ACF Bulletin No. 129 - 12 August 2001


IN THIS ISSUE


Asian Championships, British Championships, Interstate Internet Challenge,
World Junior Festival, World Junior Championship, Bids for January 2003
Australian Open and January 2003 Australian Juniors, History of Tasmanian
chess, Children's Chess Olympiad, Chess is a sport, Asian Women's
Championship, 2001 NSW State Championship, 2001 Grand Prix, Launceston
Weekender, Geelong Open, Survey for club officials and/or tournament directors.

 

ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Alex Wohl is participating in the Asian Championships
http://www.asianchess2001.com/. There are 27 Grandmasters competing in the
field of 76 in which Alex is seeded 62. He has had a disappointing start of
0.5/3. Best of luck in the remaining rounds Alex.

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Gary Lane came 14th= on 6.5/11 and Zong-Yuan Zhao 19th= on 6.0/11 in the
field of 70.

INTERSTATE INTERNET CHALLENGE

Paul Broekhuyse's interstate challenge continues. You can view the games via
the ACF webpage at http://www.auschess.org.au/interstate/istatemain.htm. I
have particularly enjoyed the NZ South Island v NZ North Island game which
still continues. Many thanks to Paul for all the work that he has put into
this.

WORLD JUNIOR FESTIVAL (UNDER 18,16,14,12,10) OROPESA DEL MAR 20 OCTOBER TO 3
NOVEMBER

The team will be receiving a week of intensive coaching from GM Ian Rogers,
GM Daryl Johansen and IM Michael Gluzman from 1 to 5 October. We are
indebted once again to the Oliver family who are sponsoring the coaching.
Many thanks to the Olivers.

WORLD JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER 20) ATHENS 16 TO 29 AUGUST

Zong-Yuan Zhao and Catherine Lip will be representing Australia at this
event which commences on Thursday. Follow the action at
http://www.greekchess.com/pagosmio/. Zong-Yuan is seeded 42nd out of 99 and
Catherine 46th out of 66.

BIDS FOR JANUARY 2003 AUSTRALIAN OPEN AND JANUARY 2003 AUSTRALIAN JUNIORS

The ACF would be pleased to receive bids for both of the above events.
Regarding the Australian Championships, I understood that the Box Hill Chess
Club would be bidding through the Victorian Chess Assn, but of course it is
open to any state to make a bid. In relation to the Australian Juniors, and
bearing in mind that the Chess Assn of WA have signalled that they will be
bidding for the January 2004 event, it would be good to receive a bid from
South Australia, but again it is open to any state to make a bid.

Please contact the ACF Tournament Director, Michael Baron
michael_baron@hotmail.com if you are interested in making a bid.

HISTORY OF TASMANIAN CHESS - KEVIN BONHAM

I'd like to announce that Tasmanian chess historian and bookseller (and 1965
State Champion) R.N. (Neville) Ledger has just released Chess: Tasmanian
Records.

This is a 2-volume softcover book running to a total of over 500 pages and
including histories of Tasmanian clubs, the Tasmanian Chess Association,
Tasmanian Championships, Intrastate Matches, Player Biographies, etc. Also
included are 380 unannotated games and several photos. It runs from the
first press reports of chess activity in the state in 1832 until the end of
2000. The production is basic to keep costs down but the amount of work that
has gone into this is enormous. One highlight is the extensive coverage of
the career of Otto Weber (1911-1969) who won the state title 13 times and
defeated players like Steiner, C.J.S. Purdy, J. Purdy, Koshnitsky and Ozols.

Copies are available for $32.95 post free ($30.95 within Tasmania) from
Neville Ledger Chess Centre, PO Box 837, Burnie Tas 7320 email: Neville
Ledger at nledger@tassie.net.au

CHILDREN'S CHESS OLYMPIAD BATATAIS, BRAZIL 18 TO 26 SEPTEMBER - URGENT
REQUEST FROM BRETT TINDALL

Australia is seriously thinking of sending a team to the World Junior Chess
Olympiad. Anyone who would like to play in this event please email myself,
Brett Tindall sydneyacademy@iprimus.com.au and Graeme Gardiner
graemeg@bigpond.net.au. Vincent Suttor, Parker Zhao and Ruperto Lugo have
shown interest in this important junior tournament.

Players need to be under 16 as at 1/1/01. The team consists of four players
plus a reserve and a manager.

CHESS IS A SPORT

I am in the middle of another round of trying to put pressure on the Federal
Government and Opposition to recognise chess as a sport. Jacky Kelly is
still refusing to give way, but my Federal MP, Margaret May is taking a
submission straight to the Prime Minister's Department. I have had another
long chat with Senator Kate Lundy's offsider and he gave me a good deal of
optimism (Senator Lundy is on maternity leave). The Labor Party will release
their sports policy later this year and at the very least I expect them to
give chess some kind of status within the Dept of Sport to allow it to apply
for funding. Whether it will be recognised as a serious sport rather than a
recreation remains to be seen.

Once again I ask all those who care about this matter to consider writing to
both the Minister for Sport, Jackie Kelly and Shadow Minister, Kate Lundy.
Now is the best possible time to write. Letters can be sent to Jackie Kelly
and/or Kate Lundy at Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2601 or by email Jackie
Kelly  Jackie.Kelly.MP@aph.gov.au and Kate Lundy
senator.lundy@aph.gov.au. If you think it appropriate, I would appreciate
copies of your letters or their replies. Incidentally, if we have a
professional lobbyist living in Canberra who is prepared to work on behalf
of the ACF, please let me know.


ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR WOMEN INCORPORATING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING
TOURNAMENT MADRAS, INDIA 2 TO 12 SEPTEMBER
LAST CALL FOR AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVES!

I am very disappointed that we do not have any nominations for Australian
representatives to this important event. There is free accommodation and
meals for the two Australian seeds to which we are entitled. It is not too
late to enter. Please email Robert Jamieson auschess@iaccess.com.au
urgently.

2001 NSW STATE CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN DIVISION FIDE RATED)

Venue:  Parramatta RSL Club Corner of Macquarie and O'Connell Streets
Parramatta
Note: Club Dress regulations apply (Smart casual, collar and enclosed
footwear for men)

Food and drink must not be taken into the club premises but may be purchased
from the Club

Juniors are welcome but the DOP must be informed if a supervising adult will
not be present

9 rounds on Sundays - all start at 12:30pm.
Players are requested to be at the Venue at 12 Midday for Round 1.
Rd 1 - 26th Aug Rd 2 - 2nd Sept Rd 3 - 9th Sept Rd 4 -16th Sept Rd 5 - 23rd
Sept No Play 30th Sept Rd 6 - 7th Oct
Rd 7 ­ 14th Oct Rd 8 ­ 21st Oct Rd 9 ­ 28th Oct

DOP: Nicholas Kordahi

Rate of play: 30 moves in 90 minutes then 1hour to finish.
Entry Fees:
Open Division: Adult $90, Juniors $70, Under 14 $50.
Major and Minor : Adult $70, Juniors $50, Under 14 $40.
$10 discount for entries received before 12th August 2001
All entries must be on official entry form (or copy)
Entries Close for the OPEN on 19th August 2001.

Players rated under 2000 may apply to the NSWCA to play in the Open Division
Late entries may be accepted for the major and minor divisions (only) but
must be received before 11:30am on the 26th August and only at the
discretion of the DOP.
Note: Late entries (after 19th August) attract a $20 administration penalty.
All NSW resident players must be members of NSWCA or NSWJCL.

Prizes: OPEN - 1st $800, 2nd $400, 3rd $200.
Major (U2000) & Minor (U1600): 1st $400, 2nd $200, 3rd $100
Note: Prizes are based on 80 Entries and Players are eligible for 1 prize
only.
Based on entries - Rating prizes at 100 rating point intervals will be
included in both the Major and Minor plus Juniors where 6 or more players
are eligible for the prize.
Unrated players may enter but are not eligible for prizes based on ratings.
Please make all Cheques or Money Order payable to NSWCA Inc.

Phone Enquiries: Robert Keast 0417497258 or (02)82347743  Email:
rkeast@comtech.com.au

New South Wales Chess Association Inc.
Website http://www.ozemail.com.au/~nswca/
G.P.O Box 2418 Sydney 1043

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2001 GRAND PRIX

The Grand Prix Supervisor is Norm Braybrooke chessnut@windsor.net.au
http://crcchess.topcities.com/GP2001.htm

Just a reminder that we welcome more details of Grand Prix events for
publication in this bulletin.

There are now 41 events for 2001.

1/2 September  Launceston Weekender TAS Cat 1  Leo Minol 03 6344 7472
leominol@telstra.easymail.com.au

1/2 Sep Geelong Open VIC Cat 2 Bill Stokie 03 5250 1786 Paul Power
ppower@datafast.net.au

22/23 Sep  Gold Coast Classic QLD Cat 3 Graeme Gardiner 07 5530 5794
graemeg@bigpond.net.au

29/30 Sep  Lidum's Cup SA Cat 2 Roland Eime 08 8268 1374 eimes@senet.com.au

29/30 Sep  Redcliffe Challenge QLD Cat 1 Mark Stokes 07 3205 6042
mstokes@bne.catholic.edu.au

13/14 Oct  Tweed Heads Open QLD Cat 3 Audie Pennefather 07 5536 9185
pennefather@iprimus.com

20-21/October  Box Hill Whitehorse Festival Week-Ender VIC Cat 2 Trevor
Stanning trevors@bluep.com

3/4 Nov  Laurieton Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060
endel@fasternet.com.au

3-5 Nov  Tasmanian Open TAS Cat 1 Neville Ledger 03 6431 1280
nlchess@tassie.net.au

17/18 Nov  Taree RSL Spring Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060
endel@fasternet.com.au

24/25 Nov  NSWCA Cat 1 Robert Keast 02 9649 8614 rkeast@comtech.com.au

8/9 Dec  Tuggeranong Vikings Weekender ACT Cat 1 Lee Forace 02 9556 3960
ljforace@hotmail.com

15/16 Dec  Melbourne Chess Club Christmas Swiss VIC Cat 2 Malcolm Pyke
dexter@labyrinth.net.au

15/16 Dec  Fairfield RSL Pre Christmas Cup NSW Cat 2 Elpidio Bautista 02
9723 5537 bautista@smartchat.net.au


NSW 15, Qld 9, Tas 4, SA 4, ACT 3, Vic 5, WA 1.

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LAUNCESTON WEEKENDER 1/2 SEPTEMBER 2001


Adult Education Centre 8 High Street Launceston

A Level 1 ACF Grand Prix Event.
Hosted by Launceston Chess Club for the Tasmanian Chess Association.
Rate of Play: 5 rounds S/P. 90 minutes per player for the whole game.

Entries close Saturday 1st September 2001 10:45 AM.
Sessions: Saturday: 1st Sep Round 1: 11:00 AM - 2.00 PM Round 2: 3:00 PM -
6:00 PM Round 3: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Sunday: 2nd Sep Round 4: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Round 5: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Followed by presentation of prizes. 4:10 PM

Entry Fee: $40.00 seniors, $35.00 concessions, $30.00 juniors (U18). Early
entries $5.00 discount if paid by Wed 29 August.

Prizes: 1st: 45% of prize pool, 2nd: 25%, 3rd 10%. U 1700: 10%, U 1500: 10%.
Note: Prize pool is entry fees less running costs, ACF fees and TCA levy.
Tiebreak methods will be used.

Arbiter: Kevin Bonham plus assistants. FIDE 1997 laws apply.
Some billeting will be available.

Entries and Enquiries: Leo Minol 11 Docking Court Newstead Tas 7250 Phone 03
6344 7472 Email leominol@telstra.easymail.com.au

Note from Leo Minol:

Hi All!

My apology to all recipients of the Launceston Weekender notice for the
misspelled word of Launceston as "Flaunches".

The error occurred in transmission.  All the "Flaunches" should read
"Launceston", including the venue as it is in "Launceston Tas 7250".  There
is no town under the name of "Flaunches" in Tasmania.

Trust this message will reach you as corrected.

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CENTENARY OF FEDERATION GEELONG OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 1/2 SEPTEMBER


A Category 2 Grand Prix Event

Prize Pool 1st $700 2nd $450 3rd $200 3 Rating prizes of $200 Top Junior
$125 Top Lady $75
Players are eligible to receive only one of the above prizes, which are
guaranteed by our sponsor. 'Daniels Band'

Entry fee $50 Juniors and concession $40 Late entry $60
Arbiter John Frew

Entries will be received until Friday 31/8/2001 6pm. Entries may be sent by
mail to reach the G.C.C. Treasurer 83 Peter Street Grovedale Vic. Cheques
made payable to Geelong Chess Club.

Playing Schedule 8:30am entries close, subject to numbers 9am start
Some accommodation available Saturday night pre-book please.
All enquiries to: Bill Stokie 03 5250 1786
Venue: Lara Town Hall, Flinders Avenue Lara, Melways Ref 422 K5

 

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Mark Driver originally compiled this survey as a means to establish the
overall 'health' and popularity of the game of backgammon as played at the
formal level at local clubs around the world. A comparison will be made
between the statistics for 'live' play and online 'virtual' backgammon play.
Key sections of the survey focus on demographics such as the typical age
groups of players, the gender of players etc. Mark thought it would be
interesting to make a comparison between the statistics for the game of
chess and backgammon for one particular country such as Australia (where he
currently resides).

 

Kindly note that the survey certainly does not seek to identify any personal
details of club members/officials etc. The results from the survey will
however, be published in a number of forums: on the Gammonvillage.com
website and in a forthcoming quarterly newsletter of the British Isles
Backgammon Association - BIBAFAX.

The following survey is part of a research project comparing 'online' and
'real world', board gaming. Please feel free to elaborate on, or ignore any
particular questions, and return the completed questionnaire by email to
Mark Driver mdriver@mail.usyd.edu.au at your leisure.

 

What is the current membership of your club and/or typical number of
participants at tournaments?

 

What is the approximate ratio of male to female players?

 

What age group(s) does the club primarily attract? eg under - 18, 18-25,
25-40, 40+.

 

How do the above statistics compare to the past? Eg 1970's, 1980's, 1990's
etc

 

What level of players make up the majority of club participants? Eg
beginners/casuals, Intermediate/advanced, Expert ?

 

Does your club primarily attract, or target serious (money players) or
social/small stake players?

 

What is the approximate cost of participation at club or tournament events?
(local currency is fine).

 

Where is your club located, eg major city, large town, small town ?

 

What type of premises does the club occupy? eg public bar/hotel, private
'restricted access' social club, private home, etc.

 

What is the frequency of club events or meetings? eg daily, weekly, monthly
etc.

 

Is your club affiliated with a national organization/association etc?

 

How did most regular members first here about the club? eg word of mouth,
Internet, local adverts etc?

 

Has the club undertaken any marketing/promotional measures to attract new
players? eg publicity via: Internet site, local newspaper adverts, leaflets
etc.

 

If so were the promotional measures successful?

 

Do club events/tournaments attract local sponsorship (value added prize
money etc?).

 

Has the club attempted to obtain local sponsorship?

 

Have previous events attracted sponsorship, and if so in what era? eg mid
1970's, late 1970's, etc.

 

Has the club experienced problems attracting and retaining new members
and/or  female members?

 

What personal development initiatives if any are available to members? Eg
periodic seminars, informal advice, published and/or documented learning
resources such as a small library, computers for internet gaming etc?

 

Do other local board-game clubs exist in your area? eg (Chess), Go,
war-gaming, backgammon.

 

How does the membership (total, and/or male to female ratio, age groups
etc), and frequency of events of such clubs etc compare to your club?

 

In your opinion, what does the future hold for your local club/tournament(s)
? eg an increase, decline or stasis of membership and participants?

 

In your opinion, how has the advent of the Internet game servers affected
your club?

 

Please return to Mark Driver - mdriver@mail.usyd.edu.au

With very best wishes to all


Graeme Gardiner

President, Australian Chess Federation
Phone 07 5530 5794
Fax 07 5530 6959 
Email: graemeg@bigpond.net.au  http://www.auschess.org.au