Previous notices about now-completed or ongoing events of 2024
St George Summer Open: Nov 26 to Jan 21
Chess-life slows down over summer – but not at St George! One of our big annual events – the Summer Open – kicks off soon, on Tuesday, November 26, 7.30pm, and continues for six more rounds, with just a short two night break (Dec 24, Dec 31) over Xmas /New Year.
The tournament is a classical, FIDE and ACF-rated event, with 75 minutes per player, and a 30 second increment.
Registration is now open!
St George Club Presentation Night: 8pm Nov 12
The club takes great pride in honouring the top performers of the year with an impressive line-up of trophies. These are not just for winners in the top divisions, but are awarded to all players who have done well in their own rating group. And even if you are not up for a prize this time around, there will be finger food available, and social chess after the award-giving is over.
Note: the venue is not the usual club rooms! The event will be held in the Mahogany Room, which is two floors up above our usual rooms. The stairs and lift to the Mahogany Room are right next to the entrance to the chess rooms. The ceremony will start at 8pm.
Trophy winners will be advised in advance of any prizes they are due to receive.
St George 2024 Lightning Tournament: Nov 5
Our annual Club Lightning Championships are coming up soon. Fans of the fast and furious can get their fill with 11 rounds of 3 minute + 2 secs bonus per move games.
No prior registration is required, and entry is free for all current St George members. Non-members need to pay the $10 social club entry fee. Trophies will be presented at the St. George Chess Club Presentation Night held on the 12th November.
All the details are here.
New England Open, Armidale, 14-15th September
This is a very pleasant six-round tournament (60 mins per player, plus 10s/move increment) in the charming university city of Armidale. In 2023, several St George players journeyed north-westwards, and some are already planning to do so again. Full details, and instructions on how to register, can be found here.
NSWCA October Weekender, Burwood, October 5-7
If you enjoy the time-control in our current club Swiss, then you can get much more of the same over the October long weekend. The NSWCA is running a seven round ACF and FIDE rated tournament, with 60 minutes per player and a 30 seconds increment per move. The locale is the very comfortable rooms of the Sydney Academy of Chess in Burwood. Full details are here and you can register online here.
NSW Seniors Championship, Norths, October 12 & 13
Old is Gold, at least on October 12 and 13, when those of us who have amassed a half-century or more of years get to enjoy the NSW Seniors. Held at Norths in Cammeray, the tournament has six rounds, and the time control is 60 minutes per player plus 10 seconds increment per move. Full details are here and you can register online here.
UNSW Niemannites plot World Domination! Starts Sunday, October 20
“No matter the obstacles that we face, no matter how much you try to blacklist us, no matter what you do to try to ruin our career or slander our reputation—these difficult times have only invigorated us even more to reach the top of chess. There will be a day when the UNSW Chess Club will be the best chess club in the world.” – Hans Niemann (quote altered slightly).
With these defiant words, the UNSW Chess Club has announced its mission: no less than the cold-hearted humiliation of every chess club on the planet! As fanatical disciples of Hans ‘The Man’ Niemann, their deluded ambitions know no bounds. Some say they dream of a world where no-one will allowed to play unless they have a PhD in Endgame Theory!
But they must start – and one can only pray, stop – somewhere. And their first target is us: the simple, humble chess clubs of the Harbour City. They challenge us to send forth twenty of our best to take on twenty of theirs, on Sunday October 20. Such is their disdain for our chances that they will play their games while blindfolded and suspended in tanks of ice water (tournament conditions altered slightly)!
If you have an ACF rating of 1600+, the future of civilisation lies in your hands. Sign-up here.
2024 St George Club FIDE-rated Swiss: Starts Sep 3
Yes, one of our biggest events of the year starts very soon: 9 weeks of FIDE and ACF rated games! For full details download the tournament brochure, and then head to this page to register.
St George Club ACF-Rated Allegro Tournament 20 & 27 August
The clocks will be getting a workout over the next two weeks, as players punch in their swiftly-selected moves in the club’s only Allegro tournament of the year. Each player has only 15 minutes (and no increment) for their entire game (so maximum of 30 minutes for the whole game), so the result often depends as much on one’s skill at time management as at the game itself. The tournament, which is ACF-rated, has nine rounds – four on the first night, and five on the second.
NSWCA August Weekender August 24-25
St George is finally reviving its annual weekender, to be held in conjunction with the NSWCA. There will be six rounds of classical chess (60 mins per game, 30 secs increment), held at Arncliffe Scots Club, 29 Burrows Street, Arncliffe. The club is very close to the station. The tournament is limited to 90 players, and 26 have already registered. You can register here and full details are here.
NSW Rapid Championships Sunday July 21
A one-day, 7-round tournament, with a reasonably relaxed (for rapid) time control: 15 minutes per game, with a 10 second bonus per move. There are prizes across five divisions, so there always a chance you might get your registration money back! Games are ACF and FIDE rated. The venue is the Sydney Academy of Chess, Burwood. Registration is now open and full details are here.
St George Club Teams Challenge June 11 – August 6
This is a 9-round team round-robin chess tournament, with games played under a ‘classical’ time control. There will be ten teams with at least five players in each, depending on the level of interest. The Club Captain (Charles Zworestine) places the players into teams such that each team has, ideally, an equal chance of winning the tournament. Within any one team, the players are sorted (by their ACF rating) to play at Board 1, or Board 2, or Board 3, and so on. On any given night, if you have been designated, for example, as a Board 3 player, you will play a single game against a Board 3 player from one of the other teams. As of today (June 10), Charles is still sorting the teams.
Sydney Chess Championships July 6-10 2024
This is the new major tournament on the NSW calendar: 9 rounds of classic (90 mins + 30s bonus) chess over 5 days for both of the two divisions: Open (over 1400 ACF) and Classic (under 1600 ACF). There is over $13K in prize money, and already more than 120 players are registered. It’s a tribute to the great work being done by Rooty Hill Chess Club, and Winston Chen in particular. All the details are here.
Sydney Chess Championships July 6-10 2024
This is the new major tournament on the NSW calendar: 9 rounds of classic (90 mins + 30s bonus) chess over 5 days for both of the two divisions: Open (over 1400 ACF) and Classic (under 1600 ACF). There is over $13K in prize money, and already more than 120 players are registered. It’s a tribute to the great work being done by Rooty Hill Chess Club, and Winston Chen in particular. All the details are here.
Georges River Council’s Intergenerational Chess Tournament: Saturday April 20
A fun and free day of chess in the fresh air, at Kogarah Town Square, and it is literally for young and old! Full details here and you can register here. The tournament is a Swiss competition (6 rounds) with a time limit of 15 minutes per player, per game.
City of Sydney Rapid 2024: Sunday April 21
This is a one-day event, a seven round Swiss, and the time control is 15 minutes each per game plus 10 seconds per move. Held at the very comfortable, very reachable Sydney Academy of Chess. Full details here and you can register here.
Chatswood Checkmate Allegro: Sunday May 19
A new event on the NSWCA calendar: a 7 round Swiss with a time control of 10 minutes each per game plus 5 seconds per move. It will be held in the foyer of The Concourse, Chatswood’s prime entertainment venue. Full details here and you can register here.
Georges River Council’s Intergenerational Chess Tournament: Saturday April 20
A fun and free day of chess in the fresh air, at Kogarah Town Square, and it is literally for young and old! Full details here and you can register here. The tournament is a Swiss competition (6 rounds) with a time limit of 15 minutes per player, per game.
City of Sydney Rapid 2024: Sunday April 21
This is a one-day event, a seven round Swiss, and the time control is 15 minutes each per game plus 10 seconds per move. Held at the very comfortable, very reachable Sydney Academy of Chess. Full details here and you can register here.
Doeberl Cup: Canberra, Easter 2024
The most popular fixture of the Australian chess calendar is coming up – the Doeberl Cup. Last year it had a record attendance of over 400 players. Held every year over Easter in Canberra, it offers five divisions to cater to every skill level. All divisions run under a classical time control, and, for some extra spice, there is also a blitz tournament thrown in on Saturday night. The Doeberl website has all the details.
2024 City of Sydney Blitz Championships: Burwood, Sunday March 3
One of the NSWCA’s big annual events, this is a 9 round FIDE-rated Blitz tourney (3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move). For the first time, the NSWCA is using the swanky premises of the Sydney Academy of Chess, a short walk from Burwood Station. There are five divisions: Open; U2000; U1800; U1600 and U1400, with generous prize money in all categories. You can register online here, and full tournament details are here.
2024 St George Club Championships. Starts March 5
Join us for our showcase event of the year – the Club Championships. Why is it so special? Well, first, because this is a round robin tournament, you will only be playing games against players of a similar strength. Second, our extremely diligent Club Captain, Charles Zworestine, scrutinises all of the games, and writes up a captivating report for each round, often giving great tips on what you did, or did not, do so well. Last year, he even managed to help generate digital records of 238 of the 400 odd games of the tournament. No promises for this year, but one way or another, this tournament is going to be a lot of fun, and very instructive.
(coming soon)