Hamilton Chess Club

We had round 6 last night. In the A division Eddie and Hilton are tied on 4 points each. We have some catch up games to play however, which means that the ultimate winner is as yet far from clear. Hilton and Eddie have a catch up game left over from round 2, with Asheesh and Graham needing to make up their missed game from round 6. In order to accommodate the round 7 games, and the catch up games, the time control will be 20 + 0 with a prompt start at 7:15. So the draw for the A division next week looks like this (note that Michael has said he can not make it next week, so Sivoram will take a point for the bye).

In the B division Daniel goes in to round 7 with a 1 point lead and looks likely to take out first place.

If you have been thinking about coming along for a look then September 3 at 7pm is your best bet. August 27 is the last night for the serious chess of the club rapid champs. After that we will revert back to something a little less formal with a series of quick fire games. Games will kick off shortly after 7, so dont be late if you want to take part in the mini tournament. New members are always welcome.

“…whenever you have to make a rook move and both rooks are available for said move – you should evaluate which rook to move and, once you have made up your mind… MOVE THE OTHER ONE!!!”

-Anon

The World Chess Championship 2013 will be a match between the World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand (winner of the World Chess Championship 2012) and Magnus Carlsen, to determine the 2013 World Chess Champion.  It will be held from 6 to 26 November 2013 in Chennai, India. Prior to the match, from 2005 to  June 2013, Anand and Carlsen played 29 games against each other at classical time controls, out of which Anand won six, Carlsen won three, and twenty were drawn. Hopefully the increased chess exposure that the match will bring will mean more members for the club.

Only 2 rounds to go. The A division is a three way tie between Eddie Hilton and Michael. Eddie and Hilton have yet to go head to head so we await that game with interest. Daniel leads the B division with Benjamin one half point behind. Crosstables and statistics have been updated. Dont miss out on round six next week.

The final standings are posted here, and full crosstables are available here

We had 100 pupils competing in the Waikato School Pupils Chess Tournament held at Southwell School today, as well as high drama with the Secondary division going “down to the wire”.

Schools played in teams of four vying for the privilege of representing the Waikato region at the National School’s competition to be held in Tauranga later in the year. There were 8 teams in the Primary division, 10 in the Intermediate, and 7 in the Secondary. The Primary and Secondary competitions were run as all-play-all round robins, while the Intermediate pupils took part in a seven round Swiss style tournament. Secondary pupils played with clocks (15 minutes for the game, plus a 5 second increment from round 1).

Honours in the Primary division went to Hukanui(1), first on 21.5 points, followed by Hukanui(2), second on 21. Southwell(1) took third place with a score of 18.5.

In the Intermediate division first was Fairfield(1) on 21, followed by Peachgrove(1) on 17, and third Maeroa(1) on 15 points.

In a repeat of last years Secondary division tournament, St Pauls(1) and Hamilton Boys High School(1) were tied first equal after 7 rounds on 25 points each. Third place went to St John’s on 18.5. A tiebreak round was played between St Pauls and HBHS(1), but the score remained locked with each side getting two further wins. A second tiebreak was held but again each team managed two wins and the scores remained deadlocked. A third tiebreak round was held at the shorter time control of 10 minutes for the game with no increment. Boards 3 and 4 were the first decided, both going the way of HBHS(1). Board two then went to St Pauls(1), leaving Board 1 to either clinch it for HBHS(1) or force a further tiebreak. In the end Christopher Symon took the point off Daniel Davis, securing the win for HBHS(1).

Congratulations to all competitors, and thank you to the parents for supporting the day. Thanks also to Gary and Gerri Judkins for organizing, Hilton for running the pairings smoothly, Ian and Graham for arbiting, and Southwell School for the venue. We wish the Waikato representatives every success at the forthcoming national tournament, and look forward to seeing you all back to compete in next years events.

Some photos from the day are here

If you have been thinking about coming along for a look then September 3 at 7pm is your best bet. August 27 is the last night for the serious chess of the club rapid champs. After that we will revert back to something a little less formal with a series of quick fire games. Games will kick off shortly after 7, so dont be late if you want to take part in the mini tournament. New members are always welcome.

Club ratings now reflect 1003 rated games since the rating system was first introduced earlier this year. Record for the most rated games goes to Ian on 98, followed by Daniel on 88 and Gary on 87

Round 4 last night. Michael now leads the A division on 3 points, while Ian and Daniel are tied at 3 points apiece in the B division. Crosstables and ratings have been updated.

The 2013 Interschool Chess Tournament Waikato Regional Competition will be held at  Southwell School library on Sunday 11 august 10.00 am – 3.00 pm. The tournament is  organised by Gary and Gerri judkins under the auspices of the NZ Chess Federation. Play  will be in three divisions: primary, intermediate and secondary. Schools may enter up to two teams of four players per division.  the entry fee is $20 per team.  The top team in each division will advance to the National Interschools Finals, 21 – 22 September at Mt Maunganui College. A flyer for the competition is located here.

We will have a very brief AGM at the conclusion of the final round of the club Blitz Championship on 27/8/13. We would hope to conclude the meeting in under 15 minutes, so there is no need to avoid coming to the club that night. The agenda is below. If you have items that you would like placed on the Agenda please let Ian know

• Apologies
• Minutes of previous AGM
• Matters arising from the Minutes
• Presentation of Annual Report
• Presentation of Accounts
• Election of Management Committee/Office Bearers
• Motions to be put to the AGM
• Any Other Business
• Close

For those of you keen to revel in the afterglow of the best Regional Chess Tournament in the country Symon Lyall has once again provided a link to his Flickr site with lots of photos. Enjoy.

Michael and Eddie are 2 points each in the rapid after three rounds, while Daniel is clear of the field with 3 from 3 in the B division. Crosstables and club ratings have been updated.

Club member Benjamin Symon was awarded the prestigious “William Lynn” trophy for the best Waikato Junior at the conclusion of this weeks open Tournament. Benjamin scored a credible 4 out of 6 in the Under 1800 division and we look forward to possible higher scores next year. He was as the cup his effort meant he was awarded a share of the cash prize for coming third overall, and a book prize for age and grade achievement.

The Len Whitehouse Cup is awarded every year in memory of an early member of the club who sadly passed away soon after the first Waikato Open. It is awarded to the player, being a resident of the greater Waikato area, who scores highest in the Open division of the tournament. The cup has been awarded continuously for a total of 21 years. This year club member Eddie Tan claimed the honours. Eddie is a recent import from the UK and is proving a strong player at club nights

The Waikato Open 2013 was a great success with 38 players. The Open division was contested by 19 players with FM Bob Smith taking the $325 first prize on a score of out of 5 out 6. As well as the cash prize Bob was pleased with what he calculated to be an extra 22 points added to his FIDE rating following the weekend’s effort. Second place was a three way tie between FM Mike Steadman, FM Mark Noble, and Craig Blaxall. In the Under 1800 division 18 players toughed it out. Richard Dare managed 5 out of 6 to take out first place. Tony Wang was second on 4.5 points, and third place was a three way tie between Benjamin Symon, Allen Fan, and Ian Kennedy all on 4 points. In the grade prizes Caleb Wright (3.5 out of 6) took the U2000 cash prize on points, and there was a five way tie in the U1500 between Daniel Davis, Lillian Dare, Christopher Symon, Murray Tuatini, and Dion Charles, all on 3 out of 6. The Len Whitehouse Cup for the highest scoring Waikato player went to club member Eddie Tan, who managed 3 points in the Open Division. The William Lynn Trophy for the best Waikato Junior went to Benjamin Symon. Club ratings have been updated to reflect the weekend’s games. The full crosstables are here, and the rogue’s gallery is here.  The Champions board has been updated here. Thanks to all the participants, especially those that made the effort to attend from out of town, and thanks once again to Keong Ang for his super smooth running of the tournament. We hope to see you all again next year.

We have 39 registered for the Waikato Open starting tomorrow night. With a few stragglers we should make 42 or 43. Dont be late, first game starts at 7:15 pm sharp.

We had round 2 of the rapid last night. Wins in the A division for Michael and Asheesh, and in the B division for Daniel Ian RIchard and Brandon. Gary picked up rating points in some casual games after the formal part of the evening to reach an all time personal best of 1554. Statistics and crosstables have been updated. Round 3 next week.

1. There has been a change in the pawn structure. Your opponent has 8 and you don’t have any.
2. Your opponent begins to throw pawns at your eyes.
3. You have a postion won but your opponent has a gun.
4. The Director tells you not to bother turning in your scoresheet after the game.
5. Before game begins you notice your opponents 1st initials are ‘GM’.
6. After completing your development you sense your opponent playing the endgame.
7. Just as you make your opening move your opponent announces mate in 11.
8. You don’t control any squares at all.
9. Your draw offer sends all the people watching your game into uncontrollable laughter.
10. Your opponent has 3 bishops