ACF NEWS

AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHESS LEAGUE

from Denis Jessop, ACF/AusJCL Liaison Officer

A NEW ERA FOR AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHESS

Readers may be aware that recently an Australian junior chess league called AusJCL was formed. It is the culmination of an initiative by Jenni Oliver begun some while ago. The aim is for it to administer junior chess at the national level by performing most of the junior chess functions currently with the ACF.

A short time ago the AusJCL applied to the ACF for recognition as an Associated Body representing junior chess at the national level and for authority to administer junior chess on behalf of the ACF.

On 17 September 2008 the ACF Council decided, in an e-mail vote, to approve both those things with effect from 1 November 2008. At the same time it appointed Denis Jessop as the ACF Liaison Officer with the AusJCL. The new arrangements will not affect decisions already taken by the ACF so that they have no application to the upcoming Australian Schools Teams Championships finals and the Australian Junior Championships both to be held in Adelaide under the auspices of the SACA and the SAJCL.

I moved the motions in the Council and they were seconded by Richard Gastineau-Hills. Each of us has been a strong supporter of the AusJCL concept. In moving the motions I pointed out that this development is the most significant made for the administration of chess in Australia at the national level since the formation of the Australian Chess Federation in 1922. Except for some organisational changes, the ACF is still structured much as it was when first formed.

The basis of the junior chess league concept, which has already been successful in some States and Territories, is that junior chess administration has some aspects that differ markedly from open chess. Moreover, junior chess leagues attract many administrators who would not otherwise be involved. I see it as an undoubted benefit for Australian chess generally for there to be a successful Australian junior chess league. It will benefit junior chess by the presence of experts in that field. It will benefit the ACF as its officers will be able to devote more time to administration of chess generally.

The current arrangements are seen as transitional in that the AusJCL has not yet begun its formal operations and it needs time to settle into things. Also there are some details of procedure to be worked out between the ACF and the AusJCL. I expect these to be addressed in the coming months.

Meanwhile I look forward to the success of the new development with confidence.

AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHESS LEAGUE

from Jenni Oliver, AusJCL Events coordinator

The interim AusJCL council is extremely gratified that the ACF has recognized the benefit to Australian Junior chess that a National Junior organization will bring.

The interim council consists of:

Initially the work of the council will be to create better rules and procedures and information for tasks such as the overseas junior events and Ergas. Work is almost completed on the first task, which is the overseas junior events and a document will be available for public comment. In future before juniors apply for selection for overseas events they will have much better information as to how these run and what is expected of them and of parents.

The next big task that is planned is a reassessment of the Australian Juniors. A survey will shortly be released to gather information and if a new model is necessary it is hoped to be in place for Aus Juniors 2011.

The first AGM will be held in Adelaide in January 2009 at the Aus Juniors and the council will be elected for the next year.

This is an exciting concept and will need the ideas and support of all of those with an interest in Junior chess.

It is not meant to supplant the valuable work being done by State organizations, but to bring order and cohesion to what is happening at the national level with the long term aim of growing participation at the grass roots level as well as increasing the number of elite players. It will also work to improve the migration paths from junior to adult chess.

PETITION FOR CHESS AS A 'SPORT'

from George Howard, SACA President

Attached is a petition that has been organised by the ACF. The various state/territory bodies have received copies through their ACF Representative.

Although the state/territory body should be where completed petitions are sent, individuals and clubs can send completed petitions to me to my address on the petition.

Each state/territory is supposed to complete as many petitions as possible. All completed petitions should reach me before the middle of January 2009.

The aim of the petition from "Chessplayers of Australia" is to add weight to a submission which will be presented to the Commonwealth Minister for Sport. Once a change in "Sport" definition is achieved, thoughtful applications for financial government assistance are more likely to succeed.

IN THE NEWS

Thanks to Milan Ninchich for bringing our attention to this item by Adam Ipsen in the Latrobe Valley Express about the ChessKids regional competition.

2009 LIDUMS AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

from the Organising Committee

The 2009 Lidums Australian Junior Chess Championships will be held in Adelaide from 2nd January 2009 to 13 January 2009. Information on the Championships can be found on the SA Junior Chess League website. Entry forms are now available on the website, http://www.sajuniorchess.org.

Please note that
    (a) if there are not enough entries in the Girls Championships for a viable 11 round tournament, the number of rounds may be reduced.
    (b) special novice tournaments (under 18, under 12) will be held from 6th January 2009 to 9th January 2009.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR ACF PRESIDENT and other Executive positions

from Jey Poole, ACF Secretary

The annual National Conference of the Australian Chess Federation (ACF) elects members of the ACF Executive each alternate year. The 2009 National Conference which will be convened on 6 January 2009 during a rest day of the 2009 Australian Open in Sydney, will elect members of the Executive, including the ACF President.

Pursuant to the ACF Constitution, nominations are now called for the offices of ACF President, Deputy President, Vice President (two positions), Secretary and Treasurer.

The ACF Constitution specifies that candidates for ACF President shall be limited to persons who have “advised the Federation in writing of their willingness to serve as President (with) such advice having been received by the Federation not less than 90 days before the date on which the annual National Conference at which elections are due is scheduled to start”. The ACF’s rules regarding the election of the ACF President can be viewed at the ACF website.

Nominations for the other members of the Executive, unlike the nomination for the ACF President, can be received up to the time the election to fill each office is due to be held. Also, if there is no nomination for President within the prescribed period, nominations for President may be received as for the other Executive members.

How to submit your nomination for the office of ACF President or for other positions in the ACF Executive.

Email is the preferred medium for the submission of nominations. You can submit your nomination by email to the ACF Secretary (email: jeydh4@hotmail.com).

Should you be unable to transmit by email, the address for the submission of hardcopy nominations is as follows:
    Jey Hoole, ACF Secretary
    25 Carlile Street,
    Evatt ACT 2617.

Nominations for the position of ACF President must be submitted and received by midnight 07 October 2008.

All nominations will be formally acknowledged within 72 hours. If you have not received an acknowledgement of your application by this time, please contact me on 0403 126 181.

MYER TAN AUSTRALIAN CHESS GRAND PRIX

http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm?site=grandprix

Coming Grand Prix Events

EVENTS CALENDAR

Lake Woodcroft Festival 2008 One Day Chess (Allegro Play)

Venue Woodcroft Neighbourhood Centre, Woodcroft Drive, Woodcroft NSW.
Format 7 Round Allegro (15 minute) Swiss.
Entry fee $10.
Prizes $200, $150, $100 guaranteed. U1900, U1600 and Junior trophies, depending on entries.
Registration 10.00 am, Saturday 27 September.
Enquiries Jess Arranz, 04-1816-3625; Jun Cayanan, 9-676-6500; Levi Descallar, 9-675-1252.
Flyer here.

2008 Wendy Terry Memorial Chess Tournament

Venue Grace Lutheran College, Buchanen Street, Rothwell (UBD map 80).
Format 6 Round Swiss. All moves in 60 minutes, plus 10 sec. per move start.
Entry fee Senior $50 (Non-CAQ $60), Pensioner/FTS $45 ($55), Junior $40 ($50), Cadet $30 ($40). Late entries attract a $10 surcharge.
Prizes $600, $275. Group A $175, Group B $150, Group C $100, U1000 & Unr $100, $50.
Entries close Friday, 3 October.
Enquiries M. Stokes email, (07) 3205 6042.
Webpage here.

2009 Australian Open Chess Championship

Venue Manly-Warringah Rugby League Club, 563 Pittwater Road, Brookvale.
Format 11-Round FIDE-rated swiss. “Fischer” 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move.
DOPs Chief Arbiter: Nick Chernih.
Entry fee if received by 9 December $145 ($105 concession). After 9 December $170 ($130).
Prizes $2500, $1750, $1000, $750, $500, $250, $200, $150. Under 2100 $250, U2000 $250, U1900 $250, U1800 $200, U1700 $200, Best Senior $250, Best Woman $250.
Registration from 11.00 a.m. Friday, 2 January, 2009.
Enquiries to Chris Dimock. Phone (02) 9221 5380. Fax (02) 9221 5282. Email enquiries@australianchessopen.com.
Website here.

Manly Chess Classic

Venue Manly-Warringah Rugby League Club, 563 Pittwater Road, Brookvale.
Format 11-Round swiss for players rated under 1600. “Fischer” 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move.
DOPs Chief Arbiter: Nick Chernih.
Entry fee if received by 9 December $100 ($75 concession). After 9 December $125 ($100).
Prizes $600, $450, $300, $200. Under 1400 $150, U1300 $150.
Registration from 11.00 a.m. Friday, 2 January, 2009.
Enquiries to Chris Dimock. Phone (02) 9221 5380. Fax (02) 9221 5282. Email enquiries@australianchessopen.com.
Website here.

Australian Open Lightning Championship

Venue Manly-Warringah Rugby League Club, 563 Pittwater Road, Brookvale.
Format 5 minutes per player per game.
DOPs Chief Arbiter: Nick Chernih.
Entry fee $25 ($20 concession).
Prizes TBA.
Enquiries to Chris Dimock. Phone (02) 9221 5380. Fax (02) 9221 5282. Email enquiries@australianchessopen.com.
Website here.

Oceania Zonal Chess Tournament for Men and Women

Venue Outrigger Twin Towns Resort
Format Nine round swiss for Men and Women (or a round robin if appropriate).
DOPs Chief Arbiter: IA Charles Zworestine. Assistant Arbiters: IA Gary Bekker & Graeme Gardiner.
Entry fee dependant on rating. See website.
Prizes Men: $1500, $1000, $750, $500, $400, $250, $150. 1^st under 2000 $300. 1^st under 1800 $300. Women: $750. $500, $300. 1^st under 1800 $300.
Registration by Friday, 6 June, 2009. The organiser may, at his discretion, accept late entries.
Enquiries to Graeme Gardiner, 11 Hardys Road, Mudgeeraba Qld 4213. Phone 5522 7221. Fax 5522 7760. Email ggardiner@gardinerchess.com.
Website here.

COMPLETED EVENTS

Left-click to animate games. Toggle 'F11' to maximise game window.

2008 Best in the West Weekender

from Gary Bekker

A small but competitive field contested the annual Best in the West weekender. Young star Bobby Cheng improved on his recent equal first at the Geelong Open by winning the event outright, ahead of FM Erik Teichmann, Tony Davis and others.

Round 1:
Almost all of the higher seeds won their games. Fourth seed Edsil Dilla, however, lost to local Western suburbs player Jamie Cross.

Round 2:
Second seed, Dean Hogg should have lost to Bosko Mijatovic but Bosko blundered and handed the win to Hogg. All other top boards finished as expected.

Round 3:
Young gun Bobby Cheng continued his great form, to defeat top seed British FM Erik Teichmann. Dean Hogg had a nice win over Tony Davis and German player Joerg Wallmueller played a fine game to defeat Peter Wolf.

Round 4:
Bobby Cheng played well and reached a better ending against Dean Hogg to gain the outright lead in the tournament. Joerg Wallmueller launched a kingside attack against FM Erik Teichmann, but Teichmann marched his king to the other side of the board and then opened the centre, leaving Wallmueller's king exposed to a winning attack. Jake Kostrzewa looked set to win against Edsil Dilla before misplaying and allowing Dilla to join the pack of contenders coming equal second on 3 points from 4 games. Other games went as expected.

Round 5:
Bobby Cheng looked to have a comfortable position against Edsil Dilla, until Dilla decided to launch a counter-attack against Cheng's kingside. Cheng defended inaccurately, leaving his king position exposed. Dilla followed up with a break through on the queenside and Cheng was in serious trouble. Short of time, however, Dilla missed several chances to win the game and eventually opted to repeat the position and draw. This allowed Cheng to secure outright first. On second board, Dean Hogg launched a very early and aggressive kingside pawn storm against Erik Teichmann, sacrificing several along the way. Teichmann defended steadily and after he exchanged queens and then gained two passed pawns on the kingside, the result was clear. Tony Davis also fended off an over-ambitious attack on the kingside from Bosko Mijatovic to join Teichmann in a tie for second place. Jamie Cross, David Stimson and young Peter Wallmueller tied as winners of the U/1500 prize.

Final Standings:

Selected Games:

 Jamie Cross (1230) - Edsil Dilla (1932) [B22]
Best in the West (1.4) 23/08/2008

1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Be3 Nf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 e6 8.0-0 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bxe2 10.Qxe2 Bd6 11.Nd2 0-0 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Rfd1 Bc7 14.Nf3 Qh5 15.h3 e5 16.Qc4 e4 17.Ng5 Qg6 18.h4 h6 19.Nh3 Nd5? 20.Rxd5 cxd5 21.Qxc7 Rab8 22.b3 Rbc8 23.Qe5 Rfe8 24.Qd4 Qg4 25.Qd2 Qxh4 26.Bxa7 Re5 27.Bd4 Rf5 28.Kf1 Rc6 29.Qe2 Rg6 30.a4 Rf3 31.Ra2
  Not 31.gxf3? Qxh3+ 32.Ke1 Rg1+ 33.Kd2 Rxa1 winning for Black.
31...Qg4
  31...Rxg2!! 32.Kxg2 Qxh3+ 33.Kg1 Rf5 and White will be forced to give material back to defend against Black's strong threats on the kingside.
32.gxf3 Qxh3+ 33.Ke1 exf3 34.Qe8+ Kh7 35.Qxf7 Qh1+ 36.Kd2 Qb1 37.Rc2 Rg1 38.Qf5+ Kh8 39.Qxf3 Qxb3 40.Qf8+ Kh7 41.Qb4 Qc4 42.Qxc4 dxc4 43.Ra2 Rb1 44.a5 Rb8 45.a6 1-0 [G. Bekker]

 Erik Teichmann (2269) - Bobby Cheng (1958) [A00]
Best in the West (3.1) 23/08/2008

1.b4 e6 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.b5 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.Nf3 c5 6.c4 0-0 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.0-0 Qc7 9.Qb3 b6 10.d3 Bb7 11.Nbd2 Rfe8 12.Rac1 Bd6 13.d4 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5
  Draw offered.
16...Rxe5 17.Bf3 Ne4 18.Rfd1 Nxd2 19.Rxd2 dxc4 20.Qd1 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Ree8 22.Rxc4 Rad8 23.Re4 Rxe4 24.Qxe4 h6 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.h4 g6 27.g3 Qd7 28.a4 Kg7 29.Qe5+
  Draw offered.
29...Kh7 30.Qe4 h5 31.Kg2 Qc7 32.Kf3 Kg7 33.Ke2 Qd7 34.Kf1 Qe6 35.Qf4 Qd5 36.Ke2 Qf5 37.e4?
  This error allows Black to exchange into a winning pawn ending.
37...Qxf4 38.gxf4 f6!
  With the idea of ...g5 creating a passed h-pawn.
39.Ke3 g5 40.fxg5 fxg5 41.hxg5 h4 42.f4 h3 43.Kf3 c4 0-1 [G. Bekker]

 Tony Davis (1828) - Dean Hogg (2034) [D01]
Best in the West (3.2) 23/08/2008

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 Nbd7 4.Nf3 h6 5.Bf4 c6 6.Qd3 b5 7.a3 e6 8.e4 b4 9.axb4 Bxb4 10.Bd2 Qb6 11.Na4 Qb8 12.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 13.c3 dxe4 14.Qe3 Qa5 15.b4 Qf5 16.Nd2 Qg6 17.g3 e5 18.Bg2 Ba6 19.Nxe4
  The alternative 19.Nb2 forces Black's Ba6 away from the important diagonal.
19...0-0 20.Nxf6+ Qxf6 21.Nc5 Nxc5 22.dxc5 Bc4 23.0-0-0 Rfd8 24.Kb2 a5 25.Qf3 Qg5 26.Qxc6?
  26.Qe3 was required.
26...Rd2+!
  Black infiltrates the White camp.
27.Kb1 Rad8 28.Rc1 Rxf2 29.Rhd1 Rfd2 30.Bf3 Qe3 31.Qc7? Qd3+
  32.Ka1 Ra2#
1-0 [G. Bekker]

 Joerg Wallmueller - Peter Wolf (1779) [C00]
Best in the West (3.3) 23/08/2008

1.Nc3 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Be7 5.d4 Nf6 6.Ng3 0-0 7.Bd3 c5 8.Be3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Nc6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Ne4 c5 13.Nxc5 Bxc5 14.Bxc5 Qd5 15.Bxh7+! Kxh7 16.Qxd5 Bxd5 17.Bxf8 Rxf8 18.b3 Rd8 19.Rfd1 Rd7
  19...Rc8 avoiding the resulting ending may have been better.
20.c4 Bc6 21.Rxd7 Bxd7 22.Rd1
  White has now reached a winning ending thanks to his strong queenside pawns.
22...a5 23.a3 Kg8 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 Kf8 26.f3 Ke7 27.Kf2 Kd8 28.Ke3 Kc7 29.Kd4 Ne8 30.Kc5 Nf6 31.b5 Be8 32.Kb4 g5 33.Rd2 g4?
  This gives White a passed h-pawn as well.
34.c5 gxf3 35.gxf3 Nd5+ 36.Ka5 Nc3 37.b6+ Kb7 38.Rd8 Bc6 39.h4 1-0 [G. Bekker]

 Bobby Cheng (1958) - Dean Hogg (2034) [E71]
Best in the West (4.1) 24/08/2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 c5 6.d5 0-0 7.Bd3 e6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Be3 exd5 10.exd5 Nbd7 11.Nf3 Re8 12.0-0 a6 13.a4 Qe7 14.Qd2 Qf8 15.Rab1 Nh5 16.g4 Nhf6 17.Kg2 Nh7 18.Nh4 Qe7 19.Nf3 Qf8 20.Ng1 f5 21.f3 Ne5 22.Be2 g5 23.f4 gxf4 24.Bxf4 Ng6 25.Bg3 Be5 26.gxf5 Bxf5 27.Bd3
  27.Bg4 is stronger, avoiding Black's counterplay.
27...Qg7 28.Bxf5 Nh4+ 29.Kh1 Nxf5 30.Rxf5 Qxg3 31.Ne4 Qg6 32.Rbf1 Rf8 33.Qg2 Qxg2+ 34.Kxg2 Rxf5 35.Rxf5 Rf8
  After this exchange of rooks, the resulting ending is better for White.
36.Rxf8+ Kxf8 37.Nf3 Bf4
  37...Bxb2 38.Nxd6 b6 39.Nc8 is also clearly better for White.
38.Nh4 Ng5
  38...Be5 39.Ng6+ also wins for White.
39.Nxc5 dxc5 40.Ng6+ Ke8 41.Nxf4 Kd7 42.Kf2 Ne4+ 43.Ke3 Nd6 44.b3 b6 45.Ne6 Nb7 46.Kd3 Nd6 47.a5!
  47...bxa5 48.Nxc5+ and White will win.
1-0 [G. Bekker]

 Erik Teichmann (2269) - Joerg Wallmueller [E33]
Best in the West (4.2) 24/08/2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bxd2+ 6.Nbxd2 d6 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 e5 9.d5 Ne7 10.e4 Ne8 11.Ne1 f5 12.Nd3 f4 13.c5 g5 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.f3 h5 16.Kf2 Nf6 17.gxf4 exf4 18.Qb3 Kh7 19.Nc4 Ng6 20.Qb4 Ne8 21.Ke2 g4 22.Kd1 Nh4 23.Bh1 gxf3 24.Kc2 Bh3 25.Qxb7+ Kh6 26.Rf2 Bg2 27.e5 Rc8 28.b3 Rc7 29.Qb4 Nf5 30.Bxg2 fxg2 31.Kb2 Rg8 32.Rg1 dxe5 33.Ncxe5 Qxd5 34.Qxf4+ 1-0

 Bobby Cheng (1958) - Edsil Dilla (1932) [D30]
Best in the West (5.1) 24/08/2008

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.b3 Bd6 7.Bb2 0-0 8.Bd3 Re8 9.Ne5 Nf8 10.f4 N6d7 11.0-0 f6 12.Nxd7 Bxd7 13.e4 dxc4 14.Nxc4 Bc7 15.e5 f5 16.Ba3 Ng6 17.Bd6 Bb6 18.Bc2 Qh4 19.g3 Qh3 20.a4 Ne7 21.a5 Bd8 22.Qd2 Nd5 23.b4 b5 24.axb6 Bxb6 25.Rfc1 h5
  Black initiates a counter-attack on the kingside.
26.Ra3 h4 27.Bc5 Bxc5 28.bxc5 hxg3 29.hxg3
  This leaves White's king position vulnerable. 29.Rxg3 was stronger.
29...Reb8 30.Bd1 a5 31.Be2 a4 32.Bf1 Qg4 33.Kf2 Rb3
  Black takes the initiative.
34.Rxb3 axb3 35.Be2 Qh3 36.Bf3 Qh2+ 37.Bg2 Ra2 38.Nb2 Nb4 39.Rc3
  39.Rb1, freeing the queen from the defence of the Nb2, is better.
39...Ra1
  39...Be8! intending Bh5-g4-h3, should win for Black.
40.Rxb3?
  40.Rc1 was required.
40...Qg1+?
  40...Rg1 41.Kf3 Be8 threatening 42...Bh5+ wins for Black.
41.Kf3 Nd5 42.Qf2 Qb1?
  In time-trouble Dilla misses 42...Qh2! (Threatening 43...Qh5 mate) 43.Ke2 Rc1 with either 44...Rc2+ or 44...Rg1 winning next move.
43.Qd2 Qg1 44.Qf2 Qb1 45.Qd2 Qg1 46.Qf2 ½-½ [G. Bekker]

 Dean Hogg (2034) - Erik Teichmann (2269) [B00]
Best in the West (5.2) 24/08/2008

1.d4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 3.e4 Nf6 4.Bb5 a6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.Nc3 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Qe2 e6 10.g5 Nd7 11.Nh4 Be7 12.f4 d5 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.h4 Qb8 15.f5 gxf5 16.exf5 exf5 17.g6 Nf8 18.Bg5 Nxg6 19.0-0-0 Qb4 20.h5 Nf8 21.a3 Qd6 22.Rhf1 Qe6 23.Qg2 Bxg5+ 24.Qxg5 Qh6 25.Rde1+ Ne6 26.Rxf5 Qxg5+ 27.Rxg5 Kf8 28.Rf5 Nxd4 29.Rf4 Nb5 30.Na4? Rxh5 ... 0-1 (54)

Nell van de Graaf Classic & teams event

from Peter Bender

The last hoorah!

51 diehard chess players converged at the Nell van de Graaff Classic and teams event to farewell Outreach Chess who had been running events on the Gold Coast for the last 4 years. The highlight of the tournament was the new opening played!

Top seeds where IM Peter Froehlich, FM Gene Nakauchi and the ‘in form’ Phachara Wongwichit. This event also features team prizes with players joining into groups of 4 with an average rating of 1500 or less.

And of course we had the regular upset prize of chocolate for the biggest winners. Some players definitely got a tummy ache for over achieving.

Australian U12 Girls champion Leteisha Simmonds exploded out of the blocks with upsets in both the opening rounds including against David Lovejoy (800 pts) for a draw and a win against John Humphrey (150 pts). No one was fooled by Leteisha’s serene smile after that start!

Round 2 was preceded by the free sausage sizzle which smelled great all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Round 2 also saw upsets by visually impaired Zac Clarkson over Peter Booy (400 points) and Philip Ee against Lalo Laurent (300 pts). Lalo was visiting from New Caledonia and finding just how strong Australian chess is.

Round 3 saw the first of our top seeds take a crash as Yi Liu ensured that Gene Nakauchi never recovered from an opening material loss. There was a 300 point rating difference in that game.

Round 4 started on the Sunday and Mark Stokes stunned everyone with his new opening. It’s called the Redcliffe 20 minute gambit. It’s played when he went to pick up fellow Redcliffe player PJ Bargo and much to his surprise PJ was still wearing his pyjamas and feeling that he should be getting ready for something! Mark and PJ arrived 20 minutes late but that wasn’t enough to deter Mark from defeating John Wu (200 pts).

My forecast for the dark horse was Jonas ‘Jaws’ Muller and he lived up to my expectations by earning a spot on board 1 against ‘the ever so relaxed’ Peter Froehlich. However, Peter turned ‘Jaws’ into a minnow with a quick victory and to secure one hand on the trophy he won last year.

Phachara Wongwichit maintained his consistency by dispensing with Yi Liu who was having a great tournament. This left the top two seeds equal first with 4/4.

Meanwhile on the lower boards teenager Robbie Peck continued his strong year with a good win against Daniel ‘I can live on 10 seconds a move’ Ford (200 pts).

Round 5 exploded as loud as the traditional coming thunderstorm with Peter only able to draw with Phachara. At one stage Peter was behind two pawns. This allowed the Gold Coast’s favourite son Matt Sonter who recently returned from Europe to sneak into equal first after defeating David Lovejoy.

The final round was set for fireworks with Sonter playing Froehlich on board 1, Wongwichit playing the fast finishing Tyson Walker on board 2 and Gene Nakauchi playing Jonas Muller on board 3.

It was appropriate that the football led the way for upsets this weekend as Sonter showed no respect for Froehlich’s 400 point rating difference to win the game and the event with 5½ from 6. This loss just blew Peter out of all contention.

Meanwhile Phachara could only draw against Tyson which gave Phachara equal second with Gene Nakauchi who defeated Jonas Muller.

However, the adventure doesn’t stop there! There were no less than 7 teams chasing team Jess who were leading by 1 solitary point into the last round. With the upsets on the top boards came massive ramifications in the teams event results with second level tie breaks needing to separate 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th.

The tie breaks meant that the final standings were first place to team Matt (Matt Sonter, Gene Nakauchi, Peter Haron (who had a great finish to win the U1200 division) and Alex Arase.) Second place went to ‘The Evil Prawns’ (yes I spelled it correctly) who consisted of Yi Liu, Axel and Alex Stahnke and the fast improving Martin Jack. Third was secured by team Ford with Daniel Ford, Robbie Peck, Mark Stokes and another rising junior in Daniel Lapitan.

Phew, what a weekend and what a way to celebrate our final tournament but don’t worry the Gold Coast Chess Club will be reinvigorated by President Peter Haron and life member Graeme Gardiner to continue the fine tradition of running Gold Coast’s three major weekend tournaments next year.

So on behalf of Outreach Chess I would just like to thank all the players, sponsors and especially the volunteers who have helped over the last four years to make our chess tournaments great and really, really enjoyable.

Take care and God bless,
Peter Bender

OP ED

The following article first appeared in the Fiji Sun daily newspaper on Friday, 12^th September, and has been sent to us by the author.

The Sport of Kings and Queens
BY CALVIN PRASAD

If I was paid a dollar every time I was asked ‘Is Chess REALLY a sport?’ I would have saved up enough saqamolis for each square on a Chess board.

For this question occasionally pops up as an anti-climax in conversations I have had with well-meaning and discerning individuals, normally when discussing a news item on Chess that had just been published in the ‘Sports’ section of the local media.

I always take care to proceed with caution in such conversations, as I presume I have heard or read almost all possible pros and cons of classifying Chess as a sport, and I know how opinionated some people can be about things discussed around the proverbial ‘grog bowl’.

Considering the overlay of opinion and hearsay lacing most of these hypotheses, I felt it is prudent to write a small article to set certain things regarding Chess into perspective – for the greater good of ‘grog bowl’ debates, of course.

It seems impossible to rank Chess alongside physically demanding activities like rugby or squash, the latter I know for a fact with my bruised left wrist and gasping lungs being witness to after each game. The occasional Sunday afternoon touch-rugby session usually leaves me with a feeling of being trampled by the All Blacks scrum pack.

And while there are a few similarities in personality traits between a Chess player and a ‘conventional’ athlete, these are few and limited.

Mental toughness, self-confidence, endurance, etc. are an absolute necessity for a competitive Chess player, and physical fitness becomes more important as the level of competition increases. A high level Chess game potentially lasts for several of grueling hours at a time, and it spells disaster if your mind and body are not in synch to toughen it out. The longest international Chess game has been recorded to have been played out from start to finish at an astounding twenty hours.

In a local Chess league match, one of my games lasted a little more than four hours. In an international match in 2006, I was made to soldier on at the Chess board for an exhausting six hours! Needless to say, there was little energy left for anything else after these games.

In Fiji, the Fiji Chess Federation (FCF) is officially recognized as a sporting body, and is affiliated to the Fiji National Sports Association and Olympic Committee (FASANOC). This was made possible partly after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized the world Chess body, FIDE, as an International Sports Federation.

Of course, Chess was not an Olympic sport at the 2008 Beijing Games, but then again, neither was Rugby Union.

However, Chess in Fiji has certainly made an impression in the local sporting scene. Chess players and administrators have consistently been awarded the highest accolades at numerous national sports awards over the past three years. In 2006, the Distinguished Service Award was given to FCF President Dr. Virgilio De Asa, for his long contribution to the sport over the years. In the same year, FCF General Secretary Dr. Jashint Maharaj was given the Technical Official of the Year award.

In 2007, I was awarded the National Male Athlete of the Year, and the same award was scooped by colleague Manoj Kumar in 2008.

All of the awardees competed in the same category as major sports including Rugby Union and Soccer.

The local media is particularly supportive of Chess, and constantly covers all major Chess competitions.

But what may come as a surprise to most, is that there are people in the world who actually derive a full-time income from Chess.

Professional Chess players travel the world, participating in high level tournaments earning a decent living. Chess coaches and tutors are aplenty, and while the remuneration is only a fraction compared to mainstream sport, it is sufficient and often times more rewarding to these die-hard Disciples of Chess than a standard eight-to-five job.

In October 2008, the World Championship match in Germany between Indian Vishwanathan Anand and Russian Vladimir Kramnik will carry a prize fund of 1.5 million Euros, which will be split evenly between the players, irrespective of the result.

The annual World Open Chess Tournament in Philadelphia, USA, has a total prize pool of more than USD$250,000 and is open to Chess players from around the world.

While there are no Chess professionals in Fiji (at least not that I’m aware of!), a handful of these mythical creatures exist as near as in Australia. Grand Master Ian Rogers comes to mind as a professional Chess player and coach.

As such, living in a time where the debate on identity in Fiji is high on the national agenda, it is not so important whether one agrees on Chess being a sport, but that Chess players always endeavor to display the greatest levels of sportsmanship in the game they love and enjoy. Ultimately, the aim for us who live and breathe Chess is to bring an international title home, and this will not be an insurmountable ambition with proper support and resources.

Perhaps this parallel does not only apply to Chess, but in any ‘game’ or ‘sport’ we take up. After all, live pigeon shooting, tug-of-war and dueling pistols have all graced the Olympics over the years as sports.

Candidate Master Calvin Prasad is a former National Chess Champion, and current Treasurer of the Fiji Chess Federation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.

TAILPIECE