New Zealand Chess

www.newzealandchess.co.nz

Ted Frost - 1927-2010
Ted Frost - known as the great statesman of New Zealand Chess - died peacefully in his sleep on July 15th in Wanganui Hospital. He was 83. During his long services as a chess administrator, Ted held at various times all the major roles in New Zealand Chess - President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor of the New Zealand Chess Magazine. He introduced ratings to New Zealand chess, and established the Chess Friends Trust. Wellington Chess Club in particular benefited from his leadership skills. The full tribute by the club's current President, Ross Jackson, can be read on www.chess.wellington.net.nz.

Call for Expressions of Interest for Zonal places
Oceania Zonal, January 25th-31st 2011: New Zealand is entitled to nominate one player for the Open Zonal and one player for the Women's Zonal to receive free entry and free accommodation. If you are interested in taking the free place, please email Paul Spiller before 30th September. More information about the Zonal can be found on our Zonal Website. Selections will be made by the end of October. Please note that all New Zealanders are welcome to play on payment of the entry fee.
Photo: hot pool at Rotorua.

George Trundle 2010 NZ Masters
The Masters was won by Australian IM Guy West with the overwhelming score of 8½/9. Mike Steadman was second with 6½, collecting the George Trundle trophy for the best New Zealander, and also his first IM norm. Third was Bob Smith and the juniors Bobby Cheng and Daniel Shen tied for fourth. The concurrent Qualifiers' event finished in a 4-way tie for 1st between (in tie-break order) Bob Gibbons, Helen Milligan, Alan Ansell and Tony Dowden on 6/9. Full details on our Results Page.
Pictured: Mike Steadman (left) and Guy West.

A Grandmaster for New Zealand
Congratulations to 47-year-old Mark Noble (Lower Hutt), on achieving a life-long dream with his recent qualification as a Correspondence Chess Grandmaster. Although these days played via the Internet, correspondence games can still take a considerable time to complete. Mark's final game (achieving his third and final norm) was against Jiri Soudny of Russia, and lasted some 60 moves and 22 months. The links below give the tournament cross-tables detailing Mark's wonderful achievement:
www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=16790
www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=17605
www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=16631

Girl Power at the Waitakere Licensing Trust Open
Grandmaster Gawain Jones duly won the Open with a perfect 6/6. During the event, there were several match-ups between members of the Open and the Women's teams. The Women came out on top by a margin of 2½ to 1½: Eachen Chen beat Gino Thornton, Helen Milligan drew with Gino, Sue Maroroa drew with Mike Steadman, and in the last game to finish (123 moves) Helen drew with Bob Smith. Sue, Helen, Eachen and Judy Gao all collected grading prizes. Pictured: (top) Eachen Chen, Judy Gao, (bottom) Helen Milligan and Sue Maroroa.
Full crosstables and lots of photos available on our Results Page.

Teams announced for the 2010 Olympiad
The Open team, in alphabetical order:
Daniel Han, Stephen Lukey, Bob Smith, Michael Steadman, Gino Thornton.
The Women's team, in alphabetical order:
Eachen Chen, Natasha Fairley, Sue Maroroa, Helen Milligan, Shirley Wu.
Open team captain and overall manager: Hilton Bennett. Women's team captain: Viv Smith.
Full details can be found on our Olympiad Page, where we are also starting an Appeal for help with the travel costs.

Kiwis Abroad
There was a Kiwi presence in three major international events over Easter. FM Mike Steadman went in search of IM norms at the Doeberl Cup and Sydney International Open in Australia - and made it clear that he will soon be achieving them. Hilton Bennett and Helen Milligan put in supporting performances at Doeberl, and the three were joined by Daniel Shen, Alan Ansell and Sue Maroroa at SIO. Bob and Viv Smith travelled to the Kuala Lumpur Open in Malaysia. Full results can be found on the Results Page.
Pictured: 1st on tiebreak at the SIO was Gambit author Dejan Bojkov. The tournament was enlivened by the presence of artist Sadami Konchi; on the right is her impression of Helen.

2010 Bay of Plenty Rapidplay
A one-two for Gawain and Sue! GM Gawain Jones won the Open section with a perfect 6/6. He was perhaps lucky to avoid a pairing against his fiancée, WIM Sue Maroroa, who carved her way through a strong field to finish second. The B-Grade was won by Luke Li. Full results and more photos can be found on our Results Page. Pictured here, of course, is the happy couple.

2010 Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk
The NZCF is calling for 'Expressions of Interest' from players and team captains for both the Open and Women's teams for the Chess Olympiad which is scheduled to take place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from 19th September to 4th October 2010. An Expression of Interest is not an application for selection, but will ensure that those who are interested in selection will be informed directly about news and developments related to the Olympiad. It is expected that applications for selection will close on April 16th, allowing players to include the results of major events taking place around Easter in their applications. The NZCF Selection Panel intends to finalise selections in early May. See our Olympiad Page for more information and updates.
Pictured: Dive, Lukey, Nokes and Chandler at the 2008 Dresden Olympiad.

117th NZ Chess Championships, January 2nd-14th 2010
IM Anthony Ker of Wellington (pictured right) has won a magnificent 11th New Zealand Championship title at the recent NZ Chess Supplies Congress in Auckland, half a point ahead of Nic Croad in second. The event was especially hard fought, with the lead changing hands a number of times. There was a fine victory in the Major Open section, for 12-year-old Alan Ansell (New Plymouth), ahead of many adult competitors. Congratulations also to Shirley Wu (Auckland; pictured left). As the highest-placed female player in the Major Open, she receives the Mabel Abbot Trophy and the title of NZ Women's Champion. Full information, including games, photos, and Rapid/Lightning scores, can be seen on our Results Page.

2010 Millennium Hotels NZ Chess Grand Prix
Congratulations to FM Bob Smith (pictured) who won the Open section of the 2009 Grand Prix.
Bob is the administrator of the Grand Prix, and he has some important advice for you for 2010 - see the Grand Prix Page.
There has been an important change to the Grand Prix rules for 2010. The requirement for a tournament to have three players in a division before Grand Prix points are awarded has been removed. This will benefit strong players who travel to the more distant events - Open Grand Prix points will now be awarded even if there are fewer than 3 players rated over 2000.

New Zealand Chess Supplies 117th NZ Chess Congress
No late entry surcharge
Congress 2010 will be held at the Alexandra Function Centre, Green Lane, Auckland, January 2nd-14th 2010. It incorporates the NZ Championship, the Major Open, the NZ Women's Championship, Rapid and Lightning Championships, and also the New Zealand Premium Junior Chess Event. Outright winners of the Championship and the Women's Championship will earn the right to represent New Zealand at the Chess Olympiad in October in the exotic Siberian location of Khanty-Mansiysk (where the World Cup is currently being held). Entry forms are available for download now on our Calendar Page.
Photo: the Khanty-Mansiysk bear and his fur-clad girlfriend promoting the 2010 Olympiad.

Papatoetoe Chess Club's 75th Anniversary Celebration
During Labour Weekend, Papatoetoe Chess Club held a day of events to celebrate their 75th Anniversary. Leonard McLaren gave a simultaneous display, and there were speakers, matches, and a great deal of food. Graham Banks (photo) is shown cutting the splendid anniversary chess cake. More photos can be found on our Results page.

Labour weekend events
Labour weekend saw two Grand Prix Class 1 events take place, in Christchurch and Auckland. English Grandmaster and top seed Gawain Jones won the All-Canterbury Championship (30 players). In Auckland, 13-year-old Daniel Shen outclassed the field in the Open (12 players), while first in the under-1700 section (27 players) was shared by Philip Mukkattu and Leonides Guico. See Results Page for full details.
Photo: the playing hall in Christchurch - in the foreground GM Jones (black pieces) faces Roger Nokes. Gawain is living in Wellington for several months, and is available for coaching - contact him at gawainjones@hotmail.com

Sydney International Open 2010 confirmed
Next year's Parramatta Chess Festival will definitely go ahead, confirms Sydney chess impresario Brian Jones (pictured). Dates are 7th-11th April, 2010. Difficulties raising sponsorship had put the event in jeopardy, but a passionate campaign to raise donations from enthusiasts paid off. Sufficient funds were eventually secured after contributions from New Zealand GM Murray Chandler and the NSW Chess Association. As in the previous three years, the Parramatta City Council are generously providing their Town Hall as a venue. For full details on SIO see www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm?site=open

George Trundle NZ Masters Tournament
Final scores:
IM Event: Jones 7½; Johansen, Solomon 6; Steadman 5 (Best New Zealander trophy); Watson 4½; Lukey 4; Smith, Reilly 3½; Croad 3; Hart 2.
Qualifier: Shen 6½; Wheeler 6; Bennett 5½; Milligan 5; Gibbons 4½; Forster, Goodhue, Tanoi 4; Stuart 3½; Taylor 2.
Photo: George Trundle at the prize-giving. See our Results page for the game file and more photos.

George Trundle NZ Masters Tournament
Sponsored by the Auckland Chess Centre and avid local enthusiast George Trundle. Closed 9-round all-play-all tournament where several NZ players will be trying for FIDE (World Chess Federation) IM norms. Players: GM Gawain Jones ENG 2553, GM Darryl Johansen AUS 2477, IM Stephen Solomon AUS 2424, FM Bob Smith NZL 2298, FM Tim Reilly AUS 2288, FM Nic Croad NZL 2285, Ralph Hart NZL 2256, FM Bruce Watson NZL 2256, FM Mike Steadman NZL 2252, FM Stephen Lukey NZL 2233 (September 2009 ratings). Spectators are welcome at the Auckland Chess Centre, 17 Cromwell St, Mount Eden - games at 1pm except last round at 10am.
Photo: Mike Steadman and Gawain Jones shake hands before their game - in which Mike caused a surprise upset! See our Results page for the game file.

Waikato Open
The Class 1 Millennium Hotels NZ Chess Grand Prix Waikato Open took place in Saint Paul's Collegiate School, Hamilton, 7th-9th August. Fresh from his match victory (4-2) against Puchen Wang, Australia's David Smerdon took first place, dropping only one half point (to IM Paul Garbett) in six games. Second equal on 4½ were Mike Steadman, Daniel Han, Paul Garbett, and Don Eade - see Results Page for full details.
Photo: David and Puchen shake hands at the Australasian Match of the Decade, under the watchful gaze of arbiter Bruce Pollard.

Australasian Match of the Decade begins in Auckland
Australia's in-form David Smerdon (who has recently achieved the Grandmaster title) will take on New Zealand's talented Puchen Wang in a six-game match, starting Saturday August 1st at 4pm. Subsequent rounds at 4pm daily until 6th August. Spectators are welcome at the "Old Boys' Pavilion" at Auckland Grammar School in Mountain Road (off Khyber Pass). For live Internet coverage see the Match Page.
Photo: David and Puchen snapped at the pre-match Meet & Greet event, at the Copthorne HarbourCity Hotel.

Kiwi title successes at Oceania Zonal
The Zonal tournament on Australia's Gold Coast was convincingly won by GM-elect David Smerdon (see results page), but in the multiple tie for second were two impressive Kiwi results. Mike Steadman (Auckland Chess Centre) and 13-year-old Bobby Cheng (who only recently changed allegiance to Australia) both qualified for FIDE-Master titles. In the women's event Arianne Caoili (Australia) took the top world championship qualifying spot, but again New Zealand had success - Sue Maroroa's third place won her a WIM title.
Photo: Australian Vaness Reid (who took a WFM title) with Natasha Fairley and Sue Maroroa.

Perfect 6/6 in Waitakere for Gawain
English Grandmaster Gawain Jones wiped out the opposition at the 32nd Waitakere Licensing Trust Open over the Queen's Birthday weekend - winning $1000, plus a $150 bonus for his perfect score. Likewise inspired, his New Zealand girlfriend Sue Maroroa took the Women's Prize, scoring 3.5/6, including a notable draw with International Master Paul Garbett. In the B-grade, Dean Zhao (North Shore) won with 5/6. Hans Gao (Papatoetoe) took the C-grade with another perfect 6. Equal first in the Junior section were Harry Cui (Waitakere) and Weber Wang (North Shore) with 5/6.
Photo: Gawain with his trophy.

Check it Out - a record turnout?
Wellington-region officials are wondering if a recent chess day at HIBS - Hutt International Boys' School - has set some sort of numbers record. 288 students participated in the mass competition in mid-May. So popular was the event that Richard Catterall, the teacher in charge of chess at HIBS, had to borrow equipment from the Upper Hutt and Wellington Clubs. "Chess is a worldwide game with well-researched educational benefits" Mr Catterall told the local newspaper, the Upper Hutt Leader. The "Check it Out" day concluded with local junior star Daniel Baider playing a simultaneous display against 16 opponents.

Richard Sutton 1938-2009
Former New Zealand Champion and FIDE Master Richard Sutton passed away last month, on Friday 17th April. As reported in the chess column tribute of the Otago Daily Times, Richard was greatly respected within the New Zealand Chess fraternity, not just for his strength, but for his sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. Richard won his first NZ Championship in Christchurch in 1963 (equal first with Sarapu) and won two more national titles in 1971 and 1972, as well as the New Zealand Correspondence Championship in 1970. He represented New Zealand at the 1966 Zonal tournament in Auckland and the 1972 Chess Olympiad in Skopje, Yugoslavia.
Photo: Emeritus Professor Richard Sutton, Faculty of Law, University of Otago (www.otago.ac.nz)

Sydney International Open - funding appeal
In just three years, the Sydney International Open has deservedly become the centrepiece of Australian tournament chess. This year's prestigious tournament (staged in Parramatta's iconic Town Hall, 14th-19th April 2009) featured 102 participants from 17 nations, including 8 Grandmasters. Now it appears the future might be in doubt. "With the end of the Pratt Foundation three-year pledge, we now appear to be in some financial trouble" says organiser Brian Jones. "We need some $8,000 - $10,000 to be able to continue in 2010."
Photo: the Kiwi contingent in Sydney 2009 (left to right): Bruce Pollard, Helen Milligan, Hilton Bennett, Bob Gibbons, Mike Steadman and Bill Forster.

Millennium Hotels extends Grand Prix sponsorship deal
Chess Federation President Paul Spiller has confirmed that the NZCF Grand Prix sponsorship deal with Millennium Hotels and Resorts has been extended. In a deal worth $10,000 over two years, the sponsorship will now run through to the end of 2010.
Photos: Russell Dive (Wellington) has won the North Island Championship, played in Wellington April 10th-13th . In the B-Grade, Nathan Goodhue (Auckland) was first equal.

NZCF March 2009 Newsletter
Click here to read the March newsletter (pdf format) from Paul Spiller, President of the New Zealand Chess Federation.
Photo: Bruce Watson (Auckland Chess Centre) has enjoyed a successful start to 2009. His 2nd place in the MIT Waitangi Rapid in February was followed by 1st equal (along with Mike Steadman) at the annual Howick-Pakuranga Latvian tournament in March.