Visit the Canadian Open Bookstore Located in the North Pender Ballroom
Special Guests Ida Chong has been the MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head since 1996. She currently serves as Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. Minister Chong’s previous cabinet portfolios include Minister of Science and Universities; Healthy Living and Sport; Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, and Advanced Education. Minister Chong has been involved in her community for years, volunteering for a number of not-for-profit groups and serving as municipal councillor for the District of Saanich from 1993 – 1996. She was also senior partner in an accounting practice based in Saanich, and proudly retains her credentials as a Certified General Accountant. Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess Grandmaster (GM). He is ranked among the top seven players in the world by FIDE as of May 2012, and is the current United States Chess Champion. Nakamura's first supertournament victory came at Wijk aan Zee 2011, finishing clear first ahead of the four top-rated players in the world in a performance described by former World Champion Garry Kasparov as better than any tournament by Bobby Fischer, and the best by an American in more than 100 years. Nakamura is the top USCF rated player at 2858, as published on 1 February 2012. Message from the Honourable Ida Chong Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development On behalf of Premier Christy Clark and the Province of British Columbia, I want to welcome all players, supporters, volunteers, and family members to the 2012 Canadian Open Chess Championship, being held in Victoria for the first time. Our government is proud to support world-class events such as this championship, which draws some of the best chess players from Canada and across the globe to compete in British Columbia.
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