AUSTRALIAN CHESS FEDERATION Number 12/01A ..... 24 January 2012 |  |
The 2012 Australian Junior Chess Championships were held at Spensley Street Primary School in the inner Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill from 14th January to 22nd January, organised by the Melbourne Chess Club. Alistair Cameron (SA) took out the top (U18) section from Justin Tan (Vic) and Anton Smirnov (NSW) while Miranda Webb Liddle (Vic) won the Australian Girls’ Championship ahead of Zoe Harrison (Vic) and Janaki Narenthran (Vic). Other winners were as follows (first name the Open, second the Girls’ champion; note that some titles were run in combined sections) U16 – Bernard Chau (NSW) [playoff with Pasan Perera (NSW)] and Stephanie Gu (Vic) U14 – Andrew Pan (NSW) [playoff with Stuart Nicholls (SA)] and Denise Lim (Vic) U12 – Rowan Willathgamuwa (NSW) and Alanna Chew Lee (Vic) [playoff with Eliza Mapili (Vic)] U10 – Kevin Willathgamuwa (NSW) and Jody Middleton (Vic) U 8 – Bobby Yu (Vic) and Emily Lin (Vic) |
Mosaddeque Ali As reported previously, Canberra chess player and former ACTCA President Mosaddeque Ali passed away last month aged 40. See link for an obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald by psychiatrist and journalist Dr Tanveer Ahmed. 2012 Grand Prix There are 39 events on the 2012 calendar (including separate sections of tournaments). See link for details. 2011 Australasian Masters This event was hosted by the Box Hill Chess Club from 10 to 18 December. IM James Morris (Vic) won with 7.5/9 (in fact James scored 8.5/10 since a player he won against was subsequently replaced) followed by FM Bobby Cheng (Vic) 6, IM Stephen Solomon (Qld) 6, IM Leonid Sandler (Vic) 5.5 and Lee Wang-Sheng (OS) 5. See link for details. ACT Title Events The 2012 ACT Lightning Championship will be played at the Canberra Chess Club on Wednesday 1st February. All Canberra players are very welcome, though please note the requirement to be a member of the ACT Chess Association to play in this event – you can join on the evening if you are not already a member. Full details are available here (with a flyer here). Roy Teymant The 2012 ACT Chess Championships will be held on the weekends of 17/18/19 and 25/26 Feb at the Vikings Club in Erindale. I would like to strongly encourage all ACT players to support this event. It does clash with a new Grand Prix event at Hornsby. However, it was agreed last year that the ACT Championships would be run prior to the Canberra Day weekend. All players must be members of the ACTCA. Each club will be collecting ACTCA fees during the first couple of club meetings. Fees are $25, and $15 for concession holders and juniors. Glenn Ingham FM Junta Ikeda has completed a hat-trick of wins in the ACT Rapidplay Championship, with a win in the 2011 tournament [Event held on 17 December in Canberra – Ed.]. Starting as top seed, Ikeda was in trouble in the second round against Alana Chibnall after she was a up a queen for a rook. However a hint of counterplay from Ikeda somehow convinced Chibnall that a draw was the safe result! After that he scored 5 wins to finish on 6.5/7. In second pace was Ken Xie who dropped his only point to Ikeda. On the way to 6 points he defeated seeds 2,4 and 5. This year’s event attracted a field of 37. Evidence of its strength was the fact that IM Andrew Brown was only seeded 5th, although this may have been due to a somewhat out of date rapidplay rating. The prize giving ceremony also saw the awarding of FIDE title certificates to IM Andrew Brown, WIM Emma Guo, and FM Junta Ikeda. Two other Canberra players, FM Gareth Oliver and WFM Megan Setiabudi, will receive their certificates at a later date. Secrets of Opening Surprises SOS 14 features a chapter by FM Max Illingworth on a gambit line which he has discovered in the Paulsen Sicilian where White appears to forget that his Knight is en prise. In fact the piece can be recovered if Black takes it, though with the loss of a pawn in exchange for some compensation. See Illingworth-Ly below. SOS 14 is or will be available from several sources. Fisher’s Ghost Open In response to a couple of queries, this event, which was cancelled in 2011, is unrelated to Bobby Fischer (also different spelling) - see link for more information. |
AusJCL Calendar (National and International) See http://www.australian-junior-youth-chess.blogspot.com/ or the AusJCL page for calendars, selection details, etc. Note that events are often changed so it is advisable to check frequently for updates. 2012 Johns-Putra Australian Junior Elite Training Squad The Australian Junior Chess League is pleased to invite applications from talented Australian juniors (U/18) for the national junior training squad. The JETS Squad is Australia's premier development squad, aimed at encouraging and challenging the next generation of Australian champions. (Past JETS members have gone on to become Grandmasters and International Masters.) Applicants are judged by enthusiasm and commitment as well as rating, with priority for applicants aged 14 and under. 30 players will be selected, including at least 10 players of each gender. Eligibility for the Squad will require participation in at least one of the national Championship (Geelong) or Junior (Melbourne) Championships, or the Queenstown Classic in January 2012. (A very small number of exceptions may be made in extenuating circumstances.) The 30 selected members of the 2012 JETS Squad should commit to attend the national junior training camp, in Melbourne from July 2-7, where they will receive free coaching by Grandmasters and International Masters, plus compete in a training tournament and a Grandmaster simultaneous exhibition. Additional half or full day mini-camps, free for JETS Squad members, may be held in other major cities, usually in conjunction with a Grand Prix weekend tournament. In the first half of the year, JETS Squad members will occasionally be set homework. Canterbury Juniors web page |
Recent GP weekend results 2011 Canterbury Day Nighter Deember 9-10, Melbourne, Vic. Domagoj Dragicevic won with 5.5/6 from John Nemeth and Jason Tang 5 (67 players). 2011 MCC Christmas Swiss December 17-18, Melbourne, Vic. FM Michael Baron with 5.5/6 followed by Sylvester Urban 5 and David Beaumont and Michael Addamo 4.5 (28 players). |
Grand Prix events 2012 Bill Powell Open (18-19 February) 2012 Myer-Tan Australian Grand Prix event (Class 2) 2012 Queensland Participation Grand Prix event Presented by Suncoast Chess Club Incorporated Venue: Proudly held at Coolum-Peregian R.S.L, 1906 David Low Way, Coolum 4573 - Google Maps Link Come and enjoy our beautiful coast before the school holiday rush. Great surf beaches and great weather (can't guarantee either). Please find entry form through link: ENTRY FORM or off our website tournaments page link at bottom of post. Goto our facebook page to see some of the great photos JaK took at our last event (note different venue but still on our beautiful coast). JaK's great photos Format Six Round Swiss Time Control All moves in 60 minutes per player plus 10 seconds per move from move one (Fischer) Director of Play / Arbiter Jeff Dyer. Contact Details Jeff Dyer, PO Box 196 Buderim QLD 4556, Phone 0424 606 831 Email: suncoastchess@gmail.com Prize pool depends on number of entries. Expected to be well over $1300. There will be other non cash prizes before the start of some rounds. At the 2011 Caloundra Open we gave away $1535. Links Suncoast Chess Club's website Suncoast Chess Club's facebook pages 2012 Hornsby Weekender (25-26 February) Kevin Tan and I [Peter Yang] are pleased to bring to the chess community the 1st Annual Hornsby Weekender Class 1 Myer Tan Grand Prix event, which will be held 25th-26th February at the spacious Asquith Leagues Club (5 minutes walk from Hornsby station, next to Waitara station, Sydney) What is it? A seven round swiss tournament over two days, time control 1 hour+10secs (standard weekender time controls). The tournament will be ACF rated and will incorporate FIDE laws of chess. There may be a blitz tournament held after the main tournament has concluded. The prize pool for this tournament will be around $1000, including division/miscellaneous prizes depending on the number of entries. Entry fee: Adult: $50 Junior and Concession-$40 Entry and Payment deadline is 24th February, enter before 2012 for a $5 discount, please enter before 2012 so we can confirm numbers! All players must be members of the NSWCA, NSWJCL or their comparable state organisation. IMs and GMs free. We are accepting entries now! To assist Kev and I logistically, please enter as soon as you can! More details http://www.hornsbyweekender.webs.com or search for the event on Facebook. We are expecting some press at the event, Hornsby Advocate perhaps and of course chesscrazytalk with full coverage! 2012 Doeberl Cup (5-9 April) and Sydney International Open (11-15 April) Entries for these two major international events at and just after Easter respectively are now being taken at and |
Championship and major events Asian Teams Championship May 2012, Hainan, China Asian Seniors: 1 June 2012, Sydney, Australia Olympiad: 27 August 2012, Istanbul, Turkey Regional events (Date listed is date of commencement) Tournament calendars 2011 Queenstown Chess Classic This popular New Zealand event (15 to 23 January) attracted 148 entries including eleven GMs. GM Darryl Johansen (Aus) followed up his recent win at the 2012 Australian Championship by tying for first on 7.5/9 with top seed GM Li Chao (Chn) and GM Zhao Jun (Chn), who he edged out on tie-break. IM Akshat Khamparia (Ind), GM Eduardis Rosentalis (Ltu), Trevor Tao (Aus), GM Sune Berg Hansen (Den) and GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly (Ind) followed on 7. The event doubled as the New Zealand Championship. FM Michael Steadman took out the title, his first, with 6.5, ahead of FM Robert Smith and IM Russell Dive 6. FIDE titles In addition to almost winning Queenstown, Trevor Tao scored an IM norm, believed to be his third. IM Junta Ikeda scored his first IM norm and WGM Irene Sukandar (Ina) also scored an IM norm. There were no GM norms achieved at Queenstown. Officials believe that Melbourne player Domagoj Dragicevic crossed the 2300 mark during the Australian Championship in Geelong and so becomes eligible for the FM title. (Ratings requirements for titles are met by achieving the stipulated level mid-event regardless of whether the rating is maintained until the next published list.) ChessCafe Book of the Year Voting in the final round for this award closes on 29 January. The three finalists are How To Reassess Your Chess (4th edition) by Jeremy Silman, Invisible Chess Moves by Yochanan Afek and Emmanuel Neiman and Lessons with a Grandmaster by Boris Gulko and Joel R. Sneed. See link for more information. 2011 Hastings Congress The traditional Hastings Chess Congress was held in Hastings, England from 28 December 2011 to 5 January and won by GM Wang Yue (Chn) 7.5/9 ahead of GM Andrei Istratescu (Tur), IM Babu Lalith (Ind) and IM Sundar Shyam (Ind) 7. See link for the tournament site. Association of Chess Professionals This organisation appears to have been re-formed under the presidency of GM Emil Sutovsky. However it may be facing competition from a new body, the International Professional Chess Union. See link for a report on chessvibes. 2011 Women’s World Teams Championship China won this event (ten team round robin, December 18 to 27, Mardin, Turkey) with 16/18 match points from Russia 13 and Georgia 12. See link for the tournament site. Swiss Pairing rules Some changes approved last year, which will be invisible to most players, have been incorporated into the pairing rules at link. 2011 European Blitz and Rapid Championship These events were held on December 16 to 18 in Warsaw, Poland. Hrant Melkumyan (Arm) won the Blitz and Baadur Jobava (Geo) the Rapid. See link for the tournament site. 2011 San Sebastien Chess Festival This event was held in Donostia, Spain, from 28 December 2011 to 5 January 2012, commemorating the centenary of the 1911 event. The tournament was conducted as a knockout over two-board matches with an interesting twist - to eliminate any advantage of colours in the first game there was no first game; the two games were played simultaneously. Andrei Volokitin (Ukr) won the final, and the first prize of 20,000 euros and a motorbike, from Viktor Laznichka (Cze) See link for the tournament site. FIDE blitz ratings FIDE will establish an international blitz list with effect from 2012 - see link for information. Hastings has claimed the first event on the list, held on 2 January. The Australian Lightning Championship in Geelong on 5 January is the inaugural rated event from this country; it is not known whether this is the first in the Southern Hemisphere. |
The January FIDE ratings were released earlier this month. The leading Australians (active players only) are shown in the next column. Magnus Carlsen (Nor) extends his lead with 2835 followed by Levon Aronian (Arm) 2805, Vladimir Kramnik (Rus) 2801 and World Champion Viswanathan Anand (Ind) 2799. A rating of 2761 is necessary to be in the top ten, and 2652 for the top hundred. Australia’s top player, GM Zong-Yuan Zhao, at 2568 is number 382. |
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Following is a list of useful sites, please notify additions or updates to the usual address. Newspaper columns On-line media Bulletin boards Blogs Mailing lists / Newsletters Gardiner Chess (Qld) Tournament software Tornelo (David Cordover) Australian Chess Federation Oceania Chess Confederation State Associations (Also see state sites for information on clubs without their own web sites.) Game collections Chess compositions | Junior Chess Leagues/clubs and junior blogs NSW Clubs Victorian Clubs Queensland Clubs WA Clubs SA Clubs Tasmanian Clubs ACT Clubs Correspondence chess |
Position Vacant: ACF Selections Director The ACF is seeking expressions of interest in filling the voluntary position of ACF Selections Director. The Selections Director is responsible for administering adult selections on behalf of the ACF, including the calling for and checking of applications for selection for events, the forming of a suitable selector group for each event from a broader Selection Panel, the sending of material to selectors, the processing of selector votes and the notification of outcomes. The Selections Director may also be expected to assist with or conduct Olympiad player registrations. The Selections Director will follow the procedures stated at http://www.auschess.org.au/constitution/Selection%20Procedures%20after%2021%20July%202008.pdf (noting that in most cases the Selections Director will in practice also be the Selections Co-ordinator). The Selections Director will not typically be involved in selecting players themselves. This is a challenging role that can at times have a busy workload and that requires good communication skills and attention to detail, organisation, demonstrated commitment to chess administration, ability to follow rules carefully and fairly, lack of serious conflicts of interest and reliable internet access around critical dates such as set selections deadlines. Anyone with any questions should contact the previous incumbent Kevin Bonham k_bonham@tassie.net.au who will also be available to assist with advice if needed. Applications should reach the ACF Secretary, Tom Accola tomaccola@optusnet.com.au by the end of January 2012. Kevin Bonham, ACF Vice-President. Australian Olympiad Selections: 20 Game Rule Deadline for Turkey Olympiad Prospective applicants for Olympiad selection to represent Australia in either the Open or Women’s team at the 40th FIDE Olympiad are advised that the ACF Council has ruled that the deadline for each applicant to have played at least 20 games in the previous year will be March 31, 2012. An applicant must have played at least 20 standard games (not rapid or blitz) that are rated by the ACF, FIDE or a national organisation for which rating formula conversion details are known and the playing of the games can be verified. Players who have not played at least 20 such games will be ruled ineligible for selection. The Olympiad will be held in Istanbul, Turkey and is scheduled for August 27 - Sep 10 2012. Detailed information is not yet available. A call for applications for selections will be issued by the ACF in due course. Kevin Bonham ACF Vice-President |
