Junior Club News

  • James places at the Wellington Open

    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

  • End of Term Team Event

    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

    1. Isaiah
    2. Lachlan
    3. Ronan
    4. Alex C
    5. Hunter

    2nd Place: Team Capablanca

    1. Millar
    2. Josh
    3. Orlando
    4. Charlie
    5. Leon (Reserve: Tautua)

  • T1 Presentation

    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.

  • T1 Rapid Results

    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

  • Junior Rapid Underway

    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:

    • Champions Division – 14 players
    • Challengers Division – 17 players

    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:

    Champions

    Challengers

  • Junior Club Champs – Everything to Play For in the Final Round

    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

  • Junior Club Champs set for an exciting finish

    With five rounds now complete in the Junior Club Championship, everything is set for an exciting finish over the final two rounds.

    Champions Division

    The big surprise of the night came on board one, where Stanley was unable to convert his initiative against Jingwei. After defending accurately for much of the game, Jingwei reached a balanced endgame – but a rare slip from Stanley allowed him to seize the opposition and convert the position for the only Black win of the evening.

    There were also impressive victories from Tal, Josh, and Orlando, the latter making a strong return in his first appearance since coming back from overseas.

    After five rounds, Stanley still leads on 4/5, but he is now closely pursued by Jingwei, George, and Isaiah, all on 3.5/5.

    Challengers Division

    On the top board, Elia edged out tournament leader Lachlan in a tense encounter. Oscar M, Ryan, and Charlie also recorded important wins to tighten the standings even further.

    With two rounds to go, the race could not be closer: Oscar M and Elia share the lead on 4/5, with Lachlan just behind on 3.5/5, and Maxwell, Charlie, and Ryan in the chasing pack on 3/5.

    Both divisions are poised for a thrilling conclusion—everything is still to play for!


    Stanley v Jinwei

  • 2025 Kāpiti Junior Chess Championship

    The sixth running of the Kāpiti Junior Open and Schools Championship saw another great turnout, with 83 players along with parents and caregivers from all around the Kāpiti, Horowhenua and Wellington region filling the playing venue at Paraparaumu College. It was fantastic atmosphere as kids competed individually and as part of their school over four divisions, and for the best Kāpiti-Horowhenua school.

    Congratulations to Thomas van der Hoorn and Luke Chang this year’s joint open Junior Championship winners. In the school age grade events, congratulations to Jack Gregory took out the Senior grade, Isaiah Heta the intermediate grade, and Miriyala Sreenikesh the Primary grade. This year’s School Trophy, awarded to the top performing Kāpiti or Horowhenua school, was won by Kāpiti College narrowly ahead of the Kāpiti home school team.

    Full results and standings can be found by clicking on the vega links  on the tournament page here.   Photos from the day, including all prize-winners, can be found here.


    The Kāpiti College team – 2025 Kāpiti junior championship school champions

  • Junior Rapid Decided

    In the Champions Division, Stanley had a strong showing, scoring 7 points from 8 games and dropping only one game to James in Round 4. The battle for the minor placings was extremely close, with three players finishing on 6 points. On tie-break, Jingwei claimed second place, while Isaiah secured third.

    Oscar M delivered a tremendous performance in the Challengers Division, effectively wrapping up the tournament with two rounds to spare. He finished on 7 points, losing only his final game to Ryder. Elia impressed with 6 points and just one loss, taking second place. Ryder had a strong second-half surge, winning his last four games to claim third.

    It’s clear the standard is improving across the board—everyone is competitive and scoring wins. We’re excited to see what unfolds at the Junior Club Championship in Term 4!

  • T3 Junior Rapid heats up

    With two rounds remaining in the Champions division, Stanley and James share the lead on 5/6, closely followed by Jingwei and Isaiah on 4 points. It’s shaping up to be a tight finish.

    In the Challengers division, Oscar M leads with a perfect 6/6 and a commanding two-point margin. Elia follows on 4 points, with Riki, Cassius, Oscar L, Ryder, Jordan, and Noah all on 3.5, battling for the minor placings.