Hamilton Chess Club - Rookies Shield 2012

[SHump]

Calling all Rookies – mostly junior chess at the Hamilton Chess Centre (Room G1, Hamilton Girls High School, Hill St Hamilton).

The Hamilton Chess Club is running 5 rounds in 2012 of rookies/junior chess events at the Hamilton Chess Centre from 11am to 4pm (Sundays). The chess will be fast and furious – 7 games over the day, with short time controls of 15 minutes each for all your thinking time. Cash Prizes will be given as a minimum for overall 1st and 2nd, the best adult, best unrated player, and the best U18, U16, U14, U12, U10 and U8 players (players can only win one prize). Separate divisions for girls only, if there are sufficient numbers. The prize pool is 80% of entry fees after expenses.

As this is a rookies event, it will be restricted to players under 1600 NZCF rapid rating as at 01/01/2012, which still includes many players!

Entry fees:
$15 for adults (or just $10 if also entering a junior – come on you parents – take up the challenge and mix it up with your kids!)
$10 for juniors and Hamilton Chess Club members.
Be there from 11am (round 1 starts at 11.30am) – and there will be a 40 minute lunch break after round 3.

If you are interested in more details, then please contact us or see the attached Rookies shield chess flyer.

Please register for round 1 (4 Mar) here, so that we know that you are coming, and to avoid disappointment as our resources are not unlimited!

[SHump]

I am finding it hard to get the numbers to run this event, this is a first. But it has got me wondering about the format of having a single division. Perhaps for event 2 it gets run in say 3 divisions: U1600, U1300 and 'U1400 and under 14'.

This at least would stop kids complaining about 'having to play adults' (well, those that qualify for the 3rd division). A single division has worked well before however. I realise we all have other things to do, so chess may get put down the list...

Update 29/02: Well we have had 6 entries from Mercury Bay, about 4 hours drive from Hamilton. They are really keen! So we will be going ahead as planned. Another 10 people would make it really good!

[SHump]

Well we ended up with 24 keen chess players on a perfect Waikato day doing battle over the board. Daniel Gong shot out of the blocks winning 5 in a row and looked unstoppable. Max Ross, from Mercury Bay, pegged him back in round 6 and so he looked a potential winner. He in turn lost to Lillian Dare in the last round, so Lillian and Daniel shared the top honours on the day. The day was played in great spirits and good humour. Other age prizes and pictures are listed in the cross table. All up, 12 people came away with some prize money – a 50% score.

The next Rookies Shield is on the 1 April (no joke), just 4 weeks away.

[Just2Good]

Well we ended up with 24 keen chess players on a perfect Waikato day doing battle over the board. Daniel Gong shot out of the blocks winning 5 in a row and looked unstoppable. Max Ross, from Mercury Bay, pegged him back in round 6 and so he looked a potential winner. He in turn lost to Lillian Dare in the last round, so Lillian and Daniel shared the top honours on the day. The day was played in great spirits and good humour. Other age prizes and pictures are listed in the cross table. All up, 12 people came away with some prize money – a 50% score.

The next Rookies Shield is on the 1 April (no joke), just 4 weeks away.

Was 24 players about what you were expecting?

[antichrist]

Was 24 players about what you were expecting?

they have to be happy with who came that is obvious - the Coffs Harbour tourney folded for the same reasons and they were getting sponsership - all because I am a greenie and would not drive a carload down and cause pollution

[- V -]

they have to be happy with who came that is obvious - the Coffs Harbour tourney folded for the same reasons and they were getting sponsorship - all because I am a greeny and would not drive a carload down and cause pollution

Has anyone ever told you that your priorities are skew-whiff ?

[antichrist]

Has anyone ever told you that your priorities are skew-whiff ?

without people like myself that tiger in your shot could well become extinct