The annual match against Upper Hutt is scheduled for 8 June at the Upper Hutt clubrooms at HIBS College in Trentham. While Kapiti claimed the bragging rights last year, Upper Hutt prevailed the previous year when they had home advantage.
The number of boards has yet to be confirmed, but last year’s event saw each team field 12 players.
This is a fantastic event and definitely one of the highlights of the calendar.
Xxavier Willoughby-Ansell delivered a near-perfect performance, going unbeaten with 5.5/6 to win the Open Division of the Kapiti Rapid. He secured overall victory in the final round with an excellent draw with the Black pieces against pre-tournament favourite Anthony Kerr.
Kapiti players also produced some outstanding performances. Brendan Reedy shared equal second place in the Open Division, while Guy Burns finished equal first in the B Grade. Brendan also captured the Flora Paul Trophy as the leading Kapiti player.
Another notable performance came from Zachary He, who not only won the Junior 12 years and over category, but also shared equal second place in the Open Division with an impressive 5/6 score.
Open Division / A-Grade (1600+):
1st Xxavier Willoughby-Ansell (5.5/6)
2nd= Anthony Ker(5/6)
2nd= Michael Turner(5/6)
2nd= Brendan Reedy(5/6)
2nd= Zachary He (5/6)
B-Grade (1200-1600)
1st= Guy Burns (4/6)
1st= Nenian Bakiyaraj (4/6)
C-Grade (<1200)
1st= Sahayne Vithanalage (3/6)
1st= Kishore Panth (3/6)
1st= Hanson Li (3/6)
1st= Khoi Nguyen (3/6)
Junior 12 years and over
1st Zachary He (5/6)
2nd Karthik Sethuramalingam (4.5/6)
Junior Under 12 years
1st= Sun, William (3/6)
1st= Le, Long Minh (3/6)
1st= Vithanalage, Sahayne (3/6)
1st= Panth, Kishore (3/6)
1st= Hanson Li (3/6)
Flora Paul Memorial Trophy (Leading Kapiti Player)
Winner – Brendan Reedy (5/6)
Nathan Grace from Kapiti College had an excellent performance at the Mana Junior Rapid, held at Mana College on 9th May. He went unbeaten and won the Open Division with 5.5/6, ahead of . Finn O’Brien 5/6, and Lucas Qu was on 4.5/6.
Kapiti players Fred and Alex medaled in the Senior Division.
Fina standings:
Open:
1st Nathan Grace, 5.5/6
2nd Finn O’Brien, 5/6
3rd Lucas Qu (4.5/6)
Senior Division (13 years & over):
1st Logan Hartley, 3.5/6 (tie-break)
2nd Fred Hay 3.5/6
3rd Alex Turchie, 2.5/6
Intermediate Division (11-12 years):
1st Shashank Gavini, 5/6
2nd Rishi Konduri, 4.5/6
3rd Jason Lam, 4/6
Junior Division (10 years & under):
1st Novak McPhee, 5/6
2nd Nilan Karthikeyan, 4.5/6 (tie-break)
3rd Daniel Jia, 4.5/6
Link to photos here.
Series 2 of the Leo Eichholtz Trophy gets underway on Tuesday 12th May. Ross went unbeaten in Series 1 and leads with 5.5/6, with Gordon close behind on 5/6.
Full results are available on the “Senior Club Events & Results” page.
The Kapiti Chess Club’s blue-ribbon event, the Kapiti Rapid, will be held on 23rd May 2026 at Paraparaumu College. The tournament features a 6-round Swiss format with a time control of 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move, and will be FIDE rated.
Open to players of all levels, the event offers a range of prize categories including Open/A Grade, B Grade, C Grade, Juniors, and Top Kapiti Player. Entry is $60, with free entry for titled players and Kapiti Chess Club Members.
Players can register online here.
Registered players: vega
Format
6-Round FIDE and NZCF Rated Swiss (25+5)
Date
23 May 2026
Venue
Paraparaumu College
151 Mazengarb Road, Paraparaumu 5032
Entry Fee $60
Free entry for GMs, IMs, FMs, WGMs, WIMs, WFMs
Prize fund $1,500
Payment to Kapiti Chess Club, a/c # 06 0730 0064954 00. Include your “name” & “Rapid” as reference.
Prize Categories
– Open / A Grade
– B Grade
– C Grade
– Junior 12+
– Junior u12
– Top Kāpiti Player (Flora Paul Memorial Trophy)
Contact
If you require additional information or clarification, please contact:
Gordon Lyall
gordon@crazyhorsechess.co.nz
ph: 029 905 8045
The inaugural Mana Junior Rapid Chess Tournament, will be held at Mana College on 9th May 2026.
The event is suitable for all playing levels, from new to chess to elite juniors. The event includes 4 playing divisions:
Open: Under 20 as of 1/1/26, NZCF Rating 1200+
(FIDE- and NZCF-rated)
Senior: 13 years & over
Intermediate: 11–12 years
Junior: 10 years & under
The format is a 6-round Swiss tournament with 15 minutes + 5 second time control.
The event will be ideal preparation for the Wellington Interschool Championships in June!
Entry fee is $30 and entry form can be accessed online here.
Kapiti Chess Club is proud to be participating in this year’s ANZAC Day Junior Hybrid Rapid Inter Club Tournament.
This exciting international event aims to promote inter-state and trans-Tasman friendship through a competitive and collaborative chess experience. Teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia will compete from their own club venues, under the supervision of local arbiters and in full compliance with FIDE Hybrid Chess Regulations.
Each team consists of six players under 18, including at least one boy and one girl..
We wish all players the very best in what promises to be a fantastic and inspiring international event.
♟️ Good luck to everyone competing!
The Oceania Youth Chess Championships is the premier junior chess event for the region, bringing together the strongest young players from countries including New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and other Pacific nations.
This year the Championships will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand from the 9th to the 13th of April 2026.
Open to age groups U8–U18 (Open & Girls), this premier event offers international experience, FIDE-rated games, and a pathway toward the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships.
If you’re aiming to take your chess to the next level — this is the tournament to target.
Further information is avaiable from NZCF here.
With a $10,000 total prize fund, this year’s Wellington Open attracted a very strong field.
Despite facing higher-rated opposition in five of his six games, James performed admirably to finish equal third in the Under 1450 category. His excellent victory in round 5 against a 1600+ rated opponent set up a tense final-round clash against another 1600+ player.
The last game was fiercely contested, swinging back and forth, but ultimately went his opponent’s way. Despite the final-round loss, it was a strong overall performance in a highly competitive tournament.
The Open Division was won by Candidate Master William Rui Liu from Auckland, who went unbeaten.
Final Standings
Open
1st: CM William Rui Liu
2nd =: FM Nicolas Croad, CM Cohen Young
3rd = : CM Justin Zhide Wang, CM David Cilia Vincenti, Matthew Keith, Philli Park-Tamati, Patrick Cordue, Hugo Lawrence
Best Junior: CM Justin Zhide Wang, Matthew Keith
Best Veteran: Patrick Cordue
Best Senior: IM Anthony Ker
Best Female: WCM Luna Yuexiu Xu
U1450
1st =: Zachary He, Muhammad Mangera
3rd=: Shashank Gavini, John Hao, James Patterson, Vrajesh Ravi
U1650
1st =: Hugo Lawrence
2nd =: Elena Moshakova, Hugh Masters, Afique Nazeer, Plaso Kusay
U1850
1st=: Daniel Winsley, Karthik Sethuramalingam
3rd=: Edgar Benitez, Wei Kai Chen, Robert Hurndell, Finn O’Brien, Jarrod O’Brien, Aristotle Santos, Toby Shannon, Gregory Familton
It was a raucous final night of Term 1 at the junior club, finishing with a fun and competitive team event. Six teams of five players battled it out over three rounds in a fast-paced competition.
When the dust settled, Team Alekhine, captained by Isaiah, claimed first place with a perfect score of three wins. Team Capablanca finished second with two wins, rounding out a strong performance.
Winners: Team Alekhine
2nd Place: Team Capablanca
Presentation of medals for the first internal junior tournament of the year, the T1 Rapid, took place at the Club on Tuesday, 24th March 2026.
Champions Division:
1st Gold medal – Isaiah Heta
2nd Silver Medal – Stanley Fitton
3rd Bronze Medal – Millar Wakefield
Challengers Division:
1st Gold medal – Ronan McGrath
2nd Silver Medal – Ryder Henderson
3rd Bronze Medal – Orlando Liu
Both events were very competitive, with 21 players registered in the Challengers Division and 14 players competing in the Champions grade.
Congratulations to all.
With a major prize fund, sure to attract top national players, and excellent playing conditions, this promises to be a standout event on the 2026 NZ chess calendar.
♟️ $9,775 Prize Fund
6-Round FIDE & NZCF Rated Swiss (90+30)
📅 Easter Weekend: April 3, 4 & 6 (No play Sunday)
⏰ Rounds at 9:30am & 2:30pm
📍 Wellington Bridge Club, Thorndon
• Single Open Tournament
• Entry $60 | Juniors $40
• Free entry for titled players (GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM, WFM)
• Open to all players
Enter using the online Entry Form.
Kapiti Chess Club members receive 50% discounted on the entry fee.
Cost: $30 per player
Designed especially for NZ players preparing for Oceania, this intensive 3.5-hour online training camp (via Zoom) is tailored for 1500–2000 rated competitors seeking to elevate their calculation strength and visualization accuracy.
Participants will work through targeted drills to:
The camp builds disciplined calculation habits, reduces common analytical errors, and strengthens overall competitive decision-making — with a strong emphasis on efficient time management under pressure.
In the Champions Division, Isaiah won his final four games to secure first place with 7/9. Stanley edged out Millar on tie-break to claim second, with both finishing on 6/9.
In the Challengers Division, Ronan remained unbeaten across nine rounds to take first place with 7.5/9, ahead of Ryder in second on 6 points. It required a tie-break to decide third place, which went to Orlando ahead of Ryan, with both scoring 5.5.
Congratulations to all players in what was a highly competitive event.
Final standings:
Champions
Challengers
Stanley was unbeaten after 8 rounds to claim Series 1 of the Blitz Cup! With 6 wins and 2 draws, he finished on 7/8.
Gordon was just half a point behind on 6.5/8, with Brendan close behind on 6/8.
Congratulations to all the players for some fantastic games!
Full results are available here.
Organized by Ronan, one of our Junior members, this new tournament is a fantastic initiative, and the Club is proud to support it!
The 5-round event is open to juniors aged 5–15 years, with two categories: Beginners and Advanced. It’s a great opportunity for kids to enjoy competitive chess at their own level.
Join us for a fun morning of chess!
📅 Date: Saturday, 14th March 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
📍 Location: LevinLife Church Hall, 131 Bledisloe St, Levin
✉ Contact: jaz.windsor@gmail.com
Refreshments will be provided.
You can register for the event here.
The Wellington Freestyle Chess Championship is a new event on the Wellington chess calendar, and the only freestyle chess event outside of Auckland.
Freestyle Chess, also known as Fischer Random Chess and Chess960, is a variant of chess created by former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer. The starting position of the pieces on the back rank is randomized, with a few restrictions to ensure a balanced and interesting game. The idea of Chess960 is to reduce the advantage of memorized opening theory and encourage creative and strategic play.
The event is 6 rounds of unrated Freestyle chess (25+5), and will be held at the Wellington Bridge Club on Saturday 21st March 2026. There will be a $960 Prize Fund!
Entry Fees:
Adult – $30
Junior (Born in 2006 or later) – $20
Kapiti Chess Club members receive a 50% discount.
Enter using the online Entry Form.
There was an excellent turnout of 17 players for Round 2 of the Kingston Memorial — an outstanding result, especially with two regular members unavailable. Numbers were boosted by junior players Isaiah, Millar and George, who have stepped up to take part.
The most intriguing matchup of the evening was Andy versus Isaiah. It proved to be a tense and closely fought contest, with the players eventually sharing the point.
After two rounds, only David P and Stanley remain on full points.
You can follow the results and view the provisional Round 3 draw here.
The first Junior Club competition of the year, the T1 Rapid, is now underway. The event is an 8-round Swiss tournament with a 10-minute time control.
This year’s competition features two divisions:
Round 1 went largely to form, with no major upsets.
The game of the evening featured a fine counter-attacking performance from Alex C, who finished his game with a well-executed checkmate.
We look forward to some exciting battles in the rounds ahead as the tournament progresses.
Follow the results at the links below:
The penultimate round of the Junior Club Champs delivered some mighty battles across the boards.
Champions Division:
On board one, Isaiah – playing Black against Stanley – resourcefully defended an inferior endgame and ultimately claimed the full point in a tense time scramble. On board two, James (White) faced George in another closely fought endgame, with James successfully converting his pawn advantage. There were also strong wins for Jingwei, Ronan, and Josh.
Heading into the final round, the race could not be tighter: Jingwei and Isaiah lead on 4.5/6, with James and Stanley close behind on 4/6.
Challengers Division:
Remarkably, every player with the Black pieces won their game this round! On the top boards, the leader Oscar M and Elia both secured important victories. Lachlan bounced back from last week’s loss with a solid win against the in-form Maxwell. There were also good wins for Noah and Ryder.
With one round to go, Oscar M and Elia share the lead on 5/6, each having lost only once. Lachlan keeps his title hopes alive, sitting just behind on 4.5/6. In the chasing pack, Maxwell, Charlie, Ryan, Noah, and Ryder are all on 3 points.
With everything still to play for, the final standings won’t be decided until the very last game is complete!
Top to bottom: Stanley v Isaiah, George v James
