2005-2006 OCA PRESIDENTS REPORT

This year has been extremely rewarding to see that the last few years of hard work and planning are solidly building a strong Ontario Chess Association that will be self-supporting and greatly continue to support and enhance chess throughout the province!

In August 2006 the OCA obtained its first major Trillium and Lottery Funding. We were approved a two year program, with the understanding that we then want to expand to a five year province-wide program in the Fall of 2007!

The York Region project is to expand a proven model of community activities with a focus on chess and to encourage interaction among people of all ages and backgrounds through recreational activities. It will encourage and enhance chess activities in the area, starting with improvement at all ages within the school systems and with outdoor recreational and summer camp activities. It emphasizes fun and participation, and provides specific chess training and competition which helps positively challenge our youth of all ages, from 6 to 100 years of age. We expect participation from all ages, with fastest acceptance from European and Asian communities in York Region which already highly value chess and mental board game activities. However we believe all Canadians benefit from this life long sport, and expect our ethic communities to come out and play and socialize together. The project is designed to work with the GTCL and organizations in the area, not to compete with them. The OCA is also working towards other Lottery and corporate funding. The objective to to have all expanded activity be able to continue and grow and as Trillium funds yearly reduce and stop, that other sustainable funding is obtained.

Our primary focus is youth, and in York Region we have been communicating with 270 schools and now can report there are over 40 schools with active chess clubs and over 1,800 students involved! Furthermore York Region youth chess championships have had over 1,500 of these players come to the regional events! Special at-school events such as simultaneous challenges are being scheduled.

Special 1 day Instructor Training Sessions are being scheduled to train teachers and interested volunteers. FIDE Master Roman Pelts has been contracted to teach these classes, with the first class on Saturday, May 27, 2006 in Richmond Hill. Another training session will be scheduled in October. This will feature the new OCA endorsed Training Manuals from Roman Pelts, who is one of the World’s leading Chess Trainers and is Canada’s foremost trainer. ( Interested OCA members should contact me directly if they would like to attend this free training, and can check our website, www.chessontario.com for more details.)

A major focus of the OCA this past year is the development of its OCA CHESS CAMP PROGRAM which commences this summer. New color brochures have been created and are now being distributed to all schools in York Region and will be available for Leagues and interested OCA members at our upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 20 (during the Ontario Open Chess Tournament). For details checkout the main page on our website, www.chessontario.com

A major part of our York Region project is getting active support from the 9 cities/townships in the region. In this regard we are pleased to announce most and soon hopefully all cities will host City Youth Chess Championships in October and November. The Mayor or delegate will award trophies to the winners of each grade, and the top 2 players in each grade will form a City Championship Team which will compete against all 9 cities for a York Region Championship. Chess is becoming more visible and enthusiastically supported!

In addition to wonderful League Tournaments which are ongoing across the province, Ontario is pleased to have held the Canadian Womens Championships in Richmond Hill this January, with 9 women from Ontario competing, and Natalia Khoudgarian becoming both the 2006 Canadian Womens Champion and the 2006 Ontario Womens Champion! Furthermore this summer Kitchener hosts the Canadion Open, Canadian Youth Chess Championships and Canadian Junior Championships in July. And finally Toronto hosts the 2006 Canadian Closed and Zonal Chess Championships in August.

The OCA recently supported and ran the Christian School Chess Championships in April, and now these Christian Schools are reviewing our Chess Training programs for possible implementation in their math training within two years. Other OCA members privately are working with schools and school boards in the public system with increasingly good results.

In summary a strong foundation for chess is being built. I take this time to thanks the volunteers throughout the province who continue to make this progress so successful!

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I am proud to see that that we have volunteers nominated and prepared to serve in 2006/2007 OCA Executive positions. Please come and participate at our upcoming AGM. We are continuing our good momentum, and already have an active and great year ahead. Let us all work together and make our Vision a reality.

S. Barry Thorvardson