Hamilton Chess Club

We currently have a members only tournament running on club nights. If you are a guest or prospective member we will be starting a less formal tournament running for three weeks from 24 June. Games will be about an hour long and there will be two per night. We would prefer that people commit to attending for all three weeks.  Alternatively,  we will be playing “blitz” games, 6 games per night, each of about 12 minutes duration, on the 8th and 15th of July. The blitz nights are usually the best for newbies to come along to so as to get a feel for the club.

The club rapid championship kicked off last night. We will have rounds 2, 3, and 4 over the next 3 weeks, with subsequent rounds later in the year. A permanent link to the crosstable can be found under events > 2014 above. As is usual in a seeded tournament such as this the first round was characterized by some pretty uneven matchups in playing strength, but as the rounds progress opponents will find themselves more evenly balanced. This year we have 20 starters, and may pick up a few latecomers with subsequent rounds. Last year we only had 17 entrants, and in 2012 there were only 12, so club membership and participation are blossoming

The club welcomes Nithin Perumal as a full member. The club now has 32 financial members (and one member in arrears). At 8 years old Nithin joins the group of youngsters that are regulars at the club. The 6 rated games that Nithin has played so far earn him a club rating of 1405, placing him between Adam and Elijah. We look forward to Nithin participating in the club rapid from tomorrow night. Welcome Nithin.

The club welcomes Milton as its newest member. Milton is a strong player scoring an impressive four out of six in the first round of the blitz, followed by a first equal of five out of six last week. The twelve ratable games that he has played so far mean he enters the ratings board with the rank Queen, a rating of 1611, and is now the fourth strongest club member by club rating. Milton is a serious contender for club blitz champion currently placed second overall. Welcome Milton.

A permanent link to the club night calendar for the rest of the year can now be found at the top left of the screen. As you can see there will be a range of different formats throughout the remainder of the year with an emphasis on slightly longer games at the expense of less blitz nights. There will be a graded round robin later in the year so members will need to watch their club ratings if they wish to play in the higher ranked divisions. There are a couple of novelty formats too. The program is not cast in stone, and can be modified if there are reasonable suggestions or additions.

We will commence the Club Rapid next week. This will be a members only event with time control 25 + 5, one game per night. The first three games will run over the next three weeks, with rounds 4 and 5, and then 6 and 7 later in the year. A full timetable for the rest of the year will be posted shortly.

Sean Clark joined up last night. Sean has been coming along for some weeks now and has proved a good sparing partner for the group of Junior members of the club. He has 23 games ratable for club purposes, and enters the ratings board on 1493 which places him between Adam and Elijah.

We had 20 for round 2 of the blitz last evening, which is a near record number for a club night. Richard and Milton took line honours on 5 points each, and Sivoram had a strong night scoring 4.5. Personal best club ratings were achieved by five players as Richard inched his way towards the top of the board. A permanent link to the club blitz results can be found under Events > 2014 > Club Blitz Champs. Club ratings have been updated also

“Yes, I have played a blitz game once. It was on a train, in 1929.” – Mikhail Botvinnik

Blitz round 1 last night. Crosstables and cumulative points tables are here. Member ratings have been updated to reflect last nights games. Round 2 next week. Dont be late.

“Blitz rots the brain just as surely as alcohol.” – Nigel Short

The votes are in and it is 6 to 5 for blitz, with 5 + 3 as the most popular choice for time control. The votes (of those that expressed a preference) are as follows:

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Accordingly the next two weeks will be the blitz, with scores going towards deciding Club Blitz Champion 2014, and Club Blitz Champion 2014 (Reserve Board).

The format will be Swiss tournament, 6 rounds per night, at time control  5 + 3. Players will be able to accumulate a maximum of 6 points per night, 36 over the tournament. The winner will be the individual with the most points. In the case of a tied score, the winner will be decided based on the individual game scores between the contestants over the 6 weeks of the tournament. If still tied, a tiebreak match of four games at 3 + 2 will be used. The highest scoring player will be awarded the title of Club Blitz Champion and will have their name immortalized on the champions board. The title of Club Blitz Champion (reserve board), also immortalized as above, will be awarded to the highest scoring player whose club ranking was pawn, knight, or bishop at the start of the tournament. Players can take a bye in one week and receive 3 points. No byes in the final round. Each round robin will be open to anyone present on the night, including guests, but only club members will be eligible for the titles. We will have two consecutive weeks now, again in July, and then the deciding two nights in September. Draws will be seeded based on club ranking. Games will start at 7:30 pm. A single late addition will be made to the draw on the night in the event there is an odd number of players. No late additions will be permitted if there is an even number in the draw for that particular night.

This years Waikato Open will be held on June 27. A flyer is here, and the registration page can be found here.  Once again the Hamilton Chess Club will be hosting this premiere tournament at St Paul’s Collegiate, the premiere venue. Players at any level are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.

Two for blitz, one for rapid, one either way. Dont forget to have your say.