2011 New Zealand Championship

New Zealand is justifiably proud of its Championship, which is the longest running national championship in the world. The 118th edition is currently running at the Auckland Chess Centre, with 11 time winner Anthony Ker leading after 5 rounds with 4.5.

Before the event there was some discussion about the strength if this years field, with the fact that the Oceania Zonal is starting in Rotorua in a little over 2 weeks possibly forcing some players to choose one event over the other. However looking at the field for both, it seems that the championship field shades the zonal field for strength, where the New Zealanders are concerned. This is the opposite of the situation in Australia where the strength of the Australians in the Zonal (at the top) are slightly stronger than those playing in the Australian Open. I wonder if this a commentary on the notion of national pride for the respective countries, or is it just the case that some holiday destinations are better than others?