2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams

 The 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Teams event is finishing up in London today. I attended last years event in Kazakhstan (as an official) and enjoyed it immensely.  While it is a fairly high level tournament (112 GM's) the rules were structured in a way that lower rated players also had a chance to take part. 

The Rapid ran across the the first 3 days and was won by MGD1 on 21 MP, ahead of Hexamind on 20, with Freedom finishing 3rd on tie break. 

Yesterday the Blitz qualifiers were held. Sensibly to organisers spread this event over 2 days (avoiding the madness of 2024), with 4 13 team RR's qualifying 4 teams from each pool towards tonight's KO final. A quick check of the results seems to indicate that most of the top teams went through, although once the KO starts, it becomes a lot more random. If you want to follow the final (or catch up) there is plenty of coverage on youtube. Rather than post links, I'll leave the searching up to you

2025 NSW Open

 The 2025 NSW Open finished in a tie for 1st between GM Jacek Stopa and IM George Xie. They were the top 2 seeds and went through the event undefeated. They started with 4 straight wins, before drawing their round 5 game. Stopa then defeated IM Gary Lane in round 6, before a quick draw with Ethan Chang in round 7 left him in the lead on 6/7. Xie drew his round 6 game against WCM Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar, before beating CM Hui Li to join Stopa in 1st place.

Equal third was shared between Chang, CM Daniel Wang, CM Seth Peramunetilleke and Taifeng Liu. Chang and Wang were both undefeated in the event, but dropped some early half points to lag behind the winners for most of the event.

The 98 player Open section ran without any serious incidents. Probably the major issue was the number of forfeits and withdrawals (NB this also affected to Under 1600) event. While some players had the courtesy to inform us of their withdrawals a few players simply failed to show up. This has been an ongoing issue with this event for a few years now, and I am not quite sure what the best solution is.

The Under 1600 event attracted a competitive field of 77 players. Kamal Jain  won the event with 6.5/7, his only draw the result of a stalemate trick in a totally lost ending. Steven Hemsley finished outright 2nd on 6 points, losing to Jain and winning the rest of his games. Isaac Huang was third on 5.5, ahead of another 12 players tied for 4th on 5 points. Again a number of forfeited games did inconvenience the players who did show up, but in at least 2 cases, this was because some players (in their first event) thought it was a knockout competition!

A modern King hunt

 WH Cozens wrote "The King-Hunt" in 1970, which was updated by John Nunn in 1996. The book showed a number of historical games where the King was chased out of (or ran from) it's natural home on the back rank, and was driven up the board to be mated on the other side of the board. 

A very modern example of this occurred at the 2025 NSW Open, where the tournament winner GM Jacek Stopa did this to IM Gary Lane. While most choices by Black were forced, there seemed to be a degree of willingness to run the king, in the hope that and unlikely sanctuary might be found. Alas there was none.

Stopa,Jacek (2326) - Lane,Gary W (2237) [D45]
2025 NSW Open Sydney, Australia (6.1)

Choosing the fancy finish

 I was watching the following game in the final round of the 2025 NSW Open. White played a nice exchange sac in the middlegame and built up a crushing attack. After 33.Qf4 White had a number of mate threats, including some that started with 34.Rh8+ So when Black played the 'desperado' 33 ... Rxf3 it wasn't a shock. I assumed White would play Qxf3 and just organise the mate anyway. So when Lane played 34.Rh8+ anyway I was a little surprised. 34. ... Kxh8 35.Qh6 Kg8 36.Qh7+ Kf8 37.Qf7+?? doesn't work due to the rook on f3, but as Lane played these moves I realised that he had always intended 37. g7+ as the finisher, which did result in resignation.

Bur after the game he said that he noticed my expression after the rook sac, and for a fleeting moment wondered if he had missed something. It turns out he wasn't the one who did.

Lane,Gary W (2237) - Liu,Eric (1963) [B38]
2025 NSW Open Sydney, Australia (7.7), 10.06.2025

The pen conundrum

 One of the essential tools for any tournament player is a pen. Not hard, just put one on your pocket and head off to play chess. So it does irk me when players turn up to club or tournament without one. Especially if their goto move is to simply ask you to supply them with one.

For events like the Doeberl we provide 'loaners'  with a $1 deposit. In practice this means we are simply selling pens for $1, as pens are never 'borrowed'. For the Chess Olympiad, pens were supplied by the organisers, but to prevent massive loss, they had to be collected at the end of the game (by the arbiter). 

One other option is to supply a pen, but when the player returns it, they have to provide us with a 2nd pen, so we can then lend it to another player who has also forgotten their pen. The advantage of this system is twofold. Firstly, it will teach players the importance of bringing their own pen, and secondly, it will create a giant pen pyramid scheme, which can be converted into other goods and services at some later date.

On demand

 For most of this year I have been ignoring my own games. Previously I had analysed my club games, looking for possible improvements (especially in the opening, the middlegame, and the ending). For various (time related) reasons, I dropped this habit, although up until now, there seemed to be no downside (I won the most recent club event).

But my good run of results has come to end, when I was beaten by a resourceful Olamide Fasakin. In round the round report from the club, there was a request I share the game, which I am happy to do so. I did pass up a draw by repetition, as I felt that being up a piece should count for something. However I missed a good idea (f4!) and fell victim to a nice queen sac that decided the game.

Press,Shaun - Fasakin,Olamide [E68]
Belconnen Cup, 03.06.2025

2025 ACT Chess Championship - Willis Lo bags titles

 Willis Lo is the 2025 ACT Chess Champion, winning this years event with 6/7. In round 6 he defeated Masaki Horikawa before 3 move draw in round 7 secured outright 1st. The win is the 2nd title for Lo, after sharing the title in 2019. In 2nd place were CM Hui Li, CM Terrance Tang and FM Michael Kethro. on 5.5. 

The 7 round event attracted a field of 56 players and saw exciting chess across the long weekend. Although the top 4 seeds occupied the top 4 places, most games saw them face strong resistance from lower rated opponents. Apart from the top places, the Under 180 prize was shared between Tim Pearce, Matt Radisich and Leo Kuncoro, the Under 1650 prize was split between father and son duo of Lohit and Sanat Hegde, while Zhishuo Hunag won the prize for best FIDE unrated.

2025 ACT Championship - Day 1 & 2

 After he end of the 2nd day of the 2025 ACT Chess Championship, Willis Lo and Masaki Horikawa share the lead on 4.5/5. Lo has scored 4 wins (plus a half point bye) while Horikawa drew with Glenn Ingham (after Ingham missed a winning piece sacrifice) and has won his remaining games. Tied for 3rd on 4/5 are FM Michael Kethro, CM Terrance Tang, CM Hui Li and Olaoluwa Fasakin. Horikawa and Lo play on board 1 tomorrow, while Kethro and Tang are on board 2. 

The event has attracted a good field of 56 players, and once again has attracted number of interstate players to the nations capital. Apart from the top seeds aiming to win the ACT Championship, a number of younger players are looking for improved results (and improved ratings). Apart from Olaoluwa Fasakin on 4./5, good scores have also been achieved by  Owen MacMullin and Olamide Fasakin,

Results for the event can be found at https://www.vegaresult.com/vr/3857 while online games can be found at https://lichess.org/broadcast/2025-act-chess-championship/7eYJflpu

Nwosu,Nnaemeka - Lo,Willis (2064) [D04]
2025 ACT Chess Championship Canberra, Australia (2.2), 01.06.2025

How much cheating

 A recent study on the prevalence of cheating in chess has been published. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266925000271 is the link to the study, if you wish to read it yourself (NB You may have to click past the warning page as well).

Although I only did a quick read of it, there were still a couple of things that jumped out at me. In terms of cheating in OTB events, the vast majority of self-reported cases involved receiving advice from a 3rd party. Well down on the list was using electronic devices to cheat (less than 10% of total cases). And while there may be an argument that the improvement in results of using electronic aids are greater than advice from other players, it still says to me that in terms of fair play, player to player assistance is what arbiters should be mainly dealing with.

The other item was the use of drugs to improve your chess (a subject I am familiar with!). The authors reported a blind study involving players either taking drugs or placebos, and then playing rapid games within the playing group. Somewhat confusingly they both found no improvement in results between the players in each group, but drew the conclusion that the players using the tested drugs still played better chess. This was because they noted that the players on drugs played more slowly, but if you excluded the games they lost on time, then they actually improved their results. So apparently drugs can make you play better chess, as long as your brain isn't affected by those drugs

I've been taking a break

 As you may (or may not) have noticed, I've been on a break from the blog. I decided to see what it was like not to try and post every day or two, but this turned into a 2 and a bit week holiday. I did use that time to focu on other things (mainly chess related), but will try and catch up with the things I have missed.

Some easy listening

 From the most recent episode of BBC's 'Not by the Playbook' - Chess Mates

2025 Asian Individual Championship

 The 2025 Asian Individual Championship (Open and Women's) has attracted large fields. The Open has 156 players, with around half the Asian federations sending representatives. This includes players from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Guam. The Women's event has 100 players, with Australia and New Zealand being represented.

As the entry requirement for this event was quite tough (except for official representatives), the 1st round saw a number of upsets. In the open, the ANZAC representatives all drew their games against higher rated opponents, while a number of GM's lost against their lower rated challengers.

Apart from the large prize pool, the leading players are also playing for qualification spots at this years World Cup. Live games are being broadcast from 9:15pm (Canberra time) and can be followed at https://lichess.org/broadcast/asian-individual-chess-championships-2025--open/GOUSblMI 

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup Minor and Mini

 Like the Major, the Minor event (Under 1800 ACF) was also very popular. The 98 player field even had a few titles players drift down from the Major, making it another tough event. Daniei Yelkhovsky finished in 1st place on 6.5/7, half a point ahead of top seed, CM Jeff Cabilin. Yelkhovsky and Cabilin drew in round 6, but an earlier draw left Cabilin half a point behind. There was a 4 way tie for third, including local (ACT) junior Larry Cheng, Cheng was on 5.5/6 going into the final round, but his top board clash against Yelkhovsky was essentially the tournament 'final', with the win to Yelkhovsky deciding 1st place.   

The Mini event (Under 1500) had a smaller field of 63 players. In the end Masaon Tay and Padma Gyalpo tied for 1st on 6/7, with tay taking home the trophy on countback. Tay concede 2 draws on his way to 1st, while Gyalpo's only loss was in round 3, against Tay.

Fit for chess

 Inspired by memories of 'Round the House' chess, and a recent discovery (via IA Alana Chibnall), that you can play chess while working out on gym equipment, a kind if cross-fit chess.

Set up against another gym buddy, or an bot, you gain extra time by running extra distances. eg For every 100 metres, you get 10s added to you clock. So a 5 minute game between 2 very fit players may see an extra 120s added if both players cover 1200m (NB you can run when both you and your opponent are on the move). The challenge is to maintain a fast enough pace to gain time, while not exhausting yourself, and losing the ability to think. As an extra incentive/challenge the result of the game determines the level of resistance/gradient on the treadmill for the next time around.

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup Major

 One of the big surprises from this years Doeberl was the large number of players playing in the Major. The 100 player limit was reached about a month in advance of the tournament, and I was constantly dealing with requests to become the 101st player in the field. One of the reasons was that the cutoff for the premier was raised to 2000 ACF or FIDE (up from 1900 last year), which meant more players had to play the Major. The 1st prize of $1600 was also attractive, although only 1 player with an ACF rating above 2000 chose to play the Major.

The large field also left the top seeds with somewhat of a problem, in how to win the event. One loss was almost fatal to outright winning changes, while even a good score of 5.5 may leave them out of the prize list. 

As it turned out, this was how the tournament played out. DM Daniel Ding started with 5 wins, as did overseas visitor Balanandan Ayyappan. Their 6th round game was drawn, leaving them tied for 1st going into the last round. Wang defeated WFM Alaina Vincent to go to 6.5, while Ayyappan drew with Ethan Retnaraja to take a share of 2nd. He was joined by Vincent Qiang, whose only loss in the event was to the tournament winner.

With such big numbers, and a desire to make the tournament numbers a little more even, the rating limits for the Major (and Minor) are going to be squeezed, like for the Premier. The bottom floor will 1700 ACF or a FIDE rating to be decided later. So you have 12 months to get to work if you want to play this very popular event!

 

So ends a big 3 weeks of chess in Australia

 The Sydney International Open finished today, with a win for GM Mitrabha Guha. This follows on from his win in last weeks O2C Doeberl Cup. and an equal 2nd in the Melbourne International Open. He takes home almost $10,000 in prizes from the 3 events, which is a pretty handy return.

Of course he, and a lot of other players, had to work hard. Three 9 round events, over the course of 21 days is not easy, especially if you factor in the travel. Quite a few other players did the 3 tournament circuit, as did at least one arbiter. All 3 events were successful in terms of numbers, and hopefully the format will continue next year. 

Now that the 'circuit' has been established, the next challenge is to get more OS players to take part. One of the goals for each of the events is to provide title opportunities for local players, and increasing the number of visitors will help do that. At least for the Doeberl Cup, the feedback was very positive, and I expect that the other events were similarly well recieved.

So watch this space later in the year, and hopefully the 2026 Australian Circuit will have some exciting announcements.

Tragedy in the Endgame

 Each year (for the past 3 years), the Hobsons Bay Chess Club has organised a junior challenge match involving clubs across Australia and New Zealand. Played as a hybrid event (online play supervised by an arbiter at a local venue), the event consists of a RR of 6 teams across 6 boards. 

This years event was won by the ACT Junior Chess League team, finishing just ahead of a much improved Hobson Bay A team (who beat the ACT team 4-2 in their individual match). The quality of play has improved over the last 3 years, although one game saw a very tragic ending.

Around move 65 Black is completely winning. However White keeps playing, and Black misses 69 ... f6! which keeps the win in hand. After the exchange of pawns, the position is now drawn, as the White King is close enough to assist the pawn to the end of the board. However, Black thinks their might be one last trick in the position with 76 ... Kf6?? While the idea of threatening mate, or skewering the King and Queen might look tempting, White has a few moves to avoid this, and keep the Queen. Even then it is still a tough ending to win, until White forces the rook away from the king on move 115, when it is picked off by the Queen.

Annapureddy,Dhru (1543) - Nguyen,Kiet Anh (1516)
ANZAC Day Inter Club Hybrid Rapid 2025 Tornelo INT (4.3), 25.04.2025

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup - GM Mitrabha Guha wins

 The 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup has seen the top seed GM Mitrabha Guha finish in 1st place, with 7.5/9  He went through the tournament undefeated, and played the other 4 GM's in the field along the way. Interestingly, the top 5 places were all occupied by the 5 GM's in the tournament, with GM Das Sayantan in 2nd on 7/9, and GM's Zhao, Antonio and Stopa all tying for 3rd on 6.5.

The 59 player field was tougher than last year, with the the Premier being harder to qualify for. Despite this, Guha won when he needed to, and event though he only needed a draw in the final round, still pushed hard for a win (it was eventually drawn). His style suited the  shortened tournament format ( 9 rounds over 5 days), keeping his positions under control until his opponent made a mis-step. 

For winning this years event Guha collects $5000 first prize. Das picked up $3000 for 2nd, as well as a 33% share of the Fighting Fun, alongside Zhao and Stopa.

 Overall the tournament attracted 377 players across the 5 division, while the Saturday night blitz attracted 200 players across 2 sections. 

Reports on the other events to follow across the next few days

Mitrabha,Guha (2505) - Antonio,Rogelio Jr (2363) [E11]
2025 O2C Doeberl Cup Premier Canberra, Australia (4.2), 18.04.2025

Not sleeping, just busy

 The 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup has me swamped. Updates (including a lot about the tournament) will resume in the next few days.

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup

 The 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup begins tomorrow, at the Woden Southern Cross Club, Canberra. While not quite achieving the numbers of the last 2 years (367+-), the Premier is once again quite strong, with 5 GM's in this years field. With defending champion GM Hrant Melkumyan choosing to sit out this years event, Indian GM Mitrabha Guha is the top seed. The tournament is significantly stronger this year, with the median rating over 100 points higher than last year. Of course the raising of the tournament floor explains this, with the added effect of the Major and Minor events filling up quite quickly.

The first round of the Premier is at 1pm tomorrow, with round 2 at 7pm. The other events all begin at 1pm on Friday, with all running through to Monday (with the exception of the 2 day Under 1200 tournament) 

The tournament website www.doeberlcup.com.au has links to results, pairings, and live coverage from the premier.

MIO - FM Felix Xie wins

 New Zealand FM Felix Xie has won the 2025 Melbourne International Open, finishing with 7/9. Needing half a point toe secure a share of 1st, and an IM norm, Xie drew with FM Kai Jie Soo in 38 moves. Indian IM Arghyadip Das had a chance to join Xie in 1st place, but was held to a draw by CM Rheyansh Annapureddy on board 2. This allowed GM Sayantan Das and GM Guha Mitrabha to also take a share of 2nd on 6.5/7.

A number of leading participants in this event will have a few days break before heading for Canberra for the 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup. At this stage the Premier has 61 players, with 5 GM's, 1 WGM, 8 IM's and 2 WIM's entered. The Premier starts on Thursday (17th April), with the other sections starting on Friday (18th April)

Maybe I'm amazed

 There are a couple of big European Opens either running or coming up, including the Reykjavik Open, which is up to round 4. Local Canberra player Tim Pearce is taking part, and may well be the first Australian player to face someone from Greenland in an international event. He is currently on 2/4, but hasn't reached a board high enough to have his games broadcast. 

So instead I found a top board clash which seems to revolve around a somewhat bizarre opening line. 10.h4 is a common reaction to Ng6 type moves, but then it gets a little strange. Pieces get offered and declined, but in the end the an equal middlegame is reached. This lasts a few moves and then White simply collapses. I'm guessing it was time trouble, as White only had 2 minutes on the clock,  but I would not rule out avoiding a draw as the other culprit.

Gunnarsson,Jon Viktor (2439) - Safarli,Eltaj (2617) [B33]
Reykjavik Open 2025 Reykjavik, Iceland (4.5), 11.04.2025

An experiment

 I'm not sure I have tried to show a Fischer Random game on this blog before. but here goes. It is from the current Freestyle Chess event in Paris, and sees Carlsen grinding out a win in Carlsen style

Carlsen,Magnus (2837) - Abdusattorov,Nodirbek (2773)
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour Paris Kn Paris, France (1.2), 09.04.2025

OK, that did not work (I think the ChessTempo viewer does not handle Fischer Random)

So lets try this method

MIO Round 1

 The Melbourne International Open has kicked of in Melbourne, with a strong field contesting the Masters Section. Three GM's are at the top of the field, and the median rating is around 2100. As with events of this type, not everything went according to rating, with a few draws, and a couple of upset wins for the lower rated players. 

Alongside the Masters section is the Amateur section which attracted 87 players. Again there were a few upsets, but the top seeds seemed to do well enough.

Tomorrow is a double round day (9:30am, 3pm), followed by a single round day on Wednesday. The tournament website is https://melbourneio.com.au/ and from there you can find all the tournament results, as well as links to live coverage of the games.

Ghostbusters Chess Game

 Flicking past Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on TV today, I caught a human v ghost chess game. Fortunately it looked like a decent representation of a real game, right down to the speed the players were moving at (no clock, but no more than 3 seconds a move). The moves also looked pretty legitimate, so much so, that I had a stab at reconstructing the game. The first few moves are pretty clear (Scotch Four Knights), and the so is the end (Philidors Legacy), so it was just a case of filling in the gaps. What I have tried looks pretty plausible, so unless someone has managed to dissect it frame by frame, this is what I will go with.

Phoebe - Melody (Ghost)
Human v Ghost Match, Russell Square, London (standing in for New York)

I guess not all rook and pawn endings are drawn

 The 2025 Women's World Championship is underway in China, and game 2 has already thrown up a bit of excitement. After a solid draw in game 1, game 2 was heading in the same direction, until the 'curse of move 40' struck Wenjun Ju. Although she was dropping the b pawn, she missed a way of giving it up for rook activity, and the position went from equal to losing. Despite attempts to complicate the issue by pushing the h pawn, this did not save the game, resulting in a win for Zhongyi Tan.

Tan,Zhongyi (2555) - Ju,Wenjun (2561) [A29]
FIDE Women's world championship match2025 China Shanghai, China (2.1), 04.04.2025

April fools day

 It might be an age thing, but April Fools Day tends to pass me by more and more. I did catch a couple of chess related ones, although the Carlsen retiring one was pretty obvious. There was one concerning the new BBC Chess Show "Chess Masters: The Endgame" on FB which did catch some people unaware (the contact for the Show was Afo Ools which was a clue).

But elsewhere (away from chess) I did like the installation of floating roundabouts on Sydney Harbour, as a way of helping the traffic flow at the busiest points.

2025 Dubbo Open - Kempen and Vujasin tie for 1st

 The 2025 Dubbo Open ended ina tie between Nikola Vujasin and Leon Kempen, on 5/6. Kempen had started the tournament with 4/4, including a win over top seed Blake Lynch, but a loss to Vujasin left a 3 way tie for 1st going into the final round. Vujasin defeated fellow leader Ron Groenhout with a strong attack on the top board, while Kempen beat Cameron McLean on board 2. 

Groenhout had the consolation of sharing the Under 1600 prize with former tournament winner Fritz vander Wal on 4/6. Prakashbabu  Radhakrishnan was the best U1300 player, while Cameron McClean and Sarayu Prakashbabu shared the best unrated prize.

Although this years event was smaller than previous years, it was an enjoyable, and very social tournament. As usual, the Dubbo Chess Club did a great job of organising the tournament,  and with the support of the Dubbo RSL Club, were able to offer a generous prize pool. Next years event is likely to be on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of March, so plan your entries now!

2025 Dubbo Open

 The 2025 Dubbo Open has returned, after a break last year. A smaller than average field of 21 players turned up for the first round, with Blake Lynch as the top seed. Despite the small field, the first round was quite competitive, with a couple of upset wins recorded by the lower ranked players.  

The 2nd round is now underway, and at least one upset has already been recorded. If you want to keep up with the scores (or simply decide that YOU should have entered this year) you can do so at https://www.vegaresult.com/en/event.php?id=3583

Ozbase - Backup needed

 Ozbase has been an invaluable resource for maintaining the history of Australian Chess. managed by Paul Dunn. Up until recently it was a huge archive of historical Australian games and tournaments. Unfortunately, the website has disappeared, the domain name has been transferred elsewhere, and most importantly, the web hosting company claims there is no backup available. 

So if anyone has a recent backup of the database, a copy would be greatly appreciated. Reconstructing the html files shouldn't be too difficult, but a complete copy of the game files (or files) would be incredibly helpful. If you can help. just get in touch with me, and I will let Paul Dunn know. 

Not a good birthday week for Ivanchuk

 Vasyl Ivanchuk celebrated his 56th birthday last week, but based on the following game it might not have been a great birthday week. In round 9 of the European Championship, Ivanchuk faced Maxim Rodshtein who decided on move 17 to sacrifice a piece. In this case it was a 'real' sacrifice in that there was no immediate mating attack, or the change to win back material. Instead there was just pressure in the form of a central pawn mass, which caused to Ivanchuk to play some poor defensive moves. But the real shock came on move 28, when Ivanchuk allowed a mate in 1. Of course this may have been his way of resigning a lost position, but for a GM of his calibre, a surprise nonetheless

Rodshtein,Maxim (2623) - Ivanchuk,Vasyl (2604) [E07]
Round 9: European Championship (9.10), 24.03.2025

2025 ACT Teams Rapidplay

 The ACT Teams Rapidplay has grown in popularity over the last few years, with this years event attracting 21 teams. Some of the teams represented the local chess clubs (and were playing for the Larko Cup), some were just a group of friends (or friends dads), while other represented other chess organistations.

The clear winner of this years event was the Canberra Academy of Chess I team. They won all their matches and finished on 21.5/28. Tied for 2nd were the Purple Pineapple Pickers and the Tuggeranong Chess Club on 18. PPP took 2nd on countback, while third placed Tuggeranong took home the Larko Cup, their 2nd win in 3 years.

This years event was incredibly even on paper with the top 8 teams within 100 points of each other on average rating. It turned out that depth was what really counted with the winning team scoring 13.5/14 on boards 3 and 4. 

One highlight was the pairing of the All-Star Kids team, against the All-Star Dads team. Each board pairing saw father play son, with the Kids winning 3-1. There were also a few internal club match ups, with these matches being played with as much venom as the top boards.

Board medals went to: Bd 1 CM Hui Li (PPP), Bd 2 Jonah Gear (CAC I) , Bd 3 Jordan Brown (CAC I), Bd 4 Douglas Shuttleworth (CAC I)

Best team name was won by Yogis and the Beare, Best reserve Hakoo Desai (Rosary), Biggest rating gain Sanat Hegde (All Star Kids) and best female Varshini Mididuddi (Canberra Rising Stars)

Target: c6

 Here is another great example of following a simple plan to its obvious conclusion. White employs a king side fianchetto, training all his pieces on the c6 pawn. But in the end, the pawn itself survives the entire game. Instead, in trying to defend the pawn, Black falls victim to various other tactics, resulting in a winning final position for white.

Lagarde,Maxime (2615) - Yilmaz,Mustafa (2576) [A20]
Round 6: European Championship (6.11), 20.03.2025

The most English chess player ever (and he isn't even English)

 While scanning the results of the 2025 European Championship, I cam across the most English player ever. FM Henry Edward Tudor is the player concerned, and he is apparently quite a talent. Born in 2011 he is already 2384 on the current rating list, and won his national Under 20 Championship at the age of 12. But the truly strange thing (at least to me), is that he is Romanian. 

2025 European Championship

 or How to work on your openings

Find a strong event (in this case the 2025 European Championship). Look for an opening you wish to work on (eg Catalan). Find wins for your side (in this case White). Play through the game looking for knowledge and inspiration. Ignore the evaluation bar!

Bosiocic,Marin (2518) - Lohia,Sohum (2365) [E11]
2025 European Championship, 16.03.2025

We are all just prisoners here

 Piece mobility is an important factor in assessing a position. So much so that Karpov (or his ghost writer) once said that the most important strategy in chess is to increase your mobility and reduce your opponents. If White in the following game had followed this advice, he might not have chosen 42.Ra7. The attempt to win the pawn was futile, but at least it provided an entertaining final position.

Palma Araya,David (2003) - Tristan,Leonardo (2542) [D38]
ZONAL 2.5 ABSOLUTO CHILE 2025 Polideportivo Estadio Nacional (1.1), 09.03.2025

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup Entry update

 The 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup has just passed to 200 entries mark. While there are still 5 weeks before the tournament starts, it is certainly better to get your entry in sooner, rather than later. This goes double if you are playing in the Major event (Under 2100), as there are already 81 entries, and each tournament is limited to 100 players. So if the event fills up you will either be moved to net available event you are eligible for (most likely the Minor), or plan for 2026!

A chess development index

 While looking at some issues regarding the makeup of various zones and regions for chess events, I did a little messing around with data. The goal is to try and equalise the makeup of zones, based on measurable criteria. 

As a first attempt I used recent rating data to come up with a number that measures the 'strength' of a federation. This does not just come down to average rating (in fact my first attempt ignored ratings), but to number of players and number of titled players. As a rough cut I came up with the following top 20 (with the score I found for them)

RUS 1842.932

GER 1101.273

USA 694.061

ESP         573.55

UKR 537.533

IND         532.761

SRB 465.432

FRA 448.532

POL 408.356

HUN 397.325

NED 315.182

CZE 295.835

ENG 245.108

ISR         243.719

CUB 239.675

ROU 232.501

ARG 225.578

CHN 221.433

CRO 216.734

ITA         199.595

Now I am not going to say what scoring system I used (or weightings), as I am interested in what jumps out here. India and China may look to be ranked too low, but there is a reason for this. Both countries do not rate enough events in the FIDE system, and this in part is the consequence. Also, Serbia might be a little high these days, but this is due to historical factors.

If you are interested, Australia is 38th (120.943) with NZ 73rd (29.868)

Finding the right mate

 Checkmates in competition chess are quite rare. Normally both players see what is coming and one player decides to resign. But if your opponent gives you the chance to checkmate them, then finding the 'right' sort of checkmate can be an interesting challenge.

 

Huang,Billy (1829) - Morris,James (2431) [B07]
Begonia Open 2025 Ballarat, Australia (5.6), 09.03.2025

It is still King Safety

 While chess strategy is still undergoing a bit of a revolution (due to the long term effects of computers, and the shorter term effect of Machine Learning Algorithms) there are still truths that remain unchanged. No matter how much risk taking players think they can get away with, exposing your king is still asking for trouble. Wei Yi used this to his advantage, after David Navara decided that castling was the correct strategy after pushing his kingisde pawns up the board (Narrators voice: "No it wasn't")

Wei,Yi (2760) - Navara,David (2663) [C54]
PICF 2025 - Masters Prague, Czech Republic (4.3), 01.03.2025

Ambitious, but unsound

 As I was the 'house player' at my club last week, I ended up playing a casual game against a player who had the bye in another event. She actually took it more seriously than I did, as she was recording the game (and we were playing with a clock). The player in question is fairly inexperienced, but the first few moves were still interesting. After 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.bxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bc5 6.Bg5 Nge7 7.Bb5 0-0 8.0-0 h6 she played 9.h4. Although I figured that this was just a blunder, I still wondered if 9 ... hxg5 10.Nxg5 night be an issue for me. No less of a player as Kasparov was known to like this sort of attack, although not in this exact position. It turns out I can survive after Nxg5 as 10. ... g6 11.h5 Kg7 holds, and there aren't many moves to improve the attack. 

It turns out that whole point was moot, as she recaptured with the pawn (rather than the knight), and the extra material was enough to win more material

When Spassky came to Canberra

 In 1989 former World Champion Boris Spassky came to Australia for a series of simultaneous displays and lectures. At the time he was still competing at the top level (including the short lived PCA Grand Prix series) and still 3 years away from his infamous re-match with Bobby Fischer.

The tour was organised by Jaques Englander, who was a well known chess sponsor and importer of Novag Chess Computers. While Englander handled most of the tour, he asked me to handle the Canberra leg of the trip. I enlisted the help of Alan Hartstein to coordinate local transport, as he had one important attribute, the keys to his fathers Mercedes. 

Picking up the former World Champion at the airport, we immediately took him for a round of interviews with local radio and television. He was particularly taken with the variety of plants in Canberra, sampling some of berries and seeds he spotted, despite our concerns of their health effects. 

The main purpose of his visit was a 20 board simul at the Belconnen Mall. Organised with the help of the Games Cupboard, it attracted both a strong field of players, and a huge group of spectators. Before the simul began, Spassky announced that he would play 1.e4 on every board, and if his opponent chose to play 1. ... e5, then 2.f4 would be his next move. A number of players took up this challenge and the simul got underway.

As an old hand at these kind of events, Spassky soon spotted who the main threats were and strategically offered some early draws. One player who accepted the offer was former ACT Champion Milan Gricic. One player who definitely played on was Michael Mescher, who chose to meet the Kings Gambit with Be7 (1.e4 e5 2.f4 ef 3.Nf3 Be7) While I believe the game score has been lost to history, Mescher stayed a pawn ahead before converting the ending into a win. This was only one of 2 losses by Spassky during the entire tour, and was a cause of great celebration for the spectators. 

Apart from the loss, and 3 or 4 draws, Spassky of course won the remaining games. At one point words were exchanged between one of the player who took an early draw, and a participant who had reason to resign, but chose not to. The suggestion that he was not being 'respectful' to the former world champion was met with the reply 'But who has got the most value for money tonight'

After the simul had finished, Spassky, Mescher, myself, Alan Hartstein and former ACF President Nathan Stirling  (plus others) returned to city and had late night coffee at Gus's Cafe. Spassky and Mescher spent most of the time analysing the game just played, trying to find improvements for the ex World Champion!

The next day, we took Spassky out to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, to see the local flora and fauna. He took great delight in seeing the kangaroos and koalas, and exploring the Australian bush. He mentioned that as a younger man he worked as a forest ranger, and so such adventures were very enjoyable. 

His last full day in Canberra was spent playing tennis, and relaxing. At one point he needed assistance in ringing his wife from the hotel ( in those pre-mobile phone days) and when told he needed to start with 0 (to dial out) followed by 00 to start an international call he remarked 'So we start by castling long.'

After that he continued his journey around Australia, entertaining hundreds of local players with his charm, kindness and brilliant chess play.   

Boris Spassky (1937 - 2025)

 Former World Champion Boris Spassky has passed away, at the age of 88. He was the World Junior Champion in 1955 and World Champion from 1969-1972. For most casual chess players he was most famous for losing the 19821972 World Championship title to Bobby Fischer, but for more serious players, he was an incredibly strong player who chess career was far more than one match. He was a serious tournament competitor up until the early 1990's, but still played exhibition matches and tournaments after that.

He visited Australia in 1989, touring the country and playing simuls. I was fortunate to handle the Canberra leg of his visit, showing the sights of the nations capital and other tourist spots. He was very taken by his trip to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve where he was able to see native wild life and plants. He said it reminded him of his time working in the forests of the USSR, before he became a full time chess player.

Long considered one of the chess world's true gentlemen, his passing will be mourned by the chess community.

FIDE website redesign

 The FIDE website ( fide.com ) has undergone a bit of a redesign. Certainly the look has changed (to a 'flatter' style), but more importantly, things like the Ratings and Directory pages have improved how information is displayed. The previous version of the Ratings page (ratings.fide.com) had some technical issues re searching for information and events, but at least at first glance, these seem to have been fixed. There are also a couple of extra tools for calculating ratings (new and changed) although my initial test did find a flaw in one of them.

I've already received feedback (in my capacity as Secretary of the Qualification Commission), but I probably should explain, we 9QC) weren't involved in this project, so any issues should go straight upstairs!

An arbiting first for me

 One of the strangest rules in the Laws of Chess is 

"A.5.4    If the arbiter observes both kings are in check, or a pawn stands on the rank furthest from its starting position, he/she shall wait until the next move is completed. Then, if an illegal position is still on the board, he/she shall declare the game drawn."

This applies to Rapid and Blitz games (without adequate supervision). I have always thought it a silly rule, even when I was at the meeting where the rule was drafted.

However at todays ACT Junior Chess League Lightning Championship I enforced this rule for the very first time. I was wandering past one of the top board games, and both players were engaged in a pawn race in an ending. At some point previously (I assume), one of the players had moved his king out of the way of his rook pawn to let it run. But in doing so he had moved it next to the opponents king. But the opponent was so intent on pushing his own pawn, he did not claim (or even notice), and I witnessed both players play not 1 but 2 pawn moves before I stepped in. Informing of the rule (and convinced that neither would have taken action until after they had both promoted), I explained the rile to them, and declared the game a draw. 

Afterwards I kind of realised why the law kind of makes sense, although I'm still not convinced it is necessary. My decision in this specific case was probably influenced by 2 factors. Firstly, the position was materially even, and the pawn race was unlikely to change that. Secondly, if I did not take action now, the position would have been more chaotic later (and someone was going to come off worse).

The system hacked

 Another lesson for players who overly rely on "Hot to beat the ..." opening books. Up against a GM, white tries the formula hack against the Pirc. This usually involves an early Bh6 (after Qd2) and long castling. Black cleverly avoided castling too early, instead launching queenside counterplay with the annoying c6-b5 plan. It turns out that Whites 'attack' didn't amount to much, but in failing to realise this, failed to defend against the attack on the other side of the board.

Kothari,Jai (2070) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2489) [B07]
Isle of Wight Round 1 2025

2025 Dubbo Open

 An early shout out for the 2025 Dubbo Open. It will be on the weekend of the 29th & 30th March at the usual venue of the Dubbo RSL Club, Corner Brisbane and Wingewarra Streets, Dubbo NSW 2830.

It will be a 6 round swiss with a time control of 60m+10s. Entry fees are Adults $45, Concession $35, Juniors $25, and the 1st prize will be at least $450

The event usually gets a good mix of players from country NSW, Canberra, and Sydney. While the occasional GM and IM have dropped in to play, the majority of players are below 2000 (ACF). There is also a novelty blitz event on the Saturday night, after the tournament dinner.

Further information can be found at  www.facebook.com/DubboOpenChess

Chess and Bach

 I ran across the following on ABC Classic FM. It is from a video game (It Takes Two) , but is also based an earlier work by JS Bach. No animation, just music. Enjoy.

More found scoresheets

 This is what happens when you leave your scoresheet lying around at the chess club (although i suspect it is the winners discarded copy)

White v Black
Gungahlin Chess Club 2025

2025 O2C Doeberl Cup - Entry update

 The 2025 O2C Doeberl Cup is starting a little later this year (17th April), due to the phases of the moon. I normally start tracking entries 8 or 9 weeks out, so as to prepare for how much equipment, arbiters, furniture etc are needed. As of today the total entries have just passed the 100 player mark, which is a good start for the tournament. Last year we had over 400 players (in the main events), and increasing that number would be fantastic.

The other thing I start tracking around this time are the emails that ask us to ignore the rating restrictions so they (or more commonly their child) can be admitted into the Premier.  The number seems to be up this year from previous years, including emails from people who were told no last year, but thought they'd give it another shot (in one case the player concerned then simply refused to play in a lower section). Again, the rules here are quite clear. No exceptions :)

No books for me

 For the first time ever, I managed to walk out of the Lifeline Bookfair without any books. Not just chess books, but any books at all. The reason was a scheduling conflict meant I missed the Friday morning opening, and when I got their on Saturday, all that was left was the detritus of what had been there before. Then having no chess books in my bag, I felt uninspired to  purchase any books (including any of the bridge titles, which were legion in number). 

So empty handed I left the hall, hoping for better finds later this year.

Failed Experiments

 With all the brouhaha in the chess world over Freestyle Chess (Chess 960, Fischer Random, the thing invented by David Bronstein chess), it is worth remembering that it was once held as part of the Doeberl Cup. However it turned out to be less popular than the blitz, so the experiment was not repeated.

I suspect one of the reasons was: Players love Chess960 because their opponent can't rely on opening theory. Players hate Chess960 when they realise they can't rely on opening theory

But if you want to see it played at the top level (although it is missing Wesley So) you can at https://lichess.org/broadcast/freestyle-chess-grand-slam-tour-2025-weissenhaus--round-robin/round-1/SjKjf4b0

Stewart Reuben (1939 - 2025)

 Legendary chess arbiter and organiser Stewart Reuben has passed away, while on a cruise in Jamaica. Born in 1939, Stewart began playing and organising events in the 1950's and was a leading figure in the world of chess for over 60 years. Although he started his working career as an Industrial Chemist, he worked as a school teacher before becoming a chess author and organiser. He served on various FIDE Commissions, either as Chairman or Secretary, and made significant contributions to the authorship of the Laws of Chess.

He was also a talented player, with a peak rating above 2200 (and possibly 2300), as well as earning the Candidate Master title in later years (a title he created as Secretary of the Qualification Commission). One of his proudest playing moments was drawing with Bobby Fischer in a blitz event in 1963. His authorship of "The Chess Organisers Handbook" provided an invaluable resource for many aspiring chess arbiters, including myself.

I first met Stewart at the 2000 Chess Olympiad, and he was always an engaging and entertaining companion. Indeed I earned my FIDE Arbiter title after bumping into him at breakfast during the 2008 Olympiad, when he mentioned he was running a FA course, and invited me to attend. He also encouraged me to put myself forward for the FIDE Rules Commission and we had a very productive working partnership from 2008 to 2014. 

He was also a generous host to many chess players visiting London. A number of players were a guest at his flat in London, including myself and my son in 2016. He was also a very successful Poker player writing books on the topic, including his own speciality of Omaha.

He passed away while on a cruise to the Caribbean, something he did regularly in later years. His contribution to the chess world as an arbiter, organiser and author is enormous, and he will be sadly missed.

Back to club chess

 The 2025 club chess season is up and running, at least for Canberra clubs. My home club (Eastlakes Gungahlin) is running two events to start the year. Although they are both 60m+30s 1 round per week tournaments, they have been split into Under 18s and Over 18s. Normally such a split would be to encourage the younger players, but in this case it is the older players we are looking at to join. 

The junior event has attracted a healthy field of 27 players, with some of Canberra's strongest juniors taking part. On the top board, there was an interesting opposite coloured bishop ending reached. Often these can end in draws (as this one did), but only because White missed a nice idea in the diagrammed position. A couple of spectators spotted it, but can you?

Don't threaten me with a good time

 The final round of the Tata Steel event is starting shortly. As I have been busy with other chess events, I've only caught up with the some of the games from the tournament. Unlike the 'high altitude' Super-duper GM events, the make of the field in this event does lend itself to more exciting (but possibly less correct) chess. 

In the following game, Black allows White to build up quite the attacking position, but it doesn't really kick off until 22, after Black allowed White to kick off the final attack with a piece sacrifice. While it could be argued that Black missed the strength of the sacrifice, a more sensible strategy would have been to avoid the position all together. But then we would not have seen the queen sac at the end!

Praggnanandhaa R (2741) - Sarana,Alexey (2672) [D36]
Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 Masters Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands (12.3), 01.02.2025

So many bad things to see

 The following game combines a number of hilarious themes that I often feature on this blog. 

(1) The French Defence gets a fearful hammering

(2) Grabbing the b pawn with your queen is once again bad

(3) Every now and then players who should know better (an IM in this case) still find a way of digging themselves further into trouble

Papp,Levente (2386) - Pribelszky,Bence (2391) [C11]
SixDays Budapest January 2025 IM A Budapest (9.2), 31.01.2025

2025 Oceania Zonal - Final Results

 GM Temur Kuybokarov has won the 2025 Oceania Zonal, with a final score of 8/9. After dropping his 4th round game, he finished with 5 straight wins, beating FM Chris Wallis in the final round. Tied for 2nd were IM Rishi Sardana, IM James Morris and FM Stirling Bayaca on 7/9. Both Sardana and Morris went through the event undefeated, as did IM Gary Lane (6/9), who curiously drew every game he started with the white pieces.

WGM Julia Ryjanova was the clear winner of the Women's Zonal, scoring 8.5/9. She only conceded a draw to WFM Shiyuan Shen, who finished 2nd on 8/9. In third place was WCM Chao Xin Cheng who scored 7/9.

Both events saw a number of players earn direct titles. A few have already earned their FM/WFM/CM/WCM titles (based on career ratings), while for others, the titles will be awarded based on achieving the minimum required rating.

As Chief Arbiter of the event, I found it a very enjoyable event. The chess was competitive throughout, including the final round,  and a number of younger players showed a real step up in class. The venue (Huntingdale Golf Club) was fantastic, and the organising team from the Box Hill Chess Club (lead by Peter Tsai) did a brilliant job throughout. 

Full results and links to tournament games can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/2025oceaniazonals/home

2025 Oceania Zonal - Day 5

 With one round left to play GM Temur Kybokarov holds a half point lead in the 2025 Oceania Zonal. Bouncing back after his round 4 loss, Kuybokarov has reeled off 4 straight wins, taking down FM Alphaeus And and FM Stirling Bayaca in todays rounds. In outright 2nd is Chris Wallis, who beat IM David Cannon in round 7 and drew with FM Luis Chan in round 8. Fittingly, Wallis and Kuybokarov will face each other in the final round, which begins at 10am Melbourne time, tomorrow.

In equal third are 6 players on 6/8. While 1st place is out of reach for this group, a 2nd or 3rd place finish is an IM norm for the non IM's in this group. 

WGM Julia Ryjanova leads the Women Zonal on 7.5/8, half a point ahead of WFM Zhiyuan Shen. As both players have already met (drawing their game), the destination of the qualifying place for the World Cup will depend on their final round games. Ryjanova is playing  Elaina Qiang, while Shen plays WCM Luna Xu. 

While a few players have already scored enough points for direct titles, the last round will determine who else will earn them. Interestingly, the final round pairings see players in the open hoping to reach 6/9 (an FM title), up against players who already the this, or a higher title. So expect some fighting chess in the final round, which can be seen from 10:30am on Lichess.

2025 Oceania Zonal - Day 4

 At the end of the 4th day of the 2025 Oceania Zonal, the leading pack has thinned a little. The surprise leader is FM Stirling Bayaca, who is on 5.5/6. In the morning round he defeated GM Darryl Johansen and then FM Felix Xie (NZ) in round 6. He is being chased by IM James Morris, IM David Cannon, FM Chris Wallis and GM Temur Kuybokarov who are all on 5 points.  Tomorrow mornings round sees Bayaca up against Morris in the board 1 clash.

In the Women's Zonal, WGM Julia Ryjanova and WCM Chai Xin Chen share the lead on 5.5/6. They play each other in tomorrows first round, with the winner being well placed to win the event. A draw between the 2 leaders will open to door for WFM Zhiyuan Shen to catch up, as she is in outright third on 5/6.

Round 7 and 8 will be played tomorrow, with round 9 starting at 10am on Wednesday. Although qualifying for the World Cup is the ultimate goal from both events, a chance to earn direct titles is also a motivation for the rest of the field. With 6/9 required for an FM/WFM title, and 4.5/9 for a CM/WCM some results may be affected by title considerations. For some this may lead to over cautious play (like being on the bubble in poker), but for others, a last minute run up the score table may be in order.

2025 Oceania Zonal Day 3

 Day 3 of the 2025 Oceania Zonal started with a Blitz event. The 2025 Ocenia Blitz Championship was won by IM James Morris, scoring 8.5/9. FM Li Yiu finished 2nd on 7.5, and FM Luis Chan 3rd on 7.

Round 4 was in the afternoon and the surprise result was IM Davin Cannon beating top seed GM Temur Kuybokarov. A tactical miscalculation saw Cannon win an important pawn, and Kuybokarov could not generate enough counterplay as compensation. Cannon now shares the lead IM James Morris, who also reached 4/4 by beating FM Luis Chan. Tied for 3rd are a further 6 players on 3.5.

The lead in the Women's Zonal is also shared between 2 players, WGM Julia Ryjanova and Grace Yin. Yin, who started the tournament as 30th seed has had an impressive run of 4 straight wins, but will face Ryjanova in tomorrow mornings round.

The nest 2 days are both double round days, with the morning round starting at 10:00 am and the afternoon round beginning at 3:00 pm

 

2025 Oceania Zonal - Day 2

 After 3 rounds, 6 players are still on a perfect in the Open section of the 2025 Oceania Zonal. Top seed GM Temur Kuybokarov scored an easy win over Reyaansh Chakrabarty to maintain his perfect start. He was joined by IM James Morris, FM Felix Xie, IM David Cannon, FM Chris Wallis and FM Luis Chan, after they all scored round 3 wins. Another 13 players are on 2.5/3, so the likely winner(s) of the event are still some way from being known.

In the Women's Zonal, 5 players lead on 3/3. WGM Julia Ryjanova, Grace Yin, WFM Zhiyan Shen, WCM Jody Middleton and WCM Chao Xin Cheng have all had perfect starts to event, although tomorrows round may change that. Again there is a large group of players within one win of the leaders, so again, an eventual winner may take some rounds to emerge.

Chakrabarty, Reyaansh - Kuybokarov, Temur [C88]
2025 Oceania Zonal (3.1), 25.01.2025

2025 Oceania Zonal - Day 1

 The first day of the 2025 Oceania Zonal saw 166 players turn up to the Huntingdale Gold Club in Melbourne, to determine the Oceania qualifiers for the 2025 World Cup. The Open section saw 117 players arrive for round 1 (curiously missing a group of New Zealand junior players who had taken advantage of the entry conditions to enter, but not play) with 49 players in the Women's section (who all turned up).

As the entry for the Open was restricted to players rated above 1900 (for Australian entries), the first round was tougher than previous Zonals. Although the top 5 seeds won their first games, IM's Lane and Solomon drew with their lower rated opponents, while IM Russell Dive lost to NSW player Ian Stalker. In the Women's event the upsets started as soon as board 3, and included a run of 6 boards (bd's 6 to 11) where Black won all the games.

Today is a double round day, with round 2 already underway. Important links are

• Tournament website
• Results Open
• Results Women
• Live Coverage

2025 Oceania Zonal

 The 2025 Oceania Zonal begins tomorrow, in Melbourne. Even with the tighter entry requirements (for home players at least), both events (Open and Women's) reached capacity entries months ago. Pleasingly the Open event has representatives from 7 of the Oceania Federations, while the Women's has 5 federations represented.

Both events will qualify 1 player to the 2025 World Cup, as well as offering the chance for players to earn direct titles (IM/WIM, FM/WFM and CM/WCM). Top seed in the Open is GM Temur Kuybokarov, and for the Women's WGM Julia Ryjanova.

The first round is at 1pm tomorrow (local time). Event details and result links can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/2025oceaniazonals/home

Note: I am Chief Arbiter for this event

Random bits of advice

 Random bits of advice and commentary I gave to a coaching class today

• Good tactics come from good positions
• King safety is the number one feature in a position
• Material is only number two
• The farther a rook can move, the stronger it is
• Don't do stupid things
• Chess is one of the few activities where kids operate on the same level as adults
• So accept that bad decisions have consequences
• Saying it was an accident is a kids way of saying they did it on purpose, but don't want to deal with the consequences
• No matter how bad your results are, they will improve when someone worse comes along
• As long as you keep playing, someone worse will come along
• The only way not to lose is not to play

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 9

 With the final game of the tournament I decided to 'bank my winnings' and offer an early draw. This left me on +1 for the tournament (2 wins, 1 loss and 6 draws), and meant I played to almost exactly my rating. Having come into the event with no FIDE rated chess in the last 12 months, I was happy with this result. My final place of =4th was a pleasant surprise as well, as I figured anything in the top half would be good. 

I found the tournament a very enjoyable experience, and the organisation was excellent. The schedule of 9 rounds over 7 days (only 2 double round days), gave me both enough time to prepare for my games, as well as to do some walking and sightseeing. Alongside my event were the IM Bob Wade Memorial (3 GM's+3 IM's) and the Middle Game Chess Foundation Challengers. The top event was designed to provide norm opportunities (and higher level chess) for New Zealand's rising starts, while the Middle Game Challengers showcased younger New Zealand talents. All three events saw some interesting and hard fought games, with the winners really having to work hard.

The organisers are looking at holding similar events next year, and I would certainly recommend the events for anyone interested in playing.

Forster, William - Press, Shaun [A05]
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (9.3), 19.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 8

 After a sequence of drawn games, I finally scored my 2nd win of the event. My opponent had great experience in playing Benoni type systems (1.d4 c5) so I tried to find a sequence that avoided the main lines. As it turned out that we reached a position that closely resembled a Closed Sicilian, with the significant difference being that my d pawn was on d5 rather than d3. As a result I was able to use the extra space to build up a kingside attack without worrying so much about a counter attack in the centre. 

The final finish was evidence that good tactics come from good positions. The win moved me to 4.5/8, which meant I had achieved at least one of my goals, which was to score at least 50% for the tournament. (NB Once again the online broadcast threw in some extra moves at the end, for reasons that were not clear to me this time)

Press, Shaun - van Meter, Lester [A43]
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (8.4), 18.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 7

 Having escaped with a fortunate draw in round 6, I offered the same gift to my opponent in round 7. Playing a mainline Gruenfeld, I reached the usual sort of position where Black is holding on, but always at risk if the White d pawn breaks loose. All the action kicked off around move 24 where I played 24 ... e6? which just encouraged the formulaic hack down the f file with f5 (24 ... Bd5! was the move). Then the next sequence of moves was not the best for both sides, but by move 31 I thought I would eb able to take the d pawn and survive. But just as in game 6, both my opponent and I missed the correct follow up to 34.Bg5. He assume he was winning material due the threat of Bxd8, while I thought I would get enough pawns as compensation for the piece after 34. ... Bxe5. It turns out both of missed the idea of 34. ... e6!! 35.exf6 Qe6! The threat is to take the knight on e2, or play Bxg2+, winning the queen. With best (computer calculated) play, I would have 3 pawns for the exchange, and definite winning chances. Instead everything came off and reducing his pawns meant that a draw by perpetual was the best result. (NB The live broadcast shows an incorrect ending, due to my opponent demonstrating how I could self mate by avoiding the perp).

Metge, Nigel - Press, Shaun
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (7.3), 16.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 6

 Game 6 was played as the first game of a double round day (which in part excuses the quick draw the game before). I was happy with my position until I moved the queen to the wrong square on move 21. This meant I could not meet Bg5 with f4 and left me in trouble down the c file. After that I had to deal with pressure on my d pawn, which left me in a bad way. But the game then turned on a joint hallucination where both my opponent and I thought that 38.Qc2 lead to a perpetual, or a queen exchange leading to an equal ending. My opponent chose the later, and despite his attempts to create winning chances, it finished in a drawn opposite coloured bishop ending. Turns out he could have avoided to perpetual by making sure the king maneuvered to the correct squares .

So another draw, but at least I stayed on 50%

Press, Shaun - Stark, John [E81]
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (6.3), 17.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 5

 This game falls under the heading of 'tournament management'. In a round robin event, you don't necessarily have to win every game (unless you are Fischer), so taking a quick draw can restore your energy for the next day.

Gibbons, Robert - Press, Shaun
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (5.2), 16.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 4

 My round 4 game had a number of interesting points, including my usual issue of mis-assesing my winning chances. My younger opponent decided to take the c pawn in the Catalan (as black) and then hang on to it for as long as possible. Having been caught out by this idea previously, I decided to give him a passed b pawn, and then slowly play around it. If I won it back, great, if I didn't, I had other advantages to work with. 

The game got quite interesting after he decided to give up two pieces for a rook and another pawn. This didn't give him the play he was hoping for, but at the same time, moved us closer to an ending where the b pawn might count for more. As a result I repeated the position (a perp on the queen), and we shook hands. According to the engine, repeating the position was my only real mistake in the game, as moving the night to c5 (instead of a5) could have resulted in a better position after Qb8 Nd7 followed by getting the other knight to c5. Suffice to say, the idea did not occur to me.

So I'm still on 50% (2/4), with today being a single round day.

Press, Shaun - Wang, Aaron
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (4.5), 15.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 3

 This was the second game from yesterdays double round day. My opponent got a little tangled on the queenside and missed the idea of me catching the knight in the corner. I still had to be a little careful in regards to the passed a pawn, so I took the slow and steady route to convert the material advantage.

The win brought me back to 50% after 3 games. 

Press, Shaun - Dolejs, Dan
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (3.1), 14.01.2025

Hilton Bennett Memorial - Game 2

 This mornings round saw me get caught in a surprisingly short draw. Having chosen a line against the Exchange Ruy Lopez that gives Black easy equality, my opponent played a move that lost a pawn. To be fair it wasn't a great extra pawn for me, but it meant I could try and grind for a win. That was until I overlooked a tactic which allowed home to sacrifice a piece for a perpetual check. The whole game took about 40 minutes, and so I had most of the day off.

Fuatai, Fuatai - Press, Shaun
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (2.5), 14.01.2025

Bob Wade Masters and Hilton Bennett Memorial

 The New Zealand Chess Federation has organised a series of events to recognise the wonderful contributions of IM Bob Wade and CM Hilton Bennett to New Zealand Chess. The Bob Wade Masters is a 10 player round robin, with 3 GM's (Nagy, Song and Zhao) plus a mix of IM's and FM's. The Hilton Bennet Memorial is also a 10 player RR, with a mix of players who knew or played against Hilton during his chess career (including myself). The third event is mainly for younger players, and is alos a 10 player RR.

In the Masters, the 3 GM's all got off to a winning start, as did IM Sravin Renjith. The Bennett Memorial also saw 4 decisive games, although I was on the wrong end of the scoreboard in my game. Choosing the wrong way to meet a potential f5 push in the Kings Indian I went from better to worse, not quite getting to grips with the requirements of the position.  

Tomorrow is a double round day, and all games can be followed at https://lichess.org/broadcast/bob-wade-masters-2025--bob_wade/YhDPYAvJ

 

Press, Shaun - Qin, Oscar
2025 Hilton Bennett Memorial (1.2), 13.01.2025

2025 Australian Open

 The 2025 Australian Open has finished in a tien for 1st betweem IM Mihalo Radovanovic (SRB) and CM Tri Kien Le (VIE). They finished on 7.5/9 after recording wins in the final round. Le went through the event undefeated (6 wins, 3 dars), while Radovanovic lost to Le (in round 8), but won 7 games (also drawing with IM James Morris. Ryder Testolin finished in outright 3rd on 7 points, after beating Morris in a wild final round game. The loss by Morris pushed him back to a tie for 4th, alongside GM Daryl Johansen, Harvey Zhu, Sam Asaka, and FM Daniel Chan (SGP)

The title of Australian Women's Champion was awarded to WIM heather Richards, who finished on 5.5.

91 players took part in the Open, while a further 129 players played in the 7 round Minor. Daniil Yelkhovsky won this event on 6.5, ahead of a group of 4 players on 6.

The next major event in Melbourne will be the 2025 Oceania Zonal, which begins on the 24th January.

Robert Hubner

 Legendary German GM Robert Hubner passed away a few days ago, at the age of 76. One the worlds top players in the 1970's and 80's, he reached a peak ranking of No. 3 in the world in 1981. He did this while essentially remaining a chess amateur, holding a number of academic positions during his playing career.

While known for his chess ability, he was also regarded as somewhat eccentric. His attempts at qualifying for the World Championship match ended with his withdrawal from the matches on 2 occasions, and a loss due to a spin of a roulette wheel when his match against Smyslov was drawn. 

Somewhat of an anti-authoritarian, he retired from active chess when FIDE introduced drug testing to the sport. But even before that he demonstrated this in a famous game against Ken Rogoff, where in protest at being asked to play a significant number of games at the World Student Teams Championship (by his captain), he and Rogoff concocted an interesting draw (https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1543378)

A true original of the chess world, his passing severs another link with the great players of the 1960's and 70's.

2025 Australian Blitz Championship

 IM James Morris has once again collected the title of Australian Blitz Champion, winning the 2025 edition with 9.5/11. He finished half a point ahead of IM David Cannon, with a group of players tied for third on 8.5. The top 2 players did not actually meet in the event, due to a surprisingly early loss for Morris (round 3) and a similar loss for Cannon (in round 4)

The event attracted 136 players and was run on the rest day for the 2025 Australian Open. The win for Morris qualifies him for the 2025 World Blitz Championship (as national champion), although where the 2025 edition will be is as yet to be determined.

2025 Australian Open, and 2025 New Zealand Championship

 Two important events kicked off today, with both the 2025 Australian Open and 2025 New Zealand Championship up and running. The New Zealand Championship has the distinction of being one of the oldest championships in the world (along with Scotland), being held regularly since 1889. 

The strength of both events seems similar, although the NZ event looks to have more international federations represented. Top seed for the Australian Open is IM James Morris, while GM Gabor Nagy is the top seed in NZ.

Both events can be followed online, at lichess.org. The link for the Australian Open is https://lichess.org/broadcast/2025-australian-open--premier/round-1/MfE3W8Xn  ehilr the NZ event can be followed at https://lichess.org/broadcast/new-zealand-chess-congress-2025/round-1/spI5tcia

Kissing your sister

 The way the 2024 World Blitz Championship pretty much sums up the whole week in New York. After the top 8 players qualified for the final may agreeing to quick draws in the final round of the qualifiers, they spent the next day playing a series of knockout matches to determine a winner.

Except after 7 games in the final (4 regular games + 3 drawn tiebreaks), Carlsen proposed to Nepomniachtchi that they split the title and go home. Although this wasn't in the rules (https://handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/wrbc_regulations_2024_open.pdf ) Nepo agreed to this result, leaving FIDE with it's hands tied on the matter. 

The general online opinion hasn't bee particularly kind to all involved, although some people think it was the best outcome* There is still a lot to be unpacked about this tournament, and the various tournament incidents** but I suspect this will happen much later in the year. For now, there are joint Open Blitz Champions. At least in the Women's event Ju Wenjun won the title according to the regulations, winning the final 3.5-2.5

* Use of the expressions 'general ... opinion' and 'some people' is very poor journalism, and is something you condemn.

** Earlier in the event, someone was actually arrested trying to enter the venue without the correct accreditation!