Hamilton Chess Club

In future all club tournaments on club nights and on weekends will be rated. I have gone back to the start of the year and calculated ratings for all participating financial members. You can find the ratings and an explanation as to how they are calculated using the menu at top right, or by clicking  here

We welcome Eddie as the newest member of the club. Eddie comes to us from the UK and has already proved himself a strong player taking second place in the Autumn Cup.

We had a good turnout last night with 19 showing for casual chess including several prospective new members. We will have a 6 round Swiss next week with time control 5 + 3. Games start at 7:20 sharp so dont miss out.

The first Sunday Rookies Tournament of the year will take place on April 7th starting at 11am. Seven games with 15 minutes each player on the clock. Entry is restricted to unrated players and players under 1600 NZCF rapid rating as this is a Rookies event – which still includes 80% of rated chess players! There will be cash Prizes for  1st and 2nd and for best U18, U14, U10. The tournament flyer can be accessed here. Register here to avoid disappointment

Stefan managed to take out last nights seven round blitz by a full point despite having one arm in a sling and Gary impressed with a draw against Peter to wind up in fourth place. The crosstable is here

The club welcomes Sivaram Manoharan as our newest member. Sivaram joins us as a junior but has already put in an impressive performance in the Autumn Cup where he managed a very creditable third equal on 4 points (shared with Peter and Stefan), and in fact if tie break is used he comes out third overall, above the other two.

The full Autumn Cup crosstable is now available for viewing here

A one night blitz tournament of six rounds next week. If we can attract 20 again as we did this week it will be a great night. Games start 7:20 sharp so dont be late.

We are pleased to announce that the Club has successfully bid for the North Island Rapid Champs for 2013. Dates and details to follow. The event will attract a strong field and will be a do-not-miss opportunity for club members (who will receive concessional entry rates).

Your subs can be paid in cash on club nights or by bank transfer into the club account. The account number is:

12-3454-0017302-00          (Reference — “Subs” & your name)

Subscriptions have been reduced for this year —  $40 for adults and $20 for juniors. Remember that club members get concessional entry rates for our major tournaments also. You can find out when your current subs expire by looking here

We had 20 competitors for the Autumn Cup last night. Going in to the final round Eddie was half a point up on Hilton and the two faced each other off in the final round. The struggle was tense and very even. With less than a minute on the clock for both, Eddie queened his passed pawn first  — but then Hilton was able to Queen on the next move with a check. Eddies king was on the same file as his new queen and he had to concede defeat. Hilton takes out the title of Autumn Cup champion 2013 on 5 points. Eddie came second with 4.5. As a new member of the club he is clearly going to be a force. There followed a four way tie for third. Pleasing to see Sirivan, a new Junior member, amongst those tied for third place — indeed on tie break score he was the strongest of  those taking third place so well done. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the USB stick home so you will need to wait until next week to view the entire crosstable.

We had an excellent turnout with 17 players in the Autumn Cup last night. Welcome to Damian Eades who has come to us from Tauranga. Damian is a strong player and will be a valuable addition to the club. Currently Eddie is leading on 3.5 points.

The final two rounds are next week and the draw is going to produce some tough fought games so dont miss out — and yes, you can still come along and join the tournament at this late stage. Games start 7:20 sharp. The crosstable is here

We had a great start for the Autumn Cup last night with 14 players turning out. Welcome to Sirivan who at 13 years of age gave a couple of the older players a tough game — he looks to be a great addition to the club. The upset of the night was Christopher Symon taking a game off Hilton. In club terms we might consider this the first of his GM norms. Christopher is clearly growing in strength and might get his second club GM norm in the club champs later in the year! Well done. Unfortunately I didnt copy the folders to my USB stick so cant post the crosstable this week.

It is not too late to turn out for the tournament next week if you missed this Tuesday — extra players welcome

To start the years calendar we are going to have 6 rounds of 20 + 5, 2 rounds per night, over 3 weeks beginning from next week. Games need to be underway by 7:20 pm to meet our 9:30 close, so dont be late.

We had 15 returning members for the first night of the year. We also welcome Eddie Tan. Eddie has emigrated from the UK and attended as a prospective new member. The year kicked off with a favourite of Richard — 3 + 2 blitz, in a tournament of eight rounds. Hilton missed round one but still managed to come out on top with a score of 7. Crosstable is below

Good news! Membership dues for 2013 have been set at $40 for adults and $20 for juniors. Remember that club members get concessional entry rates for our major tournaments also.

Club nights resume this coming Tuesday, 5/2/13, at 7pm. See you there!!

Seven stalwarts turned up for the final night of the year. A five + oh blitz of seven rounds.

The club is in recess now for the Summer, we will resume again on February 5 at 7pm in room G1.

Next week will be the last club night of the year. We will finish with a 5 + 0 blitz of six or seven rounds so dont miss out. The first club night for 2013 will be February 5.