The 2023 Australian Open began yesterday (2nd January), with 114 players in the Open event, and 54 players in the Minor. There were a couple of no-shows (due to visa and travel issues), but the event got off to a very smooth start.
The Open saw very few upsets, with the top 17 seeds all recording victories. There were four draws on lower boards, while lower rated players scored wins in four of the games. Round 2 sees some closer matchups on the top boards, although the rating gap is still around 500 points.
In the Minor there were 6 upsets results, involving 5 wins and a draw. However a couple of these can be attributed to the variability in rating accuracy of new and lower rated players. Just as in the Open, today's morning round will start to sort out the title contenders.
The CAWA (Chess Association of Western Australia) have done an excellent job in organising this event. The venue is located right on Scarborough Beach, and the playing hall is ideal for an event like this. It has been 28 years since the Open has been held in Perth, which is far too long, especially given the high standard of organisation.
Today is a double round day, with round 3 start at 1530 Perth time. The top 8 games are being broadcast on a 30 minute delay. The links for the tournament and broadcast are
Open Results (chess-results.com)
Minor Results (chess-results.com)
(*** I am a paid official for this event ***)
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