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WebMaster - Michael Freeman

This website has been developed and maintained by Michael Freeman since early 1995. The site is designed to provide static information on clubs and organisations running chess in NZ, plus details on forthcoming events. Historical lists of former NZ Champions in both over-the-board and correspondence chess are given. The site is not designed as a regular news feed on recent chess results.

Michael Freeman resides in Taranaki, on the west coast of the North Island of NZ. He started playing chess in 1972 and joined the Otago Chess Club as a junior in 1974. He rapidly rose through the local ranks before moving to Christchurch where he completed a major in theoretical computer science at Canterbury University.

In 1977 Freeman made the happy discovery that his desire for accuracy in chess along with his natural patience, dedication and grit were better suited to the more sedate pace of correspondence chess. Within four years he had completed a spectacular rise to the highest echelon within NZ correspondence circles. Freeman was NZ Correspondence Champion in 1979/80 and 1983/84, which earned him the coveted but rarely awarded NZ Correspondence Master title. Soon he looked for tougher challenges offshore. In 1995 Michael won the international Abonyi event which gained him a second IM norm and the International Correspondence Master title (2450 level). Later this same result (where he had exceeded the IM norm by a full point) also turned out to earn him his first norm towards the Senior International Master title (2500 level).

In his very occasional forays to OTB chess, Michael’s formidable knowledge of the game means that he is an opponent to be reckoned with, even for NZ’s best-known players. Michael represented NZ in OTB chess at the 1996 Olympiad and the 1983, 1993 and 1995 Asian Teams events. He has achieved rare distinction in the administrative arena. Michael was the NZ Team Captain for four Olympiads and was a member of the FIDE Executive Board from 1998-2002, and is the current FIDE delegate and also the NZ delegate to ICCF.

In 2003 Michael won the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) 50^th anniversary IM-D event with a score of 11.5/14. This gave him a second and final SIM norm, thus gaining his SIM title which was conferred at the ICCF meeting in October 2003.

You can play through some correspondence games here.

Away from the chess scene Michael is Chief Executive of the Stratford District Council, the local government authority for the Stratford region in Taranaki.

Oct 08
September 2003

With wife Natalia

Canterbury Chess Club Champions (1981)

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