Hamilton Chess Club

The round 4 crosstable is below. No half point byes rounds 5 and 6, but do let me know if you are not going to be there so I can take you out of the draw. Ratings and ladder have been updated.

No bye requests received this week, so Tuesday’s draw is below. Dont be late. If you cant make it let me know early so we can save your opponent a wasted trip.

Annual subs for many club members come due in the next few weeks. You can check when yours are due here. Online payment is preferred, let Richard and Ian know once you have paid

We have had no bye requests for Tuesday so the draw is as below. See you there.

Note that during the club champs non-members and guests are welcome as observers, but as game pairings are set a week in advance games will be “members only” (although you might possibly still be able to pick up a casual game as a non-member if one of the official games finishes a little early). Things will be a little more lighthearted on 1st May when we will have a series of seven games in one night at fast time control — prospective members are welcome to join in.

We have had two bye requests, so this will be the draw for Tuesday night. Games start as near as possible to 7.15pm once all boards are set up, and  a 30 minute late time applies (your game is lost if you are 30 minutes late). Clocks will be started  even if neither player is present. If you are not going to turn up let me know so we can save your opponent an unnecessary trip.

We have 23 players in this years club champs. Last night was notable for the fact that Gary, Matt, and Joel all held their higher rated opponents to very tense games that could of gone either way. In the end all three games eventually went as  predicted from ratings, but it provided for an exciting evening for the kibitzers. More sparks and tension to come in the next five weeks  I am sure. The crosstable so far is below, and ratings have been updated.

Several club players featured in the prize money at the recent BOP rapid.

A-Grade

1st FM Ben Hague

2nd= Kirill Polishchuck, FM Daniel Gong, FM Bob Smith, & Fulo Nunilon III

u-2000 1st= CM Hilton Bennett & CM Benjamin Lim

B-Grade

1st WCM Vyanla Punsalan

2nd= John Findlay, James Cater & William Lynn

Junior

1st= Adam Hasan-Stein & Will Fraser

Our premier event, the club champs, will kick off this coming Tuesday, 07 March. This is for members only. (Prospective members are welcome to come along and watch to “see the club in action” if they wish).

Time control will be the same as last year at 60 minutes + 10 seconds per move from move 1.

One game per night over 6 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 2017 and receive all the accolades that are associated with the title. The highest rated junior  will be awarded the title Club Junior Champion 2017.

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 5 or 6.

Tie breaks will be 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.

Club ratings and club ladder have been updated. The draw for the club champs will be based on your current club rating.

This years ever popular Latvian Tournament, organised annually by the Howick Pakuranga chess club takes place on Saturday 18th March at the Te Tuhi Centre Of The Arts, 13 Reeves Road,Pakuranga. There are four separate 6 round swiss tournaments, NZCF & FIDE rapid rated where possible. Time control is  25 minutes each player plus 5 seconds increment per move from move one. The flyer is here.

The club is pleased to see the return of two strong club stalwarts, William Lynn and Michael Budd.  Both William and Michael are strong players that have been absent for some time but have renewed their club memberships and will add weight at the top end of club strength. Welcome back.

The club welcomes Eng Sek and Brendon Tangiora  as its newest members. Eng and Brendon have both now played rateable games for the past 3 weeks, and enter the ratings board on  1479 and 1560 respectively . We look forward to their participation in the upcoming club champs.

The Summer Cup had a great turnout with 24 players participating across the two nights. Line honours went to Richard, with Sivaram and William tied for second. Club Champs are next week.

We opened the year with a casual blitz. A lot of new players turned up for a look, and we hope they return as members. Honours went to Graham, Lara, and Prashant.