In This Issue

 

This email bulletin, Australian record, Nell Van De Graaff Classic, Australian Championships, Trip to Queenstown, Unapproved Withdrawals, Grandmaster Coaching, Junior Clubs in Brisbane - Redlands Bay RSL, Southside Junior Club, Bardon Bishops, Nundah Northside Junior Club, Gold Coast - Gardiner Chess Centre, Upcoming Events - Gold Coast and Brisbane School Holiday Camps, Broadbeach Mall Junior Tournament, Queensland Girls Championships, Medal Event, Brisbane All Stars Primary Tournament, Fernvale Junior Teams Tournament, Gold Coast Allegro Championship, Wendy Terry Memorial, Ruth Coxhill Memorial, Term 3 Junior Masters, Term 4 Junior Masters, Queensland Inter-School Competition, Underwater Chess, Septemberfest, Webpage, Unsubscribe.

 

This Email Bulletin

 

We are gradually trying to turn this email bulletin into a state-wide bulletin for all chess news and activities. So please email us with any chess-related information whatsoever that you believe would be of interest to the chess community.

 

Australian Record at Carrara Basketball Stadium

 

An Australian record for the highest number of players at the one venue at the one time was created at Carrara Basketball Stadium on Wednesday. In total, 907 students participated in the Gold Coast Primary Schools Teams Finals Day. There is a full report with photos at www.gardinerchess.com/gcprimaryreport.htm. Next year we just have to go for the big 1,000.

 

Nell Van De Graaff Classic - next Sat/Sun 10/11 September

$2,500 in Prizes

Venue: Somerset College Sports Pavilion

 

Nell, at the wonderful age of 90 and possibly Australia's oldest competitive tournament chess player, intends to compete in ‘her’ tournament, the Nell Van De Graaff Classic, which was formerly the Gold Coast Classic.

 

The tournament is popular because not only is it an Australian Grand Prix Category 3 event for individuals, but it also doubles as Queensland's favourite teams event. Players put themselves into teams of four, which may include individuals of any standard or rating, providing the average rating of the team does not exceed 1400.

• Sat 10 Sept - Rounds at 9.30am, approx 12 noon, approx 2.30pm and approx 5pm.
• Sun 11 Sept - Rounds at 9am, approx 11.30am and approx 2pm
• Entry Fees: Seniors $55, Pensioners $45 Juniors $35 (non CAQ members add $10) Late fee on the day $10
• Prizes: Open 1st $700, 2nd $400, 3rd $200 + 5 ratings group prizes of $100 each (Rating group 5 is kindly sponsored by Outreach Chess) Teams: 1st $400 ($100 each) 2nd $200 ($50 each) 3rd $100 ($25 each)

 

Australian Championships and Australian Junior Championships, Carlton Crest, Brisbane, 28 December 2005 to 9 January 2006

 

Entry forms have now been widely distributed and full details are available on the webpage www.ozchess2006.com. A list of current entrants can be found under 'participants'.

 

As mentioned in previous bulletins, we are keen to see this event as an opportunity for past and present tournament players to come together for the benefit of Queensland chess. Some of the stronger players not seen lately who come to mind are: Charles Pizzato, Max Leskiewicz, David Stephson, Alain Pardoen, Craig Laird, Andrew Meldrum, Mark Robertson, Craig Duxbury, Geoffrey Malpas, John Myers, Damian Norris, Justin Pengelley, Jonathan Sarfati, Juan Kloostra, John Walker, Nathan Pearce, Khalimzhan Abylkassov,  Paul Chalupa, Michael Corner, Tama Coutts, Duc Trong Dinh, Boglarka Remenyi, Keven Duncan, Bruce Holliday, Les Lord, Joseph Markov, Colin Morris, Daniel Sorm, Anastasia Sorokina, Joe Tarnawski, Roger Thompson, Michael Vogel and Thomas Wolski.  We hope to see them there!

 

But there must be literally hundreds and hundreds of others who are no less important, who we would love to see back to make this event a celebration of Queensland chess, indeed as part of a celebration of Australia chess. It would be good to present a very strong Queensland challenge at this premier event. So if you can think of anyone, please encourage them to participate.

 

If you are worried about not being strong enough, don't. Contact us and discuss it if necessary. If you can't make the championships or major because they are too long, try the minor. If even that is too long, try the rapid event on 1 January or the lightning event on 6 January.

 

The organisers are looking for up to six chess players to enter games from scoresheets into Chessbase each day, so that we can have all games up on the webpage late in the day. This work might suit uni students. We need to be sure that we have people to do this work, so whilst it would be nice to have volunteers, we are able to pay a modest fee for those who can commit themselves to the duration of the event. We anticipate working in 2 x 4 hour shifts each day of the tournament (probably 10am to 2pm, and 4.30-8.30pm).  Those grade 11/12 school students who are playing in the Australian Juniors may like to do the evening shift, and anyone playing in the Australian Championships may be interested in the morning shift.

 

Finally, the Carlton Crest Hotel has extended its deadline for the early bird accommodation special to 30 September. That is a room at the hotel for the event at $119 per night (including 2 adults and 2 kids, or 3 adults sharing). After 30 September, the price reverts to the (still special) price of $129.

 

Trip to Queenstown, New Zealand 12 to 24 January 2006

 

We have only one place left for this great trip which we are looking forward to immensely. It might be possible to find extra places, but the price is likely to go up. So get in now!

 

Our group of 19 at present is: Stephan Taylor (flying from/to Melbourne), Hamish Selnes, Sam Grigg, Annie, Molly and Liam McGarity, Ian and Barbara Murray, Graeme and Wendy Gardiner, Brett, Wendy, Brock and Rebecca McIntyre, Jessica Kinder, Daniel Barrett, Zane Adams, Alexandra and Sebastian Jule.

 

Official tournament website www.badbishop.com/queenstownchess/

Queenstown Lodge www.qlodge.co.nz/index2.htm

Tournament venue: www.millenniumqueenstown.co.nz/

About Queenstown: www.everythingqueenstown.com/

 

Unapproved Withdrawals

 

A reminder that it is against the rules to withdraw from a tournament without the approval of the arbiter. This approval cannot unreasonably be withheld. Normal reasons for withdrawing might include sickness, family crisis etc. It is not a reasonable reason to withdraw if you simply aren't having a good tournament. The ACF and CAQ might impose penalties such as banning from entering rated events for a time period if you withdraw without the arbiter’s approval.

 

Grandmaster Coaching

 

If any players rated 1300+ are interested in Grandmaster coaching with Roland Schmaltz, please let us know.

 

Junior Clubs in Brisbane

 

There are some exciting developments in Brisbane junior chess, with several new clubs springing up. Here are some opportunities for juniors to extend themselves beyond the opportunities within their own school.

 

 

Since the formation of the Redlands RSL Chess Club in January, our junior membership has increased to 14 with ages varying from 8 to 15. As might be expected, the older juniors are stronger than the younger ones but a couple of the 'ankle-biters' show promise.

 

A feature of our club involves holding some combined senior/junior tournaments to give juniors experience against tougher opposition. We've also run varied tournaments from blitz to longer tournaments and have insisted that juniors score their games where appropriate. We feel that the all-round approach prepares the juniors for competitive play outside our own club.

 

Another feature focuses on education and a library of books the juniors can borrow. We have a special education officer/librarian/arbiter who monitors junior play and teaches juniors the finer points of play, chess ethics and chess behaviour in general. Initially, we had the usual problems of noise, touched pieces, illegal moves, pieces knocked over and put back on different squares, etc. Now that we have a special person to watch over the juniors before, during and after play, many of the problems have been resolved. We are still trying to encourage them to use time wisely and not to play too fast as is the usual case with juniors.

 

To encourage them further, we also award trophies to the best-placed juniors in combined senior/junior tournaments and also run an in-house rating system based primarily on tournament results where scoring occurs. At present, we do not have separate ratings for rapid and longer tournament play. They love ratings. Finally, to further encourage juniors, we only charge them $3 per year for membership and no weekly playing fee. In addition to this, no one has yet had to pay a tournament entry fee because some of our club members have sponsored all tournaments to date. Naturally, we cannot sustain this for too long.

 

We play on Tuesday evenings at 7pm in the RSL club meeting room. The club is located at 8 Passage St Cleveland and you can contact me at rosse@dodo.com.au or 3821 1740 or just drop in for a game.

 

Eugene Ross, PhD

President

 

Southside Junior Chess Club meets at Carindale Library in Carindale Shopping Centre from 7pm to 9pm Fridays during the state primary school term. It’s open for preschool and school age children of any playing strength. The first evening attended is free. Southside is current Qld Junior Club Teams Champion and is the home club of Aust U18 champ Moulthun Ly. For more info: Patricia Zeghici phone 3207 4914; email p.zeghici@qut.edu.au ; website http://uqconnect.net/~zzagunn/sjcc/sjcc.htm

 

Welcome to the Bardon Bishops! A new junior chess club has been formed at Bardon State School

to capitalise on the huge enthusiasm and talent in the local area. Although the club is only in its first term, the Bardon Bishops have already turned heads at recent tournaments, with strong team and individual performances.

 

The club is open to everybody in the local area, and not just for the juniors. We encourage any and all parents who would also like to learn more about chess to also attend and participate.

 

The club meets in the Bardon State School Library on a Friday afternoon. Registration and afternoon tea is between 3:00 - 3:30pm, with the club running from 3:30 - 5:00pm. The club has two coaches, Anthony Darvall and David Lavercombe, as well as many keen and active parents who regularly attend, play and improve.  Enquiries: David Lavercombe davelavercombe@yahoo.com.au ph 0418 889 817

 

 

 

Nundah Northside Junior Chess Club has a long and proud tradition. However changes in times, coaches and the players moving on with time has seen the club entering a period of rebuilding. Many people were unhappy with the club being held late on a Thursday (to coincide with late-night shopping) and so the time was again changed.

 

The new day and venue is now Monday at the Edmac Centre of Nundah State School. The club runs between 3:00 and 6:00pm. This is a long session because some students arrive late and others have to leave early. The idea is that as many students can come as possible, despite other commitments they may have on that day. Students are welcome to stay for the entire 3 hrs if they wish. However this may be too much for some.

 

Generally beginner students would be encouraged to attend 3:00 - 4:30pm (but may stay later) and more advanced students attend 4:30 - 6:00pm (but welcome anytime earlier).

 

Two coaches attend: David Lavercombe (3 - 6pm) and Queensland Under 16 Champion Daniel Anderson. Daniel is a local boy, an excellent player and a fantastic coach. It is hoped that he will continue with the club over the next few years and help it flourish well into the future. Enquiries: David Lavercombe davelavercombe@yahoo.com.au 0418 889 817.

 

 

On the Gold Coast, there is the Gardiner Chess Centre at Mudgeeraba. After-school chess is held every day from 4-6pm. There is the opportunity for students to take their chess right from complete beginner, through to advanced adult if they wish. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced groups for after-school chess students. Once they have reached a sufficiently high standard of play, they can graduate to the junior masters series, then on to adult chess events of various standards. The first visit to the centre for after-school chess is free.

 

 

For a full list of clubs in Queensland, go to www.caq.org.au/htm/clubs.htm. If anyone knows of a club not listed here, please let us know.

 

Upcoming Events

Entry forms for all Gardiner Chess events can be found at www.gardinerchess.com and entry can be made online at this site using the 'pay fees' facility.

 

The Gold Coast camp will be held at the Gardiner Chess Centre, 11 Hardys Road Mudgeeraba and the Brisbane camp at The Marymac Centre, 616 Ipswich Road, Annerley. Both camps run on Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri 19-21 and 23 September. Juniors of all standards are welcome to either daytime camps (9am to 5pm).

 

 

Juniors of all standards are most welcome at one of the most popular junior events of the year. It is held under the sails on Broadbeach Mall. There are $500 in cash prizes.

 

 

This is an official championship event of the Queensland Women's Chess League. All ages groups between ages under 18 and under 8.

 

7 Rounds: Sat 4, Sun 3. Both days start promptly at 9.30am. Rate of Play 60 mins a side plus 10 secs a move Fischer.

 

Enquiries: Gail Young qwcl@hotmail.com ph 3372 8077 or at the chess centre

 

 

Boys and girls who are either unrated or rated under 1000 are eligible to participate in this event, which is being run alongside the Queensland Girls’ Championship.

 

There will be 10 rounds of 15 mins a side commencing at 9.30am.

 

Enquiries: Gail Young qwcl@hotmail.com ph 3372 8077 or at the chess centre

 

 

This will be a 10 round event, commencing at 9.30am both days. This is a teams and individual event, with prizes for each grade between 1 and 7. Each school is invited to send teams of three. Closing dates for entries 28 September.

 

Enquiries: Clive Terry clive.terry@thehottestspotintown.com ph 3890 0064

 

 

This event will run from 9am to 2.30pm at the Fernvale Community Hall, Banks Creek Road, Fernvale. Schools may enter as many teams of four as they wish. In fact, schools may enter up to seven players per team, with only the top four scores counting. All children play 6 rounds, with a maximum of 30 minutes per game. There will be open, intermediate, novice and beginner grades.

 

Enquiries Mick Coman mcoma1@eq.edu.au ph 5426 7236 fax 5426 7688

 

 

This is a popular one day event that normally attracts about 70+ players. Play commences at 9.30am.

 

 

The Redcliffe Chess Club has renamed the Redcliffe Challenge in honour of Wendy Terry who died recently (reported in recent issue). At this early stage I can report that it will be held at Grace Lutheran College, Redcliffe. It will be a Grand Prix event as usual, the first prize will be $600 and the under 1600 prize will be $300. The date has been changed from 15/16 October due to a school fete on at Grace Lutheran College.

 

 

With 2 rounds to go, the latest scores in the Ruth Coxhill Memorial are: Peter Cafolla 5, David Lovejoy 4.5, Matthew Sonter 4, Alexandra Jule 3.5, Oleg Korenevski 3.5, Hamish Selnes 3, Peter Radovan 2.5, Yitao Lei 2.5, Sam Grigg 2 and David Richards 1.5. David Richards has two games in hand, and Matthew Sonter and Peter Radovan one each. Whilst it looks like the winner will come from the top three seeds, Cafolla, Sonter and Lovejoy, it has been a fairly close competition, with several upsets. 10 player round robin.

 

 

Daniel Barrett has confirmed his very strong improvement over the last three months by leading into the final round of the term 3 junior masters. With one round to go, the leading scores are: Daniel Barrett 5.5/7, Gene Nakauchi, Daniel Ford, Lachlan Pedersen-Lee and Brendan Baker 5, Aki Matsui, Sam Grigg, Jonas Muller and Jessica Kinder 4.5. 35 players, 8 rounds swiss.

 

 

The top 8 from the term 3 junior masters, along with two invited players, will contest a 10 player super junior masters in term 4. This will be a round robin event. The junior masters will continue as usual for all other players. This is limited to players with a QJ rating of 800+, or slightly lower in special cases. Both events will run for 9 Mondays from 3 October to 5 December.

 

 

The state finals for both the primary and secondary inter-school competitions is being held at Brisbane Grammar School on the weekend of 8/9 October. On the Sunday of that event, the Queensland Girls Schools Teams Championship will also be held at Brisbane Grammar.

 

Most of the regions have held their qualifying events. Qualifiers to date are:

 

 

Brisbane Grammar School (Greater Brisbane) (two teams)

Anglican Church Grammar School (Greater Brisbane)
Brisbane State High School (Greater Brisbane)

Nambour State High School (Sunshine Coast)

James Nash State High School (Wide Bay/Burnett)

Rockhampton Grammar School (Central Queensland – South)

Sarina State High School (Central Queensland – North)

Ryan Catholic College (North Queensland)

Trinity Anglican School (Far North Queensland)

Toowoomba Grammar School (Darling Downs)

 

 

Nundah State School  (Greater Brisbane)

Anglican Church Grammar School (Greater Brisbane)

Indooroopilly State School (Greater Brisbane)

Fernvale State School (Greater Brisbane)

Somerset College (Gold Coast)

Mudgeeraba Creek State School (Gold Coast)

King’s Christian College (Gold Coast)

Worongary State School (Gold Coast)

Mater Dei Primary School (Darling Downs)

Matthew Flinders Anglican College (Sunshine Coast)

Wallaville State School (Wide Bay/Burnett)

Gladstone West State School (Central Queensland – South)

Slade Point State School (Central Queensland – North)

Townsville Grammar Junior School (North Queensland)

Trinity Anglican School (Far North Queensland)

 

The only other event still to be held is the Gold Coast High Schools Teams Championship, which is being held at Saint Stephen’s College this coming Tuesday.

 

Tournament conditions for the state finals are given at www.caq.org.au/htm/2005_Qld_Schools_Chps_conditions.rtf

 

All eligible teams need to register for the finals weekend through the entry form at www.caq.org.au/htm/2005_Qld_interschool_chess_entry_form.rtf

 

The winners of the open and all girls primary and secondary events qualify for the national finals to be held at Wyvern House, the prep school for Newington College, Sydney, on the weekend of 10/11 December.

 

My name is Aleksander R. Kirkwood Brown. I'm a Film and TV student at Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane. I am currently working on a 10 minute documentary proposal on the subject underwater chess. If QUT backs the project filming will commence around April / May 2006.

The film will follow the preparations towards a Guinness World Record - for longest underwater chess tournament. The event itself will take place in a heated indoor pool somewhere in Brisbane. If the standing world record should prove to be unattainable - we'll certainly give it our best shot anyway - it will still be a great adventure.

What I'm looking for now is people who may wish to be involved in this exciting project, especially people with a diving certificate who can participate in the tournament, but also other expertise and crew-members. The project will also be dependent on some sponsorship and backing with diving equipment. It should be wonderful publicity for everyone involved.

Should you be interested in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or just want to know more about it, reply to this e-mail epitaph2@hotmail.com and I will get back to you right away.

 

Where: CWA Hall, Blackwater 9am to 6pm

 

Cost: Juniors 6-12 $5, Intermediate 13-17 $10, Open $15

 

Enquiries: blackwater_chess@westnet.com.au or phone Craig Dodd 4986 1687

 

 

Webpage

 

There are a number of upcoming events promoted in this bulletin. Entry leaflets can be downloaded and printed from our webpage at www.gardinerchess.com. All events can be entered online with your credit card number using the secure 'pay online' button.

 

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With very best wishes to all.

Graeme and Wendy Gardiner
Gardiner Chess
11 Hardys Road
Mudgeeraba Qld 4213
Australia
Phone +61 7 5522 7221
Fax +61 7 5522 7760
Email ggardiner@gardinerchess.com
Webpage www.gardinerchess.com