AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS' TEAMS' FINALS WEEKEND, CANBERRA GRAMMAR

Students representing 24 schools from around the nation are keenly

anticipating this event which will be held next weekend in Canberra. The

inaugural event, which was held at Sydney Grammar on the same weekend last

year, was a big success and has fired the imagination of schools' chess

organisers around Australia. We are disappointed that there are no schools

from WA but hope that this situation will change next year. Maybe, in time,

we will also have teams from the Northern Territory.

May I thank in advance the main organiser, EVELYN FITZPATRICK

<afitzpat@pcug.org.au>, her lieutenants DEBBIE POULTON and JEFF SUPTUT and

all the other helpers including BARBARA PINK, JENNI OLIVER and JENNY MOYLAN.

Here's the current list of school finalists and their team members:

OPEN HIGH SCHOOLS:

Anglican Church Grammar (QLD): David Smerdon, Keiran Olm-Milligan, Michael

Davidovici, Ben McPhee

Prince Alfred College (SA): Andrew Saint, Eshan Wijeyekoon, Anthony Nguyen,

Alex Saint

University High School (VIC): Dennis Bourmistrov, Gordon Lindberg, Angelica

Zivanovic, Matthew Doidge

Sydney Grammar (NSW): Michael Lip, Kuan-Kuan Tian, Justin Cheung, Marlon Chan

Elizabeth College (TAS): Allan Richards, Lionel Nichols, Daniel Clarke,

Nick King

Calvin Christian School (TAS): John Scheringa, Ben Nugerew, Jeremy Smith,

Steven Flitney

Radford College (ACT): Andrew FitzPatrick, Gabriel Wong, Raphael Wong,

Alasiter Coe, Shannon Oliver

Melrose High School (ACT): Peter Jovanovic, Bruce Urdanegui, Marija

Jovanovic, Nick Jensen

GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOLS:

St. Stephens College (QLD): Karina Mowles, Michelle Mowles, Hayley Murray,

Jessica Fulton, Rebecca Mowles

Glenunga International High (SA): Juanita Lauer-Smith, Sarah Burford, Ioana

Maguran-Pivas, Sarah Kellett, Stefanie Miller, Isobel van Bavel-Carter

MacRobertson High School (VIC): Gopkia Gandhi, Lucy Eid, Jinushi

Jayawardana, Rebecca Rachmat, Sophie Yates

Abbotsleigh College (NSW): Shuvyin Tang, Catherine Lip, Rosemary Elkington,

Emma Butcher

OPEN PRIMARY SCHOOLS:

Somerset College (QLD): Chris Page, Ric Kaspar, David Lau, Dylan Bourke,

Matthew Smith, Royama Ohira

St. Peters Primary School (SA): Jonathan Heng, Thomas Balalis, Alex Lam,

Patrick Coleman, Tom Middleton

Essex Heights Primary (VIC): Ruperto Lugo, James Papa, Michelle Lee,

Winston Yii, Vikram Palit

Howrah Primary School (TAS): Sam Harriss, David Ikin, Aaron Wraight, Stefan

Hamilton, Robert Fisher

North Ainslie Primary (ACT): Dzung Nguyen, Jessica Pink, Tom Cochran, Cathy

Ayres

Woollahara Public School (NSW): Anthony Chau, Alex McSkimming, Alex

Caminer, Daniel Ong

GIRLS' PRIMARY SCHOOLS:

Worongary Primary School (QLD): Ashleigh Coyle, Amy Evans, Debbie Olcorn,

Alexandra Jule, Jacinta Day

St. John's Lutheran Primary (SA): Jade Lauer-Smith, Alice Fitzgerald, Anna

Balabanski, Jordan Peters, Esther Lukacs, Valda Ebaterinja, Lucinda Cooper

Essex Heights Primary (VIC): Melanie Chang, Andrea Chang, Michelle Yii,

Jocelyn Eer, Rachel Saravananuthu

Summer Hill Public School (NSW): Anna Wang, Jennie Lau, Brigitte Wirfler,

Lisa Chan

St. Monica's Primary School (ACT): Nicola Ngan, Gaya Sakthievel, Sara

Horgate, Sarah Norfor, Sophie Heath

Chapman Primary School (ACT): Sophie Brown, Alexandra Logan, Katie Logan,

Natalie Klomp.

**********

ACF VICE PRESIDENT

Gary Bekker has advised that he wishes to stand down at the National

Conference in January. The council will elect a new Vice President on 6

January 2000.

Gary Bekker has done an outstanding job in Australian chess administration

over several years and was a tower of strength during the couple of years

or so that he spent working away from home in Sydney. He is a very

versatile administrator, particularly strong in the international area. He

has been a tremendous help to me and he will be sorely missed on the ACF

Executive.

Gary moved back to Melbourne in mid year and now wishes to devote more time

to his family, his wife Janine and son Joshua, as well as his work

commitments.

He intends to continue with his arbiting commitments and some involvement

with Victorian chess. I'm hopeful that he will return to ACF chess

administration in due course.

**********

GRAND PRIX

ANDREW GREENWOOD <Andrew.A.Greenwood@student.anu.edu.au>:

1999 Tuggeranong Vikings Weekender

GM Ian Rogers has confirmed that he will be participating in this event. IM

Ben Martin has also confirmed his entry.

I encourage all potential players to compete in the final ACF Grand Prix

tournament for 1999.

Saturday/Sunday: December 11-12 1999

Tuggeranong Valley Rugby Union and Amateur Sports Club, Ricardo St,

Wanniassa, ACT. (Downstairs Room).

A Class 3 Australian Chess Federation Grand Prix Event

7 Round Rated Swiss Event

Time Limits: 1 hour + 10 sec/move thereafter (DGTs)

7 Round Swiss: 10:30am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm and 6:30pm (Saturday), 10:00am,

12:30pm and 3:00pm Sunday with prize-giving at 5:15pm

An Australian Chess Enterprises bookstall will be in operation at the Event

Entries taken until 10:00am on Saturday 11 December

Entry Fees: $40 adult, $30 concession, $20 junior

Prizes: Total $1200

Open: 1st $300, 2nd $200, 3rd $100

U/1800: 1st $150, 2nd $75

U/1400: 1st $150, 2nd $75

Junior: 1st $100, 2nd $50

2 half point byes are available (DOP must be notified in advance).

Players shall be ACTCA or other relevant state association members.

If you are interested in playing in this tournament please contact ANDREW

GREENWOOD on 02 62910385 or e-mail aag@wwdg.com

Sponsored by the Tuggeranong Valley Rugby Union and Amateur Sports

Club

Tuggeranong Chess Club: http://cs.anu.edu.au/~Shaun.Press/tuggeranong.html

**********

CLUB NEWS:

BUNBURY TOURNAMENT - ALAN PHILLIPS:

The date has been set for the South West Open Tournament to be held in

Bunbury WA in 2000. This Class V tournament has been held annually for the

last nine years, and is one of the more popular weekend dates in the WA

chess calendar. The year 2000 date is March 18/19 with play commencing at

12.30 pm an the Saturday and finishing on the Sunday at about 5 pm. It is a

six -round Swiss with one hour on the clock per player. In 1999 a junior

division was created with eight players. The senior division attracted 32

players, with some of the state's best attending. Anybody can enter

provided they are are a member of a body affiliated with the ACF. Visitors

to WA will be welcomed, and accommodation can be arranged. Bunbury is a

medium sized coastal city two hundred kilometres south of Perth. Further

information can be obtained on [08] 9725 4843 [Alan Phillips], [08]9791

3127 [David Pike] or e-mail <abphillips@telstra.easymail.com.au>. The

Club's web page is currently off-line. Please contact me if further info is

required.

**********

BUMPER STICKERS

PAUL HUVER, phuver@chessnet.com.au> ph 9791-6184

If anyone is interested in acquiring chess related stickers for back

windscreens or bumper bars give me an email or call, Lindsay Black works at

the Dandenong Market, his company is called Black Market signs. He was

going to charge me $15 for the sticker I got him to make for me "Get Smart,

Join a Chess Club"+ my phone number, as I told him who I was and that, I

said I'll give him a mention on radio, he will then do any 400 millimetre

long 2 line chess sign (55 mill wide in total) for any member of a chess

club in Victoria for just $10, any colour, and in any words. I think

this is a great way to advertise chess to the average person, just think if

only 10 cars had it on the back window, such words as "Chess Players Mate

Better" or "Chess The Smart Sport" many people would at least think chess

for a while and talk about it to others in the car behind.

**********

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS OF THE FIDE PRESIDENTIAL BOARD MEETING IN PARIS,

Lausanne, 24 November 1999

The Presidential Board of FIDE at its meeting in Paris, France, 21 November

1999, unanimously resolved to issue the attached statement, in order to

quell various rumours surrounding the prize fund for the 1999 World Chess

Championship in Las Vegas.

The Board noted the bids from China and Morocco and interest expressed from

other cities, for the World Chess Championship of 2000 and decided that the

venue would be announced at the end of the Presidential Board meeting in

Marrakech, 25-27 February 2000. It granted an option for the city of

Dortmund to submit a firm bid for the World Chess Championship of 2001.

Speaking to the issue of the decision of the Presidential Board to organise

a joint World Championship and Women's World Championship, starting

November-December 2000, the Board noted the request of the President of

Moldova for Moldova to organise the postponed Women's World Chess

Championship in August 2000 and approved the proposal of the FIDE President

that the decision be postponed until after his meeting with the President

of Moldova on the issue.

On the issue of doping and drug control, the Board resolved to create a

Medical Commission under the Chairmanship of Continental President, Dr.

Pedro Barrera and Treasurer David Jarrett as Vice-Chairman, to liase with

the IOC and issue the guidelines on anti-doping and list of prohibited

substances as they relate to chess players in sports as soon as

practicable, before a deadline could be set for imposition of sanctions etc.

The Board noted the presentation made by FIDE Commerce PLC and its partners

on the commercialisation plans for FIDE, including efforts to create a FIDE

credit card, a permanent FIDE web site, and resolved to finalise all

outstanding questions in respect of FIDE's relationship with FIDE Commerce

and her commercialisation programme at the Presidential Board meeting in

Marrakech.

The 2nd quarter Presidential Board meeting is scheduled to hold in London

from 12 to 14 May 2000 under the auspices of FIDE Commerce PLC.

Finally, the Board unanimously resolved to extend a message of gratitude to

H.E. Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France for granting his

distinguished patronage to the 75th Anniversary celebrations of FIDE in

Paris on 20 November 1999.

**********

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZES

By Order of the Board, EMMANUEL OMUKU, Executive Director - Statement of

the Fide Presidential Board on the Prize Fund for the 1999 World Chess

Championship in Las Vegas:

Our attention has been drawn to various rumours and speculations on the

Internet and in the news media in respect of the prize fund of the 1999

World Chess Championship in Las Vegas. In particular, the Board regrets the

totally false and misleading statement published on Mr. Sam Sloan's web

site www.samsloan.com, claiming that some officials of FIDE had embezzled

the sum of USD 1,000,000 from the prize fund. For the avoidance of doubt,

we acknowledge that various organisational and sponsorship problems created

funding difficulties with the prize fund for the World Championship in Las

Vegas.

We can confirm that to date, 92 out of 98 players have received full

payment of their prize money and that action has been taken to complete

payment of the balance of the prize money of the remaining 6 players, some

of whom have received partial payment, prior to 31 December 1999.

FIDE regrets the inconvenience created by the international funding and

various banking issues surrounding this event and thank those affected

players for their understanding.

We remain fully committed to a full resolution of all issues and we look

forward to a successful World Championship in the year 2000.

**********

CORRESP0NDENCE

STEPHEN SOLOMON:

I have had some feedback during the week about my comments in last week's

ACF bulletin about Swiss Perfect. My comments seem rather brash and I

apologise to those concerned and any others who may have been worried by my

comments. When I said it always gives incorrect pairings, this was my

opinion, but of course a computer program cannot give pairings contrary to

how the program has been written. I believe it has been written largely

with the FIDE swiss pairing rules in mind, having read them during the

week. I now have to say that I don't really like the FIDE swiss pairing

rules as they are at the moment, whereas I think they were very good twenty

years ago. Two of the changes I disagree with are as follows: there used to

be a "minimum of 100 ratings points difference" rule when it came to the

floating rule, which I think was very good. This is rules B5 and B6 in the

FIDE pairing rules if you want to look it up. I think these floating rules

should be very low priority for all rounds during a tournament. Also I

think the rules worry too much about correct colour sequence, especially in

odd numbered rounds. Maybe the 100 rating points would be good here too.

I must stress that I am of the opinion that a computer pairings program is

excellent for the development of Australian chess and chess in general, and

if it is Swiss Perfect then so be it. There is no better program yet.

**********

Best wishes

Graeme Gardiner

-------------------------------------------

Graeme Gardiner

President, Australian Chess Federation

C/- Somerset College, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba Q 4213

Phone 07 5530 3777 (w) 07 5530 5794 (h) Fax 07 5525 2676 (w)

Email: ggardiner@somerset.qld.edu.au http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/chess/

Chess - the clever sport!