Editorial
by IA Keong Ang
Welcome to October 2021's ACF Newsletter that was delayed by a week to allow for ACF Council meeting reports to be published.
Over the board chess activity is slowly beginning to resume in places that were locked down due to COVID-19 pandemic. Those who are fully vaccinated are on the pathway back to normality of being able to travel and participate in chess events. The unvaccinated may find their return to normality delayed and hindered.
Basically the situation is becoming that of, "no jab, no job, no fun". Real life decisions to get fully vaccinated are similar to making move decisions in a chess game. Together with having freedom of choice are all the inevitable consequences that go with every decision. All while time is running out!
Thankfully, as far as I know, vaccination status should not affect anyone's ability to receive and read this newsletter.
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ACF Notices
FIDE & ASIAN FEDERATION EVENTS
On-line Olympiad 2021
Jack Rodgers’ report is in a subsequent page.
At the ACF Council’s recent meeting, a note of appreciation was recorded in respect of Jack's management and captaincy of the team.
Eastern Asia Online Youth Championships 2021
A total of 19 young Australians participated in the online championships for players in age groups from under-8 to under-18, presented under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation between 24 September and October 3.
Additions to the 15 Australian entrants listed in our previous issue were:
Seth Kavindu Peramunetilleke (NSW under-14)
Oscar Gao (WA under-12)
Savin Kavindu Peramunetilleke (NSW under-12)
Sonith Siddharth Sabbiti (under-10)
Australia’s top scorers in the nine divisions contested were:
Under 16 – Matthew Arthur (Vic)
Under 14 – Seth Kavindu Peramunetilleke (NSW)
Under 14 Girls – Shriya Karthik (ACT)
Under 12 – Vihaan Anup Kumar (NSW)
Under 12 Girls – Shakthi Karthik (ACT)
Under 10 – Sonith Siddharth Sabbiti
Under 10 Girls – Deethya Sai Katakam (Vic)
Under 8 – Dev Raichura (ACT) and Jerry Cheng (ACT)
Under 8 Girls – Shivani Sundar (ACT)
Asian Youth Online Championships 2021
A similar number of Australians are registered to contest the Asian Youth Championships, scheduled to be under way by the date of distribution of this newsletter and to finish on October 31.
At the time of writing, those listed to compete in seven of the 12 divisions are:
Under 18: Ryan Lane (NSW)
Under 16: Kundan Dharmapuri (WA)
Under 16 Girls: Jasmine Lane (NSW), Celine Ong (WA)
Under 14: Joshua Liang (ACT), Sayum Rupasinghe (NSW), Seth Peramunetilleke (NSW), Fu Yihe (WA), Dexuan Kong (ACT)
Under 12: Minchen Yang (ACT), Vihaan Anup Kumar (NSW), Charles Huang (ACT), Savin Kavindu Peramunetilleke (NSW), Oscar Gao (WA), Masaki Horikawa (ACT), Iker Hernandez Mendez (WA)
Under 10: Sonith Siddharth Sabbiti, Vidvath Nimbagiri
Under 10 Girls: Chanya Rupasinghe (NSW), Emily Zhang (WA)
Other forthcoming FIDE and Asian Chess Federation events include:
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss
At the discretion of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Australian Champion, GM Temur Kuybokarov, has been granted entitlement to participate in the forthcoming Grand Swiss tournament to be presented by FIDE in Riga, Latvia, from 27 October to 2 November 2021.
Temur has been granted exemption from travel restrictions on the ground of national interest, and plans to compete in international events in Turkey and possibly the United Arab Emirates before returning to Australia.
FIDE Online Cadets & Youth Grand Prix Series (online) Nov 1 to 24
31st Southeast Asian Games (Hanoi, Vietnam) 21 Nov to Dec 2
FIDE World Championship Carlsen v Nepomniachtchi (Dubai, UAE) Nov 24 to Dec 16
FIDE Online Cadets & Youth Rapid Super Final (online) Dec 18 to 24
The FIDE Calendar here remains a likely place to find links to updated information concerning these events.
FIDE & Asian Federation Events 2022
Begum Laila Alam 11th International Women’s T’t (Bangladesh) Feb 13 to 19
Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (Bangkok, Thailand) Mar 10 to 20
World Senior Team C’p 2022 (Acqui Terme, Italy) May 5 to 16
On 5 July, FIDE confirmed the postponement until 2022 of the following events, previously listed for 2021.
World School Individual C’ps – Panama City, Panama
World Youth u14, u16, u18 C’ps – Mamaia, Romania
World Cadet u8, u10, u12 C’ps – Batumi, Georgia
World Senior C’ps – Assisi, Italy
World Youth u14, u16, u18 Rapid & Blitz C’ps – Greece
World Cadet u8, u10, u12 Rapid & Blitz C’ps – Greece
Other previously listed events that remain without dates are:
World Youth u16 Chess Olympiad
World Chess Olympiad (Moscow, Russia)
World Amateur C’p (Malta)
World Juniors u20 C’p (Olbia, Italy)
When available, potential participants can expect application details of these and other international events in future issues of this newsletter.
Local Events to January 2022
– 2021
As with all other listed events, postponements and cancellations remain possible due to local Corona virus restrictions. To confirm a fixture, contact the ACF Delegate for the State concerned, as listed in the final pages of this newsletter.
Queensland Seniors C’p (Bracken Ridge,Qld) Oct 23 to 24
Queen’s Gambit Thematic (Adelaide, SA) Oct 24
Swan Valley Allegro (Swan Valley, WA) Oct 24
October Allegro #2 (Adelaide, SA) Oct 28
Greg Hjorth Open Weekender (Fitzroy, Vic) 29 Oct to Nov 2
Launceston Cup (Kings Meadows, Tas) Oct 30 to 31
CV Zonal Primary Open (Vic) Nov 3
South Australian Seniors C’p (Adelaide, SA) Nov 18
Chess People Rapid (Rothwell, Qld) 7 Nov
Kingsley Open (North Woodvale, WA) Nov 7 & 14
November Blitz (Adelaide, SA) Nov 23
November Quad (Adelaide, SA) Nov 25
Melbourne Chess Club Allegro C’p (Fitzroy, Vic) Nov 27
Arianne Caoili Memorial Rapid (Nerang, Qld) Nov 27
Bundaberg Classic / Open (Bundaberg, Qld) Nov 27 to 28
Maccabi Blitz (Yokine, WA) Nov 28
Lidums Series #1 (Adelaide, SA) Nov 30
Australian Schools Teams C’ps (East Brisbane, Qld) Dec 4 to 5
Christmas Open (Leeming, WA) Dec 4 to 5
Melbourne Chess Club Xmas Fastplay C’p (Fitzroy, Vic) Dec 4 to 5
December Blitz (Adelaide, SA) Dec 7
End of Year Awards Night (Adelaide, SA) Dec 10
Disco December #1 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 12
Christmas Blitz & CAWA Windup (North Woodvale, WA) Dec 12
Lidums Series #2 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 14
Lidums Series #3 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 19
Disco December #2 (Adelaide, SA) Dec 19
Victorian Blitz C’p (Vic) Dec 20
Lidums Australian Allegro C’p (Gleneld, SA) Dec 26
– 2022
Perth Chess Classic (Perth, WA) Jan 4 to 11
Gold Cup FIDE Open (Mermaid Waters, Qld) 29 Apr to May 2
Recent Postponements
No longer included in the list of forthcoming events are the anticipated Oceania Seniors Championship in Noosa in November and, in January, the previously announced Australian Championship, Australian Junior Championships and associated events.
Organisers’ plans for these events may be found elsewhere in this and/or in the next issue of the ACF Newsletter.
Australian Schools Teams Championships 2021 – Preserving Options
It is expected that a final decision concerning arrangements for the 2021 ASTCs will be announced in the coming days.
The question is whether interstate travel restrictions will be lifted in time for the championships to return to the normal OTB format and be presented in Brisbane as originally scheduled, or whether a “hybrid online” event, similar if not identical to last year’s championships, will be needed.
To preserve options, local organisers are strongly advised to ensure that, if the need for the second option arises, a suitable local venue and personnel will be available on 4 and 5 December, while all who might be required to travel should consider the possible advantages of being fully vaccinated before embarking.
ACF MEDALS & AWARD NOMINATIONS
As notified in last month’s issue, nominations for the ACF’s annual Koshnitsky Medal – a lifetime award for an outstanding contribution to Australian chess administration at a national or a state level – close on November 1.
This issue and the next will also include details for the nomination of potential recipients of the ACF’s annual Player-of-the-Year 2021 medals – for which nominations will close shortly after 31 December 2021.
ACF Funding Support Program
The deadline for applications in respect of activities to commencing between 1 March and 31 August 2022 is 31 December 2021.
Applications and reports must be endorsed by the ACF-affiliated State Association concerned and provide the information specified in the relevant form, including the schedule for the activity and statements of expected and actual income and expenditure.
Email executive@auschess.org.au for further information and forms.
Personnel Changes and Vacancies
The Personnel lists in the final pages of this newsletter include currently vacant positions that the Council has sought to fill in recent times.
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ACF Medals & Awards
Australian Players-of-the-Year 2021
Nominations are invited for potential winners of the following medals and awards, to be presented in January 2021.
Player-of-the-Year medals are awarded in respect of players who are judged to have made the greatest impact during the calendar year of the award and can claim financial assistance from the ACF to participate in a significant national or international event during the 24 months following the presentation of the medal.
Steiner Medal and Award – Australian Player of the Year 2021
This medal is to be awarded to the Australian player who has made the greatest impact, not necessarily the highest-rated – it is for the most notable achievement during 2021 and may be awarded to the same person an unlimited number of times.
Arlauskas Medal & Award – Australian Under-16 Player of the Year 2021
The Arlauskas Medal is awarded on the same basis as the Steiner Medal but limited to nominees who met the ACF’s age-limit criteria for Australian Under-16 Championships in 2021, i.e. born in 2005 or later.
The Arlauskas Medal and Romanas Arlauskas Award may not be won by the same person more than twice.
Viner Medal & Award – Australian Senior Player of the Year 2021
The Viner Medal is awarded on the same basis as the Steiner Medal, but limited in this instance, to players born in or before 1971.
There is no limit to the number of times the Viner medal may be won by the same player.
Service & Achievement Medals
Each year, the ACF also invites nominations for recipients of medals acknowledging services to chess at a national or state level. These are lifetime achievement awards, not limited to accomplishments or contributions during a particular period and cannot be awarded more than once to the same person.
The service medal to be awarded in January 2022 is the Koshnitsky Medal, awarded annually for an outstanding contribution to Australian chess administration at a national or a state level.
Nominations
Nominations need not be from among a State's own members or residents.
A separate document or message containing the following should be provided in respect of each nominee:
- name in full (correctly spelt);
- contact details (phone, email, postal address);
- a citation describing relevant achievements, suitable for reading when the medal is presented and/or publication thereafter;
- anything else relevant to the nomination.
A person submitting a nomination must retain a complete copy of every document submitted as part of the nomination and must phone 0409 525 963 or (03) 9787 7974 to confirm that it has been received if delivery has not been acknowledged 24 hours after expected delivery time.
Deadlines
Koshnitsky medal nominations – 1 November 2021.
Player-of-the-Year medals & awards – 5 January 2022.
Address nominations comprising email messages and/or attachments to
Recipients of this notice are invited to distribute copies to affiliated clubs, members and others to maximise the possibility of nominations for the most suitable nominees.
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ACF Recurring Notices
Tournament Management Programs for Ratings Submissions
Organisers planning to present forthcoming ACF- and FIDE-rated events are reminded that only results from tournaments paired and submitted using either Vega or Orion programs will be accepted for FIDE or ACF rating.
Organisers, arbiters and ratings officers may obtain additional information from ACF National Ratings Officers Bill Gletsos and/or Graham Saint via acfratings@auschess.org.au
FIDE ID Number Registration
FIDE has issued a warning that they will not accept tournaments for FIDE rating where those tournaments contain players who do not have FIDE ID numbers. Although new Australian players can be registered by the ACF FIDE Ratings Officer, this does not apply to new players from overseas. Therefore, organisers should not immediately accept the entries of overseas players who lack FIDE ID numbers to FIDE rated tournaments; instead, those players should be required to first obtain a FIDE ID from their own national federation.
Tournaments submitted that include foreign players who do not have ID numbers end up not being FIDE rated.
Organisers need to confirm prior to the start of the tournament that all players without a FIDE ID number are either Australian citizens or have a permanent residency visa.
Players without ID numbers should only be submitted as Australian if they are citizens or are a permanent residency visa holder; if a player is registered under the wrong country they may incur transfer costs later. For further information/clarification contact the ACF FIDE Ratings Officer Bill Gletsos via fide_ratings@auschess.org.au
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News from the States / Territories
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Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory Chess Association Inc (ACTCA)
Upcoming Events
- Check ACTCA website for situation due to COVID-19.
ACF Council Report
by Cam Cunningham, ACTCA
Recent Activities
All face-to-face suspended since last Council meeting with the exception of some Junior events.
Weekly on-line tournaments – two rapids, a blitz and a long-time control – for ACT players, organised by ACTCA VP Shaun Press, continuing for the duration.
Upcoming Activities
Possible resumption late October, but depends on venue, restrictions, etc.
Possible resumption some time pre-Xmas, but depends on venues, restrictions, etc.
Vikings Club, Lanyon
Scheduled for late November weekend
Junior Chess League
Details of ACTJCL upcoming events and results are available at:
https://actjcl.org.au/actjcl/
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New South Wales
New South Wales Chess Association Inc (NSWCA)
Upcoming Events
- Check NSWCA website for situation due to COVID-19.
ACF Council Report
by Richard Gastineau-Hills, NSWCA
Recent Tournaments
- None – due to COVID lockdown
Upcoming Tournaments
Clubs
- Rooty Hill RSL Chess Club to resume next Tuesday – resumption dates for others yet to be advised.
Junior Events
- Tentative dates for the NSWJCL's summer holiday tournaments have been announced – these will include the 2020 NSW Girls and NSW Junior Championships (postponed from last winter and spring).
- Inter-school competitions – most preliminary divisions were completed in second term before the lockdown – some of the remaining matches may be completed this term but finals are unlikely – except for the Country Secondary Schools Competition which has been proceeding online (this having been an option anyway, even pre-COVID).
Financial Situation
- The NSWCA's balance as at 16 October 2021 was $1,080,293.
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Queensland
Chess Association of Queensland Inc (CAQ)
Upcoming Events
Recent Events
ACF Council Report
by Mark Stokes, CAQ
With less COVID outbreaks in Qld than other eastern States, Qld has been able to run a number of successful recent events:
The NVDG Classic at the Gold Coast on Sept 18 & 19 had 68 players and was won jointly by Yi Liu and Dusan Stojic on 5.5/6.
The Leo Wilkinson Mem at Rothwell on Sept 25 & 26 attracted 100 players and first place was shared by Brodie McClymont and the rapidly improving Aiden Brady on 5.5/6, with GM Daniel Fernandez relegated to equal 3rd on 5/6 after losing to Aiden. You can view the top board games of this event at: https://livechess.aunz.net/ thanks to David Esmonde.
The FIDE rated Qld Chess Championship at Rothwell for players 1600 ACF or higher from Thursday night September 30 to Monday night October 4 attracted 18 players and was won by Yi Liu on 8/9, taking the $1250 first prize. A close second was Dusan Stojic on 7.5/9 and Sravan Renjith took out outright 3rd place on 6/9, earning enough FIDE rating points to gain the FM title we hope!
The FIDE rated Qld U1600 ACF Chess Championship from Friday night October 1 to Monday night October 4 attracted 44 players and was keenly contested. Terrence Tang won the event by half a point, scoring 6/7, with 5 wins and 2 draws.
The huge State wide Primary and Secondary Schools Finals from Friday October 8 to Sunday October 10 attracted teams from Cairns to the Gold Coast and had the top 8 boards of the Primary Open and the top 8 boards of the Secondary Open broadcast live thanks to David Esmonde and Dave Vella at: https://livechess.aunz.net/
The Girls Primary had 92 players and was won convincingly by Sunnybank Hills State School. The star individual players in the Girls Primary was Abby Tan with 7 wins from 7 games!
The Girls Secondary had 24 individual players and was won on countback by Somerset on 15.5 points, with Brisbane Girls Grammar also scoring 16.5 points. The star players in the Girls Secondary were Elizaveta Gratchev and Melody Yang, who both scored 5.5/7.
The Primary Open was narrowly won by Citipointe Christian College – it had 101 players take part from 24 school teams. The star Primary Open players were Zreui Xing and Lachlan Wang, who both scored a perfect 6 points from 6 games!
The Secondary Open was impressively won by Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie). 16 school teams and 77 individual players took part. The star player of the Secondary Open was Sravan Renjith from Churchie with a perfect 6 points!
The FIDE rated Burleigh Rapid was contested yesterday, with 38 players. Jack Rodgers won the event with 6.5/7, drawing to Aiden Brady and winning the rest.
The Qld Womens and Girls has just concluded today, with 24 players playing 3 games yesterday and 3 games today. IM Alex Jule led from start to finish, scoring a perfect 6 points from 6 games. You can view the top 4 boards of this event at https://livechess.aunz.net/ thanks to David Esmonde once again!
We have a number of events to still look forward to in Queensland this year too including the CAQ Qld Seniors Chess Championship next weekend, Sat Oct 23 and Sun Oct 24, at Bracken Ridge, The Chess People U1750 ACF Classical FIDE rated one day Rapid on Sunday Nov 7 at Rothwell, the Bundaberg Open on Saturday November 27 and Sunday November 28 and The inaugural Arianne Caoili Memorial FIDE Rapid, a 7 round Swiss on Saturday November 27 at Nerang, with a great prizefund, including $1000 for 1st and $500 for the 1st Female!
All these events can be viewed on the CAQ Website under Coming Events:
www.caq.org.au
TopChess will also run another weekender, the Christmas Swiss, on Saturday December 18 and Sunday December 19.
And do not forget that in January 2022 the FIDE OPEN will be played! See the CAQ Website for full details.
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South Australia
South Australian Chess Association Inc (SACA)
Upcoming Events
- Various local events are published in SACA website.
ACF Council Report
by Misheck Muza, SACA
Since my last report of the 1st of August 2021 where we had a brief interlude due to a Covid 19 pandemic scare that prompted a close down. I am happy to report that the rest of the scheduled fixtures went unhindered.
City of Adelaide
This was a 9 rounder, attracting 26 players and stretched from the 3rd of August 2021 to the 28th of September 2021 and was won by Kyle Leaver.
August Rapid Chess and August Blitz were held on the 5th and 12th August respectively. Thomas Rogers became the State's 2021 Rapid Champion
September Allegro
This was won by Max Marriott with a score of 4.5 points out of a possible 5
October Quad 2021 Results
This was divided into 4 groups namely Groups, A, B, C and D. Kyle Leaver winning top position in Group A, Kumar Sid, Koodrin Zina and Das Gauitan winning the other groups respectively.
Hosworth Foundation FIDE Open 2021
Whilst demanding work requirements have kept me to this year's edition of this tournament I look back with fondness for having been the winner of the Hosworth Foundation U1600 Championship last year.
First place for this year was a tie between consistent Kyle Leaver and current State Champion and Fide Master, Bill Jordan with Kevin Sheldrick settling for the third spot.
Best rating performance went to Tharan Balachander, best under 1600 went to Thomas Rogers and best junior going to the fast improving Ethan Retnarajah
Junior Events and Girls Day
During the period since our last Council Meeting we had 5 junior events in the holidays that attracted about 80 juniors apiece, and also a Girl's only Day which attracted 36.
We were also able to hold the State under 11 and under 7 Championships and a separate FIDE event for the juniors
Current and Upcoming Events
Currently we have the Pennant Team Championships
October booster will be on the 17th of October
October Allegro is pencilled for the 21st of October 2021
Queen`s Gambit thematic for the 24th of October 2021.
Chess at Vegan Festival in Rundle Park pencilled for the last weekend of October targeting the juniors
The rest of the events are set to go according to the online games schedule calendar culminating with the Australian Allegro Championship on Boxing Day where we hope to see some interstate visitors
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Tasmania
Tasmanian Chess Association Inc (TCA)
Upcoming Events
ACF Council Report
by Tom Saltmarsh, TCA
2021 Tasmanian Lightning Championship was held on 23 August 2021 in Burnie. The results were as follows:
1st - Kevin Bonham (2042) 9/9, 2nd - William Rumley (2084) 7/9, 3rd - Zacharias Lim (2068) 7/9
The next event on the TCA calendar is the 2021 Launceston Cup to be held on 30 August 2021.
All clubs have been operating normally, but it is likely the Hobart club will not meet on Monday due to the snap three day lockdown in south Tasmania.
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Victoria
Chess Victoria Inc (CV) website down until further notice
Upcoming Events
Note mandatory COVID-19 restrictions regarding, maximum numbers, QR code scanning, vaccination, and mask wearing.
We are back from the longest lockdown!
by Leonid Sandler, CV President.
After 6 lockdowns that lasted for 262 days and nights (the world record) our State finally made small steps towards normality. It means that some over the board chess activities will return to our clubs.
In the meantime Victorian juniors competed in the Victorian Schools Finals that was held online via popular platform chess.com. We can report the results from 3 sections out of 4.
In the Secondary Open Final the current Australian and Victorian Champions super Team from Scotch College once again showed their class and won the 2021 Victorian title. 100 players from 13 schools competed where the top 4 teams qualified for the Super Final.
In the Secondary Girls Final the current Victorian and Australian Champions, PLC, won once again for the fifth time in a row! I would be very surprised if any one can stop our girls from winning another title at the 2021 Nationals.
In the Primary Girls Final had a very tense Grand Final match where the PLC team won (6-4) against the 2020 Victorian and Australian Champion team from Glendal Primary school.
Full results from all 3 Finals can be seen on Chesschat forum thread here
The Primary Open Final will take place on Saturday November 6th.
It would be interesting to see how our Champions will fare in the 2021 National Finals. We are expecting them to win all 4 titles!
We are all looking forward to playing over the board chess very soon.
Notice to Victorian Championship Players
Dear Victorian Championship Players,
The Box Hill Chess Club is planning to open up for OTB in early November. However there will be some mandatory restrictions which the club needs to adopt to be able to provide as safe a venue as possible for all players. The Box Hill Chess Club is required to follow the rules as prescribed by the Waverley Bridge Club at the Electra Community Centre
Maximum numbers:
The maximum number of persons permitted at the Chess Club will be one person per 4 square metres to comply with density quotient.
Requirement to register with QR code:
All players will be required to register with a QR code and show their vaccination certificate (via the Victorian Service App or hard copy).
Requirement to be fully vaccinated:
Entry to the venue will be restricted to people who are fully vaccinated (double dose). There are no exceptions permitted.
Requirement to wear a face mask:
Everyone will be required to wear a face mask when indoors. There are no exceptions permitted.
Because of the playing conditions, Chess Victoria has decided to cancel the 2021 Victorian Championship tournament and reimburse all players the entry fee via TryBooking.
Regards,
IO Leonid Sandler (Organiser)
IA Dr Peter Tsai (Chief Arbiter)
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Western Australia
Chess Association of Western Australia Inc (CAWA)
Upcoming Events
- Various local events are published in CAWA website
ACF Council Report
by Andrew Hardegen, CAWA
1. Withdrawal of bid to host 2022 Australian Championships and 2022 Australian Junior Championships
It is with regret that CAWA must withdraw its bid to host both the 2022 Australian Championship and 2022 Australian Junior Championships.
The reason for this decision is the continued uncertainty induced by the WA border closure. NSW and Victoria are currently classified as "extreme risk" jurisdictions, meaning that it is not possible, other than in a few special cases, for persons travelling from these states to enter WA. It is not known whether any review of the current WA border control measures will occur before the end of the year.
2. GM Temur Kuybokarov
WA's GM Temur Kuybokarov has recently been granted an Australian Distinguished Talent Visa, which will allow him to remain permanently in Australia.
3. South-West Open - 31st July and 1st August (Burekup)
1st: Tim Hare (5.5/6)
4. Winter Allegro - 15th August (The Abbey at Chester's, Henley Brook)
Equal 1st: Yihe (Rebo) Fu & Rob Maris
5. WA School Chess League Open and Girls' Finals - 16th August (Open) and 6th September (Girls)
2021 WA Secondary Open Team Champions: Perth Modern School
2021 WA Secondary Girls' Team Champions: Perth Modern School
2021 WA Primary Open Team Champions: Oberthur Primary School
2021 WA Primary Girls' Team Champions: Nedlands Primary School
6. CAWA Harris Interclub Competition - 22nd and 29th August
9 teams of 4 players each (3 from Perth Chess Club, 3 from Southern Suburbs Chess Club, 2 from UWA and 1 from Metropolitan Chess Club) contested 3 divisions. The winning teams were as follows:
Division A (Open): UWA
Division B (all players under 1950 ACF): Southern Suburbs Chess Club
Division C (all players under 1550 ACF): Southern Suburbs Chess Club
7. South of the River Chess Festival - 7th July to 18th August (Blue Gum Community Centre, Brentwood)
Winner - Classical: David Ellis
Winner - Allegro: Yihe (Rebo) Fu
8. September UWA Blitz - 19th September
1st: Yihe (Rebo) Fu
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FIDE Olympiad Online 2021
Tournament Report – Australia
by Jack Rodgers, Australian Team Captain/Manager
Back in July I was bestowed the honour, by the ACF, of managing and captaining a talented Australian team for the 2021 FIDE Online Olympiad, which took place during August on Chess.com and Zoom, with over 150 countries in participation.
The team comprised of twelve players and reserves selected to represent Open, Women, Girls and Boys (U18) boards. Each round Australia was to field six players (2 Open, 2 Women’s, 1 Boy and 1 Girl) in a round robin rapid format against other countries in our pool. With a time control of 15+5 seconds, we knew speed under pressure would determine many results and Olympiad veteran Grandmaster Zong-Yuan Zhao, made a point of this during our team warmup tournament.
Australia began the tournament in the second division and was seeded into a tough pool alongside nine other teams, including favourites Shenzhen China (a Chinese second team added because of being the ‘online hosts’) as well as Indonesia. With Australia positioned as the third seed, and only three qualifying spots for the top division, we set out with the goal of trying to beat each team seeded below us in our matches.
In round 1 we trounced the 4 th seeded Bangladesh but fell agonisingly short against the Philippines in round 2, losing the match 4-2. We finished day 1 strongly with a win against Taipei and proceeded to beat Lebanon 6-0, and Singapore 3.5-2.5 in the match of the round by catching up on junior boards. Albert Winkelman and Jody Middleton both won their games from worse positions with next to no time on the clock! After this round we lost heavily to Indonesia 5-1 in what would prove to be a result that would seemingly doom our ambitions of qualification.
With pressure mounting on the Australian team, needing to win all our final three matches, we defeated Ireland, lost to Kyrgyzstan by half a point and then couldn’t quite get in the match against Shenzhen, who fielded 2400 players on almost all their boards including juniors!
This left Australia in 4th place and out of qualifying behind Indonesia, Shenzhen China, and surprise packet the Philippines. However, the Philippines were mysteriously disqualified over the following days for fair play issues, which almost certainly cost Australia a win against them in our match. I was contacted by chief arbiter IA Alex Holowczak two days before the top division was to start and informed that Australia would indeed be playing.
We were seeded into Pool A of the top division and realised quickly we would be coming up against chess powerhouses including China, fronted by GM’s Ding Liren (world #2), Wei Yi (world #24), Hou Yifan and Ju Wenjun (yes, the current women’s world champion was only their second-best women’s player), Kazakhstan, Armenia and Iran to name a few.
Australia entered this stage of the tournament feeling very little pressure and performed far better than expected. In round 1 we faced the dreaded Chinese team and despite going down 5.5-.5 it was an incredible performance. Every single board had Australia in slightly better positions right down until the last minutes. Australian champion GM Temur Kuybokarov was the only player to convert a result, drawing with ex-prodigy GM Wei Yi.
Despite being heavily outrated in this pool Australia did manage to score some excellent team and individual results. In round 4 we knocked over a competitive Georgian team, with both of our Women’s boards leading the team to victory. WGM Jilin Zhang and WFM Thu Giang Nguyen both overcame IM’s to make this happen.
Round 6 was the biggest upset of the event with Australia drawing 3-3 with world #5 country Armenia. Again, our women’s boards, WGM Julia Ryjanova and WFM Mai Chi Phan won their games as well as GM Zong-Yuan Zhao who used his trusty London system to pounce on board 2.
Australia did finish at the bottom of the division as expected however it can be said that several players achieved remarkable scores. Temur scored 4/7, better than a half score against the best board 1’s from around the world and his results in the second division was one of the best results I’ve seen on the top board by Australia at Olympiads. Moulthun Ly scored 3/4 playing on board 2 of the Open’s, and Zong-Yuan Zhao and Jilin Zhang both put up half scores of 2.5/5 against their highly rated oppositions.
Full results can be found at the link below:
https://chess-results.com/tnr577516.aspx?lan=1&art=1&flag=30
The Australian performance was well received and covered extensively by an official broadcast on Twitch by entertaining ‘Melbourners’ Frank Hakakavic, IM James Morris and FM Jack Puccini on their Twitch channel ‘DegenChess’.
It was an absolute pleasure to help this Australian team find success and the players represented the country with the utmost level of fighting spirit and bravado. I hope to be involved in future Australian endeavours as I can see a bright future ahead as we return to over the board chess and probably upset many more topflight Olympiad teams over the coming years.
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Problem of the Month - No.65
Selected by Peter Wong
Henry D’Oyly Bernard
Western Morning News, 1903
White to play and mate in 2
Visit  OzProblems.com for an introduction to chess composition (including a Glossary) and more problem examples.
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Postponement of Oceania Seniors, Noosa
With the present covid travel restrictions likely to extend into November and beyond, preventing Victoria, NSW, ACT, NZ, Fiji etc from entering Queensland, Noosa Chess Club has made the decision to postpone the Oceania Seniors Chess Championship by 12 months to November 2022, precise dates and venue to be confirmed.
We appreciate the support of players who entered for 2021 and hope you can plan to play in Noosa in late 2022, when the trickiest complications will be on the boards, not the borders.
If you have paid already, please advise your bank account details so we can refund your entry.
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An Appeal on Behalf of
GM Temur Kuybokarov
by Alan Wolstencroft, CAWA President.
From 25th October to 8th November WA Grandmaster Temur Kuybokarov will be playing in the FIDE.Chess.com Grand Swiss chess tournament in Riga, Latvia.
This will be the toughest challenge of his chess career.
He will be competing against 113 Grandmasters including 19 +2700 rated Grandmasters (including Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk and Hikaru Nakamura).
It has not been easy to get permission for Temur to play in this competition.
Firstly he was only granted a wild card entry after representations by Gary Wastell (ACF President) and Leonid Sandler, (ACF Councillor).
Secondly getting permission from Australian border control to leave and return to Australia was not a routine exercise.
It was only on the second application attempt which included a letter of support from the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, that permission was granted.
Temur's costs for accommodation and entry fee are covered by the organisers but his travel costs are not. These are estimated at over $2,000.
A Fund raising platform has been set up at Trybooking:
https://www.trybooking.com/au/donate/helptemur
If you wish to make a financial donation to help Temur please use the above link.
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2021 U.S. Chess Champions: Teenage Talent Yip Wins U.S. Women’s Championship While Veteran So Claims Third U.S. Championship Title
The Nation’s Most Elite, Invitation-Only Chess Tournaments Conclude at Saint Louis Chess Club with Worthy Champions
SAINT LOUIS (October 20, 2021) – 24 of America’s best chess players gathered in Saint Louis, America’s Chess Capital, at the Saint Louis Chess Club for the 2021 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held from October 5 - October 19, 2021. 18-year-old International Master Carissa Yip was crowned U.S. Women’s Champion with a round to spare, finishing with an incredible 8.5/11 score. Veteran Grandmaster Wesley So claimed the 2021 U.S. Chess Championship, his third national title after winning a three-way playoff against GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Sam Sevian with a final score of 6.5/11 (2.0/2 for the playoff). So managed to defeat both Caruana and Sevian in the rapid round-robin playoff, earning him the $50,000 first place prize and his third national title.
Having lost the first game to So, Caruana was in a must-win situation heading into the second round of the playoff against Sevian. After slowly building up the pressure, Caruana eventually found a winning tactical shot to decide the game. The third and final game of the playoff saw Wesley just needing a draw to clinch the title, while Sevian would need to win to force another three-way tie and take the playoffs to blitz. Sevian tried to put up resistance and keep the game complicated, but So remained calm and slowly converted his advantage, ultimately winning the playoff and his third U.S Chess Championship title.
“I would like to thank all of the chess supporters, especially Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, for everything they do,” said GM Wesley So. “I wasn’t actually expecting to be in the playoff today, winning this tournament means so much to me as a professional chess player and I’m excited to celebrate.”
On the final day of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Championship, tournament champion IM Carissa Yip drew her last round game after surviving a lost position against WGM Katerina Nemcova, ending with a final score of 8.5/11. GM Irina Krush and WGM Begim Tokhirjonova entered the round tied for second with 6.5/10, but only Tokhirjonova was able to score, drawing her game against WGM Thalia Cervantes. Meanwhile, Krush ended up blundering and losing to WGM Tatev Abrahamyan to finish with a third place win.
IM Carissa Yip ultimately beat four former U.S. Women’s Champions in this event, including Irina Krush, Anna Zatonskih, Nazi Paikidze and Sabina Foisor. This is an accomplishment that has never been done before in the Women’s field. “I had no idea that was the case, ” said a smiling Carissa Yip, in her post-game interview. “It was a very pleasant surprise to find out I not only won first place but I was the first woman to beat four former U.S. Women champions. I want to thank my family and friends for their support. This was an amazing win for me.” Yip not only won the first place trophy but took home the $25,000 first-place prize as well.
For more information on the 2021 U.S. Championships or upcoming championship events, visit www.uschesschamps.com.
About The Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.
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Recent International Events
New Zealand
Open 1st: Charles Zhang (6/6)
Under1000 1st: Yutong Li (5.5/6)
Open 1st equal: Emily Gan, Francisco Nascimento (5/6)
Under1000 1st: Ethan Sheng (6/6)
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Upcoming International Events
New Zealand
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ACF Personnel
The Australian Chess Federation Inc is incorporated under the Australian Capital Territory Associations Incorporation Act 1991 and recognised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs as the federation representing Australia.
ACF COUNCIL
State Association Delegates
NSWCA Delegate: Richard Gastineau-Hills nswcouncillor@auschess.org.au
CV Delegate: Leonid Sandler leonidsandlerchess@gmail.com
CAQ Delegate: Mark Stokes qldcouncillor@auschess.org.au
SACA Delegate: Michael Caruso sacouncillor@auschess.org.au
TCA Delegate: Tom Saltmarsh tascouncillor@auschess.org.au
ACTCA Delegate: Cam Cunningham actcouncillor@auschess.org.au
CAWA Delegate: Andrew Hardegen wacouncillor@auschess.org.au
Executive Committee
President: Gary Wastell president@auschess.org.au
Deputy President: Bill Gletsos deputy_president@auschess.org.au
Vice-President: Kevin Bonham vice_president1@auschess.org.au
Vice-President: Hughston Parle vice_president2@auschess.org.au
Secretary: Rob Watson secretary@auschess.org.au
Treasurer: Michael Caruso treasurer@auschess.org.au
COUNCIL-APPOINTED PERSONNEL
Assistant Treasurer: Bob Keast asst_treasurer@auschess.org.au
FIDE Delegate & Admin Officer: Kevin Bonham fide_delegate@auschess.org.au
FIDE Trainers Contact: Leonid Sandler fide_trainers@auschess.org.au
FIDE Ratings Officer: Bill Gletsos fide_ratings@auschess.org.au
National Ratings Officer: Bill Gletsos acfratings@auschess.org.au
National Ratings Officer: Graham Saint g_saint@tpg.com.au
Junior Chess Coordinator: Hughston Parle juniors_coordinator@auschess.org.au
Selections Director: Tom Saltmarsh selections_director@auschess.org.au
Medals & Awards Convenor: Gary Wastell awards@auschess.org.au
Equipment Coordinator: Bob Keast equipment_officer@auschess.org.au
Newsletter Editor: Keong Ang newsletter_editor@auschess.org.au
Webmaster: David Esmonde webmaster@auschess.org.au
Public Officer (incorporation): Cam Cunningham public_officer@auschess.org.au
Vacancies
Currently vacant positions which the Council has sought to fill in recent times:
Archives Director
Assistant Secretary
Assistant Webmaster
Grand Prix Director
Government Relations Director
Publicity Director
Readers with an interest in assisting with the work of the federation are welcome to seek details of related responsibilities by emailing executive@auschess.org.au or by phoning 0409 525 963 at any time.
The term of office for all Council-appointed officers ends each year at the first Council meeting after 30 June.
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Solution to Problem of the Month - No.65
Henry D’Oyly Bernard
Western Morning News, 1903
White to play and mate in 2
Set: 1…Kf5 2.e4, 1…d5 2.Bd3, 1…e6/e5 2.Nxd6.
Tries: 1.Bg8? (waiting) d5 2.Bg7, but 1…e6! 1.Ng7? (waiting) e5 2.f5, but 1…e6!
Key: 1.Ra1! (waiting). 1…Kf5 2.Qb1, 1…d5 2.Bd3, 1…e6/e5 2.Nxd6.
Visit OzProblems.com for an introduction to chess composition (including a Glossary) and more problem examples.
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Newsletter Article Contributions
This newsletter requires content.
Please email the editor if there is something you would like published in the next edition of this newsletter.
Examples of articles:
- Upcoming chess event.
- Results of a chess event that was completed since the last newsletter was published.
- Any information that is chess related that could be interesting.
Please submit article contributions by Monday 15th November 2021 for publication in the 2nd week of November 2021 newsletter.
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