A key game from Round 6 in the KCC Kingston Memorial tournament. Front runner Stewart Holdaway is Black against an in-form Guy Burns sitting 1 point behind. Played under a 55m + 5s time format.

Round 5 this week in the 2021 Kingston Memorial. Both Stewart and Gordon had wins over Andy and Brandon respectively to extend their joint lead to 4½ from 5, David prevailed over Mike (game here), and Geoffrey over John Whibley (game here), while John Eccles and Ross agreed a draw, Ross having battled under his usual time handicap due to travel. With 3 rounds to go, current results and standings can be found here.

This week’s photo: 30 years ago this month in April 1991, the Club ran its first open Kāpiti Rapid tournament. You may recognise a couple of the faces in there, who, between them have won at least half of the 26 times the tournament has been held since then (see a history of  this annual tournament here). This year’s Kāpiti Rapid is coming up fast on the 29th May, and will be held again at the Club rooms in Paraparaumu. Last year, we had one of our highest turnouts, and this year promises to be even better. Check out the details and how to enter here. Hope to see you there!

Another game from the fifth round of the 2021 Rose and John Kingston Memorial tournament. David Scott, White against Mike O’Rorke.

Round 5 of the Kingston Memorial played under a 55m+ 5s time format.

It was fantastic to have a visit to the Club this week from GM Gawain Jones and his family. With a current FIDE rating of 2670, Gawain is amongst the top 70 current players in the World. He comes fresh from another picket fence performance on his current trip to New Zealand, taking out the North Island Championship last weekend in Wellington. Here he is seen with his wife, WIM Sue Maroroa, and Wellington Club President and Kāpiti member Ross Jackson – teaching baby Jones some essential early life skills.

In addition to Gawain, four Kāpiti Club members and some 87 other Chess players all congregated at the Naumi Hotel in Cuba Street, Wellington over Easter weekend for the North Island Championship. This was a huge turnout played over a single grade, with some 13 FIDE titled players, 5 current and past NZ champions, and a median tournament rating over 1800. It was great weekend, with the famous Cuba Street buzz  adding to the occasion. While not amongst any prizes, Kāpiti players (Stewart Holdaway, David Scott, Ross Jackson and Geoffrey Gunawan), still held their own against the competition. For a full report on the event, including links to games, see here and here. 

Photo: Geoffrey appears to provides his opponent with some amusement with his Round 5 opening choice. 1. e4 e5 2. Ke2.

Meanwhile, we took a break from serious chess this week, to try our first ever night of Fischer Random chess. Every board for each round started with the same randomised starting position, and it was fascinating to see how differently opening strategy and games diverged on each board. It was an interesting and fun night for most, as the strange starting positions threw memory of openings away and challenged players to rely more on first principles. For some, it did not always pay off, as the victim of this incredible four-way fork found out.

More photos can be found here.

This week saw Round 4 played in the Kingston Memorial. At the half-way stage, Gordon Lyall and Stewart Holdaway are neck and neck on 3.5, with Guy Burns following close behind 3, after snaffling a win against Mike O’Rorke. While Gordon had a good win over David Scott, John Eccles might consider himself a little unlucky to let a possible win slip away from him near the death against Stewart.  Latest results and standings here.

Meanwhile, the new Junior Club night continues to be going well with around a dozen keen juniors and parents along each week for lessons and games.

Next week, Fischer Random comes to town! The club takes a break from standard to play its first ever Fischer Random night. It should be fun. Here’s a good link to find out more about this fun variant.

Round 2 of the Kingston Memorial tournament this week. The Kingston family were involved for a long time with the Club. Rose Kingston served as Club Secretary continuously for 22 years from 1997 up to her death in 2018. After two rounds, Guy Burns leads outright on 2 points. Gordon Lyall and Stewart Holdaway battled a hard fought draw, and sit in second place, along with David Scott on 1.5. Current standings can be found here.

Meanwhile, the new Junior Club seems to be going well. There was a noticeable increase in the number of kids and parents along for this the second week of the Club, and quite a buzz of training and games.  The earlier time, and kid zone friendly environment seem to have hit a mark, suggesting a good level of interest in the community, and promising well for the the future.

The first ever meeting of the Kāpiti Junior Chess Club was held this week. Around a dozen kids and parents, from age 6 and up, came along, with games, and interactive lessons with the Club’s current best player and President, Gordon Lyall. From the response to this first night, there seems to be good interest in the community, and hopefully this promises well for the Club’s objective of growing junior chess in Kāpiti. The Junior Club runs Tuesdays during school terms, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and is open to all primary and secondary school students. There’s a focus on fun games and events, coupled with structured opportunities to learn and improve from experts, and pathways to compete at higher levels for those that want to.  

What’s more, the first term for 2021 is free! Check out this poster for more details, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

For the main Club night, this week saw Round 1 of the annual Kingston Memorial tournament, played under a 55m+5s time format.  Most games went the way of the higher-rated player, except Guy Burns had a nice win over Ross Jackson, while David Scott and Brandon Holman played out a tight and even draw. See results here, and the Lyall v Eccles game here.

Check out more Club photos here, including some photos from the Junior Club night.

The first week of the 2021 Rose and John Kingston Memorial tournament, played under a 55m + 5s time format. Current Club Champion Gordon Lyall (rated 1928) plays John Eccles (rated 1710, and voted last year’s Most Promising Player).

The Club held its Annual General Meeting this week. Gordon Lyall was re-elected as Club President, David Scott as Club Captain and Secretary, and Brandon Holman as Treasurer. Annual fees for 2021 were set (see here), including a reduction for adult members. The Club’s rules written back in 1990 were also given a nice 2020’s refresh. All reports from the AGM can be found here.

We are also excited and pleased to announce a new Junior Chess Club for Kāpiti. This initiative is aimed to encourage and grow junior chess in the Kāpiti region. The Junior Club will start earlier than the main Club and run during school terms, and is open to all primary and secondary school students. There’s a focus on fun games and events, coupled with structured opportunities to learn and improve from experts, and pathways to compete at higher levels for those that want to.  The new Club will start next week. Check out the poster for more details, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Finally, we will be back to over the board Chess next week (assuming we remain at Covid Alert Level 1 in this part of the country). We start Round 1 of our Kingston Memorial (played at 55m+5s). Members and visitors welcome.