Championship
The Silver Rook
The Silver Rook is awarded each year to the New Zealand champion. This storied trophy is intimately tied to our the long history of our National championship (the world’s oldest) The trophy is widely admired around the world, has a magnificent presence, and is very valuable. Consequently these days it is kept securely at NZ chess HQ rather than trusted to the custody of individual chess players, who of course don’t have a tremendous reputation for reliability as a group in general. A little like cricket’s Ashes which sadly never leave the long room at Lord’s even when ‘held’ by Australia. Amongst many others, the trophy bears the name of the late great IM Ortvin Sarapu no less than twenty times, an international record for multiple wins of a national championship.
New Zealand Chess Championship Winners
| Edition | Location | Year | NZ Champion | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch | 1879 | Henry Hookham | Christchurch |
| 2 | Christchurch | 1888/89 | Arthur Ollivier | Christchurch |
| 3 | Dunedin | 1890 | Henry Hookham | Christchurch |
| 4 | Wellington | 1890/91 | Richard James Barnes | Wellington |
| 5 | Auckland | 1891/92 | Franz Vaughan Siedeberg | Dunedin |
| 6 | Christchurch | 1892/93 | Franz Vaughan Siedeberg | Dunedin |
| 7 | Dunedin | 1893/94 | Joseph Edwards | Wellington |
| 8 | Wellington | 1894/95 | William MacKay | Wellington |
| 9 | Wanganui | 1895/96 | William Meldrum | Rangitikei |
| 10 | Christchurch | 1896/97 | Richard James Barnes | Wellington |
| 11 | Auckland | 1897/98 | Richard James Barnes | Wellington |
| 12 | Dunedin | 1898 | Robert Alexander Cleland | Dunedin |
| 13 | Wellington | 1900 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 14 | Christchurch | 1901 | David Forsyth | Dunedin |
| 15 | Auckland | 1901/02 | Richard James Barnes | Wellington |
| 16 | Dunedin | 1902/03 | John Cresswell Grierson | Auckland |
| 17 | Wellington | 1903/04 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 18 | Oamaru | 1904/05 | Arthur William Oswald Davies | Wellington |
| 19 | Auckland | 1905/06 | Richard James Barnes | Wellington |
| 20 | Christchurch | 1906/07 | William Samuel Viner | Perth |
| 21 | Wellington | 1908 | Arthur William Oswald Davies | Wellington |
| 22 | Dunedin | 1908/09 | Fedor Kuskof Kelling | Wellington |
| 23 | Auckland | 1909/10 | John Mason | Wellington |
| 24 | Timaru | 1910/11 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 25 | Napier | 1911/12 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 26 | Nelson | 1912/13 | John Cresswell Grierson | Auckland |
| 27 | Auckland | 1913/14 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 28 | Christchurch | 1914/15 | Fedor Kuskof Kelling | Wellington |
| 29 | Wellington | 1919/20 | William Edward Mason | Wellington |
| 30 | Dunedin | 1920/21 | John Dunlop | Oamaru |
| 31 | Auckland | 1921/22 | John Dunlop | Oamaru |
| 32 | Christchurch | 1922/23 | John Dunlop | Oamaru |
| 33 | Wellington | 1923/24 | Spencer Crakanthorp | Sydney |
| 34 | Nelson | 1924/25 | Cecil Purdy | Sydney |
| 35 | Dunedin | 1925/26 | Spencer Crakanthorp | Sydney |
| 36 | Auckland | 1926/27 | Arthur William Oswald Davies | Auckland |
| 37 | Christchurch | 1927/28 | Arthur William Oswald Davies | Auckland |
| 38 | Wellington | 1928/29 | John Angus Erskine | Melbourne |
| 39 | Wanganui | 1929/30 | Gunnar Gundersen | Melbourne |
| 40 | Rotorua | 1930/31 | Alfred William Gyles | Wellington |
| 41 | Napier | 1931/32 | Gunnar Gundersen | Melbourne |
| 42 | Auckland | 1932/33 | Maurice Edward Goldstein | Sydney |
| 43 | Dunedin | 1933/34 | John Dunlop | Dunedin |
| 44 | Christchurch | 1934/35 | John Angus Erskine | Invercargill |
| 45 | Wellington | 1935/36 | Alfred William Gyles | Wellington |
| 46 | Auckland | 1936/37 | Hedley Roy Abbott | Christchurch |
| 47 | Dunedin | 1937/38 | Samuel Hindin | Christchurch |
| 48 | Wanganui | 1938/39 | John Dunlop | Dunedin |
| 49 | Wellington | 1939/40 | John Dunlop | Dunedin |
| 50 | Timaru | 1940/41 | Philipp Allerhand | Wellington |
| 51 | Wellington | 1943/44 | Robert Wade | Wellington |
| 52 | Auckland | 1944/45 | Robert Wade | Wellington |
| 53 | Christchurch | 1945/46 | Tom Lepviikman | Wellington |
| 54 | Palmerston North | 1946/47 | Tom Lepviikman | Wellington |
| 55 | Dunedin | 1947/48 | Robert Wade | Wellington |
| 56 | Wanganui | 1948/49 | Alan Edgar Nield | Auckland |
| 57 | Auckland | 1949/50 | Philipp Allerhand | Wellington |
| 58 | Christchurch | 1950/51 | David I. Lynch | Hastings |
| 59 | Napier | 1951/52 | Ortvin Sarapu | Christchurch |
| 60 | Timaru | 1952/53 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 61 | Wellington | 1953/54 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 62 | Auckland | 1954/55 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 63 | Dunedin | 1955/56 | Frederick Alexander Foulds | Auckland |
| 64 | Wellington | 1956/57 | Arcadios Feneridis | Wellington |
| James Rodney Phillips | Auckland | |||
| 65 | Christchurch | 1957/58 | James Rodney Phillips | Auckland |
| 66 | Hamilton | 1958/59 | Frederick Alexander Foulds | Auckland |
| Barry C. Menzies | Auckland | |||
| 67 | Dunedin | 1959/60 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 68 | Auckland | 1960/61 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 69 | Wellington | 1961/62 | Graham G. Haase | Dunedin |
| 70 | Christchurch | 1962/63 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| Richard John Sutton | Auckland | |||
| 71 | Auckland | 1963/64 | Roger A. Court | Wellington |
| 72 | Wellington | 1964/65 | James Rodney Phillips | Auckland |
| 73 | Hamilton | 1965/66 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 74 | Christchurch | 1966/67 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 75 | Dunedin | 1967/68 | Bruce R. Anderson | Christchurch |
| 76 | Wellington | 1968/69 | Bruce R. Anderson | Christchurch |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| 77 | Auckland | 1969/70 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 78 | Nelson | 1970/71 | Richard John Sutton | Auckland |
| 79 | Hamilton | 1971/72 | Richard John Sutton | Auckland |
| 80 | Wellington | 1972/73 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 81 | Christchurch | 1973/74 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| 82 | Dunedin | 1974/75 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| 83 | Upper Hutt | 1975/76 | Lev Aptekar | Wellington |
| Murray Chandler | Wellington | |||
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| 84 | North Shore | 1976/77 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 85 | Wellington | 1977/78 | Craig Laird | Tauranga |
| 86 | North Shore | 1978/79 | Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland |
| 87 | Upper Hutt | 1979/80 | Ewen McGowen Green | Auckland |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| Vernon A. Small | Christchurch | |||
| 88 | Lincoln | 1980/81 | Roger I. Nokes | Christchurch |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| Vernon A. Small | Christchurch | |||
| 89 | North Shore | 1981/82 | Vernon A. Small | Christchurch |
| 90 | Dunedin | 1982/83 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| David A. Gollogly | Auckland | |||
| 91 | Auckland | 1983/84 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| 92 | Upper Hutt | 1984/85 | Vernon A. Small | Christchurch |
| 93 | Christchurch | 1985/86 | Adrian J. Lloyd | Christchurch |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| 94 | Wanganui | 1986/87 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| 95 | North Shore | 1987/88 | Jonathan Sarfati | Wellington |
| 96 | Dunedin | 1988/89 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| Anthony F. Ker | Wellington | |||
| 97 | Wellington | 1989/90 | Benjamin Martin | Dunedin |
| Ortvin Sarapu | Auckland | |||
| 98 | Auckland | 1990/91 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 99 | Dunedin | 1991/92 | Martin P. Dreyer | Auckland |
| 100 | Wellington | 1992/93 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 101 | Invercargill | 1993/94 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| Peter D. McKenzie | Christchurch | |||
| 102 | Wanganui | 1994/95 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 103 | Wellington | 1995/96 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| Martin P. Dreyer | Auckland | |||
| Robert W. Smith | Auckland | |||
| 104 | North Shore | 1996/97 | Alexei Kulashko | Auckland |
| 105 | Hamilton | 1997/98 | Alexei Kulashko | Auckland |
| 106 | Dunedin | 1998/99 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| 107 | Auckland | 1999/00 | Alexei Kulashko | Auckland |
| 108 | Waitakere City | 2000/01 | Scott Wastney | Nelson |
| 109 | Christchurch | 2001/02 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 110 | Wanganui | 2002/03 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 111 | Wellington | 2003/04 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 112 | Wanganui | 2004/05 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 113 | Queenstown | 2006 | Murray Chandler | Queenstown & London |
| 114 | Wanganui | 2007 | Puchen Wang | Auckland |
| 115 | Auckland | 2008 | Murray Chandler | Auckland |
| 116 | Queenstown | 2009 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 117 | Auckland | 2010 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 118 | Auckland | 2011 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 119 | Queenstown | 2012 | Michael V.R. Steadman | Auckland |
| 120 | Wellington | 2013 | Scott Wastney | Wellington |
| 121 | Auckland | 2014 | Puchen Wang | Auckland |
| 122 | Auckland | 2015 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| Nicolas Croad | Wellington | |||
| Ben Hague | Auckland | |||
| Paul A Garbett | Auckland | |||
| Anthony F. Ker | Wellington | |||
| Gino Thornton | Auckland | |||
| Robert W. Smith | Mount Maunganui | |||
| Leonard J McLaren | Auckland | |||
| Alexandra Jule | Australia | |||
| Gordon Morrell | Auckland | |||
| 123 | Auckland | 2016 | Alexei Kulashko | Auckland |
| Michael V.R. Steadman | Auckland | |||
| 124 | Wellington | 2017 | Scott Wastney | Wellington |
| 125 | Palmerston North | 2018 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| Alphaeus Ang | Auckland | |||
| 126 | Auckland | 2019 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| Russell J. Dive | ||||
| 127 | Tauranga | 2020 | Kirill Polishchuk | Mount Maunganui |
| Ben Hague | Auckland | |||
| Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland | |||
| Russell J Dive | Wellington | |||
| 128 | Palmerston North | 2021 | Nicolas Croad | Wellington |
| 129 | Christchurch | 2022 | Daniel Hanwen Gong | Auckland |
| 130 | Wellington | 2023 | Daniel Hanwen Gong | Auckland |
| 131 | Palmerston North | 2024 | Nicolas Croad | Wellington |