From: "Graeme Gardiner" To: Subject: ACF Bulletin # 161 - 21 April 2002 Date: Sunday, April 21, 2002 8:12 ACF Bulletin # 161 - 21 April 2002 Paid Advertisement Australian Chess Enterprises is a leading supplier of chess equipment, books, videos and software. Try your luck and enter our competition! First prize is the latest version of Fritz or Shredder (your choice!). Second prize is a Foxy Opening Video of your choice. Third prize is a Purdy book of your choice. Everyone has a chance of winning! Simply fill in your email address at http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm#competition IN THIS ISSUE This Email Bulletin, Australian Olympic Committee, Restructure, Oceanic Zonal, World and Asian Junior Selections, 2002 Grand Prix, 37th Peninsula Open, Laurieton May Open, NSWCA May Weekender, Correspondence. THIS EMAIL BULLETIN A reminder that all back issues of this email bulletin can be found at http://www.auschess.org.au/bulletins/acfbt.htm. If you do not wish to receive the bulletin and wish to be removed from the ACF email database, simply email me at ggardiner@auschess.org.au. AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE Many thanks to Senior Counsel Steven Rares and Barrister Tim Reilly who both offered their assistance with a possible legal challenge to the Australian Olympic Committee's decision to reject the Australian Chess Federation's application for membership. We'll see how we go! RESTRUCTURE There was not one item of correspondence relating to my 'stir' on the structure of Australian chess. What am I to make of this? OCEANIC ZONAL 6 TO 11 MAY - VIRGILIO DE ASA So far, we have a likely 24 players in the Open with GM Darryl Johansen expected to be the top seed. Other highly rated players who have confirmed their participation: IM Gary Lane, IM Vladimir Feldman, IM Anthony Ker, FM Chris Depasquale, FM Mirko Rujevic, FM Bob Smith, FM Brett Tindall, FM Eddy Levi, FM Tim Reilly, Naum Kagan, Peter Green, Brian Jones, Stuart Fancy, Paul Spiller, Hilton Bennett, and of course the local Fiji players. In the Women's Division, we have only about 8 likely entries, with WIM Irina Berezina, WIM Laura Moylan, Catherine Lip, Nancy Lane, Vivian Smith, and local players Sita Anjali Devi, Artila Devi and Fanny Yee. On the administrative side, it's tough but we are putting our best efforts. Enquiries: Dr. Virgilio C. De Asa President, Fiji Chess Federation. Chairman, Organising Committee. Phone: (679) 3314-450 (w); (679) 3312-682(h) Mobile: (679) 9979-924 Fax: (679) 3303-655. Postal address: G.P.O. Box 12408, Suva, Fiji. E-Mail: virgilio_de_asa@hotmail.com. WORLD AND ASIAN JUNIOR SELECTIONS Asian Junior U/20 (Sri Lanka) 27 June to 6 July Boys David Smerdon Girls No nominees to date. http://www.chesssouthasia.20fr.com/custom4.html Asian U/16 (Calicut, India) 12 September to 22 September Boys Tomek Rej (Reserve Vincent Suttor) Girls No nominees to date. Childrens Olympiad (Malaysia) 20 to 27 August 1. Zong Yuan Zhao 2. Tomek Rej 3. Catherine Lip 4. Michelle Lee 5. Vincent Suttor (? Reserve) We are checking, but we believe that we can nominate a team of five. We are also likely to enter two or more teams which will not receive conditions. World Youth Festival (Crete, Greece) 14 to 22 November U/18 David Smerdon Girls (selections not finalised) U/16 Zong Yuan Zhao (Reserve Tomek Rej) Girls Catherine Lip U/14 Vincent Suttor Girls Heather Huddleston U/12 Ruperto Lugo Girls Michelle Lee U/10 Daniel Anderson Girls Angela Song World Junior U/20 (Yerevan, Armenia) 19 September to 2 October No selections to date 2002 GRAND PRIX Organiser: Norm Braybrooke 19 Trafalgar Drive Kippa-Ring 4021 Email . Webpage http://crcchess.topcities.com/GP2002.html Remaining events in 2002 (a reminder that we welcome details of each event for publication in this bulletin): 4/5 May Laurieton May Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060 endel@fasternet.com.au 4-6 May Redcliffe Peninsula Open QLD Cat 1 Mark Stokes 07 3205 6042 mstokes@bne.catholic.edu.au 18/19 May NSWCA Cat 1 Robert Keast 02 9649 8614 robert.keast@didata.com.au 18/19 May Adelaide Cup SA Cat 1 George Howard 08 8271 2757 georgeshoward@hotmail.com 8/9 June Queens Birthday Weekender SA Cat 1 George Howard 08 8271 2757 georgeshoward@hotmail.com 8-10 June Tasmanian Championships Burnie TAS Cat 1 Neville Ledger nlchess@tassie.net.au ph 03 6431 1280 8-10 June NSWCA Cat 2 Robert Keast 02 9649 8614 robert.keast@didata.com.au 22/23 June Taree RSL Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060 endel@fasternet.com.au 22/23 June Gold Coast Open QLD Cat 3 Graeme Gardiner 07 5530 5794 ggardiner@auschess.org.au 29/30 June Suncoast Open Chess Tournament Noosa QLD Cat 3 Robert Hochstadt 07 5447 5056 robhoch@ozemail.com.au 13/14 July Fairfield Winter Cup NSW Cat TBA Rolando Atienza 0421 379940 atienzarolando@hotmail.com 13/14 July Adelaide University Open SA Cat 3 Robin Wedding 08 8303 3029 chess@smug.adelaide.edu.au 3/4 August NSWCA Cat 1 Robert Keast 02 9649 8614 robert.keast@didata.com.au 10/11 August Coal City Open NSW Cat 2 George Lithgow 02 4943 3862 george.lithgow@bigpond.com 7/8 September Launceston Weekender TAS Cat 1 Leo Minol 03 6344 7472 leominol@bigpond.com 14/15 Sept Hobsons Bay Open VIC Cat 1 Peter Caissa 0411 710900 pcaissa@melbpc.org.au 21/22 Sept Gold Coast Classic QLD Cat 3 Graeme Gardiner 07 5530 5794 ggardiner@auschess.org.au 5/6 Oct Redliffe Challenge QLD Cat 1 Mark Stokes 07 3205 6042 mstokes@bne.catholic.edu.au 5/6 October Lidums Cup SA Cat 2 George Howard 08 8271 2757 georgeshoward@hotmail.com 5-7 Oct Koala Open NSW Cat 3 Brian Jones 02 9838 1529 chessaus@chessaustralia.com.au 12/13 Oct Tweed Heads Open QLD Cat 3 Audie Pennefather 07 5536 9185 pennefather@iprimus.com 2/3 Nov Laurieton Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060 endel@fasternet.com.au 3-5 Nov Tasmanian Open Hobart TAS Cat 1 Kevin Bonham 03 6224 8487 k_bonham@tassie.net.au 16/17 Nov Taree RSL Spring Open NSW Cat 1 Endel Lane 02 6559 9060 endel@fasternet.com.au 23/24 Nov NSWCA Cat 1 Robert Keast 02 9649 8614 robert.keast@didata.com.au 14/15 December Fairfield Winter Cup NSW Cat TBA Rolando Atienza 0421 379940 atienzarolando@hotmail.com NSW 16, Qld 6, Tas 4, SA 4, ACT 1, WA 1, Vic 1. Total 33 events. 37TH PENINSULA OPEN (REDCLIFFE) 4 TO 6 May An ACF Grand Prix Class 1 Event Venue: Library, Redcliffe State High School Cnr Oxley Ave and Klingner Rd, Redcliffe, Queensland Prizes: 1st $500 2nd $250 3rd $125 Class/Group Prizes $100 (Minimum 10 players per group). Groupings to be determined on day. Juniors U1100 $50 (minimum 5 players ) Cadets U1100 $50 (minimum 5 players) Unrated $50 (minimum 5 players) Saturday: Registration 9.00am - 9.45am, Rd 1 - 10.00am, Rd 2 - 1.00 pm, Rd 3 - 3.30pm Sunday: Rd 4 - 10.00 am, Rd 5 - 2.00 pm Monday: Rd 6 - 9.00 am, Rd 7 - 1.00pm Monday Time controls: Rds 1 - 2: 60 minutes each plus 10 secs per move, Rds 3 - 7: 90 minutes each plus 10 secs per move Entry fees: Seniors $50 Pensioners/FTS $45 Juniors (under 18 at 01/01//02) $40 Cadets (under 12 at 01/01/02) $30 Discount $5 for entries paid by 1 May 2001 $10 surcharge for late entries (after 3 May) Entries/enquiries Mark Stokes 20 Melaleuca Drive Strathpine Qld 4500 Tel: 3205 6042 Email mstokes@bne.catholic.edu.au LAURIETON MAY OPEN 4/5 MAY ACF Grand Prix Cat 1 Event. IM Guy West is a confirmed entry. Venue: Laurieton United Servicemen’s Club on the waterfront in Seymour Street. Excellent playing conditions provided by our Major Sponsor L.U.S.C. Times: Saturday 10:00am, 12:30pm, 3:15pm, 5:45pm. Sunday 10:00am, 12:30pm, 3:15pm. Presentation after Round 7. Time Limit: 60 minutes per player for game. Games will be ACF rated. Prizes: $200 First Prize. Divisional prizes determined by the number of entries. Players can only win one prize each. The decision of Tournament Directors will be final. Entry: $25 1500+ Rtg, $20 U1500, $15 U1250 & unrated. $5 Discount for Juniors under 18 years of age. $5 Juniors in first Australian Chess Federation Rated Tournament. Tea/Coffee/Cordial supplied free! Club Bistro open for Lunch. Contact: Endel Lane 6559 9060, Strahan 6585 1143. NSWCA MAY WEEKENDER 18/19 MAY ACF Grand Prix Cat 1 Event Venue: Ashfield Catholic and Community Club 7 Charlotte St, Ashfield (1 minute from Ashfield Railway Station) Saturday Registration 9:00am-9:30am Rd 1 10:00am, Rd 2 12:30pm, Rd 3 3:00pm, Rd 4 5:30pm Sunday Rd 5 10:00am, Rd 6 12:30pm, Rd 7 3:00pm Presentation 5:30pm Time Limit 30 minutes plus 30 seconds per move Entry Fees: Adult $60. Juniors, Concession $50 (U15 $40) All entries must be on official entry form (or copy). Payment and entries accepted on the day before 9:30am. Or pre register via phone or email and save $10 (details below). All NSW resident players must be members of NSWCA or NSWJCL. 1st Prize $250 Other prizes will be announced on the day and are dependant on the number of players. Players are eligible for only 1 prize. Please make all cheques payable to NSWCA. Mail must be sent before 3 May 2002 to GPO Box 2418 Sydney 1043. Enquiries - Pre registration - pay on the day. Robert Keast 0417497258. robert.keast@didata.com.au. CORRESPONDENCE PAUL SIKE Dear Graeme I am replying to Paul Dunn’s letter that you published in the ACF Bulletin #160 of 14/4/02. Paul made a number of incorrect assertions. As a result of Paul’s letter there have been some undesirable postings on the ACF Bulletin Board. I acknowledge that Paul Dunn (and his colleague Shaun Press) makes a significant contribution to the Australian chess scene (a lot more than mine!). I can understand the emotionalism in Paul’s letter as he would have put in a lot of effort into organising the Doeberl Cup. However, he should get his facts right before sending off letters to you for publication. Before I begin, I should explain my involvement with this year’s Sydney Easter Cup. At the Canterbury Leagues chess club’s last AGM one of our members (Peter Hanna) suggested that Canterbury host this year’s Sydney Easter Cup. After finding out that Parramatta (last year’s host) was not interested in hosting it for 2002, Canterbury decided to step in and host it. An “Easter Cup Committee” of myself, Bob Keast and Peter Hanna was appointed to run it. I was the chief contact person for enquiries. The 2002 Sydney Easter Cup was my first involvement in running a chess tournament. Paul claims that because of the Sydney Easter Cup (and Bob Keast in particular) there were 10 fewer entries in this year’s Doeberl Cup. I printed out a list of all the players who played in the 2001 Doeberl Cup (from Ian Rout’s excellent ACT chess website). I looked at the names of the 164 players in the 2001 Doeberl Cup and intercompared them with the list of 57 players in the 2002 Sydney Easter Cup. NONE of the players who played in the 2001 Doeberl Cup competed in the 2002 Sydney Easter Cup. That’s right, NONE! It may be worth noting that (according to Bob Keast) George Xie (a 2000 Doeberl Cup participant) would have attended the 2002 Doeberl Cup but could not get transport down there. As a result he played in the 2002 Sydney Easter Cup. Although the 2002 Sydney Easter Cup was promoted on the NSWCA’s website, it was not run by the NSWCA (it was run by the Canterbury Leagues Chess Club). By running it under the “Canterbury Leagues Chess Club banner” (as opposed to the “NSWCA banner”) $200 and a rent free venue was provided by Canterbury Leagues Club (a vastly better venue for chess players than the usual Sydney weekend chess venues!). This covered all the costs of the tournament, enabling all money collected from entry fees to be redistributed as prizemoney. As well as being NSWCA President, Bob Keast is also the Secretary of the Canterbury Leagues Chess Club. It was in his capacity as Canterbury Secretary that Bob ran the Easter Cup. I can’t speak for the 2000 and 2001 Sydney Easter Cups (I had no involvement in them), but I can assure Paul that the 2002 Doeberl Cup was not targeted by the NSWCA (or any other organisation). The 2002 Sydney Easter Cup was set up to cater for people remaining in Sydney (a city of 4 million) during the Easter break who wanted to play some organised chess but were either 1) time poor (a lot of people cannot commit to 4 days of chess as they have other commitments) or 2) cannot afford the cost of 3 nights accommodation in Canberra (plus food and transport) or 3) unwilling/unable to travel 300km to play chess (a lot of club chess players in Sydney don’t like to travel more than 10km for games of chess, let alone 300km!). Myself (and Bob and Peter) were conscious of the fact that the Doeberl Cup was on at Easter. Because of this, there were significant differences between the Sydney Easter Cup and the Doeberl Cup so as not to detract from the Doeberl Cup. The 2002 Sydney Easter Cup deliberately had low entry fees ($15 to $25) and therefore low prizemoney ($1160) as compared with the Doeberl Cup’s $40 to $90 entry fees and $10,000 prizemoney. The Sydney Easter Cup was run over 2 days and the Doeberl Cup over 4 days. The Sydney Easter Cup had 1 hour per player time limits as compared with the Doeberl Cup’s 2 hour plus per player time limits. The Doeberl Cup was FIDE rated and part of the Grand Prix (the Sydney Easter Cup was not). Has the presence of the Sydney Easter Cup affected entries to the Doeberl Cup? The Sydney Easter Cup started in 2000. Therefore, I printed out a list of all the players who played in the 1999 Doeberl Cup (from Ian Rout’s website) and compared it with the list of 57 players in this year’s Sydney Easter Cup. There were only 3 matches. I have been informed that one of them (John Bolens) experienced accommodation difficulties the last time he played in Canberra (therefore it would seem that his non-attendance at this year’s Doeberl Cup has more to do with this than the presence of the Sydney Easter Cup). As for the other 2 players, I don’t know. Maybe the presence of the Sydney Easter Cup has affected their participation in the Doeberl Cup or maybe it is due to other factors (changed financial/family circumstances etc). Whatever the situation with these 3 players, it can be seen that the impact of the Sydney Easter Cup on the Doeberl Cup has been negligible. I will not get involved in running next year’s Sydney Easter Cup due to the controversy that this has attracted over the last few days. It’s just not worth it. I wish the Doeberl Cup well for next year and hope that it will be more successful than this year. Yours Sincerely Paul Sike 2002 Sydney Easter Cup Committee Member MARIUSZ JAREK I'm writing in regards to Paul Dunn's statement regarding the Easter Cup/Doeberl Cup. I was a competitor of the Easter Cup, and can virtually guarantee that the tournament in no way detracted from the number of entries in the Doeberl Cup. Firstly, the Easter cup was not a part of the Grand Prix circuit, and therefore does not give the incentive of winning GP points. Secondly, the tournament tends to attract players whose financial limitations do not allow them the luxury of going to Canberra. Furthermore, it in no way intentionally targeted the Doeberl Cup with its timing. It was a long weekend, which by logical deduction is a very good time to hold weekend tournaments, since people don't have to work the next day! Isn't that part of the reason for the Doeberl Cup's timing ? Bob Keast did a big favour to NSW players giving up his time organising the tournament for the players of Sydney, who appreciated his efforts. The two tournaments are separate and unrelated events. Thank you. MJ GUY WEST I'm responding to the letter from Richard Thorne criticizing the ACF for running paid advertisements for smartgambler.com.au in recent bulletins. There are two areas in which Mr Thorne is ill informed. Firstly his contention that you cannot win by betting scientifically, apparent from his comment, 'The bookies and casinos know differently'. Would this be the same casinos that have barred or introduced restrictions on (at least) three Australian chessplayers from playing blackjack in recent years because they knew that those players were achieving a statistical edge against them by the very well known (and legal) practice of card counting? Has Mr Thorne ever heard the term 'Professional gambler'? Or the term 'arbitrage'? When someone wins US $1 million by taking out the World Series of Poker each year is this player just a lucky gambler? I don't think so. People who bet scientifically to win are well documented and it surprises me that there are still people who are unaware of this. The parallel between the use of intelligence in playing chess and the use of intelligence in certain calculated gambling attacks is absolutely valid. A quick look at the website of the Swinburne University School of Mathematical Sciences would soon make this clear to Mr Thorne. The second aspect in which Mr Thorne is ill informed is his prohibitionist notion that betting on your favourite sport or racing is unsavoury. This is a value more suited to a fundamentalist religious state than a modern secular society. To call it 'controversial' is a technique used by people wanting to promote a minority moral conviction and give it some validity. It's like saying that drinking alcohol is 'controversial'. The proliferation of mindless poker machines that pay out 82c in the dollar and get a third or more of their revenue from problem gamblers is controversial. But even the most conservative of wowsers are not calling for the banning of betting on football or the closing down of racetracks. Any intelligent commentary on this issue needs to appreciate such distinctions. Guy West KEVIN BONHAM I wish to respond to the comments by Richard Thorne regarding gambling. It is possible for people making use of large stores of data and advanced mathematical/computer methods to make a profit in betting on horse racing and other sports; in fact some people make a lucrative living out of it. The reason these forms of betting are still viable for bookies is that the vast majority of gamblers are less informed or more prejudiced, and a few informed ones making profits through objective analysis does not stop the bookies making handsome profits. The same is true for casinos operating blackjack, a game where highly skilled players just profit but the majority lose money. In terms of the desirability of encouraging people to gamble, I see nothing wrong with encouraging people to gamble intelligently and specifically on those games where it is possible to make a long-term profit. I would be concerned if we accepted advertisements from the proverbial "pokies", but skill-based sportsbetting is actually quite similar to what chessplayers do every weekender when they pay an entry fee, of which a proportion goes to administration. Also, while chess is a game of skill, there is an unpredictable element: every time you play a risky gambit believing (possibly with good reason) that your opponent will not know how to handle it, you are gambling with your results and potential prizes. Decisions about taking a draw or playing on are often gambling-type decisions. I have no reservations about the ACF accepting paid advertisements from Smartbetting, especially not when the site in question also contains solid free educational information about the risks and potential of different forms of betting. Please note, I am not a customer of this site or involved with it or anything else similar. As for the letter by John Kable, I have studied it thoroughly in my role as a member of the constitutional subcommittee. Kable makes some good points but the majority of changes he recommends are in my view not necessary either constitutionally or in policy terms, and I would be happy to discuss these issues further with anyone interested (email k_bonham@postoffice.utas.edu.au). The constitutional references in Kable's letter are also out of date, for instance his proposal (3) was adopted some time ago. Kevin Bonham BRIAN JONES Dear Graeme Whilst agreeing with most of what John Kable says with respect to the Australian Championship and the Bye Laws, I would support the names "Major" and/or "Minor" rather than "Reserves" for the supporting tournament(s). The "Major" event was first introduced at the 1990 Australian Championships in Sydney (I remember this well because I was Chairman of the Organising Committee). It was felt that despite its history, the name "Reserves" was negative and misleading. The majority of the players are simply not reserves. The "Minor" event is designed for players with a lower rating, who consider the "Major" too strong. I have always been of the view that the Australian Championships are for everybody. Only a few can play in the Championship proper so there should be events for the average player (rated 1400) as well as for the strong non-Championship player (rated 1800+). In this age when marketing is vital, there should be a tournament suitable for everyone (not just the elite). Brian Jones NIKOLA ZBILJIC Dear Graeme, I am writing to you on the issue as to who should be selected to compete in Australian Championship ie. who is elegible to be Australian Champion. Not everyone can afford playing tournaments all year round especially here in Australia in order to improve his/her rating so it can be considered to play, also some players with high ratings are on decline and there are numerous examples that so called masters IMs and GMs fall victim to this little "guppy" of a chess player so everyone should be able to compete to be Australian Champion. My proposal: 1. State and Teritory Champions (7) 2. Qualifying Tournaments: (3 in NSW and VIC, 2 in SA, WA, QLD, ACT and NT (16) 3. Top 5 FIDE rated Australian players (5) 4. Defending Champion (1) 5. 3 places for overseas GMs (these can be chosen by ACFs Selection Commitee's descretion) (3) As one can see from above proposal is that still 6 places are reserved for "Best" Aussie players 3 for foreign GMs but also 23 places are made available to everyone Down Under who can either be state or territory champion or a champion of one of the qualifying tournaments. Very Fair!! Don't make chess a game just for the rich!!! Yours sincerely, Nikola Zbiljic PS I am sure that some of the players playing in Liverpool Mall in Western Sydney would give some of our decorated players a run for their money!!!! PPS Who cares that tournaments in ACT and NSW clash. Let's make tournaments financially viable by attracting sponsorship, higher prizemoney will of course attract stronger players. Why a 1200 rater should make up the numbers and his entry fee feed the IMs GMs at Doeberl (Sorry Shaun) when it can do that in Sydney without exposing himself to extra cost ie. travel accommodation etc. With very best wishes to all. Graeme Gardiner President Australian Chess Federation 11 Hardys Road Mudgeeraba Queensland 4213 Phone +61 7 5530 5794 Mobile 0438 305797 Fax +61 7 5530 6959 Email ggardiner@auschess.org.au Chess - the Clever Sport!