Dubbo 2012

One of my favourite "small" tournaments is the Dubbo Open. Of course it isn't actually that small a tournament with fields of 40+ playing over the last few years. However it does have to work hard to get these numbers, as it is about 400km from Sydney and Canberra. This years event will be on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of March, at the usual venue of the Dubbo RSL Club. It is a 6 round event played with a time limit of 60m+10s per move. Entry fee is a very affordable $45 ($35 concession, $25 juniors) and the organisers have guaranteed a first prize of $350. It is also part of the 2012 Meyer-Tan Grand Prix, as a class 2 event. I'm travelling up again this year, although only as an arbiter rather than a player. I expect the usual contingent of ACT players to make the trip, as well as a number of players from Sydney and Newcastle. If you have never sampled the delights of a country chess tournament (which is often played at a different tempo than city ones), then I highly recommend this one. Further details can be found at the Dubbo Chess Club website.