Hamilton Chess Club

Eight club players turned out for the recent BOP rapid. Richard, Prashant, and Hilton all managed a credible 3 points in the tough field of the  open division. The results are notable for  including an impressive draw by Richard against FIDE International Master Paul Garbett, rated 2284. Richard will pick up significant NZCF rating points as a consequence. In the same division Graham scored 2 and Chirag 1.5. In the B division Milton, Gary, and Murray managed  4, 3 and 2 points respectively.

The club champs kick off next week. The draw will be based on club rating so in some games there will be the inevitable mismatch of ability that occurs in the first few rounds. Don’t despair as within a round or two you will be have opponents closer to your own level. As this is serious chess please remember to keep the noise down.  Although Hamilton Chess Club Special Rules do not call for game forfeit if your mobile goes off please be considerate and set your phone to silent. See you next week. Remember no  entries after week 1, so if you want to be in but cant make it on the first night let Ian know so you can have a bye.

The club now has in excess of 40 members and continues to go from strength to strength. The next seven weeks are members only nights for the club champs, but if you are a prospective member you are welcome to come along and see how we operate, and you may be able to pick up a casual game or two once members have completed their scheduled games.

The club is pleased to welcome Finlay Buckell as its newest member. Finlay had accumulated a few club games earlier in the piece and enters the ratings table with 36 ratable games so far, and a club rating of 1427. Dave Whiting and Milton Severinsen have both returned as fully paid up members last night after an absence. They are both strong players and we are pleased to see their return, especially with the club champs commencing next week

Richard topscored in the Summer Cup on 9 points, followed by Graham on 8 and Prashant on 6. The final crosstable is reproduced below.

Remember that our premier event, the club champs, will kick off on Tuesday 01 March.

Time control will be longer than last year at 60 minutes + 10 seconds per move from move 1.

One game per night over 7 weeks.

The format will be start time 7.15pm (7.30 on week 1), 1 game per night, open to financial members (or financial members temporarily in arrears) only. You can check when your sub is due by going to the website – About > Who We Are. Online payments preferred, see the website for details. If you are not currently a member but want to take part then you can join on the first night.

(Adult: $40 per year, or $25 for 6 months. Juniors $20 per year)

A single division Swiss Style Tournament. The overall winner will be awarded the title Club Champion 2015 and receive all the accolades that are associated with the title. The highest rated junior  will be awarded the title Club Junior Champion 2015 and will receive a book prize.

The draw will be based on Current club ratings. New players without a club rating will be assigned 1500 points for the purposes of the  draw.

No late entries allowed – so if you can’t make it on the first night let me know and you will be awarded a bye. Also if you want to play but might be a little late on the first night let me know and I will include you in the draw. Please don’t turn up after 7:15. Entries will not be accepted in week two or beyond.

Games start at 7.15pm – a 30 minute late time applies (your game is lost if you are 30 minutes late). Clocks will be started at 7:15 even if neither player is present.

Usual FIDE laws apply with  the exception of the Hamilton Chess Club Special Rules found on the website. Disputes committee will be club executive (Hilton Ian and Richard). If one or two of the disputes committee is/are party to a dispute, the remaining member(s) will constitute the disputes committee.

Please bring a pen if you wish to record your games. Recording is not mandatory, but if you don’t record your game you will not be allowed to claim a draw for the 50 move rule or 3 fold repetition unless agreed by your opponent.

One 1/2 point bye allowed per player, if notified to Ian the Sunday before the round that it applies.

No half point byes allowed in rounds 6 or 7.

In a departure from previous years ties will be decided using tie breaks according to the NZ  standard  1. Direct Encounter. 2. Cumulative (Sum of Progressive Scores). 3. Total Buchholz. 4. Sonneborn-Berger. 5. Buchholz Cut1.   If still tied the award will be shared.

Summer Cup night 2 saw the addition of 5 new players. There were a few no shows from last week, but that still left 20 players for the night. Richard is on 6 and Graham on 5.  Final 3 rounds next week

Welcome to Shilong Yang and Chirag Doshi as the club’s newest members. Both enter the club ratings page here with 9 rateable games each (Shilong played a few games at the club some years back). Shilong is on 1469 and Doshi is on 1549. Welcome

The Summer cup got underway last night with a respectable 19 players. There are 6 more games to run over the next two weeks, so it is not too late to join in next week.

The club welcomes Cooper as its newest member. According to his mum Cooper is “obsessed with chess” so will be a valuable new addition to the junior ranks, and will no doubt soon be snapping at the heels of the more experienced members. Welcome Cooper.

Prashant took out the opening blitz last night with a perfect 6. Club ratings will be updated shortly. Summer cup next week, don’t be late.