Summer Holiday

Australian IM Junta Ikeda is once again enjoying a summer chess holiday in Europe (NB He is not unique in doing this, as fellow Canberra player's Victor Braguine and Albert Winkelman are doing the same thing).
His first event was the Teplice Open in the Czech Republic, and while he did not collect a GM norm, it was still a good start for him. After 7 rounds he was 5.5 points, but losses in the last two rounds left him in a tie for 31st (along with Winkelman). However he did collect the scalps of a number of highly rated opponents, including this win over GM Karen Movsziszian.


Ikeda,J (2420) - Movsziszian,K (2527) [E63]
13th Teplice Open 2018 Teplice CZE (7.10), 22.06.2018

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. c4 Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. Bf4 Rb8 9. Rc1 h6 10. h3 g5 11. Bd2 e5 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Be3 Be6 14. Qa4 Nh5 15. Bc5 Re8 16. e3 f5 17. Rfd1 Qf6 18. Nh2 Qf7 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. b3 Bd7 21. Rc2 Nf6 22. Rcd2 Bc8 23. Rd8 Bb7 24. Rxb8 Rxb8 25. Qb4 e4 26. Be7 Ne8 27. Na4 f4 28. Qc5 Ra8 29. g4 Qe6 30. Qb4 Bc8 31. Bc5 Be5 32. Qd2 f3 33. Bd4 Bd6 34. Bb2 Be7 35. Qd4 Bf6 36. Qc5 Bxb2 37. Nxb2 Bd7 38. Nf1 Nf6 39. Ng3 Kf7 40. Na4 Re8 41. Nc3 Bc8 42. Rd4 Nd7 43. Qa5 c5 44. Rxe4 Qd6 45. Rxe8 Kxe8 46. Nd5 Nb6 47. Ne4 Qe5 48. Qc3 Qxc3 49. Ndxc3 Nd7 50. Kh2 Bb7 51. Kg3 Ke7 52. Nd2 Ne5 53. e4 Kd6 54. Nxf3 Nd3 55. h4 gxh4+ 56. Nxh4 Ke5 57. Nf3+ Kd6 58. Nd2 Ke5 59. Ne2 Bxe4 60. f4+ Nxf4 61. Nxf4 Bc2 62. Ne2 a5 63. Nf3+ Ke4 64. Ne1 Bd3 65. Nc3+ 1-0

Even more new rules

I continue to add to my collection of 'house' rules that seem to turn up at interschool events. Some are old chess-nuts like 'promoted pieces go back on their starting square', while a couple were new even to me.
One player complained that his opponent had moved a pawn from a7 to a5, on the grounds that a pawn can only do that 'on the first move', which in this game he interpreted it as 'the first move of the game'. At least this explained his preference for hedgehog type openings.
There was also an attempt to capture a rook en-pas, but it was the 'king/queen switcheroo' that won the award for most creative rule. A player had just got '4 move checkmated' but attempted to escape by 'castling' king and queen (ie Kd8-Qe8 in one move). I really couldn't explain why it wasn't allowed except to say "it isn't allowed".

Look away and you will miss it

I had two odd 'blink and you miss it' moments in the last 24 hours. The first was while channel surfing during the England v Panama World Cup Match last night. Despite England winning 6-1 the only goal I saw was scored by Panama, as England sneakily put it in the net when I had changed to another channel.
The second was at a coaching class today, when one of students asked for a quick game. 1.g3 e5 2.f4? exf4 3.gxf4?? Qh4# (and yes, I had shown my students Fools Mate previously!)

Praggnanandhaa scores final GM norm

It looks like R. Praggnanandhaa from India is about to become the second youngest GM in history. At one stage he looked on track to beat Sergey Karjakin's record, who earned the title at 12 years and 7 months, but he was unable to score the final norm required. However, at 12 years and 10 months he is still the second youngest player to earn the title, 6 months younger than when both Carslen and Negi became GM's.
He earned the title on the way to finishing equal first in the Gerdine Open in Italy, scoring 7.5/9 along with GM Ivan Saric. But while Praggnanandhaa is celebrating his title, another competitor in the event is far less happy with the title process. Australian IM Justin Tan (who scored 6/9 in the event) found out the GM norm he thought he had scored in the 2017-18 4NCL season is invalid on the grounds he did not play the right mix of international players. Previously a national teams championship was exempt from 'foreigner' requirements (in the same way a National Championship is), but a change to FIDE regulations meant this only applied to players from the host Federation.As a result Tan still needs one more norm for his GM title.


Pruijssers,Roeland (2514) - Praggnanandhaa,R (2529) [C78]
4th Int. Chess Festival ad Gredine Open Ortisei - St. Ulrich (9.2), 24.06.2018

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. c3 Nxe4 8. d4 exd4 9. Re1 d5 10. Ng5 Qf6 11. Bxd5 Qxf2+ 12. Kh1 O-O-O 13. Nxe4 Qf5 14. Bb3 dxc3 15. Qf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Ne5 17. Nbxc3 b4 18. Bg5 f6 19. Bf4 bxc3 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. bxc3 Be7 22. Rab1 Kb8 23. Re2 Ka7 24. Kg2 Rhf8 25. Rd1 Rxd1 26. Bxd1 Rd8 27. Bc2 Bd5 28. Bb3 Bc6 29. Bc2 g6 30. Kg3 a5 31. h4 h6 32. Rh2 Rb8 33. Bb3 a4 34. Bf7 Rb1 35. Rd2 Rg1+ 36. Kh2 Rc1 37. Bxg6 Bxh4 38. Kh3 Be1 39. Rd3 Rc2 40. Re3 Bd7+ 0-1

Howard Staunton

While Steinitz is rightly credited with creating a new 'positional' style of chess, the concepts he popularised didn't come from nowhere. Howard Staunton deserves a lot of credit for showing the way to Steinitz, as his style and results were a clear influence. While there has been a reassessment of Staunton's contribution to chess in the last 40 years, he still gets bad press from chessplayers who only know about his non-match with Paul Morphy. I suspect if this contoversy hadn't clouded his actual playing career, his role in developing modern chess principles who have been more appreciated.
Today (22nd June) is the anniversary of his death, and so I've selected possibly the last competitive game he played to show his style. The opening is positively modern, and after Barnes' attempt at a tactical finesse blows up in his face, Staunton keeps control all the way to the end.


Barnes,Thomas Wilson - Staunton,Howard [C42]
London consultation London, 1859

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. c4 Nf6 9. Qe2 Bg4 10. Be3 O-O 11. Nc3 Qd7 12. c5 Rad8 13. a3 a6 14. b4 Rde8 15. Qc2 Bxf3 16. Bf5 Be4 17. Bxd7 Bxc2 18. Bxe8 Rxe8 19. Rac1 Bb3 20. h3 Bd8 21. Rfe1 Kf8 22. f3 Re6 23. b5 axb5 24. Nxb5 Bc4 25. Nc3 Na5 26. Bf4 Nd7 27. Rxe6 fxe6 28. Rb1 Ba6 29. Nb5 e5 30. dxe5 Nxc5 31. Kh2 Kf7 32. Be3 Nd3 33. f4 Nc4 34. Bc1 c6 35. Nd4 g6 36. g4 Bb6 37. Nf3 h6 38. f5 Nxc1 39. Rxc1 gxf5 40. Re1 Ne3 41. Kg3 f4+ 42. Kh2 d4 43. g5 hxg5 44. Nxg5+ Ke7 45. h4 d3 46. Nf3 Nf5 47. Kh3 Be3 48. Kg4 Nh6+ 49. Kg5 Nf7+ 50. Kf5 d2 51. Rh1 Bd3+ 52. Kg4 Be2 0-1

Denmark 1/2 - Australia 1/2

Continuing with the World Cup theme, here is a game between the most famous Danish chess player Bent Larsen, and the (then) Australian IM Walter Browne. And fittingly, the game ended in a draw, as the World Cup match did today. BTW It was at this tournament that Browne earned his GM title (which in those days could be awarded based on a single performance)


Browne,Walter S - Larsen,Bent [C41]
San Juan San Juan (13), 1969

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Bc4 Nc6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O Ne7 9. f4 Be6 10. Bd3 Qd7 11. Qf3 f5 12. Bd2 O-O 13. Rae1 Rae8 14. b3 fxe4 15. Nxe4 Nf5 16. Ng5 Bd5 17. Qh3 h6 18. c4 Bd4+ 19. Kh1 Bxg2+ 20. Qxg2 hxg5 21. Qxg5 Kf7 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Re1 Rxe1+ 24. Bxe1 Qe6 25. Bd2 d5 26. Qg4 Qf6 27. Qf3 Bb6 28. Qh3 Qa1+ 29. Qf1 Qxa2 30. Qd1 Ke6 31. Qg4 Qa1+ 32. Kg2 Qg1+ 33. Kh3 Bd4 34. Qxg1 Bxg1 35. Kg2 Bc5 36. b4 Bd4 37. Kf3 Kf6 38. Kg4 Nd6 39. cxd5 cxd5 40. Kf3 c6 41. Be1 Nc4 42. Bc2 Na3 43. Bd3 Nb5 44. Kg4 Bb2 45. Bh4+ Kf7 46. Be1 Nd6 47. Bf2 Bc3 48. Bc5 Nb7 49. Bxa7 Bxb4 50. f5 gxf5+ 51. Kxf5 Ke7 52. Bd4 Nd6+ 53. Ke5 Nf7+ 54. Kf5 c5 55. Bf6+ Kd6 56. h4 Bd2 57. Bg7 Nh6+ 58. Kg6 Ng4 59. Be2 Ne5+ 60. Kf5 Nf7 61. Bd3 c4 62. Bb1 Nh6+ 63. Kg6 Ng4 64. h5 Be3 65. Kf5 Nh6+ 66. Kg6 Ng4 1/2-1/2

26th ANU Open - 28 & 29 July 2018

The 26th Australian National University Open is being held on the weekend of the 28th and 29th of July, at the ANU School of Art, Childers Street ANU.
It will be a 7 round swiss split into an Open and Under 1600 section. There are $3300 in prizes, with $1000 first prize in the open (NB This is a bigger prize pool than similar events in other cities).
The time limit for each event is 60m+10s per move.
Further details can be found at http://vesus.org/festivals/2018-anu-open/ (click on the Regulation link for a brochure). You can also register online there (and still pay on the day). If you have a FIDE rating, just search for your name. If you don't the entry for will ask for a local ID and rating. If you don;t know this, just enter any numbers, and the organisers will sort it out later!

FIDE President's Race - Is it four or two candidates?

A new candidate has thrown his hat into the race for the FIDE Presidency, with Arkady Dvorkovich becoming the fourth candidate for the office. The details of his announcement can be found in this article on chess.com, including some discussion about what this means for the other candidates.
One theory is that Ilyumzhinov will now drop out of the race, as the Russian government will shift their support to Dvorkovich. Taking it one step further is the suggestion that the Makro ticket will merge with the Dvorkovich ticket, with Dvorkovich becoming the Presidential Candidate, Makro remaining as Deputy, and Malcolm Pein being let go (or offered a Vice President position as a consolation prize).
However I'm not sure that the second scenario is as likely as the first, as the logical step for both parties would have been to negotiate this behind close doors. By announcing his candidacy in this way Dvorkovich seems more likely to have his own set of office bearers in mind (although defections from the Makro ticket cannot be ruled out)
Nonetheless, a new Russian candidate wouldn't be seen as bad news for FIDE insiders. The real problem that the current FIDE executive have with Kirsan had nothing to do with his management style, or ethical issues, but simply that he is now costing them money. While he was bringing money into FIDE (through personal contributions, or connections with other governments) concerns about his ethical standards were dismissed as pro Kok/Karpov/Kasparov propaganda, but when FIDE had to actually pay for his expenses (and there was less money for pet projects of other board members) then suddenly the other issues that had been ignored for years became critical to how FIDE 'should' be run.
So if Dvorkovich can bring in a new income stream (or just resurrect Kirsan's old network) then it can be business as usual in the Athen's office.

The Champion of Kazan

The title of this post does not refer to the Australian Football Team (or indeed the French), but to IM Rashid Nezhmetdinov, who lived in the Russian city which is currently a host city for the 2018 World Cup.
I've waxed lyrical in the past about how good Nezhmetdinov was, and watching the World Cup this evening gives me another excuse to present one of his games. This one is over pretty quickly, as White panics after 10...Bxg2 and avoids capturing the bishop. As a result Black gets in a queen check on h4, and after that  smothered mate.


Samsonov - Nezhmetdinov,Rashid [C29]
Kazan-ch Kazan, 1929

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Bb4 6. Qe2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Bg4 8. Qb5+ c6 9. Qxb7 Bxf3 10. Qxa8 Bxg2 11. Be2 Qh4+ 12. Kd1 Nf2+ 13. Ke1 Nd3+ 14. Kd1 Qe1+ 15. Rxe1 Nf2# 0-1

Embracing the cold

On a per capita basis, Iceland has long been considered the strongest chess playing nation in the world. One oft quoted reason has to do with the cold climate, which encourages people to stay, and play, indoors. While this may be true, I suspect that 'success breeds success' is also a factor in the Icelandic chess story.
I bring this up because Canberra is undergoing a cold snap, and it may even snow over the weekend. I'd like to think this should encourage players to spend the weekend playing chess (either at Street Chess on Saturday, or the Primary School Allegro on Sunday), but the cold may discourage people from leaving home. This certainly is a reason that players from warmer climates give when passing on the many excellent events held in the nations capital, and it is to those players I say 'harden up!'
If you are one such player willing to embrace the cold, then I suggest you pencil in the weekend of the 28th and 29th of July for the ANU Open. Once again this event will be held with an Open and Under 1600 section, and will have over $3000 in prizes. Keep your eye on this blog for further details, including entry fees and how to enter.

Once a knight, always a knight. Twice a night and you're doing all right!

Under-promotions can be a thing of beauty, or a sign of madness. I once read about a game involving Chris Depasquale, where he chose a bishop instead of a queen, hoping to confuse his opponent in time trouble (as it was going to be captured anyway).
The following game is probably neither, but is curious as the promoted knight is White's 3rd one on the board (btw this was the game I mentioned in a post from October 2017). The knight gets snapped straight away, but for a brief moment it was almost like having a proper cavalry.


Press,Shaun - Cunningham,Cam [B07]
Swiss Festive Fun, 31.10.2017

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5. h4 h5 6. Qd2 Nbd7 7. f3 Bg7 8. Nh3 b5 9. Bd3 Nb6 10. b3 a5 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. Ng5 O-O 13. Ne2 Nfd7 14. Nf4 Nf6 15. O-O e5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Qf2 Rb8 18. Ne2 Nfd7 19. f4 Bb7 20. f5 Nf6 21. Bxb6 Qc8 22. Bc5 Ng4 23. Qf3 Re8 24. fxg6 Bf6 25. gxf7+ Kg7 26. fxe8N+ Qxe8 27. Qf5 Qg6 28. Qd7+ Kh6 29. Ng3 Bxg5 30. Nf5+ 1-0

2018 NSW Open - Song and Ikeda tie for First

The 2018 NSW Open has ended in a tie for first between FM Raymond Song and IM Junta Ikeda. Ikeda lead going into the final day, but Song was able to keep pace after they drew an exciting game in Round 6. In the final round Ikeda was held to a draw by Australian Champion GM Max Illingworth, while Song was able to catch Ikeda by beating IM Gary Lane.
Illingworth's draw was enough to give him a share of 3rd place, alongside FM Kevin O'Chee on 5.5. A number of high profile players ended up in a tie for 5th place including GM Anton Smirnov, IM Gary Lane and WGM Jilin Zhang.
Frank Low won the Minor event, after drawing in the final round with Stepehn Jago. This left Jgo tied for second with Gary Armstrong and Lachlan Lee. There was a big group of players on 5/7, including veteran player Ralph Shaw, the brother of the late Australian IM Terry Shaw.
This years event ran a lot more smoothly than last year, despite similar numbers (136 players). The addition of a third arbiter (NA Nick Kordahi) helped substantially, especially in getting the room ready for each of the rounds (eg I did not have to set a single clock over the whole weekend!). The noise issue from the last year was dealt with by moving the analysis area further away, and this had the overall effect of making the event a pleasant one to direct.


Lane,Gary W (2388) - Song,Raymond (2249)
2018 NSW Open Sydney, Australia (7.2), 11.06.2018

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O Bg6 7. Nbd2 c5 8. c4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nec6 10. N2f3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Be7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Nb5 Nd7 14. Bf4 Nb6 15. Be2 Nd5 16. Bg3 Qb6 17. Qd2 Rfd8 18. Na3 Bb4 19. Qc1 Bxa3 20. bxa3 Rac8 21. Bh4 Nce7 22. Qe1 Rd7 23. Rc1 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Rc7 25. Qa1 Qc5 26. Qb2 Qc2 27. Qb5 h6 28. Nd4 Qe4 29. Bxe7 Rxe7 30. Qb2 Qxe5 31. Rd1 Nf4 32. Bf1 Rd7 33. Qc3 Kh7 34. Qe3 Qxe3 35. fxe3 e5 36. exf4 Rxd4 37. Rxd4 exd4 38. Bc4 Bc2 39. Kf2 f5 40. g3 Kg6 41. h3 Kf6 42. Ke2 Be4 43. Kf2 g5 44. Ke2 gxf4 45. gxf4 Ke7 46. Kf2 Kd6 47. Ke2 Bd5 48. Bd3 Ke6 49. Bb5 Bxa2 50. Be8 Bb1 0-1

2018 NSW Open - Day 2

IM Junta Ikeda is the outright leader of the 2018 NSW Open, finishing day 2 on a perfect 5/5. Along the way he scored two impressive victories, beating WGM Jilin Zhang in round 4, and GM Anton Smirnov in round 5. His game against Zhang involved R+N v R+P with Zhang walking into a surprise mate when most spectators assumed the game would be drawn.  Against Smirnov he found a line where he exchanged 2 rooks for a quen, but the exposed nature of Smirnov's king allowed his Queen and Knight to carry out a winning attack.
GM Max Illingworth and FM Raymond Song share second on 4.5, after they drew their evening game. As a result Song will face Ikeda in round 6, while Illingworth and Smirnov will meet on board 2.
In the Minor event, Gary Armstrong, Frank Low and Thai Pahn share the lead on 4.5, with Armstrong and Low drawing their round 5 game.
Round 6 will begin at 9:30 am tomorrow, with the final round at 2. If you are in Sydney, feel free to drop into the Russian Club in Strathfield to catch the last day action.

Smirnov, Anton - Ikeda, Junta
2018 NSW Open (5.1) 10.06.2018

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bd7 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 a5 8. Nd2 Bc6 9. Nc4 Qc7 10. Be3 Nbd7 11. Na3 Be7 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Be2 Nb6 14. Ncb5 Bxb5 15. Nxb5 Qc6 16. Qc3 d5 17. Qxe5 Bb4+ 18. c3 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 20. a4 dxe4 21. cxb4 exf3 22. gxf3 Rfe8 23. Qd4 Rxe3+ 24. Qxe3 Re8 25. Qxe8+ Nxe8 26. bxa5 Qb4+ 27. Ke2 Qxb2+ 28. Kd3 Qb3+ 29. Nc3 Nd6 30. Rab1 Qe6 31. Rhe1 Qf5+ 32. Kd4 Qxf3 33. Nb5 Nf5+ 34. Kc5 Qf2+ 35. Kc4 g6 36. h3 Qd2 37. Nc3 Qd4+ 38. Kb3 Ne3 39. Rbc1 Qc4+ 40. Ka3 Qc5+ 41. Ka2 Nc4 42. Re2 Qb4 43. h4 Kg7 44. h5 g5 45. Rg2 Kh6 46. Rf2 Kxh5 47. Rcc2 Kg6 48. Rf3 f5 49. Rd3 g4 50. Re2 h5 51. Nd5 Qxa4+ 52. Kb1 Kg5 53. Re7 Qb5+ 54. Kc2 Qb2+ 55. Kd1 Qb1+ 0-1

The agony and the agony

While the 2018 NSW Open has been running quite well, the organisers have been bedevilled by a number of technical issues. Laptop tantrums and DGT fragility issues have resulted in less than optimal online coverage. But for now, the DGT boards are broadcasting, for a certain value of 'broadcasting'.
You can find the live broadcasts at http://view.livechesscloud.com/42b3f2ce-0d23-42f2-972a-bc4f6d1fa92d and at the moment, the board 1 game between Smirnov and Nakuachi is worth watching.

2018 NSW Open - Day 1

The 2018 NSW Open has once again attracted good numbers, with a strong set of players at the top of the seedings. GM Anton Smirnov is the top seed, followed by GM Max Illingworth. IM Junta Ikea, FM Brandon Clarke and IM Gary Lane are the next thee seeds, and all are potential winners of the event.
Once again there is a good turn out from Singapore, with some of their junior players making the trip to a wintry and wet Sydney. Also well represented are a number of junior players from Canberra , including Ricky Luo who scored one of the big first round upsets, defeating CM Paul Russell.
The Minor has attracted a field of 56 players, headed by Gary Amstrong and Shane Dibley. Dibley is one player hoping to turn his form around, after suffering a significant rating decline in the months leading up to the Under 1600 event.
Results for the event can be found at nswopen.nswca.org.au Techincal issues have so far prevented the live broadcast from operating as hoped, but it should be fixed and up an running in time for tomorrows third round at 9:30am

Enter at your own risk

Before the World Wide Web really kicked off, you could still exchange information across the internet, just without pictures. One example was the venerable Usenet system, which was a decentralised system of discussion boards, on many many topics. I used to frequent the chess groups quite a lot (as well as a number of other sporting groups). While some groups had moderators, for a lot of others it was a free for all, and the discussions could be quite brutal (I discovered the art of trolling in alt.folklore.urban, back in the day when it meant more than just shouting inflammatory statements).
But once the web became a thing, Usenet kind of died out (I can remember exactly 0 students choosing it as an assignment topic back in 2000 at ANU). So I was a little surprised that there are people who still use it the exchange information (or to just abuse each other). Even if you don't have access to a usenet client (or server) there is still a way to access the chess new groups. Chessbanter seems to be a web interface to the rec.games.chess.* groups, in all there (past) glory. So if you want to take a trip down memory lane, feel free to click on the link, but be warned, nothing seems to have changed much in 20 years (including a lot of the topics of discussion)

Seriously, this happened

From the 'there is hope for us all' file, here is a very quick game where a 2150 player falls for a trap I assumed almost every player of the French Defence knows about. The only thing I can add, is it is almost an injustice that the rating points go to a 2400 player, rather than some lucky 1600 opponent.


Diaz,Rid (2435) - Garcia Fuentes,Sergio Miguel (2158) [C10]
Guillermo Garcia Master 1 Santa Clara CUB (9.5), 31.05.2018

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qe2 b6 9. Nxf6+ Bxf6 10. Qe4 g6 11. Qxa8 1-0

2018 NSW Open 9-11 June 2018

The 2018 NSW Open is on this upcoming long weekend, at the Russian Club in Strathfield, NSW. It will be a 7 round FIDE Rated Swiss, run in 2 sections, Open and Under 1600. There is over $8000 in prizes, including $1000 for first in the Under 1600 event.
The tournament starts at Noon of Saturday 9th June (registrations from 11). The schedule is 2 rounds Saturday, 3 on Sunday, and 2 on Monday. Time limit is 90m+30s. Further details, as well as an online entry facility can be found at http://nswopen.nswca.org.au
There will be a live broadcast of the top boards from the Open for each of the rounds. At the the moment the top seeds include GM's Anton Smirnov and Max Illingworth, plus IM's Junta Ikeda and Gary Lane.

(*Note: I will be a paid official at this event)

This looks like one of my games

The Altibox tournament from Norway is interesting in more ways than one. There have already been a couple of high profile casualties, including Ding Liren, and the Grunfeld Defence. Liren injured himself in a bike accident, and has had to withdraw (his score has been annulled for the event, although the games still count for ratings).
Last night saw Karjakin lose to Caruana, in a game that reminded me of some of my own efforts. An attempt at hacking the English Opening didn't quite work, but instead of digging in, Karjakin set fire to the board, and only succeeded in burning his own fingers!

Caruana,Fabiano (2822) - Karjakin,Sergey (2782) [A28]
6th Norway Chess 2018 Stavanger NOR (5.2), 02.06.2018

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 Qe7 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 Re8 9. a3 a5 10. h3 b6 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O d5 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Qc2 e4 15. Nh2 Qg5 16. f4 exf3 17. Nxf3 Qg3 18. Rf2 Rad8 19. Bc4 Nf6 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Raf1 Rd6 22. b4 axb4 23. axb4 Re7 24. b5 Ne5 25. Nd4 Bc8 26. Kh1 Kg7 27. Be2 Kh8 28. Qc3 Kg7 29. Bd1 Kg8 30. Bc2 Qh4 31. Rf4 Qg3 32. Bf5 Bb7 33. Be4 Bc8 34. Qa3 Kg7 35. Qa8 Bxh3 36. gxh3 Qxh3+ 37. Kg1 Rxd4 38. Bg2 Qg3 39. Rxd4 Ng4 40. Rf3 Qe1+ 41. Bf1 1-0

How to do chess

If you are looking for chess related projects (building boards etc) or chess tips, then wonderhowto seems to have a list of things you can try. The link to chess activities is https://www.wonderhowto.com/search/chess/ and has a number of tutorials.
(BTW If you go to the parent directory you can find other things to try, including 'charging your cell phone using train tracks')