All rounds begin at 1 p.m.
This year we are proud to announce our major sponsors:
• Gallant Marble (www.gallantmarble.com)
• Oriental Centre – North East corner of Sheppard and Brimley
• Comtronic Computer Inc. (http://www.comtronic.ca/cci/)

All are welcome to play; prior registration is welcomed, but not necessary. If you don’t know how to play, drop by, and we’ll introduce you to one of the world’s great games.

The cost of entering the tournament is a modest $3 for members and $10 for non-members. Cash prizes and gifts will be awarded to the four top finishers, as well as the top senior and youth players.

Chinese chess, or Xiangqi, is the ancient cousin of western chess. It is played all over the Far East, and in Asian communities throughout North America. It is traditionally considered a Chinese art form.

The Toronto Open is a tradition dating back to 1978. It gives players from throughout the GTA the chance to meet and sometimes play against the city’s leading masters.

The current champion, Peter Sung will be back to defend the title. Former champions, Huang YuYing, Stephen Fung, and Ximing Zheng are expected to challenge him. All four had strong showings in the prestigious World Cup, which took place in August 2005 in Paris, France.

To register for the Toronto Xiangqi Open, contact
Benson Wong at 416-299-6598 or bensonsfwong@hotmail.com.
Joseph Tam at 416-856-8697 or josephtam@sympatico.ca.

For more information about the Toronto Xiangqi Association, got to www.txa.ca.



2006 “Gallant Marble Cup” Toronto Xiangqi Open
Organizer: Toronto Xiangqi Association (TXA);
Scarborough Seniors Chess Club (SSCC)
Sponsors: Gallant Marble Company Limited; Oriental Centre;
Comtronic Computer Inc.
Event: Individual (Open; Senior – age 60 or above; Youth – age 14 or below)
Time: Sunday July 8, 16, 23 and 30, 2006;
Location: Oriental Centre – North East corner of Sheppard and Brimley;
Method:
 WXF (AXF) Rules will be adopted
 Six preliminary rounds using the Swiss system. Two games per week.
 When players obtain equal scores, their rankings will be decided by match points; opponent’s match points, and total wins.
 Any player that is absent for 2 rounds is automatically disqualified.
 The final round takes the form of two-game matches in which the top four from the Swiss tournament play off for the first and third places.
 The Senior Champion is the top senior player from the preliminary rounds.
 The Youth champion is the top youth player from the preliminary rounds.
Awards:
 Open 1st to 4th – Trophy , Cash Prize and Gift Set
 Open 5th to 8th – Certificate and Gift Set
 Senior Champion – Trophy , Cash Prize and Gift Set
 Senior 2nd to 3rd – Certificate and Gift Set
 Youth Champion – Trophy , Cash Prize and Gift Set
 Youth 2nd to 3rd – Certificate and Gift Set
Entry Fee: Member - $3.00, Non-member – $10.00, Youth - Free
Banquet Fee: $25.00 (Awards Presentation ＆ Banquet – Jul 30, 2006)
Chairman: Elton Yuen; Benson Wong
Referees: Peter Sung; Yip Sing Ng; Ying Fai Choi; Stephen Fung
Registration
& Inquiry: Benson Wong at 416-299-6598 or bensonsfwong@hotmail.com
Joseph Tam at 416-856-8697 or josephtam@sympatico.ca

Result of the 1st North American Cup Xiangqi Tournament

To all friends of Xiangqi:

Greetings！

After 7 rounds of intense competitions in 3 days, the 1st North American Cup Xiangqi Individual Championship was solemnly finished in April 30th. Hereby we congratulate the winners who finished in the top 8 places:

Champion –Xi Ming Zheng of Toronto
2nd Place – Song Ri Cheng of Calgary
3rd Place – Yi Qing Gu of Vancouver
4th Place – Richard Cheng of Houston
5th Place – Paul Ng of Toronto
6th Place – Willaim Fong of Richmond
7th Place – Qing Di Wang of Richmond
8th Place – Leo Lau of Vancouver


Regarding this event, we thank the leaders and competitors from other cities including Houston, San Francisco, Toronto and Calgary, and local players from Richmond and Vancouver, who all participated in a tournament where friendship comes first. Also, all leaders have confirmed a long term goal of taking turn to organize North American Xiangqi Individual and Team Championship (run simultaneously), and run the 2nd tournament in year 2008; actual details will be determined either in October or early next year when San Francisco host the 1st North American Cup Xiangqi Team Championship. For more details, please refer to the other document titled“1st North American Cup: Leader Meeting Record”.

In this meeting, all participating leaders and players have shown positive attitude. Everybody agrees that America and Canada should work together to promote Xiangqi activities in North America, and wish the 11th World Cup of Xiangqi in 2009 can be hosted locally, pushing local Xiangqi activity to the climax. The united spirit of everyone has moved me deeply. Once again, I thank everybody’s support towards this event and meeting, and wish under the united effort of all friendly associations, Xiangqi in North America will flourish and be abundant everywhere.

Since this tournament has been arranged a bit rush, New York could not send any player, and Edmonton also canceled the trip before the event due to some internal affair. But they both have expressed their opinion supporting North American Cup, and hereby I show my appreciation.

Through this opportunity, I thank the staffs of the 1st North American Cup, including both worked in front of and behind the scene, who lead to the successful completion of the event. It has enhanced our confidence of applying to be the host of the 11th World Cup. At last, we would like everybody to share the atmosphere of the event, please visit the web site www.geocities.com/wcxavancouver/

To remember this tournament, we will be issuing a special publication, and we welcome all friendly associations in North America to provide written greetings and an passage introducing your association, to let more people know Xiangqi in North America as well as your association. Our address is:

E-mail : skhodominic@yahoo.com.hk
Mailing : Western Canada Xiangqi Association
4247 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6R 3E5


Best Wishes,
Western Canada Xiangqi Association
President, Dominic Shing Kin Ho
2006-5-3