It is my very sad duty to announce the passing of Anton Reid on Saturday 4th May 2024. A doyen of Upper Hutt Chess Club and a Life Member of Upper Hutt Chess Club and the New Zealand Chess Federation (NZCF), Anton joined the Upper Hutt Chess Club in 1962.  He has remained a continuous member since for over 60 years, serving as Club Captain for 25 years, Treasurer for a further 19 years and a Committee member for many

The New Zealand Chess Federation will now be paying all FIDE title and licence fees on behalf of all NZL players, arbiters, trainers and organizers. Historically, the NZCF has invoiced individuals or clubs for these charges, but will now absorb the costs on your behalf. This initiative will be backdated to any FIDE title and licence fees charged to the NZCF by FIDE after 1 July 2023, So, if you have not received an invoice for a recently awarded title,

The Bledisloe and Blackburn Cup interclub competitions are set to be revived. 2024 sees the re-introduction of these competitions – The Bledisloe Cup for teams from the major metropolitan areas and the Blackburn Cup for those clubs outside the major metropolitan areas. The 2024 edition will be run as a hybrid chess event. All clubs have been emailed details, so chat to your club captain, committee members etc. for more info about your club’s possible participation. More info here: Bledisloe

In December 2023, FIDE announced a new tiered system for organizers. There are now 3 official organizer titles: The 1st of these, the FIDE Associate Organizer, can be awarded to those who have organized at least 5 FIDE rated competitions (standard time control) and who have at least 3 years chess organizing experience. Applications are done via your national chess federation. If you are an organizer who meets these requirements, and are not yet an IO under the old system,

FIDE TRAINERS’ ONLINE SEMINAR – 26-28 April 2024 (English) Hi All Apologies for the late notice – we have 2 free places for this trainers seminar (normal cost EURO 200). So if anyone who currently coaches is looking to get an official FIDE trainers title, this may be an opportunity for you. Registration closes 21 April – so I plan to process any registrations late Sunday. If you are interested, please let me know asap. We cannot guarantee a free

Budapest Olympiad, 10-23 September 2024 Current Olympiad Appeal (updated 13/4/2024) Total $1,900 Any money raised via this appeal goes directly to the players travelling to Budapest to help with their travel costs. Your support is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made directly to NZCF bank account with notation ‘Olympiad’: Account Name: New Zealand Chess Federation Inc.Account Number: 01 0535 0073257 00SWIFT: ANZBNZ22 Please also notify NZCF Treasurer (treasurer@newzealandchess.co.nz) or the NZCF Admin (admin@newzealandchess.co.nz) who will promptly acknowledge receipt and issue

The NZCF is happy to announce a weekend of arbiter training for those wanting to become National Arbiters The lecturer will be IA Dr Peter Tsai (AUS – see bio at end). National Arbiter under the New Zealand Federation: 1.     Attend an New Zealand endorsed National Arbiter seminar 2.     Must be 16 years of age in order to obtain a National Arbiter License 3.     Pass an exam set by the Lecturer at the end of the seminar Date: Saturday 13th

Dear Chess Federations, We are excited to extend an invitation to participate in a groundbreaking initiative to promote gender diversity within the realm of chess. FIDE and World Chess have recently launched the Swiss Queens Wednesday tournament series, and we cordially invite you and members of the federation to be a part of this significant endeavor. Key Details: Event: Swiss Queens Wednesday Online Tournaments Date & Time: Every Wednesday at 17:00 CET Format: Swiss pairing system Eligibility: Open to all