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Stanley takes Series 1 of the Blitz Cup
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.
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King’s Knight Tournament
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.comRefreshments will be provided.
You can register for the event here.
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Wellington Freestyle Chess Championship
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) – $20Kapiti Chess Club members receive a 50% discount.
Enter using the online Entry Form.
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Kingston Memorial – Round 2 Update
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.
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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:
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Kingston Memorial
The first tournament of the new year, the Kingston Memorial is now underway.
Follow the results here.
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Online Coaching – Middlegame Matters
A new free online course for Club members starts Friday February 13th. The course is based on one of the most influential strategy books, “How to Reassess Your Chess” by Jeremy Silman.
The course will focus on the concept of imbalances and practical decision-making in middlegames, and is suited for players 1200 elo and above. i.e. all Juniors in the Champions grade and all senior players.
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Calculation Fundamentals – From Ideas to Moves (Feb/Mar 2026)
Strategy tells you what you want to do; calculation tells you whether you can do it. Check out this new online Course from NZCF at the following link:
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Senior club end of year prizegiving and social night
It was a very enjoyable finish to the senior club year this week when a full contingent of club members, partners and friends met at a local pub to celebrate a successful 2025 club year. Trophies were handed out to all our tournament winners, as well as cash prizes to best games of the club champs. A great evening of food, drink, and chat followed.
That’s it for the Club for 2025. See you all again in 2026.
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Senior Club Champs decided
Congrats to David Paul who takes out the Kāpiti Chess Club Champion title for 2025.
Going into the final round there were two key match ups, David S v David P and Gordon v Brendan. David P, on 5.5, needed half a point for at least a share of the title, while Gordon on 5, needed a win, or for David P to lose, to retain his title from last year. When the David’s eventually battled to a draw, it was down to Gordon now to beat Brendan. However, Brendan wasn’t about to go down lightly – and after getting a pawn ahead, then the exchange, he eventually worked a nice mating attack with rook and knights. This dashed Gordon’s chances of a sixth Club Champion title, and secured David P his 10th Club Champion title. In the B grade, congratulations to Stanley who has had a great year, securing the Ab Borren trophy with a win over Brandon. Congratulations also go to Tim who won the C grade with a win over Oliver in another closely fought game. Final results and standings here.
That’s the end of play for the year. Next week is prizegiving, and some end of year food, drink and fun.
