NEW ZEALAND CHESS FEDERATION NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 08

Project Grandmaster wrap up

As many chess players around New Zealand will know by now, International Master Puchen Wang has now embarked on a four-year study scholarship at University in Texas, USA. This meant that “Project Grandmaster” had to be curtailed earlier than originally anticipated, and has meant that he is not available to represent New Zealand this year at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. Puchen’s sojourn overseas, however, has been a very successful enterprise. In that time Puchen has improved his FIDE rating to 2450 and came close to achieving his first GM norm in Budapest. He will have ongoing opportunities to play and study chess in the US, and has already achieved a first equal placing in the strong SouthWest Open event in Texas to give him a provisional USCF rating of 2530. For more information about chess in Texas, try the website www.texaschess.org

2009 Queenstown Chess Classic

With less than three months to go before the start of this event, this is an urgent reminder to all potential competitors to get their entries in asap. The first deadline for entries without incurring a penalty is November 1^st. To date there are around 80 entries including 17 Grandmasters and Women Grandmasters with players coming from a total of 19 countries. Veteran International Master and chess legend Bob Wade will make a return trip and is sure to generate interest from the media. Top seed so far is Grandmaster Vladimir Potkin of Russia. In attendance for the Opening Ceremony and to take part in discussions with other Oceania organizers and officials will be the General Secretary of FIDE, Mr. Ignatius Leong. This will be Mr. Leong’s first visit to New Zealand.

The NZCF has also determined that the Queenstown Chess Classic incorporating the New Zealand Chess Championship will be a qualification event to choose representative players (Men’s & Women’s) for the 2009 Oceania Zonal Championship to be held in Australia in June, 2009. In the event of a tied placing, a tie-break system as advertised in the official Queenstown Classic entry form will be used.

For comprehensive information on the event and latest entries go to www.queenstownchess.com

Dresden Chess Olympiad, Nov 12 – 24, 2008

Very shortly our teams will leave for the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. This promises to be the biggest Olympiad ever with around 150 countries taking part. This time New Zealand is also sending an official FIDE delegate, Bob Gibbons, to attend and participate in some of the business sessions at the FIDE General Assembly. This will provide a valuable opportunity to network with other delegates from the Oceania and Asian zone and to gain information about chess development in other countries.

This will be the first Olympiad to introduce new rules. A match point scoring system will be implemented and new rules concerning the conduct for player will be introduced. Other changes include a reduction in the number of rounds and the Women’s Team increased to 4 players. A large number of games will be played online and can be accessed through the official website at www.fide.com.

It’s still not too late to donate to the Olympiad Appeal. This can be done automatically by visiting the link at Helen Milligan’s excellent website www.newzealandchess.co.nz. All donations will be recognized via the website.

New FIDE Tournament deadlines

New FIDE deadlines have now been put into place concerning FIDE rated tournaments. All tournaments that are intending to be FIDE rated in future must be registered with FIDE at least one month prior to the start of the event in order to avoid incurring a penalty. This has ramifications for clubs and organizers that are intending to host such events in New Zealand. To do this please notify Michael Freeman well in advance so that he can make the necessary registration. His email contact is Michael.Freeman@xtra.co.nz

Tournament Roundup

A number of major events have taken place around the country in recent weeks. The Interschools Finals were successfully hosted at Peterhead School in Hastings during the recent holiday break. Thanks to Scott Wastney, national Interschool co-ordinator for organizing this in conjunction with Sally Rice at Peterhead School. Full details of this and all tournaments can be found via the results link at www.newzealandchess.co.nz The New Zealand Chess Federation is now actively seeking expressions of interest from organizers that are interested in taking on Scott Wastney’s role (who is stepping down) for 2009. Contact the secretary, Bob Mitchell (robertmi@ihug.co.nz) if interested.

The George Trundle Masters and Challengers were again organized by Michael Steadman and hosted at the Auckland Chess Centre. Unfortunately no IM norms were achieved by New Zealand players, although Nic Croad did look as though he might get there with a very strong start. It was the two top seeds, GM Darryl Johansen and Australian Champion IM Stephen Solomon that made it through in the end to win. An impressive performance was put in by talented junior Daniel Baider from Wellington, who defeated Solomon and drew with Johansen . Daniel will have more opportunities to impress in the Queenstown Chess Classic in January.

The Challengers event was won by Gino Thornton followed in second place by Major Open Champion Daniel Shen. We will be following Daniels progress along with other junior representatives currently competing in the World Youth Championship in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

Following on soon after this event, the South Island Championship and Kaikoura International was held in a spectacular and unique setting in the Kaikoura Wineyard wine cellar. This tournament was the brainchild of Christchurch chess enthusiast and promoter Chris Benson in conjunction with Kevin Tetley of Sunrise Bungalows. With a good turnout of 44 players, the tournament was a huge success. GM’s Murray Chandler and Darryl Johansen tied with IM Stephen Solomon for first place, Darryl winning on tiebreak. FM Roger Nokes won the title of South Island Champion with a very solid display including a win over GM Johansen. Also notable was Justin Davis’ performance including a draw with visitor IM Toth. Justin has put together a very good pictorial report which can be viewed via the Palmerston North Chess Club website.

Just completed in Auckland, the Merv Morrison Memorial attracted a total of 33 players and was won by Mike Steadman on 6/6 followed by Daniel Han and FM Bob Smith on 4.5/6.

Several Kiwis competed in the 2008 Malaysian Chess Festival in Malaysia. This included participation in the Merdeka Rapid Teams event where the Kiwi team took out 10^th place from a field of 50 teams. Details of the Malaysian Open are available at the website: http://datmo.net

Ratings Update

Ratings officer Rowan Wood has requested that all tournament results be sent to him as soon as possible after the completion of an event, bearing in mind that NZCF has now moved to a three rating period per year system. Rowan’s email address is: rowan.wood@rikstoto.no

Equipment Grant

NZCF has been successful in obtaining an equipment grant from Pub Charities which has been used to purchase digital chess clocks and DGT boards which will have their first outing at the 2009 Queenstown Chess Classic in January. The NZCF is very much appreciative of support from Pub Charities for this.

2009 Events

Expressions of interest are sought from clubs interested in organizing NZCF events for 2009. These include the NZ Seniors Championship, NZ Women’s Championship, NZ Junior & Age Group Championship, North & South Island Championships, North Island & South Island Rapid Championships and 2009/10 NZ Championship and Major Open events. Please contact the Federation secretary if your club is interested or you need more information.

Paul Spiller
President NZCF

New Zealand Chess Federation Bulletin July 2008

Project Grandmaster

Puchen Wang has now finished his tour of Europe early after accepting a Chess Scholarship to attend University in Texas. Puchen saved his best result for the last event he competed in, the strong Grandmaster section of the First Saturday tournament held in Budapest, Hungary, in June. The 14 player round robin included 3 GM’s and several highly rated IM’s. Puchen was seeded 11^th in the field but produced probably the best result of his career by finishing outright third. His score of 8.5/13 included 4 wins and 9 draws (no losses) and was tantalisingly close to the elusive GM norm of 9.5 points. Puchen’s Fide rating will rise to around 2440 once these results are processed. I am sure that all New Zealand chess players will join with me in wishing Puchen best wishes for his continuing studies overseas.

Chess Events

A very successful inaugural Gordon Hoskyn Memorial Chess Tournament was organised on June 14^th in Palmerston North by Justin Davis in conjunction with both Palmerston and Wanganui Chess Clubs. Overall winner was IM Russell Dive. It is hoped that this will become a regular event and will help to promote chess in the central North Island.

The New Zealand Junior Championship and Junior Rapid Championship were hosted by the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School from July 7^th – 11^th. The Championships were sponsored by Quality Solutions and Kaha Media. A total of 62 juniors competed in the main event including 2007 champion Mario Krstev, Major Open winner Daniel Shen and NZ Women Olympians Judy Gao and Sue Maroroa. Overall winners with 6/7 points were Andy Chen, Sue Maroroa and Mario Krstev with Edwin Yip finishing 4^th on 5.5 points. The NZ Junior Rapid event was won outright by Mario Krstev.

This was closely followed by the North Island Chess Championships which were held in Tauranga between July 15^th – 19^th and the North Island Rapid Championships on July 20^th. Winner of the North Island Championship was IM Anthony Ker on 6.5/8 followed in second place by NM Peter Stuart. The Rapid Championship resulted in a tie for first between IM Ker and tournament organiser Hilton Bennett, both finishing on 5/6 followed in third place by Michael Steadman on 4.5.

Upcoming Tournaments

The Waikato Chess Open will be held at Saint Paul’s Collegiate School, Hukanui Road, Hamilton on August 8^th,9^th &10^th. For information contact Hilton Bennett at hilton@wave.co.nz

The Auckland Girls Chess Championship will be held on Tuesday 12^th August at the Mt. Albert War Memorial Hall, 751-761 New North Rd, Mt. Albert. Contact Viv or Bob Smith at caissa@xtra.co.nz

The 35^th North Shore Open will be held on August 30^th & 31^st at the Northcote Community Centre. Enquiries to Peter Stuart at pstuart@xtra.co.nz

The 2008 South Island Championship will be held at the Kaikoura Winery in Kaikoura between October 8 – October 12. Joint sponsors are Sunrise Bungalows, Kaikoura Winery and Benson Insurance Brokers Ltd. For further details contact Chris Benson 027 431 8951 or email chris@bensoninsurance.co.nz .

Full details of all events can be found on Helen Milligan’s website at www.newzealandchess.co.nz

Chess Olympiad

The 2008 Olympiad Teams have now been selected, Team Captains appointed and board order finalised for our representative teams for the Olympiad in Dresden in November. Hilton Bennett has been appointed as the Open Team captain and John McDonald as the Women’s Team captain. In addition, Bob Gibbons has been appointed as FIDE delegate. The withdrawal of Puchen from the Open Team has meant that first reserve, FM Stephen Lukey, has been called up. Teams (in playing order) as follows:

Open: 1. Murray Chandler 2. Russell Dive 3. Bob Smith 4. Roger Nokes 5. Stephen Lukey

Womens: 1. Helen Milligan 2. Sue Maroroa 3. Judy Gao 4. Vivian Smith 5. Natasha Fairley

An Olympiad appeal has now been launched with details on how to make a contribution on Helen’s website above. Please help support our team !

2009 Oceania Zonal Championship

Details have now been released for next years Oceania Zonal Championships which will be held on Australia’s Gold Coast in June of next year. Graeme Gardiner (Gardiner Chess Centre) is the Chief Organiser. Details available through Helen’s website.

2009 Queenstown Chess Classic

Momentum is now growing for what will be the largest and richest Open Chess tournament ever to be held in New Zealand. It is anticipated that the field could number as many as 200 players and keen New Zealand chess enthusiasts are advised to make their accommodation bookings as early as possible and secure their entry for the event. This is an event not to be missed!

Already 10 International Grandmasters have confirmed their participation (as well as several Women Grandmasters) with top seed so far being GM Victor Mikhalevski from Israel. For additional entry forms contact myself at: spillerfamily.enterprise@xtra.co.nz

Millennium Hotels & Resorts Grand Prix

The Millennium Hotels & Resorts Grand Prix has been well supported this year with more events than ever before. The NZ Chess Federation is very appreciate of the financial support given by Millennium Hotels and encourages clubs, organizers and players to support Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate hotels around New Zealand as their first choice accommodation option. Please continue to advertise Millennium on your entry forms and send results in promptly to the administrator, Bob Smith.

World Youth Championships

Selections have now been made for the World Youth Championships to be held in Vietnam in October. Selections made as follows:

Girls Under 8 : Judy Zhu

Boys Under 8: Winston Yao

Boys Under 10: Karl Zhu

Girls Under 12: Nicole Tsoi

Boys Under 12: Bobby Cheng

Boys Under 14: Daniel Shen

Boys Under 16: Ivan Dorofeev

Girls Under 18: Sue Maroroa

New Zealand Chess Magazine

The transition process for New Zealand Chess Magazine has now been completed with the December 2007 issue and the April 2008 issue both being distributed. Alan Aldridge (with assistance from Bill Forster and other Wellington players) has taken over the editorship with a new design and format.

The new magazine will appear four times a year with a slightly expanded format . Please send all contributions in to Alan Aldridge at alan_aldridge@paradise.net.nz .

All New Zealand clubs are encouraged to support the magazine by encouraging members to subscribe or to include it as part of their annual membership fee.

Paul Spiller
NZCF President

New Zealand Chess Federation Bulletin May 2008

KIWIS ABROAD

Several Kiwi Chessplayers made the trek across to the two major chess events in Australia over the Easter period. IM Puchen Wang , Hilton Bennett , Mike Steadman and Bob Mitchell competed in the Doeberl Cup in Canberra. They were joined by GM Murray Chandler, WFM Helen Milligan, Fuatai Fuatai, FM Bob Smith, John Sutherland, Edward Tanoi, Dan Dolejs, Bill Forster and Paul Spiller in Paramatta for the 2008 Sydney International Open. Puchen scored a meritorious 6/9 in Canberra including a win over IM Stephen Solomon. In Sydney, Murray was the top scorer for NZ with 6/9 (a loss against new Australian GM Zong-Yuan Zhao in the last round prevented Murray from a top placing). FM Bob Smith played well to score 5.5 points, the same as Puchen. Puchen’s score included draws against highly rated GM’s Akobian (USA) and Gawain Jones.

On the local scene, the Wellington Easter tournament attracted a strong field and was won jointly by IM Anthony Ker and FM Scott Wastney. Notable was the performance of Wellington junior Daniel Baider who defeated top seed IM Russell Dive and FM Nic Croad.

PROJECT GRANDMASTER

Aspiring GM Puchen Wang has now returned to Europe for the second leg of his project. His first event is the strong Open 10 round Swiss in Benidorm, Spain. This will be followed by an event in Luxembourg followed by another strong round robin Grandmaster event in Budapest.

Fundraising has continued on the home front with the second of the Project Grandmaster Sunday Rapid events being held in Hamilton on Sunday, April 13^th. Puchen played and won this event convincingly with a score of 6/6. Tied for second were Fuatai Fuatai, Gino Thornton and Daniel Han on 4/6. Nearly fifty players competed and around $500 was raised for the project. These events will continue to be held from now until the end of the year every second Sunday of the month at the Auckland Chess Centre. Details available at www.newzealandchess.co.nz . Please continue to support this worthy project – donations can be made via the website. Thanks to the many supporters around New Zealand that have already contributed.

QUEENSTOWN CHESS CLASSIC, JANUARY 15-26, 2009

The Queenstown Chess Classic, 2009 is fast approaching and chess players are reminded to seriously think about making their reservations for accommodation as soon as possible. This will certainly be the strongest and largest Open chess tournament ever to be held in New Zealand with a total prize pool in excess of $50,000. It is expected that more than 200 players will compete and already nine Grandmasters have confirmed their participation. Full details and accommodation options are available on the website www.queenstownchess.com.

2009 CHESS OLYMPIAD, DRESDEN, GERMANY in NOVEMBER

The selection process is now underway for choosing players to represent New Zealand in both the Open and Women’s Olympiads to be held in Dresden, Germany during November. GM Murray Chandler was an automatic selection after winning the 2007/8 New Zealand Championship and the winner of the NZ Women’s Championship [April 30 – May 4 at Auckland Chess Centre] will gain automatic selection for the Women’s team. Team selections will be announced at the end of May.

The New Zealand Chess Federation has launched an Olympiad Appeal Fund . Details of internet banking options will made available on www.newzealandchess.co.nz and all donations will be recognised.

The Federation is now seeking expressions of interest for the positions of Mens’ and Womens’ Team Captains. Please send all applications to Bob Mitchell, NZCF Secretary, P.O. Box 216, Shortland Street, AUCKLAND. Applications will be made for funding but no guarantees can be given and applicants may be required to cover their own travel expenses. Please ensure that your application is received by the end of May.

NZ SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP, HAMILTON, April 25-27

A field of 14 competed in Hamilton over Anzac weekend for the NZ Seniors’ Championship. The Championship was held over 3 days as a six round swiss and it was decided that it will be FIDE rated allowing several players to gain FIDE rating blocks and consequently FIDE ratings.

Congratulations to William Lynn and National Master Peter Stuart who tied for first with 4.5/6. Wayne Power placed 3^rd on 4 points followed by V.Smith, D.Capper, A.Booth, P.Goffin and N.Cooper on 3.5/6.

MILLENNIUM HOTELS CHESS GRAND PRIX

Leading contenders up until April 29^th as follows:

OPEN - M.Steadman 60, G.Thornton 38.25, R.Dive 32.75, R.Smith 31.5

Under 2000 – G.Thornton 77, J.Duneas 43.3, M.Krstev 38.5, D.Shen 37

Under 1700 – D.Smith 45.5, N.Cruden 39’ N.Fairley 22.5, N. du Plessis

Under 1400 – G.Judkins 42, T.Gothorp 31.3, L.Zhu 29.1, A.Ansell 27.3

Junior – D.Smith 45.6, D.Shen, M.Krstev 42.5, A.Ansell 24

Senior – N.Cruden 58.5, W.Power 43.5, V.Smith 42.5, P.Stuart 28.5

Female – E.Chen 35, S.Maroroa, H.Milligan 33.5, V.Smith 29

Under 14 & Under 1400 – L.Zhu 37.5, H.Gao 37, K.Zhu 36, A.Ansell 18.3

Complete Grand Prix points available at www.newzealandchess.co.nz thanks to WFM Helen Milligan for keeping these updated.

This is a reminder to players and organizers to support Millennium Hotels & Resorts wherever possible in terms of venues for events and accommodation. If you are interested in holding an event or seeking a quotation for a venue contact Paul Spiller at spillerfamily.enterprise@xtra.co.nz

PROCEDURAL MATTERS

Club officials may have noticed that there is now a form available to be downloaded from Michael Freeman’s website www.nzchess.co.nz that should accompany all payments sent in to NZCF. This has been set up to help streamline the accounting process and make life easier for our hardworking treasurer. In the past it has been difficult to track all payments and give an accurate breakdown of the different activities that the Federation administers. This would be a big help.

INTERSCHOOLS CHESS

The NZCF is pleased to announce that FM Scott Wastney will take over the co-ordination and administration of the Interschools tournament. This years final will be held at Peterhead School in Hastings on the 27^th & 28^th of September (first weekend of the School holiday period at the end of term 3). Scott can be contacted at wastneys@clear.net.nz for more details.

NEW ZEALAND JUNIOR AND SCHOOLPUPIL CHAMPIONSHIP

The New Zealand Junior & Schoolpupil Championships and New Zealand Rapid Junior Championships will be hosted by the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club from July 7-11^th at the Performing Arts Centre at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School. The Championship will be held as a 7 round swiss from July 7-10 followed by a 6 round Rapid swiss on Friday July 11^th. For copies of the entry form or more details contact Kees Van Den Bosch at kvdbstj@clear.net.nz.

GORDON HOSKYN RIP

It is with great sadness that I must report the passing of Gordon Hoskyn , who died peacefully on the evening of May 1^st, after a long and brave battle with cancer.

Gordon was held in high esteem by the chess community of New Zealand as a tireless worker and organiser of numerous chess tournaments in Wanganui including many North Island and New Zealand Championships. He had a long involvement with correspondence chess in New Zealand and was awarded Life Membership of the New Zealand Chess Federation at the last Annual General Meeting in recognition of his long service to the game in New Zealand. He truly was a gentleman both on and off the chessboard and will be sadly missed.

NEW ZEALAND WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

A successful and hard fought New Zealand Women’s Chess Championship has just been concluded at the Auckland Chess Centre. The 10 player Championship featured most of New Zealand’s strongest active players . There was a three-way tie for first between WFM’s Helen Milligan and Natasha Fairley and rapidly improving Judy Gao. In fourth place was Jennya Charamova, making a welcome return to active play and fifth place went to former Champ Viv Smith.

Final Scores: WFM Helen Milligan, WFM Natasha Fairley, Judy Gao 6.5/9; Jenny Charamova 6/9; Viv Smith 5.5/9; Cecily Liu, Shirley Wu 3.5/9; Sharon Wu, Nicole Tsoi 2.5/9; Megan Du Plessis 2/9

The Reserve Championship was jointly won by Joey Wong and Jiapeng Li on 8/9 with Judy Zhu in third place with 6.5/9.

Paul Spiller
NZCF President

New Zealand Chess Federation Bulletin March 2008

Annual General Meeting 19/02/2008

A new Council was elected at the AGM with long serving President FM Bob Smith and wife Vivian standing down after 7 years on Council. Those elected were President: Paul Spiller, Vice-President Peter Stuart, Secretary: Bob Mitchell , Treasurer: Anthony Whitehouse, Councillors: Mike Steadman, Murray Chandler, Helen Milligan, Bob Gibbons, Central North Island Regional Councillor: Hilton Bennett, Wellington Councillors: Ross Jackson, Michael Freeman, Canterbury Councillor: Craig Hall, Otago Councillor: Quentin Johnson.

Patron and Vice-Patrons elected were Patron: Jim Benson , Vice-Patrons: George Trundle, Graham Haase and Bill Poole.

The new team combines some experienced campaigners with new faces GM Murray Chandler and WFM Helen Milligan who bring a wealth of expertise in the areas of IT, marketing and sponsorship.

Millennium Hotels & Resorts Chess Grand Prix

Millennium Hotels and Resorts Group will continue to sponsor the New Zealand Chess Grand Prix this year, with the New Zealand Chess Supplies Congress being the first event in the 2008 series. Clubs and organisers are encouraged to support Millennium Hotels when considering holding an event. Organisers can liase through Paul Spiller (spillerfamily.enterprise@xtra.co.nz) or directly with Mat Shaw (Mat.Shaw@millenniumhotels.co.nz) for all Millennium, Copthorne & Kingsgate Hotel tournament and accommodation quotations . Support for the Grand Prix has been gaining momentum and this year the total prize-fund has been increased by nearly $2,000. FM Bob Smith will continue in his role as Grand Prix administrator so clubs should ensure that results are sent in promptly. Results will be regularly updated and posted on Helen Milligan’s website at www.newzealandchess.co.nz.

New Zealand Championship Congress

The 2007/2008 New Zealand Congress was held at the Copthorne Harbourcity Hotel in downtown Auckland and was sponsored by New Zealand Chess Supplies. Twenty two players competed in the New Zealand Championship including overseas guests IM Herman Van Riemsdijk from Brazil, FM Tim Reilly from Australia and FM Ove Hartvig from Denmark. The field included most of New Zealand’s strongest active players including GM Murray Chandler, IM’s Russell Dive, Paul Garbett & Anthony Ker and FM’s Stephen Lukey, Bob Smith , Bruce Watson and FM elect Nic Croad. In the end Murray powered away with 5 consecutive wins to finish on 9/11, one and a half points ahead of second placers Russell Dive and Mike Steadman. Mike in particular had a standout performance and narrowly missed an IM norm by half a point. Herman Van Riemsdijk, Leonard Mclaren, Ralph Hart & Graeme Spain tied for fourth place on 6.5 points. The Major Open was a tremendous success for 12 year old Daniel Shen who was outright winner with a score of 8.5/11 and rating performance of 2286. It was a great opportunity for the younger players to test themselves against more experienced veterans .The runners up were Bruce Wheeler and Stan Yee who both performed very solidly.

The Rapid Championship attracted a field of 58 players with defending champion IM Puchen Wang expected to be hard to topple. However losses to Herman Van Riemsdijk and FM Bob Smith in rounds five and eight meant he had to settle for =4^th. Visitor Herman Van Riemsdijk repeated his 2000 victory to clinch the Championship conceding just three draws. Mike Steadman and Bob Smith both put in strong performances for = second place thus sharing the title of NZ Rapid Champion.

The Lightning Championship was fought out between the six qualifiers IM’s Puchen Wang, Russell Dive, Anthony Ker, Paul Garbett , Chris Thurner and Ralph Hart. Puchen was out on his own winning comfortably with a score of 9/10. Paul Garbett edged out Ralph Hart to finish 2^nd on 6.5 with Ralph on 6 points.

Website Links

Helen Milligan established a new website last year which features a very up to date chess calendar of events and important links to other popular chess websites. It also gives recent tournament results and updates. The url is www.newzealandchess.co.nz. Players can also check Grand Prix standings via this site. It is intended that this site will be complimentary to Michael Freeman’s site which provides detailed information about the Federation and member clubs. This site is www.nzchess.co.nz .

Project Grandmaster

As many players around New Zealand will already know, NZCF is supporting IM Puchen Wang’s endeavours this year to become New Zealand’s second Grandmaster. Puchen made significant strides forward last year after a convincing win in the New Zealand Championship he placed second= in the Oceania Zonal in Fiji and narrowly missed a GM norm in the Euwe Stimulus tournament in the Netherlands in August. Now having completed his secondary studies, Puchen is taking a gap year to concentrate on studying and competing in a series of strong chess tournaments in Europe and Asia. His first event in the huge Capelle La Grande swiss in France was a very good start. His 6/9 points placed him in a tie for 31^st place out of 600 including over 100 GM’s. Particularly encouraging was his 2 draws and 1 win against the three GM’s that he played, all rated over 2500.

Mike Steadman is the project manager and details of how you can support Puchen are available on Helen’s website as above. I would urge all players and clubs to get behind this very worthwhile cause. All financial supporters will receive regular updates on Puchen’s progress and annotated games from Puchen.

The Auckland Chess Centre will be holding regular 2^nd Sunday tournaments every month (with the exception of April when the event will be held in Hamilton) to help with fundraising efforts. Howick-Pakuranga and Auckland have already held special simuls and other events will be held during the year to help.

New Zealand Chess Magazine

The magazine has been a huge voluntary effort over the last few years from Graeme Trass, who is based in Taupo. Graeme took on a very large workload prior to Christmas and has been snowed under. However, I can promise that the NZCF Council is working hard to resolve these issues and is committed to bringing the magazine up to date. The October issue should be out to clubs within the next week with the December issue shortly following on after. Council will keep clubs posted on progress.

2009 Queenstown Chess Classic

Excitement is starting to build for the 2009 Queenstown Chess Classic incorporating the 116^th New Zealand Chess Championships. With a prizefund in excess of $50,000 the 2009 event will set a new benchmark for chess events in Oceania. There has already been considerable interest from top overseas players with five Grandmasters already confirming their participation. If you didn’t have the opportunity to play in the 2006 event, make sure that you don’t miss the 2009 edition!

A new feature next year will be the addition of the Queenstown Junior Chess Classic, a six round swiss restricted to players under 18 as at 01/01/2009. $1,600 in prizes will be at stake. Information from: paul@queenstownchess.com

2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany

The 2008 Olympiad is scheduled to be played in Dresden, Germany in the month of November. Shortly, NZCF will be seeking expressions of interest from strong New Zealand players wishing to be considered for selection.

New rules this year mean that both the Open and Women’s teams are restricted to five players. Also, FIDE intends introducing a system of match points to replace the long established system of game points . To determine overall placings a complex system of tie-breaks will be used.

New Zealand Chess Federation events

The NZCF is seeking a club to organise the NZ Junior Chess Championship which is normally held the week following the North Island Championships. Last years sponsor has indicated a willingness to support the 2008 event as well so this will take some of the financial burden off the organising club. Please contact Bob Mitchell at robertmi@ihug.co.nz if your club would like to host this event. The NZ Women’s Championships are being held at the Auckland Chess Centre from April 30^th until May 4^th. The Championship will be a 10 player round robin with the Reserve section held as a Rapidplay. At this stage it looks likely that the Seniors Championship will again be held in Hamilton. The dates and venues for the North & South Island Championships are still to be confirmed but indications are that they will be held in Tauranga and Kaikoura respectively.

Full details of all events will be posted on www.newzealandchess.co.nz as soon as they are available.

New Zealand Chess Federation Inc.
Annual Report 2007

This report marks the end of seven years as President of the New Zealand Chess Federation. I will be standing down in January, but am optimistic the progress made during my term in office will continue. As this is my last Annual Report, I feel it is appropriate to comment not just on the current year, but on the entire period from 2001-2007.

THE 2007 YEAR

Council continued its policy of actively fostering chess, working with clubs and volunteers around the country to run the wide range of events that have now become regular features of each chess season. These included:

The NZ Congress, hosted by Wanganui Chess Club
The North Island Championships and Rapid Championships, hosted by Papatoetoe Chess Club.
The South Island Championship, held in Nelson, with Hilton Bennett as principal organiser.
The South Island Rapid Championship, hosted by North Canterbury Chess Club.
The NZ Junior Championship and Rapid Championship, hosted by Waitemata Chess Club.
The NZ Inter-Schools Competition, the finals of which were held in Palmerston North and organised by Martin Sims.
The NZ Senior Championship, hosted by Hamilton Chess Club.
The NZ Women’s Championship and Reserve Championship, hosted by Auckland Chess Centre.
Chess for Girls Week, with Viv Smith and Jacinta Buist as principal organisers.
The Millennium Hotels NZ Chess Grand Prix, administered by myself.

SPONSORSHIP

2007 has been a productive year in obtaining financial backing for several key events. Council was successful in negotiating a two year agreement with Millennium Hotels and Resorts to support the national Grand Prix. Significant sponsorship was also obtained for the 115^th NZ Congress in Auckland, with New Zealand Chess Supplies agreeing to support our premiere event and Millennium Hotels providing the upmarket Copthorne HarbourCity hotel as the venue. Further, Council signed an agreement with GM Murray Chandler to repeat the highly successful Queenstown Classic in early 2009. Council was also successful in gaining substantial funding for players representing New Zealand at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Turkey.

NZCF TOURNAMENT WINNERS

Puchen Wang was the convincing winner of the 114^th New Zealand Championship in Wanganui. He also comfortably defended his title of NZ Rapid Championship, and won the NZ Lightning Championship. The NZ Major Open Champion was Neil Gunn.

The North Island Championship in Manukau City was jointly won by Leonard McLaren and Don Eade. The North Island Rapid Championship was won by Puchen Wang.

The top South Islanders in the South Island Championship in Nelson were Quentin Johnson and John Van Ginkel, who shared the title. The South Island Rapid Championship was won by Andy Machdoem.

The New Zealand Women’s Championship in Auckland was won by Shirley Wu.

The New Zealand Junior Championship in Waitakere City was won by Mario Krstev. The New Zealand Junior Rapid Championship was won by Puchen Wang.

The New Zealand Senior Championship in Hamilton was jointly won by Viv Smith, Gordon Hoskyn and Wayne Power.

TITLES

Puchen Wang gained an International Master title by placing 2^nd= at the Oceania Zonal in Fiji. At the same event Sue Maroroa gained a Women’s FIDE Master title, and Shirley Wu gained a Women’s Candidate Master title. Bob Smith also tied for 2^nd and gained a double IM norm. Nic Croad qualified as FIDE Master, by crossing the 2300 rating barrier. Congratulations to all the above.

LIFE MEMBERS

The 2006/7 AGM unanimously elected Ted Frost, Gordon Hoskyn and Arie Nijman to life membership of the Federation for their services to chess in New Zealand. Congratulations to all three.

MILLENNIUM HOTELS NZ CHESS GRAND PRIX

As mentioned NZCF Council was successful in negotiating a 2-year sponsorship deal for the Grand Prix with Millennium Hotels and Resorts. This enabled the Grand Prix, in its sixth year, to offer increased prize-money of $5500, $1400 more than in 2006. I anticipate the prize-fund will increase further next year. The players again turned out to support the Grand Prix; at the time of writing 21 Grand Prix events had attracted 983 entries, with just the MIT Rapid to go, which last year attracted more than a hundred players. The number of events has remained stable, but player numbers are up so far by 108. Some of the bigger turnouts were Waitakere Trust Open 115, Latvian Rapid 103 and North Shore Open 80. The Senior and Female divisions continue to grow, with 32 players gaining senior grand prix points so far, and 22 gaining female points.

Council took the decision at the start of the year to exclude the next Congress from the 2007 Grand Prix; the NZ Championship, Major Open and Rapid will instead be the starting events of the 2008 Grand Prix. The rationale for this change is to incorporate the Grand Prix prize-giving into Congress, which Council believes is an appropriate forum to recognise the achievements of each year’s Grand Prix winners. With Congress now being held in January, it is also more logical for it to be the first event in the Grand Prix season.

NEW ZEALAND INTER-SCHOOLS COMPETITION

In its 7^th year this competition has continued to grow, with many thousands of children around the country taking part. It is a huge undertaking. Many thanks to Felicity Timings for once again co-ordinating the event, and to the many organisers involved at local levels. The national finals, which also determined the North and South Island champions, were held in Palmerston North. Organiser Martin Sims created a wonderful event; thanks are also due to Palmerston North Boys High School, which provided the venue. NZCF Council gave travel grants to southern schools to help them make the finals trip. Congratulations to the following winners, who all received trophies and medals:

NZ and North Island Secondary Schools Champion – St Kentigern College (Pakuranga)

NZ and North Island Intermediate Schools Champion – Rangeview Intermediate (Waitakere)

NZ and North Island Primary Schools Champion – Sunnybrae Normal School (North Shore)

South Island Intermediate Schools Champion – Cobham Intermediate (Christchurch)

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

As I write this 3 of our players are competing in the World Youth Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The three players selected were Judy Gao (Under 14 girls), Daniel Shen (Under 12 boys) and Bobby Cheng (Under 10 boys). I am pleased to reveal that NZCF was once again successful with funding applications, gaining a grant of $5000 from the Perry Foundation. In addition players received a grant from the interest generated by NZCF’s Steele Trust, bringing the total amount paid to each player to $2000. This financial support means that the cost of participation for our three representatives was minimal, as food and accommodation were provided. At this point I cannot report on results, as there are quite a number of rounds still to play.

NZ JUNIOR CHESS BADGES

Interest in NZCF’s junior badge scheme has remained high. Thanks to Viv Smith for administering the scheme this year. There are four levels – pawn, knight, bishop, and rook. Children who pass the rook badge should have reached a fairly competent level. There has been no progress this year on a queen or king level, something the incoming Council may wish to address.

FEMALE CHESS

More than 300 girls took part in events in Christchurch and Auckland during NZCF’s annual “Chess for Girls” week in June. More than 70 competed in the Auckland Girls Championship, including some of the country’s top females. Christchurch was even more successful in terms of numbers involved, with over 200 participating. Viv Smith again donated her time for a coaching clinic. Mt Maunganui RSA Chess Club also held a girls tournament.

The New Zealand Women’s Championship and Reserve Championship were hosted by Auckland Chess Centre and attracted 14 players.

SENIOR CHESS

Hamilton Chess Club hosted the 6th NZ Senior Championship (over 60 years for males, over 50 for females). 14 players competed, six more than last year. As mentioned there has also been a significant increase in the numbers competing in the nationwide Grand Prix.

CHANDLER RETURNS

An important event was the return from England of New Zealand’s only Grandmaster Murray Chandler. Murray now lives in Auckland and is again registered as a New Zealand player. He and Council have achieved a high level of co-operation; Murray has clearly demonstrated his commitment and support for New Zealand chess, and it is pleasing to see that he has offered himself for Council next year.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Auckland Chess Centre again held the George Trundle IM Tournament and qualifying tournament, with Mike Steadman as the principal organiser.

And Hilton Bennett was the driving force behind the most prestigious South Island Championship yet, the Nelson Open. This was a Superclass Grand Prix event involving three Grandmasters and two International Masters. Council supported this Federation event with a grant.

REGISTRATIONS

At the time of writing NZCF has 410 registered members; compared to 456 at the same time last year. Registrations from the upcoming MIT tournament should reduce this comparative shortfall. I think the figures reflect the slowness of some clubs in sending in registrations, rather than a lack of chess activity. Perhaps in the future NZCF Council needs to set registration deadlines and more vigorously follow them up.

RATINGS

Council resolved to increase the number of rating lists a year from two to three. As I write the first of the new lists is about to be produced. Council feels this change will improve the accuracy of the rating lists and better reflect the rapid improvement of some juniors, lessening their impact upon established players.

Council has also introduced a new award – for the most improved player – to be presented for the fist time at the Congress in January.

Many thanks to Ratings Administrator Rowan Wood for his continued hard work, to Ratings Officer Viv Smith for following up and correcting errors and omissions in files submitted by various clubs and to Bob Gibbons and Manukau Institute of Technology for producing the hard copy booklets of the rating lists.

NZ CHESS WEBPAGE

Thanks once again to Michael Freeman, who has continued to maintain the NZ Chess webpage, an important part of NZCF’s communication chain.

NZ CHESS MAGAZINE

Unfortunately the magazine has continued to be a drain on NZCF’s resources, and has fallen considerably behind publication dates. Editor Graeme Trass has had some health issues, which have contributed to the delays. I believe the future of the magazine now requires an urgent review; we do not seem to be able to produce a timely and relevant magazine using volunteers.

CONCLUSION

2007 has been a good year for chess in New Zealand. All NZCF’s many activities have proceeded smoothly. The Federation is in a comfortable financial position. It has maintained a spirit of co-operation with the vast majority of its member clubs. I must thank once again the many willing workers who have supported Council over the past year, and hope that the incoming Council can count on your assistance in the coming year.

NZCF 2001-07

I do not want to comment at length on my seven years in office, as I have dealt with each of them in turn in my Annual Reports.

However, I leave office proud of what I and a dedicated group have achieved, with the help and goodwill of untold chess supporters around the country. If one compares what we have now to seven years ago, there has been substantial change for the better.

Back then there was no nationwide Inter-Schools Competition, no nationwide Grand Prix, no Seniors Championship, no host or venue for the Congress immediately following, no official NZ Lightning Championship and female representation in chess had eroded to such an extent that there were just four players contesting the NZ Women’s Championship.

My policy from the beginning was aimed at involving people from as many age groups and sectors of society as possible. I believe that we have made great progress in doing so.

We now have huge numbers of children involved through the inter-schools competition, high interest and activity from players of all levels as a result of the Grand Prix, a growing number of Seniors enjoying their own championship, and real competition for the NZ Women’s Championship and NZ Women’s Olympiad team. In fact the standard of female chess has risen to the extent that some of our best juniors are girls.

Add to that the fact that we now have three Women’s Fide Masters and three Women’s Candidate Masters, and I think we can claim considerable progress in female chess.

Another major change for the better was the provision free of charge of the pairing programme Swissperfect to all member clubs; this has streamlined the rating process and made it much easier for clubs to hold events and have them rated.

Council has consciously made an effort to lift the prestige and image of chess; this has been reflected by a lift in the standard of venue for Congress and a much praised Oceania Zonal held in Auckland.

I would like to pay tribute to a number of people who have helped in what I regard as a transformation. These include – Paul Spiller, Bob Mitchell, Viv Smith, Hilton Bennett, and Felicity Timings. In later years the input of Michael Steadman has also been invaluable.

The job of Treasurer is perhaps one of the most difficult and least appreciated, and has become harder as NZCF’s financial turnover has increased, due to its active policies. During my term the duties of Treasurer have been undertaken variously by Roger Perry, Quentin Johnson and by current long-suffering incumbent, Anthony Whitehouse; I thank them all for their work – rather them than me!

I also must personally thank a number of people throughout the country who have been supportive and active in helping to expand chess during my term.

These include Gordon Hoskyn, Gary and Gerri Judkins, Jacinta Buist and Martin Sims.

Inevitably I will have forgotten to mention someone; if so I would ask them not to feel slighted; I truly appreciate the work of all volunteers who have supported NZCF and would ask them to continue their support for the incoming Council.

As our patron for 5 years, Ray’s support and interest was crucial; I believe he is happy with what has been achieved.

Council currently has some weaknesses in procedures and outdated rules which need to be reviewed to help it more accurately plan, reflect and adapt to changes in society and maximise opportunities for financial support.

I am confident that these weaknesses can be overcome by the incoming Council and that it has the right mix of skills to continue the progress of the past seven years.

I hand over the reins as President satisfied that I – and my many helpers – have made a positive change to chess in New Zealand.

Hi everyone. There are a lot of chess happenings and developments to report on in recent months. Firstly some excellent news about sponsorship for the upcoming NZ Congress in Auckland.

CONGRESS SPONSORSHIP

I am pleased to report that Council has reached a sponsorship agreement with NZ Chess Supplies, the country’s only wholly New Zealand owned and operated chess stockists. NZCS will be providing significant support for the 115^th NZ Chess Congress. In return it will have naming rights for the event and exclusive merchandising rights at the venue, which is Millennium’s splendid Copthorne HarbourCity Hotel in central Auckland. Our Grand Prix sponsor, Millennium, has agreed to a very attractive accommodation deal for players and accompanying persons attending Congress: $149 a night for a twin or double room, including breakfast for two! The Copthorne is directly opposite the Auckland Viaduct, so there is easy access to many cafes, restaurants and Auckland tourist attractions. Congress will run from January 15 to 25, including the NZ Rapid and Lightning Championships. Council has approved a schedule of 7 days with only one round, and 2 days with 2 rounds. Entry forms are in the process of being completed and will be available in the near future.

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Council is currently seeking a coach/manager for four players selected for the 2007 World Youth Championships in Antalya, Turkey from November 17 to November 29. The players are: Evguenia Charomova (Girls Under18), Judy Gao (Girls Under14), Daniel Shen (Boys Under12) and Bobby Cheng (Boys Under 10). All players and the selected Coach/Manager will receive free accommodation and food for the duration of the event. Council is applying for funding to help pay for the travel costs. A parent will also be accompanying Daniel Shen and Bobby Cheng. Anyone interested in the position of Coach/Manager should respond to me at Caissa@xtra.co.nz as soon as possible. We need to make this appointment by the end of August, so that some training can be organised and the players can get to know their coach.

NATIONAL INTER-SCHOOLS COMPETITION

Most regional events should have been completed by now. The NZCF levy for these events for 2007 is $5 a player. Could organisers please remit these fees to Council (P.O. Box 216 Shortland St) as soon as possible, and also advise Inter-schools Co-ordinator Felicity Timings of your winners and player numbers at your tournament ftimings@clear.net.nz . The Auckland finals are being held at the Auckland Chess Centre on August 21. Council has resolved that the top two Auckland teams in secondary, intermediate and primary competitions will join other area winners at the North Island and National finals in Palmerston North from September 22-23.

RATING CHANGES

NZCF is introducing three rating periods a year from November, 2007. The periods will be March 1, July 1, and November 1. Council believes this will better reflect rating changes by our many fast improving juniors, and will increase the accuracy of the lists.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Council is also introducing a special prize for the player who improves his or her rating by the largest amount each year. Only established ratings will be counted. Rating Administrator Rowan Wood is currently drawing up draft rules for this prize.

You can now download a payment form from the “NZ Chess” website, which should accompany all payments to NZCF. It clearly details what the payment is for and should be a big help to both club officials and the NZCF Treasurer.

2007 SOUTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

I usually list upcoming tournaments in Millennium Grand Prix updates, but one I should mention here is the Nelson Chess Open, which incorporates the 2007 South Island Championships. This will be one of out the box – a Millennium GP Superclass event, with four Grandmasters confirmed so far. There will be nine rounds over 5 days (October 3-7), and a prize-fund of over $5000. The tournament will be NZCF and FIDE-rated. Contact: Hilton Bennett hiltonb@wave.co.nz

NZCF FIDE delegate Michael Freeman handles tournaments to be sent to FIDE for rating. Please send the Swissperfect files to Michael at michael.freeman@xtra.co.nz and send the $100 rating fee to NZCF at P.O. Box 216 Shortland St Auckland (make cheques out to NZCF) within 3 weeks of a tournament. FIDE has stiff late fees and Council does not want to have to go back to clubs for extra payments because of their tardiness. FIDE invoices New Zealand on a regular basis and should the actual levy for your event prove significantly less NZCF will refund the difference. Please note FIDE now requires the correct full names and birthdates for new players – so no birthdate, no FIDE rating.

AND A FEW REMINDERS

JUNIOR CHESS BADGES
Tests, badges and certificates are available for pawn, knight, bishop and rook levels. These very popular tests can be obtained from NZCF Junior Convenor Viv Smith Caissa@xtra.co.nz .They can be ordered in lots of 50 or 100. The cost to clubs or organisers/coaches is $4.50 per badge and certificate for 100 or more, or $4.75 for 50 to 100, plus postage. Council recommends a minimum retail price to the children of $6 for badge and certificate. Mixed orders are ok (half and half pawn and knight, for instance).

NZCF DIGITAL BOARDS

NZCF owns 3 digital boards which have been used for a number of events. These boards can broadcast games live onto the internet, and thus are a great feature for any top class events. They are available, plus operating instructions, free of charge to any clubs running NZCF events. Organisers of other events can hire them at the following rates:
$40 per board plus freight costs for up to 6 round events.
$75 per board plus freight costs for longer events.

PLAYER REGISTRATIONS

If you haven’t registered your club players yet, please do so promptly. Remember, no club events can be NZCF rated if they include unregistered players. Registration fees are: adults $13 juniors $6.50. Please include birthdates for any juniors (under 20 on 1/1/07) and seniors (1/1/07).

OTHER FEES

I often get asked about various fees and levies. So below is a summary again.
Grand Prix – Superclass: $200 for Auckland and Wellington, $180 for all other areas
Class 1: $150 for Auckland and Wellington, $130 all other areas. Class 2 - $100 Auckland and Wellington, $80 all other areas.
Class 3 - $50 Auckland and Wellington, $30 all other areas.
Tournament levies: $3 a head for rated tournaments, except for New Zealand Championship - $20 a player, NZ Major Open $12 a player, NZ Rapid Championship $10 a player, North Island Championship $10 a player, South Island Championship $10 a player, North Island Rapid Championship $5 a player, South Island Rapid Championship $5 a player, NZ Women's Championship, NZ Senior Championship and NZ Lightning Championship nil, internal club tournaments nil.

Until next time, Yours for chess,
Bob Smith
NZCF President

If I were issuing a report card for New Zealand chess for 2006, I would probably mark it as around a B+. It hasn’t been a perfect year, but a great deal has still been achieved. Most importantly, Council has had the support of many keen volunteers around the country, and this has helped immensely.

The plus side of the ledger includes the following, which will be mentioned in more detail later:
The Queenstown Classic
The George Trundle IM Masters and Qualifiers
A bequest of $20,000 from the late David Steele, to be used to assist junior representatives.
A donation of $10,000 from George Trundle, to be used for special projects.
The NZCF Grand Prix
The NZ Inter-Schools Competition
The NZCF Junior Badge Scheme
Chess for Girls Week
Funding success for the Olympiad and World Youth Championship

And on the negative side:
Lack of progress on reviewing the NZCF regulations
No new Patron found as yet
No current sponsor for the Grand Prix
Continued late publication of “NZ Chess” magazine

Overall though, a positive year for NZ chess. We are now committed to numerous on-going events; these require a great deal of work and there is a need to ensure the load is spread if we are going to adequately tackle some of the issues that still need attention.

RETIRING COUNCILLORS
Most of the current NZCF Council is standing for re-election. However Felicity Timings and Michael Cowen are stepping down. Felicity has been on Council for 5 years and as Junior Convenor has done an incredible amount of work. She has been handling the junior chess badge scheme and is the national co-ordinator of the inter-schools competition. Felicity has been a tremendous asset for chess and, although she is stepping down from Council, has indicated her willingness to continue as inter-schools co-ordinator. NZ chess owes Felicity a huge debt of gratitude. Michael Cowen’s stint on Council has been relatively short, but in the year he has been on Council he has contributed some valuable ideas. He has had to step down because work commitments have taken him overseas. Thanks to both Councillors for their contributions this year, and also to all the other hard workers on Council who have put their names forward again.

NEW TRUSTS
Council has two substantial new trusts to help with the development of chess. The David Steele Trust had an initial sum of $20,000, willed to NZCF by Wellington Chess Club Life Member David Steele. His intention was to use this to help support junior representatives. Up to 70% of the interest from this bequest will be spent each year, with the remainder increasing the principal. The George Trundle Trust had an initial sum of $10,000 gifted by long-time Auckland player George Trundle. Up to 70% of the interest from this trust will be spent each year on projects identified by NZCF Council, with the remainder increasing the principal.

QUEENSTOWN CLASSIC
The undoubted tournament highlight of the year was the Queenstown Classic, first mooted and sponsored by GM Murray Chandler and organised in conjunction with NZCF Council. Vice-President Paul Spiller can take a great deal of credit for the success of this tournament, which attracted 193 players from 19 countries, including 4 Grandmasters, 15 International Masters and 15 FIDE Masters. The tournament received nationwide television coverage. It incorporated the 113th NZ Championship, which was appropriately won by GM Chandler. Subsidiary events were the NZ Rapid Championships and NZ Lightning Championships, for which we are grateful for the sponsorship of former NZCF Patron Ray Thomson.

GEORGE TRUNDLE IM MASTERS & QUALIFIERS
Auckland Chess Centre is to be congratulated on organising these important events, with the support of George Trundle. The Masters tournament involved 3 IMs from overseas and gave some of our top players some valuable experience and a chance for an IM Norm, while the Qualifiers round robin was also excellent experience for up and coming players. The Masters tournament was won by IM’s Stephen Solomon and Guy West, while FM Bob Smith was the top New Zealander and inaugural winner of the George Trundle trophy. Hilton Bennett won the Qualifiers. NZCF’s DGT boards were used to broadcast the top Masters’ games live on the internet.

TITLES
Puchen Wang gained a FIDE Master title at the Olympiad in Turin. Also at the Olympiad, Natasha Fairley gained New Zealand’s first Women’s FIDE Master title, and Eachen Chen gained a Women’s Candidate Master title. At home Scott Wastney became New Zealand’s latest National Master. Congratulations to all the above.

NZCF TOURNAMENT WINNERS
The top New Zealander in the 113th New Zealand Championship in Queenstown was the overall winner, GM Murray Chandler, who thereby claimed the title. The NZ Major Open Champion was Maciej Wojnar The NZ Rapid Champion was Puchen Wang. The NZ Lightning Champion was Anthony Ker. The North Island Championship, hosted by Wellington, was won by Scott Wastney. The North Island Rapid Championship was won by Anthony Ker. The South Island Championship, hosted by Ashburton, was won by Quentin Johnson and Bruce Donaldson. The South Island Rapid Championship was won by Ross McKerras. The New Zealand Women’s Championship, run by Auckland Chess Centre, was won by Sue Maroroa. The New Zealand Junior Championship, hosted by Waitemata, was won by Gino Thornton. The New Zealand Junior Rapid Championship was won by Puchen Wang. The New Zealand Senior Championship, hosted by Auckland Chess Centre, was won by Bob Mitchell. NZCF GRAND PRIX In its sixth year, the nationwide Grand Prix has included more tournaments than ever. The final events of the season, the NZ Championship, Major Open and NZ Rapid Championships, will take the final tally of tournaments involved to 25. Interest and participation remain high; the only events causing real concern are the North and South Island Championships, both of which had relatively low attendances (22 and 23). Some of the bigger turnouts this year were the Waitakere Licensing Trust Open (119 players), Latvian Rapid (82), NZ Junior Rapid (70) and North Shore Open (68). A new Super Class category was introduced this year, for tournaments with over $4000 prize-money. Of the 25 events this year, two are Super Class (Congress and Waitakere), while 10 are Class One (minimum $1400 prize-money). With three events to go, 368 players have earned grand prix points – 51 more than last year. Progress in the seniors’ division has again been good, with 29 players gaining points, compared to 19 last year. 19 females have scored points so far this year (14 last year). The Grand Prix continues to operate without a sponsor, and is being subsidised by NZCF by $1500. The competition can continue on this basis, but any thoughts are welcome on a possible sponsor for an event that provides continuing exposure throughout the year across the country, in a competition involving more than 1000 players.

TURIN OLYMPIAD
The NZ men’s team was Anthony Ker, Paul Garbett, Roger Nokes, Russell Dive, Puchen Wang and Michael Steadman, with Hilton Bennett as Team Captain. They finished 91st out of 150 (seeded 79th) after some promising early form (including holding bronze medallists USA to 1.5-2.5). Puchen Wang gained a FIDE Master title and an IM norm (which counts double at an Olympiad). The NZ Women’s team was Viv Smith, Sue Maroroa, Eachen Chen and Natasha Fairley, with Bob Smith as Team Captain. They finished equal 72nd (80th on count back) out of 108 (seeded 84th). Natasha Fairley gained a Women’s FIDE Master title and Eachen Chen gained a Women’s Candidate Master title.

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP
Only one New Zealand player competed in the World Youth Championship in Georgia in – The relative lack of interest may well be due to the somewhat unsettled nature of the host nation. Daniel Baider was accompanied by his grandfather Igor Tarasul, who was the officially appointed coach for the trip. NZCF Secretary Bob Mitchell was again successful with funding applications, obtaining significant financial assistance for Daniel and Igor. Daniel performed creditably in the Under 12 Boys division, scoring 5.5/11. He would probably have done even better if he had not fallen ill during the tournament.

NEW ZEALAND INTER-SCHOOLS COMPETITION
This competition has just finished its 6th year and continues to be a major success in getting thousands of children around the country playing and enjoying chess. The event has grown each year to become a mammoth undertaking. I sincerely thank everyone who helped to organise the many regional tournaments this year. Special thanks to Felicity Timings, who co-ordinated the whole competition, and to Gary and Gerri Judkins, who organised such splendid national play-offs in Hamilton that the standard will be difficult for others to match. Congratulations to the following winners: Auckland Grammar, Palmerston North College and St Pauls College (Hamilton), joint NZ Secondary Schools Champions for 2006. Riccarton High, South Island Secondary Schools Champion. Cobham Intermediate (Christchurch), the NZ and South Island Intermediate Champion. Palmerston North Normal, North Island Intermediate Champion. Epsom Normal, NZ and North Island Primary Champion. Windsor Primary (Christchurch), South Island Primary Champion.

NZ JUNIOR CHESS BADGES
These remain very popular with children around the country. There are currently four levels – pawn, knight, bishop, rook. Queen and king levels are to be added when developed, and will be fairly advanced.

FEMALE CHESS
More than 300 girls took part in events in Christchurch and Auckland during NZCF’s annual “Chess for Girls” week in June. Christchurch was particularly successful, with 65 girls playing in the Christchurch Girls Championships, 170 in a teams championship and 20 attending a coaching clinic by Viv Smith. Many thanks to Jacinta Buist, organiser extraordinaire! Numbers at the Auckland Girls Championship were down – 80 competed – but this can be attributed to a change of timing forced by organisers Viv and Bob Smith being away at an earlier than usual Olympiad. The New Zealand Women’s Championship and Reserve Championship were hosted by Auckland Chess Centre and attracted 16 players – four fewer than last year, but still a reasonable turnout.

NZ SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Auckland Chess Centre also hosted the 5th NZ Senior Championship (over 60 years). Eight players competed, one fewer than last year. But the Championship has now definitely become an established event on the calendar and I believe the numbers will grow in the next few years.

REGISTRATIONS
At the time of writing NZCF has 456 registered members; compared to 515 last year. Registrations include 174 juniors, 40 females and 30 seniors. Although registrations are down on last year, I do not believe this reflects any decline in active participation in chess. Rather, clubs and tournament organisers are not keeping up with sending in player registrations. It is a sign that Council will have to tighten up this area next year – hopefully with the help of tournament/club officials. And I also repeat my plea for clubs to register all their members.

RATINGS
Council resolved that Swissperfect would now be the only acceptable system for sending in tournament results for rating. All clubs have this programme and it makes processing events easier for Ratings Officer Viv Smith and Ratings Administrator Rowan Wood. NZCF’s FIDE representative Michael Freeman has advised that other formats will not be suitable for internationally rating events from January, as unlike Swissperfect they cannot be converted into the new FIDE format. An on-going problem for our hardworking rating personnel is the late delivery of results – in some cases 6 months late (!). This is unacceptable. Council is loath to reintroduce fines but something has to be done. We seek your co-operation. Thanks once again to Bob Gibbons and Manukau Institute of Technology for producing the hard copy booklets of the six-monthly rating lists.

NZ CHESS WEBPAGE
Thanks once again to Michael Freeman, who has continued his important role in maintaining the NZ Chess webpage, a vital part of NZCF’s communication chain.

NZ CHESS MAGAZINE
“NZ Chess” continues to have problems catching up on publication dates, despite the best efforts of Editor Graeme Trass. As ever, a major factor is getting contributors to deliver material – on time, or at all! The magazine remains a significant financial overhead for NZCF.

CONCLUSION 2006
It has been another good year for chess in New Zealand. The continued growth in many areas, especially junior chess, is to be applauded. Among the priorities for 2007 will be a review and refining of NZCF regulations, to take into account new NZCF events that have now become established, and the impact of changes within society and the chess community. Lastly, I must thank once again the many willing workers who have supported Council over the past year, and hope that we can count on you again in the coming year.

There has been a lot of chess played over the past few months, with the international highlight being, of course, the Olympiad in Turin. New Zealand sent both men’s and women’s teams to the Olympiad, and achieved some notable success. More on that later. But the biggest news this time round is two substantial donations to NZCF to assist in the development and promotion of chess in this country.

The late David Steele willed $20,000 to NZCF. David was a Life Member of the Wellington Chess Club (more in an upcoming "NZ Chess" magazine). He earmarked his bequest to support junior representatives.

Council has resolved that no more than 70% of the interest of this generous bequest be spent in any one year, the remainder being added to the principal. This will thereby ensure an ongoing source of support for our aspiring juniors.

Long time Auckland player George Trundle has gifted $10,000 to NZCF. As with the Steele Trust, up to 70% of the interest may be spent each year on special projects to be decided by Council. George also contributed towards arguably the biggest chess event held in New Zealand, the 2006 Queenstown Classic. Many thanks, George.

NZCF Council is extremely grateful for both donations, which will be very helpful as we continue with an active programme of growing chess in this country.

As mentioned several New Zealand players performed with distinction at the Olympiad. Most notably, Puchen Wang gained a FIDE Master title and also an IM norm (which counts double at the Olympiad). This means Puchen needs only one more norm and a rating of 2400 to become an International Master.

In the women’s team, Natasha Fairley scored a first for New Zealand in gaining a Women’s FIDE Master title at her first Olympiad. Eachen Chen also did well in her Olympiad debut, gaining a Women’s Candidate Master title

Overall the men’s team had some excellent match results (most notably holding bronze medallists USA to 1.5-2.5), but faded in the latter stages to finish 91^st out of 150 (seeded 79^th).

The Women’s Team performed creditably despite the unavailability of our top female player Evguenia Charamova, finishing 72^nd= (80^th on countback) out of 108 (seeded 84^th).

There was a very limited response to a call for support for the team members, who had to personally fund a significant proportion of their travel costs.

NZCF was successful in obtaining two $5000 grants from Scottwood Group and the Lion Foundation. Council topped up these grants to $1000 for each team member – but that still left a substantial shortfall. Thank you to Quentin Johnson, who donated $50, and Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club, which raised $160 from an Olympiad fund-raising evening.

In view of the cost NZ Junior Champion Gino Thornton decided not to go to the World Junior Championships in Armenia next month. However Daniel Baider (boys Under 12) and Cecily Liu (Girls Under 16) are representing New Zealand in the World Youth Championships in Georgia next month. Daniel’s grandfather, who is his coach and an accomplished player, will accompany them as delegation leader and coach. NZCF is awaiting the outcome of funding applications for the group. Anyone who would like to contribute towards their travel costs can send a donation to : NZCF, P.O. Box 216 Shortland St Auckland.

The national primary, intermediate, and secondary school finals are taking place next weekend 23-24 September in Hamilton. Thousands of students have already participated in school teams across the country to select the finalists, and this has become a major event on school calendars.

Our sincere thanks go to all the hard-working clubs and organisers who have run their local area competitions, and to Felicity Timings, our national co-ordinator. Many thanks to Gary and Gerri Judkins, the Hamilton Chess Club, and Southwell School, Hamilton, who are hosting the finals. We look forward to hearing all about it soon.

Fiji has confirmed that it will hold this important event from May 5 to May 12 next year, at a new 5-star hotel on Denarau Island in Nadi. New Zealand is entitled to one official player in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, who will receive free accommodation and breakfast. Our representatives will be the winners of this month’s NZ Women’s Championship, and the 114^th NZ Championship in Wanganui in January. Other players are also warmly invited to take part in the Zonal, at their own cost. Having played in the last Zonal in Fiji, I would recommend it to anyone. It is a great location and the event is sure to be well-organised. Fiji is also a nice spot to take partners along to; there is plenty for them to do while you’re playing chess!

As noted above this tournament is being held from September 24 to 30 at the Auckland Chess Centre. Please get those entries in to Mike Steadman steadmanm@hotmail.com The winner will be the NZ representative at next year’s Zonal in Fiji (as well as NZ Champion, of course!).

I would ask all seniors (60 or over) to support this tournament, being held by the Auckland Chess Centre in conjunction with the NZ Women’s Championship. There has been growing interest in senior competition over the past few years. Let’s keep up the impetus! Details again from Mike Steadman steadmanm@hotmail.com

A reminder that the closing date for all remits and nominations for the NZCF Annual General Meeting is October 31. Please send these to The Secretary, NZCF, P.O. Box 216 Shortland St Auckland 1.

The most significant news this time around is the selection of the New Zealand teams to compete at the Olympiad in Turin, Italy, from May 20 to June 4.

The Men's (Open) Team, with board order still to be decided, is : IM Russell Dive (WN), IM Anthony Ker (WN), IM Paul Garbett (AK), FM Roger Nokes (CH), Puchen Wang (AK) and Michael Steadman (AK). Team Captain is Hilton Bennett (HAM), who is also overall Manager of the NZ contingent.

The Women's Team, in board order, is 1 Viv Smith, 2 Sue Maroroa, 3 Eachen Chen, 4 Natasha Fairley, all of Auckland. The Women's Team Captain is FM Bob Smith (AK).

Congratulations to all the above. I am sure they will give a good account of themselves at the Olympiad

NZCF would like to give you all the chance to support our Olympiad representatives who, at this stage, face funding most of the airfare and other travel costs themselves ($2500 - $3000 each).

Therefore an official appeal is now open. Please send cheques made out to the NZ Chess Federation to Olympiad Appeal, P.O. Box 120 Shortland St, Auckland 1.

All donors will be acknowledged in NZCF bulletins, on the NZCF website and in "NZ Chess" magazine.

The Olympiad is the priority international event for New Zealand chess, giving our top players the chance to test themselves against the world's best and improving players something to aspire our.

Puchen Wang has again been chosen as the Junior Player of the Year for 2005. Council unanimously chose Puchen for his outstanding performances last year, including winning the NZCF Grand Prix. As mentioned, Puchen has now been selected for the NZ Olympiad team.

NZCF Council is investigating the possibility of posting three-monthly rating lists on the web-page.

There are some concerns about the accuracy of such a list, in view of the impact of provisional ratings, bonus points and the shorter performance period. So if this is achieved, please bear in mind that three-monthly ratings would be indicative only and organisers should still use the 6-monthly list as the official one. Watch this space!

Two reminders: All tournament results to be rated must now be submitted in Swissperfect files.

The files needed are "trn", "sco", and "ini". NZCF codes must be filled in for all players, plus birthdates for juniors (under 20 on 1/1/06) and seniors (60+ on 1/1/06, or for females 50+ on 1/1/06). Tournament files not submitted correctly will be returned for correcting. Thanks for your co-operation.

Organisers submitting tournaments for FIDE rating must send NZCF a levy of $100 prior to the event. Any payment above the official FIDE invoice will be refunded, minus administration costs. But NZCF will now invoice clubs for any late submission penalties imposed by FIDE. So remember, send your Swissperfect files to FIDE rep. Michael Freeman within one week of a tournament ending at Michael.Freeman@xtra.co.nz . That leaves Michael one further week to submit the results to FIDE.

NZCF Councillors (including Craig Hall from Christchurch, Ross Jackson from Wellington, Michael Freeman from Stratford and Hilton Bennett from Hamilton) spent a very productive two days over a recent weekend discussing priorities and strategies for the next six years. NZCF Secretary Bob Mitchell is currently collating all the brainstorming into a coherent document. I can promise you that Council has some big plans and is keen to build on the momentum provided by the huge success of the Queenstown Classic.

A reminder to clubs: NZCF's annual "Girls for Chess Week" is from June 26 to July 2. If you are thinking of supporting this initiative by holding an event for females please advise Female Chess Convenor Viv Smith; she can give support and advice

One small change so far to this year's rules, which every club will have received. Organisers must advise GP Administrator Bob Smith Caissa@xtra.co.nz a month prior to an event (at the same time as the GP levy is paid and the tournament registered) who will be responsible for ensuring a report and games are provided to "NZ Chess" magazine within a fortnight of the event. The reasons for this requirement are fairly obvious, I think.

The NZ Junior Championship and NZ Junior Rapid are being hosted by Waitemata Chess Club, from July 3 to 7. Contact Bob or Viv Smith Caissa@xtra.co.nz

The North Island Championship and Rapid Championship are being hosted by Wellington Chess Club from July 10 to 16. Contact Ross Jackson at Irjackson@xtra.co.nz

The South Island Championship and Rapid Championships are being hosted by Ashburton Chess Club from October 1 to 5. Contact Alan Mulligan at MULLIGANS@CLEAR.NET.NZ

The NZ Women's Championship and NZ Seniors Championship are being hosted by Auckland Chess Centre, from September 24 to 30. Contact Mike Steadman steadmanm@hotmail.com .

The 114th New Zealand Congress, incorporating the NZ Championship, the NZ Major Open, the NZ Rapid and the NZ LIghtning Championships, is being hosted in January 2007 by Wanganui Chess Club. Contact Gordon Hoskyn hoskyn@ihug.co.nz

First of all, I must mention what was almost certainly the biggest and most prestigious chess event ever held in this country. Those who experienced the Queenstown Classic in January will agree, I'm sure, that it was a fantastic tournament. Nearly 200 players from around the globe took part, including four Grandmasters and more than a dozen International Masters. GM Murray Chandler, who came up with the idea, sponsored the event and won it (!) is to be congratulated. Chief organiser, NZCF Vice-President Paul Spiller, also deserves a huge vote of thanks for all his hard work. And the support of retiring NZCF Patron, Ray Thomson, was also invaluable.

The Queenstown Classic was a great way to kick off a year that I hope will be another big step forward for chess in New Zealand. NZCF Council will certainly be continuing to work to promote the game in 2006, and looks forward to the co-operation and input of member clubs and organisers around the country.

President - Bob Smith Vice-President - Paul Spiller Secretary - Bob Mitchell Treasurer - Anthony Whitehouse Auckland Councillors - Viv Smith, Felicity Timings, Michael Steadman, Michael Cowen

Regional Councillors: Central North Island (a new region) - Hilton Bennett Wellington - Michael Freeman and Ross Jackson Canterbury - Craig Hall Otago - Quentin Johnson

NZCF Council has since had its first meeting of the year, and the following committees and responsibilities were allocated (President ex-officio member of all committees):

Junior - Felicity Timings (Convenor), Viv Smith, Michael Steadman, Quentin Johnson, Gary Judkins, Ross Jackson, Jacinta Buist

Female - Viv Smith (Convenor), Felicity Timings, Jacinta Buist, Evguenia Charomova

Grand Prix - Bob Smith (Administrator), Michael Cowen, Hilton Bennett, Alexei Kulashko

Ratings - Rowan Wood (Administrator), Viv Smith (Ratings Officer), Michael Freeman (FIDE), Bob Gibbons

Rules Revision - Bob Mitchell (Convenor), Bob Smith, Michael Steadman, Hilton Bennett, Craig Hall

Council may also co-opt additional Committee members during the year if it is felt they could add useful talents and make a worthwhile contribution.

As noted above Felicity Timings is again the co-ordinator for this year's NZ Schools Competition (a glutton for punishment!). She would like to hear from organisers/clubs as soon as possible of their plans for the various regional competitions. Early advice will make her job easier and will help in the smooth running of this huge event. Felicity will keep organisers advised of the Inter-schools timetable and arrangements for provincial and island finals. The NZCF levy of $4 per team will apply to all inter-schools tournaments involved this year, and must be paid. NZCF has considerable costs associated with this competition, including travel for finalists and venue hireage.

NZCF's annual "Girls for Chess Week" has been set for June 26 to July 2. Arrangements are already well underway for the Christchurch Girls Championship during that week, and there will also be the normal big event in Auckland. Female Chess Convenor Viv Smith is hopeful other regions will also hold events for females e.g. Otago Girls Champs? Wellington Girls Champs? Please advise Viv of your plans.

Please note: NZCF Council has resolved that with immediate effect all tournament results must be submitted in Swissperfect files. All clubs have had this programme for 5 years now, since NZCF provided free licences. Swissperfect is by far the easiest format to handle for rating purposes. Other methods (still being used by a very small minority) involve considerably more work for both Rating Officer Viv Smith and Rating Administrator Rowan Wood. If a club/organiser runs an event using some other method, it is still possible (though a painstaking job) for the club/organiser to enter the results in Swissperfect, using manual pairings, before submitting them for rating. That is up to individual organisers. But using Swissperfect from the start will make life easier for everyone. The files that Viv needs are "trn", "sco" and "ini". She also requires NZCF codes filled in for all players, plus birthdates for juniors (under 20 on 1/1/06) and seniors (60+ on 1/1/06). Tournament files not submitted correctly will be returned for correcting.

Council has reviewed its fee for submitting events for FIDE rating, in light of a strengthening NZ dollar and the desire to be fair to all concerned. The rating fee for clubs has been reduced to $100. Furthermore NZCF will refund to clubs any payment above the official FIDE invoice when that is received, minus administration costs. But NZCF has also resolved to recover from the clubs concerned any penalty payments pertaining to tournaments. Tournament files must be received by FIDE within two weeks of the end of an event. As before Michael Freeman will handle the submission of FIDE rated events, so clubs must send him the requisite information within one week of a tournament ending (they could be sent to NZCF Rating Officer Viv Smith at the same time, at Caissa@xtra.co.nz ). All events must also be pre-registered with FIDE (through Michael, as NZCF representative at Michael.Freeman@xtra.co.nz). NZCF has been hit with some fairly steep penalties by FIDE in the past, as a result of slack tournament officials. Be aware: your club will have to bear this cost from now on.

There are no changes to the rules for this year's Grand Prix, which must be recognised on entry forms as the "NZCF Grand Prix". The rules will be re-circulated separately to clubs. The GP Administrator remains myself, who can be contacted at Caissa@xtra.co.nz . Organisers, please advise me well in advance of tournament details so I can publicise your event. Note that details have to be provided and relevant levies paid one month beforehand. The levies are: Class One (over $1400 prize-money) $150 Auckland and Wellington, $130 elsewhere. Class Two ($700 to $1400 prize-money) $100 Auckland and Wellington, $80 elsewhere. Class Three ($300-$700 prize-money) $50 Auckland and Wellington, $30 elsewhere.

The 2005 year has been another good period for New Zealand chess, with tournament numbers up and more players and organisers involved across the board.

Thank you to all those people who have helped, at national, regional and local level.

The workload has increased markedly over the past few years, and much of the progress that we have made would not have been possible without the involvement of so many volunteers.

A special thanks, as always, to a hard-working team of NZCF Councillors, who have overseen so many important activities.

This event, held in Auckland in January, was one of the most significant events of the year. NZCF Councillor Paul Spiller put in a great deal of work to ensure that everything ran smoothly and was up to standard.

Most of the region’s top players were present, including one Grandmaster and six International Masters.

The tournament was won by IM Gary Lane (Australia), but there was also an important

NZCF Council received much praise regarding the organisation of the Zonal, and New Zealand is now clearly seen as a credible host of significant chess events.

The final events of the season, the Queenstown Classic and the New Zealand Rapid Championship, will take the final tally of tournaments involved to 22. This is slightly down on last year, but is still a

good number. On the flipside, player participation is at record levels. Three of the bigger turnouts this year were the Waitakere Trust Open (134 players), North Shore Open (100 players) and the Latvian Rapid (91 players). They were symptomatic of a general boost in entries.

The other point to note is that more than half of the tournaments were Class One events (minimum $1400 prize-money).

With three events to go, 317 players have earned grand prix points. The seniors division has made good progress, with 16 players scoring points, compared to 9 last year. Interestingly, only 14 females have scored points so far this year, compared to 31 last year. I do not believe this represents fewer females playing (see registrations); the reason may simply be that there is now a group of females playing at a higher level who are dominating the division.

NZCF Council is continuing to seek a sponsor for 2006 for an event which guarantees continuing exposure throughout the year across the country, in a competition involving more than 1000 players.

For this year, the increase in levies generated by more Class One events, combined with a small surplus from last year, means that NZCF will be subsidising the 2005 Grand Prix by around $1300.

This competition is snowballing each year, and in its fifth year has involved a growing number of schools and regions.

There are now many thousands of children who look forward to this event each year.

It is a huge job to run, and thanks must go first and foremost to the co-ordinator, NZCF Junior Convenor Felicity Timings. She has done an amazing job pulling all the strands together.

This competition – which is a key factor in popularising chess and growing the sport – would simply not be possible without the work and co-operation that has been evident.

Congratulations to Auckland Grammar, which beat South Island Champions St Andrews College to retain the title of NZ Secondary School Chess Champions.

Congratulations also to Auckland’s St Heliers School, which beat South Island Champions Cobham Intermediate to retain the NZ Intermediate Schools title.

And finally congratulations to Epsom Normal, which beat South Island Champions Medbury Preparatory to become the NZ Primary Schools Champions.

One hundred and eleven girls attended the Auckland Girls Championship, which was part of the fifth annual Girls Chess Week in June. More than 50 turned out in Christchurch, where NZCF Female Chess Convenor Viv Smith held a coaching session. Otago also held a tournament for girls for the first time, with 12 participants.

The New Zealand Women’s Championship and Reserve Championship were again hosted by Waitemata Chess Club and attracted 20 players – one more than last year.

I am personally pleased at the progress we have made in this area, and would urge more clubs to help in building up female chess.

Waitemata Chess Club also hosted the 4th NZ Senior Championship (over 60 years). Nine players competed, nearly double last year’s entry. This is an encouraging sign for a group that has been under-represented in our player numbers.

New Zealand sent eight players to the World Youth Championship in France in July – up from five last year.

Successful grant applications by NZCF again ensured that a substantial portion of the airfares was paid. The players who competed were Natasha Fairley (NS) Under 18 girls, Sue Maroroa (AC) U14 girls, David Xu (AC) U16 boys, Michael Zhang (AC) U16 boys, Bobby Cheng (HP) U10 boys, Shirley Wu (WT) U14 girls, Andy Chen (HP) U12 boys, Cecily Liu (NS) U16 girls.

All players performed creditably, with the highlights including: Sue Maroroa (5.5/11), earning a Women’s FIDE Master title, Shirley Wu (5.5/11) and Bobby Cheng (5.5/11).

The most significant title gained during 2005 was Paul Garbett’s International Master title.

Paul has been of the required standard for many years and in fact already had numerous IM norms.

But he certainly swept any doubts aside by winning the title outright at the Oceania Zonal in Auckland in January, finishing second overall. A long overdue recognition.

Graeme Spain qualified for the title of New Zealand Master, which was presented at the last Congress.

Chris Wright from Christchurch went overseas to pursue his goal of becoming an International Arbiter, and duly qualified.

Former New Zealander Igor Bjelobrk, now an Australian resident, gained the FIDE Master title at the Zonal.

Long-time correspondence chess player and chess computer pioneer Bruce Barnard died during the year. Bruce won the NZ Correspondence Chess Championship three times in a row.

At the time of writing NZCF has 515 registered members; slightly down on last year.

The importance of the growth in junior chess is shown by the fact that this total includes 197 juniors.

Council seeks the co-operation of all clubs in registering players quickly and also registering as many as possible.

RATINGS
Most clubs are now using Swissperfect, which is the recommended system for sending in tournament results, as it makes processing events far simpler. Excel is also acceptable.

Ratings Officer Viv Smith and Ratings Administrator Rowan Wood have worked hard all year.

Some club officials have been tardy in sending in results, while others have not included key details such as player codes. This has caused some difficulties. I would encourage organisers to send in results as soon as possible to make life easier for everyone.

Michael Freeman has taken over responsibility for ensuring that tournaments to be FIDE rated are processed. All clubs were reminded late this year of the procedures involved.

Thanks once again to Bob Gibbons and Manukau Institute of Technology for producing the hard copy booklets of the six-monthly rating lists.

Thanks to Michael Freeman, who has continued his important role in maintaining the NZ Chess webpage, a vital part of NZCF’s communication chain.

Keeping to deadlines and eliciting reports and games from volunteer organisers and players has been a continuing problem in 2005.

Editor Graeme Trass has done his best, but publication dates have continued to slip behind.

I personally believe that a regular chess magazine is something to be desired, but it is an issue that is clearly open for debate.

NEW ZEALAND CHESS CONGRESSES
The 113^th Congress will be held in Queenstown in January in conjunction with the Queenstown Classic, which is expected to be one of the strongest events ever held in this country.

The Classic was the brainchild of GM Murray Chandler, who is the principal sponsor.

NZCF has been liaising with Murray throughout the year over the organisation, with Councillor Paul Spiller in particular putting in a great deal of work.

At the time of writing there are more than 140 entries, including 3 Grandmasters and 14 International Masters.

The 114^th Congress will be hosted by Wanganui Chess Club – the third time in recent years that they have organised New Zealand’s premiere event.

Wanganui, which is among our most active affiliates, always does an excellent job and chessplayers can look forward to another enjoyable Congress in the river city.

Ray has filled this position for five years now, and has been a very interested party to the progress that has been made.

However he will be stepping down from the post next year to concentrate on other concerns.

Chessplayers throughout the country owe Ray a big vote of thanks for his support.

The top New Zealander in the 111^th New Zealand Championship, hosted by Wanganui, was Anthony Ker, who thereby claimed the title.

The New Zealand Women’s Championship, run by Waitemata, was won by Evguenia Charomova.

The New Zealand Senior Championship, hosted by Waitemata, was won by William Lynn and Bob Mitchell.

To all Councillors and the many other voluntary workers throughout the country who have helped to administer and promote chess throughout the year . I hope we can count on you again in 2006.

While NZCF Council did not achieve all its goals in 2005 (who does?) I am satisfied with what has been achieved.

We now have huge numbers of juniors playing chess, growing numbers of females and seniors, growing international representation, and an improved income stream from such things as the Junior Badge Scheme, the NZ Inter-schools Chess Competition and increased numbers of players competing in tournaments.

I would hope that next year, with the help of member clubs, NZCF Council can tighten up some procedures and I am keen to devote some time to reviewing our regulations.

To this end Council is planning a “brainstorming” session involving Auckland and regional councillors early in the New Year. Any thoughts are welcome, as always.

I would remind all clubs: NZCF is working for you, and two things that are key factors if chess is to progress are communication and co-operation.

WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS - Belfort, France

Continuing our high level of participation in recent years, we are sending seven juniors to the World Youth Championships in France from 19 to 28 July. Competition for the selected places was intense in several age groups, and selectors Bob Gibbons, Richard Sutton, Michael Freeman and Russell Dive deserve a vote of thanks for all the hours they put into the task. In the end the successful candidates were Natasha Fairley (girls under 18), Evguenia Charomova (girls under 16), Sue Maroroa (girls under 14), Michael Zhang (boys under 16), David Xu (boys under 14), Andy Chen (boys under 12), Bobby Cheng (boys under 10). They will be accompanied by Coach/Manager Ewen Green, who has recently returned from a professional coaching stint in Australia, and two parents. Cecily Liu will also be competing in the Under 16 girls division at her own expense. NZCF has applied for funding for the group and has had some marked success in previous years.

But there is no guarantee of funding and, of course, if anyone wishes to support these juniors and their coach donations are always welcome and can be sent to NZCF P.O. Box 216 Shortland St, with cheques made out to NZ Chess Federation.

The work of NZCF Secretary Bob Mitchell in dealing with all the selection and grant applications must be acknowledged; he has spent many hours on the task.

NATIONAL INTER-SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP

All systems are go for what looks like being the biggest national inter-schools competition since it began 5 years ago.

Overall organiser NZCF Junior Convenor Felicity Timings reports that this year all regions in the North Island will be involved, with the possible exception of Gisborne. In the South Island Otago will be holding inter-school competitions for the first time, to add to Canterbury's already huge competition. Thanks to clubs and organisers who will be running inter-schools competitions in their area. A reminder: $4 is payable to NZCF for every team competing. This fee goes towards some of the costs involved, including travelling grants to schools to play in the national play-offs.

The North Island finals will be held this year in Palmerston North on 24th and 25th September. Thanks to Martin Sims for making this possible. The South Island final is in Christchurch on 16 October, where I am sure Northerners can expect a warm welcome.

GIRLS FOR CHESS WEEK

This is set for June 13 to 19. Waitemata Chess Club is hosting the Auckland Girls Championship again on June 16, with an anticipated turnout of 100+. Christchurch is also holding its annual Girls Championship, including a coaching workshop by NZCF Female Convenor Viv Smith. Other regions which wish to be involved should contact Viv at bobviv@actrix.gen.nz

JUNIOR CHESS BADGES
Don't forget, tests, badges and certificates are available for pawn, knight, bishop and rook levels. These very popular tests can be obtained from NZCF Junior Chess Convenor Felicity Timings ftimings@clear.net.nz Badges can be ordered in lots of 50 or 100. The cost to clubs or organisers/coaches is $4.50 per badge and certificate for 100 or more, or $4.75 for 50 to 100, plus postage. Council recommends a minimum retail price to the children of $6 for badge and certificate. Mixed orders are ok (half and half pawn and knight, for instance).

2006 QUEENSTOWN CHESS CLASSIC
Indications are that this tournament will be a tremendous success. There have many enquiries from overseas and three Grandmasters are already confirmed. Players in Australia are making up travel groups to come across. If you are planning to play I would suggest making accommodation bookings soon, as there could be a crush on rooms.

The Queenstown Chess Classic will be held from 15 to 24 January, 2004, and will incorporate the 113th NZ Championship.

The NZ Rapid and Lightning Championships will be held on the following two days, 25 and 26 January.

Total money for all three events will be more than $35,000. The tournament now has a permanent website - www.queenstown.chess.com The principal contact person regarding this event is NZCF Sponsorship Convenor Paul Spiller at spillerfamily.enterprise@xtra.co.nz Paul was the driving force behind this year's very successful Zonal Tournament in Auckland, which so impressed many of our Australian visitors.

114th NZ CONGRESS IN WANGANUI
Wanganui has been confirmed as the host of the following Congress in 2007, which will give them the remarkable record of hosting 3 Congresses in 5 years! Expressions of interest are already invited for the 115th Congress; NZCF Council likes to be ahead of the play!

RECORD TURNOUT

Continuing the trend of recent years, the country's biggest weekender, the Waitakere Licensing Trust Open, attracted a record field of 134 players on May 14 and 15. A grade winner with 4.5/5 was Russell Dive, who has jumped into the lead in the NZCF Grand Prix.

Until next time,

Yours for chess,

Bob Smith

NZCF President