Greetings from Ottawa, Canada

I will be spending the next few days in Ottawa.

Press Release

Grandmaster Susan Polgar, winner of 4 Women’s World Chess Championships, will be coming to Ottawa in July to preside over the Canadian Youth Chess Championships.

The Championships, sponsored by TELUS, are Canada’s premier chess event for young Canadians. The seven-round tournament will determine the top boy and girl in each of six age categories. The worthy winners will be sent to Antalya, Turkey, in November to represent Canada at the 2007 World Youth Chess Championships.

“This historic event is made possible by the generous support of TELUS,” said Gordon Ritchie, chair of the organizing committee for the Championships. “The presence of former World Champion Polgar will make this a memorable occasion for all the participants and will put Ottawa at the centre of chess in Canada for two weeks in July.”

The major sponsor of the Championships, TELUS Corporation, is the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada and the second largest in the country. It provides a wide range of wireline and wireless telecommunications products and services including data, Internet Protocol (IP), voice, video and entertainment services.

“TELUS is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and serve through initiatives involving youth and technology in the areas of arts and culture, education and sport and health and well-being,” said Francoise Gagnon, TELUS director of public affairs for Ontario. “We believe the 2007 Canadian Youth Chess Championship offers an excellent opportunity to further this initiative.

“Grandmaster Susan Polgar, winner of 4 Women’s World Chess Championships, will act as the event’s Honorary Chairperson. The Hungarian-born Polgar is herself a former chess prodigy and renowned advocate for chess as a means to assist children of all ages flourish in school and gain important life skills.”

Research around the world has supported my belief,” says Ms. Polgar. “Countless studies have shown that chess can help develop critical thinking that can be used in other areas of a child’s life, academics and social situations.”

Ms. Polgar will be deeply involved at the Championships, interacting with its participants and their parents in groups and individually. Ms. Polgar will give lectures, provide group instruction and play chess against dozens of the CYCC players in a simultaneous chess exhibition.

Expected to draw more than 200 young Canadian chess players, the CYCC will be staged July 3 to 6 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. The participants will be welcomed to Ottawa by Mayor Larry O’Brien at a reception at Ottawa City Hall. More information on the event can be found at http://www.canchess.ca/.