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 chessplayers, 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 Champions
The table below lists all New Zealand champions, the row numbers are Congress numbers, the City column indicates where the player was living at the time.
| 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 James Rodney Phillips |
Wellington Auckland |
| 65 | Christchurch | 1957/58 | James Rodney Phillips | Auckland |
| 66 | Hamilton | 1958/59 | Frederick Alexander Foulds Barry C. Menzies |
Auckland 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 Richard John Sutton |
Auckland 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 Ortvin Sarapu |
Christchurch 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 Ortvin Sarapu |
Auckland Auckland |
| 82 | Dunedin | 1974/75 | Paul Anthony Garbett | Auckland |
| 83 | Upper Hutt | 1975/76 | Lev Aptekar Murray Chandler Ortvin Sarapu |
Wellington Wellington 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 Green Ortvin Sarapu Vernon A. Small |
Auckland Auckland Christchurch |
| 88 | Lincoln | 1980/81 | Roger I. Nokes Ortvin Sarapu Vernon A. Small |
Christchurch Auckland Christchurch |
| 89 | North Shore | 1981/82 | Vernon A. Small | Christchurch |
| 90 | Dunedin | 1982/83 | Paul Anthony Garbett David A. Gollogly |
Auckland 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 Ortvin Sarapu |
Christchurch Auckland |
| 94 | Wanganui | 1986/87 | Russell J. Dive | Wellington |
| 95 | North Shore | 1987/88 | Jonathan Sarfati | Wellington |
| 96 | Dunedin | 1988/89 | Paul Anthony Garbett Anthony F. Ker |
Auckland Wellington |
| 97 | Wellington | 1989/90 | Benjamin Martin Ortvin Sarapu |
Dunedin 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 Peter D. McKenzie |
Wellington Christchurch |
| 102 | Wanganui | 1994/95 | Anthony F. Ker | Wellington |
| 103 | Wellington | 1995/96 | Russell J. Dive Martin P. Dreyer Robert W. Smith |
Wellington Auckland 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 Nicolas Croad Ben Hague Paul A Garbett Anthony F. Ker Gino Thornton Robert W. Smith Leonard J McLaren Alexandra Jule Gordon Morrell |
Wellington Wellington Auckland Auckland Wellington Auckland Mount Maunganui Auckland Australia Auckland |
| 123 | Auckland | 2016 | Alexei Kulashko Michael V.R. Steadman |
Auckland Auckland |
| 124 | Wellington | 2017 | Scott Wastney | Wellington |
| 125 | Palmerston North | 2018 | Russell J. Dive Alphaeus Ang |
Wellington Auckland |
| 126 | Auckland | 2019 | Anthony F. Ker Russell J. Dive |
Wellington Wellington |
| 127 | Tauranga | 2020 | Kirill Polishchuk Ben Hague Paul Anthony Garbett Russell J Dive |
Mount Maunganui Auckland Auckland Wellington |
| 128 | Palmerston North | 2021 | Nicolas Croad | Wellington |