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This week we took a break from more serious Chess for a really fun night of Fischer-Random. In this variant, the starting positions for pieces on the first rank are random, which means players can’t rely on memorised openings. It makes for some really fun Chess where players have to rely more on first principles to navigate through very weird opening positions. Congrats to Gordon Lyall who won on the night, followed by David Scott in second, and Ross Jackson in third.  Full results here.

Three Kāpiti players  (Nathan Rose, Geoffrey Gunawan and Andrew Brockway) participated in the annual Wellington Easter Open last weekend. Congrats to Nathan who placed second in the C grade. The tournament was won by 2021 NZ Champion Nic Croad, and results can be found here.

The 2022 Kāpiti Rapid is being held on the Saturday 28 May. This tournament is open to all all levels and ages, with prizes over several grades, including junior prizes. Information and entry details can be found here.

Finally, a new addition to the Club’s historical record. This recognises the support and loyalty of all those who have been members of the Kāpiti Chess Club for 10 years or more,  including the amazing 35-year tenure of still current member John Whibley. Check out the 10+ Club here.

Term 1 finished for the juniors this week with the conclusion of our T1 Tournament, which was held over two nights and comprised 7 rounds with a 5 minute time control. Devin Direen was the clear winner with a perfect 7 points and collected the gold medal. Orlando Liu came second with 5.5 to win the silver medal, half a point ahead of Tumaka Martin who took out the bronze. Congratulations to all who participated. Term 2 chess starts for juniors on 3rd May.

Meanwhile in the seniors, Round 3 of the Kingston Memorial tournament saw Andy Hicks score a upset win over much higher rated Gordon Lyall, while Levi Paxton continued his unbeaten streak with a win over Geoffrey Gunawan. At the half-way stage he leads, a point ahead of Andy, Geoffrey and David Scott. Current results here.

Next week will be a fun night of Fischer-Random.

This week many of our juniors sat for their NZ Chess Federation Level 1 “Pawn” Badge. The NZCF Junior Badge Scheme is a great initiative aimed at promoting and encouraging the development of Chess at younger ages. The test covers basic chess fundamentals; how to set up the board, how the pieces move & capture, check & checkmate as well as proper etiquette. Their are four levels of badge from Pawn up to Rook, and are proving very popular. Good luck kids!

Meanwhile in the Senior Club, the annual Rose and John Kingston Memorial tournament kicked off for 2022. For those who have been missing more classical longer format over-the-board Chess, this was a welcome change from the online and rapid time formats. The level of ability amongst our current players suggested there would be few easy games, and a promise of some good battles. And so it was, with both top seeds unable to win, and all lower-rated players either winning their games, or pushing very close, as in this game here between Geoffrey Gunawan and John Whibley.  First round results can be found here.

It was a close finish as expected in the final two rounds of our first Club tournament for the year. Congratulations to Gordon Lyall who took out the honours, but not before a determined fight by recent newcomer Levi Paxton, pushing him hard in the last game of the evening to finish. Geoffrey Gunawan needed a win in the final round for a potential share of first place, but Lars Dobbertin-King denied him that, in what was perhaps the game of the evening. With the exchange down, Geoffrey sacked another exchange, in an attempt to press home an ominous pawn storm closing in on Lars’ King. In the end, Lars was able to hold it off for the eventual win, to go with his previous round win over a time-deprived Ross Jackson. After leading through most of the tournament, Ross finished in second place, with Geoffrey completing the podium in third place. Final results can be found here.  And photos of the tournament can be found here.

A reminder for Senior Club members that subs are due by the end of March. Information about fees and how to pay are here.

Next week in the Senior Club we begin the Kingston Memorial tournament with its distinctive clock trophy, and it’s Junior Club as usual before that at 6:30.

With many players in contention, there was plenty to play for in this week’s crucial Rounds 5 and 6 of the Leo Eichholtz tournament.  Ross Jackson who had led unbeaten after 4 rounds, only managed half a point this week, but that was still enough to keep him a nose in front at the end of the night. Geoffrey Gunawan benefitted from a time-challenged Ross in Round 5, but was not able to add to his points in Round 6 against Ross’s Wellington clubmate Andrew Brockway. However,  Gordon Lyall was back to winning form picking up 2 points from the night to sit in second place with Geoffrey on 4 points. But only after a tense battle in Round 5 against last year’s winner Stewart Holdaway, who sits close behind the leading pack on 3½ points (photo below).  With the leading four players in real contention, and a further two players with an outside chance, the final deciding  rounds next week promise to be very exciting. Full results of the night can be found here. 

We’ve now played four rounds of our annual Club rapid tournament for distinctive the Leo Eichholtz Board trophy.   After four rounds, Ross Jackson is out in front unbeaten on 4, followed by Geoffrey Gunawan on 3, and last year’s winner Stewart Holdaway on 2½. Gordon Lyall is next on 2 points with the clock now beating him on two occasions. With a number of players still contention, the final half of the competition is shaping up to be very interesting. Latest results can be found here.

Meanwhile our  Junior Club continues to prove very popular, with around a dozen kids regularly coming along every Tuesday to learn and enjoy this great game. 

The Club held its Annual General Meeting this week. Gordon Lyall was re-elected as Club President and Treasurer, David Scott as  Secretary, and Geoffrey Gunawan was elected as Club Captain. Annual fees for 2022 were set (see here), including a reduction in the casual rate for tertiary students.  All reports from the AGM can be found here.

Next week we will kick off with the first two rounds of the Club’s traditional 25m + 5s rapid competition, the Leo Eichholtz Board. And Junior Club runs as usual before this at 6:30 pm. All visitors welcome.

Results from the first night of senior competition for the annual Freebird Trophy (played at 10m + 5s) saw Gordon Lyall and Geoffrey Gunawan leading after 3 rounds on 2½, with Ross Jackson and John Whibley following on 2 points. Final rounds of this first leg will be played next week, with the AGM following the week after.

There was a great turnout for the opening night of Junior club this week, with around a dozen kids, including a number of new faces. Welcome!

The Club opened for 2022 this week with a fun casual night of hand and brain chess.  In this variant, two players play each side, one acting as the ‘brain’ – and one as  the ‘hand’. The brain says the name of piece or pawn it wants to move, but not which piece or pawn, and not where it should move to. The hand has to decide this and move accordingly.

We rotated player-pairs and roles each game and it was interesting – sometimes funny – to see how different combinations of ability and playing style combined. The team play providing a nice change from what is normally an individual pursuit. With a 10m + 5s time control thrown-in, the night produced some weird and wonderful chess, and was a big hit. It will no doubt feature again sometime on our calendar later this year.

Note the Junior Club starts up again next week (8 February) at 6:30pm.

A reminder that the Kāpiti Chess Club opens for the year this Tuesday, 1st February, at 7:30 pm at the Salvation Army (rear hall) at 41 Bluegum Road, Paraparaumu. Note the Junior Club opens a week later, on Tuesday 8th February at 6:30pm.

Note that under the current COVID Red setting, a condition of the Salvation Army for anyone using their facilities, including our playing venue, is that they must wear a mask. Everyone 12 and over must also be double-vaccinated, and sign or scan in using the QR code. You must be well and have no signs or symptoms associated with COVID.

Our first night will be an easy social night, with likely some fun casual event to be arranged. Our tournament programme proper will kick off the following week with the Freebird Cup (10m +5s). Our AGM will be on the 22nd February. A full calendar of events for 2022 will be confirmed and posted in due course.

Look forward to seeing you there!