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2009 YULGILBAR-THINK BIG AUSTRALIAN CHESS GRAND PRIX

47 events are currently on the 2009 calendar. See them all, here.

Coming Grand Prix Events

EVENTS CALENDAR

Dubbo RSL Open

A Yulgilbar – Think Big Grand Prix Class 1 Event
Venue Dubbo RSL Club, corner Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, Dubbo, NSW.
Format 6-Round Swiss, 60 minutes + 10 seconds.
Entry fee Adults $40, Concession $35, Juniors $20. Cheques payable to Dubbo RSL Chess Club.
Prizes $350 first prize guaranteed. Divisional and Junior prizes subject to number of entries
Registration Saturday 10:00am – 10:30am.
Enquiries to Alexander Aich email, phone (02) 6884 4561, or Trevor Bemrose email, phone (02) 6884 4096.

2009 Doeberl Cup

A Yulgilbar – Think Big Grand Prix Class 5 Event
Venue The Hellenic Club of Canberra, Matilda Street, Woden ACT 2606.
Format Premier (9-13 April, 9-Round Swiss, 90 minutes + 30 seconds), Major, Minor, 50+ (10-13 April, 7-round Swisses, 90+30), Under 1200 (10-11 April, 6-Round Swiss, 20+10) & Chess 960 (11 April, 5+0).
Entry fee free to GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs. Premier $140. Major & Minor $120, U/18 $80. 50+ $80. Under 1200 $60.
Prizes Premier $4000, $2500, $1500, $800, $500, $400, $350, $300. Major $1500, $800, $450, $250, $150, $100. Minor $750, $400, $250, $150, $100. 50+ $450, $300, $150, $100. Under 1200 trophies and gift vouchers.
Close of entries for Premier, Major, Minor, 50+ is 12.00 midday, Wednesday 8 April. Under 1200 entries close 12.00 midday, Friday, 10 April. All player sign-ins close 12.00 midday on first day of play.
Enquiries to Charles Bishop, info@doeberlcup.com.au.
Website here.

2009 Sydney International Open Chess Tournament

Venue Parramatta Town Hall, Church Street, Parramatta, NSW, 2150.
Format Open & Challengers (restricted to players rated below 2000) events. 9-Round FIDE-rated Swisses. 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move.
Entry fee free to GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs and players rated over 2500. Open 2400-2499 $100, 2300-2399 $125, 2200-2299 $150, 1600-2199 $175, unrated $225. Challengers $90, unrated $100.
Prizes Open $5000, $2500, $1500, $1000, $750, $500, $500, $500, $250, $250, $250, $250, $250 (Best female), $250 (Best under 18), $250 (Best under 12). Challengers $500, $400, $350, $300, $250, $200, $200, $100 (Best female), $100 (Best under 18), $100 (Best under 12).
Close of entries is on Sunday, 12 April. Player registration from 6.30 - 7.45 pm on Tuesday, 14 April.
Enquiries to Brian Jones, phone 61-2-9838-1529, fax 61-2-9838-1614, info@chessaustralia.com.au.
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). 40 moves in 90 minutes, 30 minutes to finish, plus 30 seconds per move from the start.
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.
As an added attraction, the Gold Coast Open, a cat 5 Yulgilbar-Think Big Grand Prix event, will take place in the same playing venue, Visions Conference Room, Twin Towns Resort, on the weekend immediately after the Zonal 27/28 June 2009.

OVERSEAS NEWS

ROBERT GRAHAM WADE, 1921 - 2008

Bob Wade, player, writer, arbiter, coach, and chess promoter, passed away on 11 December 2008 at the age of 87.

Robert Wade, OBE was born on April 10, 1921 in Dunedin, New Zealand. After winning the New Zealand Chess Championship in 1944, 1945 and 1948, he traveled to Europe to further his chess career. Settling in England, he became an International Master in 1950 and went on to represent England in six Chess Olympiads. In 1952 and 1970 he was British Champion. During his long career he defeated such luminaries as Korchnoi, Olafsson, Benko, Portisch, Uhlmann, Penrose, Speelman and Keene.

 Robert Wade - Wolfgang Uhlmann [C05]
Skopje/Ohrid, Skopje (18), 1968
(Notes by Bob Wade, compiled and edited by Ray Cannon in Bob Wade - Tribute to a Chess Master, 2006.)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ndf3 cxd4 8.cxd4 h5
  Uhlmann first played this vs. Pietzsch in the East German Championship, 1968. This was the fifth time he played this move at Skopje. In round two he drew with Matanovic, round four drew with Nicevski, round ten drew with Matulovic and round twelve lost to Maric. So 8...h5 netted only 1½/5. With nine blacks Uhlmann played eight French Defences, scoring 2½. Only Hort played 1.d4 against him.
9.a3
  9.Bd3 usually transposes.
9...Nb6 10.Bd3 Bd7 11.Ne2 a5 12.0-0 a4 13.Qe1 Na5?
  Black's plan is too slow in view of White's coming kingside attack. 13...g6 is better.
14.f5!
  Played on general grounds of giving his pieces plenty of squares from which to attack Black's insecure king.
14...exf5 15.e6 fxe6.
  If 15...Bxe6 16.Nf4 etc.
16.Qg3
  Threatening 17.Qg6+ and 18.Bg5+. 16 Nf4 is answered by 16...Qf6.
16...Kf7
  If 16...Be7 17.Qxg7; or 16...Qf6 17.Bg5 followed by 18.Qc7 or Ne5.
17.Nf4 Kg8
  Or 17...Rh6 18.Ng6 Rxg6 19.Ne5+.
18.Ng6 Nb3
  If 18...Rh7 19.Ng5 etc.
19.Nxh8 Nxc1
  Uhlmann prefers to take an active piece (well developed at base). If 19...Nxa1 20.Ne5 increases Black's problems.
20.Raxc1 Kxh8 21.Ne5 Be8 22.Rc7
  Threatens 23 Rxb7, 23.Nf7+ and 23 Rf7, preparing to sacrifice on f5.
22...h4 23.Qf4 g5?
  23...Rb8 would be better. Even so White could then play 24.Rf7 or 24.Nf7.

24.Ng6+! Kg8
  24...Bxg6 transposes.
25.Qe5 Bxg6 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Rxb7
  Although no means bad, White misses 27.Qe5+ Kg8 28.Rxf5! winning quickly.
27...Qe8 28.Rxb6
  Wade has emerged a clear exchange up with a simple win to follow.
28...Bg7 29.Qxg6 Qe3+ 30.Kh1 Qxd3 31.Qh5+ Kg8 32.Rd1 Qc2 33.Rb7
  Threatening mate in two.
33...Rf8 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Qxg5+ Kh7 36.Rc1 Re8 37.h3 1-0

 Jonathan Penrose - Robert Wade [C09]
BCF (ch) Coventry (4), 1970
(Notes by Bob Wade, compiled and edited by Ray Cannon in Bob Wade - Tribute to a Chess Master, 2006.)

Raymond Keene: "This game was instrumental in deciding Bob's second British championship title in one of the most representative British championships ever held. All the contenders were present, Bob of course, the defending and ten times champion Penrose, Hartston, myself, Corden, basically the England Olympiad team, plus Max Fuller from Australia, who was then on his top form.

After Bob's victory in this game he became more or less unstoppable and it was left to Penrose, Hartston, Fuller and myself to chase after him for second place, which we all duly did by tying second – a whole point behind Bob. What impressed everyone about this game was that first of all Bob had clearly done a lot of work on the opening variation before the game, and knew far more about it from recent events than anyone else. Secondly, given the chance to gain a lot of material but concede counterchances, he went for an entirely different form of advantage, which took all the wind out of White's sails and left the ten times champ struggling both psychologically and on the board."

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2
  Wade was a staunch advocate of the French Defence, and invented a line that still bears his name: 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6!? with the idea of ... Bd7-b5, exchanging the "bad" light-squared bishop.
3...c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.Nb3 Nge7 9.Nfxd4 0-0 10.Qh5
  Typically direct play from Penrose.
10...Ne5 11.Be2 Re8 12.Bd2 a5 13.Nb5 Bb8 14.Bc3 Nf5 15.f4 g6 16.Qh3 Nd4 17.Qh6 Nxe2+ 18.Kh1 Nxc3 19.fxe5

19...Bxe5
  Directed against 20 Rxf7, which would force Black's king out into the open while his army is distracted on the other wing. But now Black can hold the key defensive points and White gradually slides back down the hill.
20.bxc3 Ra6 21.N3d4 Bg7 22.Qd2 Bd7 23.a4 Rf6 24.Rfe1 Re4 25.Rad1 Bxb5 26.axb5 Rff4
  This strong centralisation announces the beginning of the end for White.
27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.Nb3 b6 29.h3 a4 30.Nd4 Bxd4 31.cxd4 Qc7
  The exchanges have left White a pawn behind and with many weaknesses. Penrose now seeks to create a passed pawn in the centre but it is no match for the monster on a4.
32.Qd3 Qe7 33.c4 Re3 34.Qc2 dxc4 35.Qxc4 a3 36.d5 Re1+ 37.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 38.Kh2 Qd2 39.Qc8+ Kg7 40.Qa8 a2 0-1

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