1970-1979 Toronto Closed Championships

1970s

Ninety-nine players played in the TCs of the 70s. The 1970 TC was covered in the first issue of Chess Canada, published in Toronto by Dobrich, who also started a new chess column in the Toronto Star. The Central Y Chess Club was run by working members and was packed for Saturday afternoon speed. The Fischer boom saw long weekend tournaments at Hart House get over 300 entries. The student-run high school league and junior tournaments resulted in many juniors participating in the TC such as Stephen Boyd, Victor Dzera, David Lavin and Harry Kaminker. Juniors Peter Matsi, Jonathan Schaeffer, Phil Morenz, and Michael Rohland won the Reserves. Future champions Brett Campbell and Ian Findlay and future masters Michael Dougherty and David Filipovich also played in the Reserves. IWM Nava Shterenberg showed a woman could be competitive scoring +11=4-5, 65%. Some out-of-town players moved to Toronto and entered the TC, including Lawrence Day, John MacPhail, Jonathan Berry, Robert Kiviaho, Roger Langen, and Peter Murray. By the end of the 70s the Toronto and Scarborough Chess Clubs both had over 200 active members. In ’71 World Champion Spassky played in the Labour Day, and he returned in ’79 to play a simult at the CN tower while Karpov played one in the Eaton Centre. Toronto also hosted the World Computer Championship in ’77 and Man versus Machine match in ’78.

IM Zvonko Vranesic won strong TCs in ’70 and ’72 on his way to achieving a GM norm at the Olympiad. His score in five TCs was +31=16-7, 72%. Geza Fuster, getting his IM from the ’69 Canadian Closed, tied for first in the TC in ’71 at age 61, the oldest winner. He played in 11 straight years! His overall score in six TC was +32=9-23, 57%, tied for most wins with Day and one of the lowest drawing percentages, 14% (versus 24% avg.). George Kuprejanov was tied for first in the ’71 TC and second in ’70 and ’72, getting his IM title at the ’72 Canadian Closed in Toronto. His score in the three TCs was +19=8-4, 74%. Peter Nurmi, Canadian Junior Champion ’75, was ninth-rated but finished second in ’73 and won the TC in ’75 and ’76. His overall score in four TC was +26=7-9, 70%. Slobodan Krstic, Board 1 of Hong Kong Olympiad Teams, was the most active player, participating in eight TCs in the 70s. Although the lowest rated player, 2017, he won in ’74 ahead of three IMs! His overall score was +24=14-42, 39%. Bryon Nickoloff was perhaps the most successful TC player in the 70s. In ’78, at age 21, he won after finishing second three times, then moved to Mexico and got his IM title. His overall score in the four TCs was +31=5-5, 82%. Lawrence Day from Ottawa, the top rated Ontario player for most of the 70s, won in ’77 and was second in ’78. He got his IM title at the ’72 Canadian Closed and won the first Ontario Closed in ’77. His overall score in five TCs was +32=8-14, 67%, tied for most wins with Fuster. In 1979 sixth rated Peter Murray, 2009, from London, Ontario, won.

Walter Dobrich was a top competitor in the early ’70s (playing in eight years straight). His overall score in four TCs was +23=7-12, 63%. Veteran Alvis Zuntaks played in two TC and five Reserves, Barry Saxe in 4 TCs and three TCR, organizer Paul Janicki played in five TCs and one TCR, David MacLeod, U of T organizer and double chess (bughouse) champion, Stephen Boyd, Canadian Correspondence co-Champion ’73 and ’74, were in four plus one TCR; Jacques van Leusden in one and three TCR, Brett Campbell and Dennis Penovac in four TCR. The most draws in one event is seven by Alex Panayotou in ’70 and Terry Shaw in ’74. Biggest controversy: Dr. Berner withdrew in ’70 over a dispute with the TD over the board position on the adjournment envelope. A big shock was the withdrawal of Denis Allan in ’72 with a score of 3.5-.5, 3 withdrawals in 1975, and Nickoloff forfeiting his last round game in 1976 to play for more prize money in a weekend tourney in Buffalo than for first place in the TC.

1978

1977