History

 

A forerunner to today’s Kāpiti Chess Club existed in the 1970’s. One of the early members from these days, Brett Sinclair, recalls….

 

“In 1972 as best  as I can recall, I spotted a classified advertisement in the local community newspaper. The Ad was placed by Leo Eichholtz inviting those interested in playing chess in the Kapiti region to meet and form a club. The first meetings were held at his house on the Esplanade in Raumati South. That was never going to be an enduring venue and we later relocated to another member’s house in Poplar Avenue volunteered by Bruce Petrie. I also also recall other venues: there was John Newton’s house in Kiwi Road, Raumati, Peter Broom’s house in Rosetta Road, and later on more formal arrangements were made and we were meeting for a time in the then Scout Hall in Weka Road opposite Kapiti College. Another nearby hall in Goldborough Avenue was a venue for a time and then later on the club met above a group of shops in Kapiti Road near and just east of the Golf Road intersection and backing on to the Paraparaumu Golf Club. Prior to that we met for a time in the Hutt Valley Electric Power and Gas Board premises in Hinemoa Street, Paraparaumu. I recall Otto Vesley, a club member, worked there and secured us rent-free premises one night a week.

 

Other members’ names I recall from then were Lou Wall and David Town. David Town became our club captain and worked energetically to keep the club going. I recall in 1973 he organised a simultaneous exhibition in the forecourt of the Coastlands Paraparaumu Shopping Mall, held on 20 March 1974. I was one of the participants along with about twenty others. It was a highly public venue so we had to endure the crowd enthusiasm of the time. David had also organsied a chess puzzles competition for the public with prizes for working out the correct moves. No chess computers at that time of course!

 

The maestro for the day was none other than Ortvin Sarapu. He was an International Chess Master who had emigrated to New Zealand from Estonia at the end of the second World War. He was an extremely capable and skilled player, a thoroughly mild mannered polite and friendly gentleman. He was New Zealand Champion for many years and the dominant player in New Zealand for more than 30 years. I enjoyed meeting up and playing with him in the simultaneous match. I don’t recall the actual result but he didn’t lose a single game as I recall.

 

My time with Kapiti Chess Club ended in 1975 when I moved back into Wellington….”

 

On 6 March 1976, the club organised and ran a day of Chess events at the Copperfield shops at Paraparaumu beach. This included hosting the then 15-year-old joint New Zealand Champion Murray Chandler in a Chess challenge against club members using live pieces! After that Murray played a larger simul against members from the public. The day also included a novel four-round “2 in 3” open tournament involving 27 players, where players are divided into groups of three, and play each other simultaneously.  This “2 in 3” event was repeated the following year in 1977.

 

The beginnings of the current Kāpiti Chess Club first met 5 June 1984 at Glenys Mills’ Waikanae home and consisted of Glenys, Leo Eichholtz, Bill Pirie, Alvaro Lacunza and Tom Powell. On 3 July they shifted to the Waikanae Plunket rooms, then briefly to the Raumati South Tennis Club rooms before meeting in Bill Pirie’s garage in Raumati South.

 

The Club was established formally in November 1987, and was listed in the New Zealand Chess Federation Club Directory from 1988. Bill Cox was Club President, Leo Eichholtz was Secretary-Treasurer, and Alvaro Lacunza was Captain. In early 1988, the Club moved to Kāpiti College at Raumati Beach, where it met for the next 7 years.

 

In 1990 the Club became an Incorporated Society, with a formal constitution. It remained an Incorporated Society until 2006. 

 

In 1991 the first open Kāpiti Rapid Tournament was held. A history of the annual Kāpiti Rapid tournament can be found here. 

 

In 1995 the Club moved to the Salvation Army Hall in Bluegum Road Paraparaumu Beach, where it met for the next 15 years. On 03 January 2010 the Club moved to Paraparaumu Library in Ngahina St, Paraparaumu, where it met for the next 9 years, before moving back to the Salvation Army Hall at the beginning of 2019.

 

 

A history of the Club through photos and news clippings