Chess for everyone! Ballarat Chess
Chess Coaching Term 4, 2025
To all Ballarat Junior Chess Club members, parents and chess players
Start Date: Thursday, 1st May
End Date: Thursday, 4th December
Time: 5:30 pm to 6:45/7:00 pm
Location: Humffray Room, Level 4, Ballarat Mechanics Institute, 117 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Registration and Fees
Students from Term 3, 2025 can now register and pay for Term 4 via this TryBooking link https://www.trybooking.com/DGGGJ
New students or those returning after a break must complete the 2025 application form first.
Country Chess Championship 2025
A timely reminder that the 2025 Victorian Country Chess Championship will be held in Bendigo over the weekend of 11th and 12th October.
The early bird discounted entry fee will finish on Sunday 5th October. After that time, the cost of entry will be $10 higher. Registration and payment can be completed by card at the TryBooking link of https://www.trybooking.com/DFFKZ . Completing registration and payment in this manner will assist with administration at the weekend. If for any reason a player must withdraw then their entry fee will be refunded, provided you advise one of us before the start of play.
The championships are being hosted by the Bendigo Chess Club. There will be a new venue for the championships this year. They will be held in the Nancy Long Dining Hall at the Latrobe University, Edwards Road Bendigo. The University is best accessed through gate 8 on Sharon Street, with the playing room at building D1 on the attached map. Some more information about the venue can be found at https://www.latrobe.edu.au/bendigo/about/location .
We are expecting an entry of over 30 players and already some very strong players have registered including last year’s champion Ruari Coffey and Reinier Millan who won in 2023 and 2022. There are also a number of younger players competing for the first time.
A players meeting will be held on Sunday afternoon before the start of the last round. At that meeting a proposal to incorporate the Victorian Rural Chess League under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012, will be presented for discussion.
Best wishes to everyone, stay healthy and we look forward to catching up with you in Bendigo.
Victorian Rural Chess League Committee
Heffalumps
Chris Depasquale commented on a game between CM Hain and IM Solomon in this year's Begonia Open, in his chess column in The Age. Have a look at the article and game here...
Prize-giving Ceremony - Club Championship 2025
and Inaugural Women's Champion Anna Yates. Peter presented the prize for the unrated winner to Minsadi Wansapura
2025 Victorian Country Chess Championship
To all Country Chess Players
We are pleased to advise that the 2025 Victorian Country Chess Championship will be held in Bendigo over the weekend of 11th and 12th October.
There will be a new venue for the championships this year. They will be held in the Nancy Long Dining Hall at the Latrobe University, Edwards Road Bendigo. The University is best accessed through gate 8 on Sharon Street, with the playing room at building D1 on the attached map. Some more information about the venue can be found here .
Details for the championship and how to enter are shown on the attached flyer. We encourage everyone who is considering competing to register and pay their entry fee at the TryBooking link of https://www.trybooking.com/DFFKZ . Please see more information about this event here...
Teters Memorial
Midway through the tournament, Declan Smith leads by a half point, followed by Patrick Cook and Declan Mahar. 54 players are on the list with attendance levels quite high.
'The Usurper' - the Immortal Sacrifice Game
Kevin Perrin recently found this game, featured in David Howell's The Times chess column, in his archives and played through it because he recognised the name 'Grigory Serper' as a player at the World Junior championship held in Adelaide in 1988 for which he was the chief arbiter. That event included household names such as Gelfand, Ivanchuk, Akopian, Adams, Polgar and many other future stars, but it was won by Joel Lautier from France. It was one of his most rewarding chess experiences.
Play through Serper, the usurper's game against Ioannis Nikolaidis to experience "the story of the hecatomb, the legendary Greek sacrifice of 100 oxen", cited as an inspiration for Serper's game. Swedish GM Tiger Hillarp in his recent book, "Tiger's Chaos Theory" 2024, gives this game to show that intuition can play a vital part in chess; Serper sacrifices his entire army to win the game.
Fletcher-Morrow Shield Match 2025
Ballarat Chess Club hosted the 15th annual inter-city challenge match against our old rivals Geelong Chess Club for the Fletcher-Morrow shield at the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute in Sturt Street on Sunday 10th August 2025.
This year also marks the centenary of the very first match between our 2 Clubs, and so we were keen to make it a special occasion. Geelong were able to muster 20 players for the trip, while Ballarat had 25 players on hand as well, and so over 40 players were assembled for this special event. This enabled us to field 2 teams each, with the 'A' teams competing for the shield, and the 'B' teams competing for “bragging” rights.
The BMI was also keenly aware of the historic occasion, and the Hooper Room, site of that first match, was made available for speeches and photos, with the original chess tables and chairs in place.
President of the BMI, Paula Nicholson, was in attendance to welcome the players, and Phil Roberts OAM, a noted Ballarat historian and patron of the BMI, gave a brief address on the 1925 match. Photos were taken by BMI photographer Ellen Becker. After the formalities, the assembled players moved upstairs to our splendid Club venue in the Humffray Room for the ensuing battles.
Perhaps we should have played downstairs and reproduced the 1925 triumph! Sadly, despite fielding close to our dream team for the 'A' match, we once again fell to defeat in the Fletcher-Morrow challenge with a 3.5-6.5 score. Only Club Champion, Declan Smith, and Scott Stewart scored morale boosting wins, with Paul Dao, Justin Goodison, and Patrick Cook holding draws.
The 'B' team, a strong team in itself, was also defeated with a 3-7 score. Paul Marko, Shanaya Guha, and Ryan Lambrou gathered the 3 wins.
So, the powerful Geelong team were able to reverse the 1925 result, whilst also once again holding the Fletcher-Morrow shield. The overall score is now 10 match wins for Geelong, 4 match wins for Ballarat, and one tie.
Thanks go to the team Captains, Patrick Cook for Ballarat, and Jack Smith for Geelong, for gathering so many players, the Ballarat Mechanics Institute for coming to the party, Kevin Perrin for liaising with the BMI, and the players themselves who contributed mightily to an enjoyable day of chess.
It's been a hundred years!
The annual inter-city Ballarat v Geelong chess match for the Fletcher Morrow shield will be held at the BMI at 1.00pm this Sunday. As we know this is the centenary of the historical match played in 1925 and as depicted in the attached photograph. It will be good if as many of us are present for this year’s photo, even if you are not available to play or have not been selected.
I had a call from Paula Nicholson, the President of the BMI on Tuesday who was asking what the arrangements are for this occasion. She said that Phil Roberts OAM who is a patron of the BMI and author of 16 books has offered to speak and welcome the teams to the BMI. I think that is a great idea and I have accepted this offer on behalf of the club. I asked him to arrive at around 12.45pm when the Geelong players are expected to be here. Paula is likely to be present as well.
Rosemary the BMI librarian is making sure that the 5 or 6 historic tables which are featured in the 1925 photo will be present in the Hooper Room on the ground floor. I will ask for some of the old chairs to be there as well. This is the room where the 2025 photo should be taken before the players move to the Humffray Room to play the match. The Hooper room is probably a bit small for the number of players expected to play the match.
Our team captain Patrick said he is expecting 20 players to arrive from Geelong at about 12.45pm. We should endeavour to have at least that many Ballarat members and players present at this time. Patrick will confirm the final playing numbers on Friday. We look like having a strong team and should put up a good showing, but Geelong usually manages to field a stronger team based on ratings than we can muster. Nevertheless, it should be a great day. I am in Melbourne on Saturday but will be in at the BMI at 10.00am on Sunday to complete a preliminary set up.
Phil Roberts is a delightful person and a very good author. He has written some excellent books about Ballarat including, the History of Ballarat High School, History of Ballarat & Clarendon College, Golden Century of Scouting in Ballarat and District, the History of the North Ballarat Football Club, Avenue of Memories (about the Arch of Victory) and recently the Ballaarat Club. We should try to encourage him to write a book on the history of our club and our connection with the BMI.
Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Sunday at the BMI. Feel free to come in some clothing of 1925 vintage if you are able to.
Ballarat plays Geelong - The Ballarat Courier 26 April 1925
Ballarat plays Geelong. From "The Ballarat Courier" 26 April 1925
"Strategist met strategist yesterday afternoon and evening when the chess club of the Mechanics Institute met players of the Geelong Institution in the rooms of the former body. It is some considerable time since the game has been locally played in an inter-city sense, and a great deal of interest centred in it. On Wednesday evening the visitors arrived and were met at the station by Ballarat players. The match commenced yesterday and at the end of the afternoon Ballarat were holding the fort with a substantial majority.
However, a truce was called about 6pm and during a brief armistice, the opposing sides fraternised over an excellent dinner at Brazenor’s Alexandria Café. Mr. H.G. Morrow (President of the Mechanics Institute) presided when the time came around for toasts. He admitted that his knowledge of chess was limited. In fact as far as chess was concerned he appealed for mercy with Messrs.Fletcher and Spielvogel (president and secretary of the Ballarat club). He had much pleasure in bidding the visitors welcome. The visit meant a revival of chess and he predicted a big future for the game as far as Geelong and Ballarat were concerned. It was a great and elevating social pastime. To him it was refreshing to learn the hold it had upon the men of Geelong.
Mr. J.C. Fletcher said that the more one knew of a subject the less one could say about it. He expressed pleasure at the large number of players who had come from Geelong. He trusted Ballarat would give Geelong a return match.
Mr. N.F. Spielvogel also welcomed the visitors. He was grateful he had learned what he knew of the game when a young man. He had played solo poker and auction but chess could beat the lot. A man could play it on his own without wasting time. Chess was a worldwide language and as far as the state of Victoria was concerned, he was never in a town where chess was not played. A Town v Country match should be played about September next, just as it was played about 1894. Or rather, he should say the intention of ’94 had proved abortive. It was pleasing to know there would be a return match.
Mr. Fallow (Captain of the visiting team) said Ballarat was a city where history was made and at the present time history was in the process of being made once more. Nothing similar to the present fixture had previously occurred between Geelong and Ballarat. He trusted this was but the first of many such matches and he looked forward to the return. Melbourne players would soon be visiting Geelong and there was no reason why matches should not be played by the three clubs and become seasonal events.
Mr. Sadeston spoke of the time when in the ‘70’s, the Geelong club had been formed with the late Sir Graeme Berry as president, and Melbourne sent their players to the matches then. His first game had been against Prof. Andrews and he won. Ballarat’s entertainment had been right royal and he hoped Geelong would be given the opportunity later on to reciprocate.
Mr. W.C. Little, in proposing the toast of the president, trusted that the movement would grow strongly.
Mr. H.G. Morrow responded and paid a tribute to the secretary (Mr. H.C. Batten), whom he said had done excellent work towards guaranteeing the success of the visit. He was apparently untiring. At the conclusion players adjourned to continue the match.
THE PLAY
In about an hour H. Gordon scored first win for Ballarat. J. Hall won the next game, and T. Rauch won the third one. At the adjournment Gardiner (Ballarat) was leading 3.5 – 1.5. On resumption, the four top tables were all scenes of exciting play. Positions became intricate, requiring very careful watching to analyse.
At the top board Fletcher had valuable extra pawns in exchange for a piece. He pressed hard with these pawns and won.
At the second board Sabeston and Spielvogel (curiously enough both ex-headmasters from Wangaratta) had a strenuous fight which looked like a draw, but Spielvogel at last found a weak spot and drove it home, and won.
A long struggle took place at number three board between Odlum and Fallow. After over four hours of attack and counter-attack the game resulted in an honourable draw.
Another four-hour game was played at the fourth board between Greenhalgh and Fitzpatrick. It finished in a race for queen, and Greenhalgh got there first and won. The game at board six between C. Gordon and F. Glover looked very even, but the Geelong man worked up a good attack and won. H. Gordon won two games in good style from Dann, and Hall also showed good form by winning the two from Synot.
Rauch, of the Ballarat team helped to swell the score by winning two games gallantly from Hall. W.C.Little played well but found Holland too tough, and had to be content with one draw and a loss.
Dr. Wallace was the only Geelong man to secure two wins, though Martin gave him a good go in the second game. F Webb, at the eleventh board, playing very carefully wore his opponent, Nichterlein, down and won both games. The Geelong team, though defeated, proved themselves worthy foemen, and when playing on their own ground will certainly give Ballarat’s chosen men much more trouble."
SCORES:
Ballarat: Geelong:
J.C. Fletcher 1 R. Hitcher 0
N.F. Spielvogel 1 R. Sabeston 0
T.R. Odlun 0.5 L. Fallow 0.5
R.W. Greenhalgh 1 T. Fitzpatrick 0
C. Gordon 0 F. Glover 1
H. Gordon 2 T. Dann 0
J. Hall 2 M. Synot 0
T. Rauch 2 F.S. Hall 0
W.C. Little 0.5 G. Holland 1.5
B. Martin 0 Dr. Wallace 2
F. Webb 2 N. Nichterlein 0
TOTAL:
Ballarat 12 Geelong 5
INTERCITY CHESS - BALLARAT BEATS GEELONG
The first intercity Chess match ever played in Victoria took place in Ballarat yesterday, when the home team defeated a team from Geelong by 12 points to 5. The play was most interesting. Several of the games lasted from 3 to 4 hours. A flashlight photograph of the players at the boards was made during the afternoon. Special interest attached to the meeting of Messrs Sabeston and Spielvogel, both former headmasters of Wangaratta Stae School, who had never previously met.
Eleven players made the trip from Geelong, and were accompanied by Mr. D.MacDonald, secretary to the Mechanics Institute (of Geelong). Both teams were entertained to light refreshments, also to dinner at the Alexandra Cafe, by the Ballarat Institute. The President, Mr H.G.Morrow, welcomed the Geelong visitors, and interesting speeches were also made by Messrs. Fletcher, captain of the Ballarat team, and Spielvogel. All the speakers expressed their pleasure to see such a revival of chess. Messrs.Fallaw (Geelong captain) and Sabeston responded in similar vein. After dinner, play was concluded and the visitors left for Geelong, tired but not downhearted. Ballarat expects at an early date to play a return visit here (in Geelong). Another event which is being looked forward to is an expected visit next month from a Melbourne team. Undoubtedly, chess in Geelong is receiving more substantial support than it has ever enjoyed before. Membership of the Mechanics Institute entitles anyone to join the Chess Club without further fee. The present officials are: President, Mr.L.Fallaw; vice-presidents, Messrs Sebaston, Glover and Hitchens; secretary, and treasurer Mr. D.Macdonald. The president of the Geelong Mechanics Institute, Mr.D.MacLennon, would have accompanied the Geelong to Ballarat had he not been called to Melbourne.
The Ballarat Courier 7th Sept 1925.
Ballarat plays Geelong - return match.
Ballarat easily defeated Geelong in the return chess match on Saturday evening in Geelong. Of seven games played, Ballarat won five, drew one and lost one. Details:-
Ballarat Geelong
Greenhalgh 1 Hitchens 0
Odlum ½ Fitzpatrick ½
Spielvogel 1 Falls 0
Fletcher 1 Glover 0
Rauch 1 Wallace 0
Hall 0 Dann 1
Little 1 Synoit 0
The visitors were entertained at dinner on arrival. Mr.D.McLennon, president of the Geelong Mechanics' committee welcomed the Ballarat players, and Mr.Fletcher responded.
Rapid Play 2
A great entry of 39 players, with three players only on full points after the first round. Results in Rapid2 tab above. One more week of Rapid Play, come along, all welcome!
Term 3 Junior Chess Coaching
To all Ballarat Junior Chess Club members, parents and chess players
Chess coaching and games sessions for Term 3 of 2025 are back and we are pleased to present the information and registration details below.
Term 3 Coaching Details
Start Date: Thursday, 24th July
End Date: Thursday, 18th September
Time: 5:30 pm to 6:45/7:00 pm
Location: Humffray Room, Level 4, Ballarat Mechanics Institute, 117 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Registration and Fees: Students from Term 2, 2025 can now register and pay for Term 3 via this TryBooking link https://www.trybooking.com/DDPQM .
Simultaneous Exhibition with GM Darryl Johansen
GM Johansen (14 time Begonia Open Champion!) travelled up from Melbourne to play 32 local Ballarat club members in a simultaneous exhibition held on July 3rd at the BMI. He played with the white pieces and opened with either c4 or Nf3. Only three players managed to hold him to a draw, Club Champion Declan Smith, Minsadi Wansapura and her father Kanchana Wansapura (well done to the Wansapura family!)
GM Johansen explains how the exhibition will run
Championships' final round
The final round of our special 60th Jubilee Championships saw 40 players at the boards for the commencement of play. Another 24 players were not paired.
On Board 1 Sam Song took on the Champion elect CM Declan Smith, but was unable to hold the rampaging Champion. On Board 2, Justin Goodison, who has had a fine tournament, showed his class with a strong win over Vipin Jyani. On Board 3 Bas van Riel proved to be just too strong and experienced for junior Rehhyansh Mukherjee, who still had an excellent event. More...
BCCC Round 8
With our 60th Jubilee Championship nearing its conclusion, the title(s) are still up for grabs, as 46 players sat down to fight it out over the Boards. No less than 17 players were not paired. On Board 1, the leader CM Declan Smith faced the inventive and dangerous Paja Marko, and was in some trouble early before fighting his way out for a crucial victory. More...
BCCC Round 7
Our exciting 2025 Championship tournament continued on Thursday evening with 46 players sitting
down at the boards. 6 players took their last chance for a half point bye, while 9 players were not paired.
On Board 1, 8-time champion Bas van Riel took on top seed CM Declan Smith and resigned after just 11
moves when a faulty pawn exchange dropped a piece. More...
BCCC Round 6
Our 60th Jubilee Championship continued on Thursday night, with 49 players, so 1 player was given a
bye, 5 players took a half point bye, including defending champion James Watson, and 8 players were not
paired.
On Board 1, Minsadi Wansapura had the daunting task of facing top seed Declan Smith. She was unable to
cope with his high class and duly lost. On Board 2, Vipin Jyani met Sam Song in a tough, high quality
struggle. Neither player could gain an edge and the game ended in a draw. On Board 3, Justin Goodison
sacrificed a piece for a seemingly decisive mating attack against Bas van Riel, only to see Bas find a
spectacular save that gave Bas the point. On Board 4, Patrick Cook won a piece for 3 pawns late in the
middle game against Michael Leckie. Michael assessed the endgame as lost and resigned rather than be
tortured by Patrick's technique. On Board 5, Scott Stewart had little trouble despatching high flying junior
Anirudh Weerakoddy.
CM Declan Smith continues to lead with 5.5/6, with Patrick Cook, Vipin Jyani, and Bas van Riel at a
respectable 1 point behind on 4.5/6.
Minsadi Wansapura still leads the Women's Championship on 3.5/6, with Shanaya Guha now in contention
on 3/6.
Board 1 ready to go, Minsadi enjoying the experience of being on the top board!
BCCC Round 5
With the tournament reaching the half-way mark, exciting chess and interesting results continued after 46 players sat down for Round 5. 7 players took half point byes, and 5 were not paired.
On Board 1 the much-anticipated showdown between top seed Declan Smith and 2nd seed, defending Champion James Watson was a win for Declan after a tense, high quality game. On Board 2, Rob Loveband fell to a focused Vipin Jyani, while on Board 3, Sam Song survived after dropping a pawn against drawmeister Patrick Cook. That game was the only draw of the round! On Board 4, Bas van Riel brushed aside Anirudh Weerakoddy, while Jamie Brotheridge crashed and burned against Justin Goodison on Board 5. Down on Board 8, Paja Marko proved too strong for Anna Yates, while on Board 11 Oscar Heawood squandered a good position against Minsadi Wansapura.
Candidate Master Declan Smith, now leads with 4.5/5, with Vipin Jyani on 4. Patrick Cook, James Watson, Bas van Riel, Sam Song, Justin Goodison, and Minsadi Wansapura are further back on 3.5/5. Minsadi has now stretched her lead in the Women's Championship.
BCCC Round 4
Round 4 of the 60th Ballarat chess championships had 44 players sitting at the commencement of play, with 11 players taking a half point bye. On Board 1, defending champion James Watson took on tournament leader Sam Song and won convincingly. On Board 2, Patrick Cook faced Rob Loveband and a quiet draw resulted. Veteran Kevin Perrin met top seed Declan Smith on Board 3, and despite spirited play fell to Declan's high class. On Board 4, Peter Stickland held Bas van Riel to a draw; and Vipin Jyani despatched Jasan Barnett on Board 5. Down on Board 9, junior Anirudh Weerakkody scored a major upset, profiting from an oversight by Lucas Ware. Declan Smith and James Watson are now the leaders on 3.5/4, with Patrick Cook, Vipin Jyani, Sam Song, Rob Loveband, and Anirudh Weerakoddy a half point behind. There are now 5 female players in the field, and Minsadi Wansapura leads the race for the inaugural Ballarat Women's chess championship on 2.5/4, a half point ahead of Anna Yates.
Ballarat Bendigo Challenge 2025 Report by N.Barrow
Ballarat Team: CM Declan Smith (1948), Sam Song (1641), Patrick Cook (1537), Kevin Perrin (1500), Paja Marko (1408), Vipin Jyani (1370), Lucas Ware (1293), Julian Laffey (928). Bendigo Team (from): Ruari Coffey (1931), Nigel Barrow (1842), Leigh Healey (1698), David Lumsdon (1688), Max Mollard (1526), Caleb Sing, Cooper Coppolino, Ahaan Tadakamadla, Andre Sardone and Yohan Shetty
BCCC Round 3
Fighting chess continued in Round 3 as 44 players sat down at the boards on the night. 9 players took a half point bye, and 3 players have withdrawn. Sam Song scored an excellent, disciplined victory over Kevin Perrin on Board 1, Declan Smith struggled, but eventually prevailed against Justin Goodison on Board 2, on Board 3, Jamie Brotheridge messed up a very promising position versus James Watson and lost, on Board 4 Rob Loveband clawed a win on time against Julian Laffey, while on Board 5, Paja Marko fell to a motivated Patrick Cook in a lengthy struggle. Juniors Anirudh Weerakkody and Reyhhansh Mukerjee were given a free lesson by Vipin Jyani and Peter Stickland respectively, and Minsadi Wansapura survived a tough endgame against Shanaya Guha to stay in touch in the race for the Women's title. Sam Song now leads alone on 3/3, with Declan Smith, James Watson, Patrick Cook, and Rob Loveband in hot pursuit on 2.5/3.
BCCC Round 2
The action continued in Rd. 2 with 48 players sitting down at the boards, and 4 players taking a half point bye. And there were yet more interesting and important results. On Board 2, our player of honour, Kevin Perrin, despatched out-of-sorts Scott Stewart, while on Board 1, Patrick Cook lived up to his reputation as drawmeister with a tough, lengthy draw against runaway favourite Declan Smith. High flying junior Zachariah Jacob came crashing to earth versus strong youngster Sam Song on board 3, while veterans Bas van Riel and Jamie Brotheridge fought to a draw on board 4.
Back in Time
Pairings Cards: how things were done a little differently in days gone past... Read a little about being the 'DoP' back in 1984!
Chess Coaching Term 2 2025
Chess coaching and games sessions for Term 2 of 2025 are back and we are pleased to present the information and registration details below.
Term 2 Coaching Details
Start Date: Thursday, 1st May
End Date: Thursday, 26th June
Time: 5:30 pm to 6:45/7:00 pm
Location: Humffray Room, Level 4, Ballarat Mechanics Institute, 117 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Registration and Fees
Students from Term 1, 2025 can now register and pay for Term 2 via this TryBooking link
New students or those returning after a break must complete the attached 2025 application form first. Successful applicants will then be invited to register if places are available. If you have completed a registration form and returned it within the last month then you do not need to complete the form again. If your child is not continuing in Term 2, please let us know via email or text so we can allocate their place to someone on the waiting list. More information here....
Club Championship Round 1
Before starting the round, veteran player Kevin Perrin was awarded a special medal for participating in all 60 of the Club Championship tournaments starting back in 1965! He has won 7 of these tournaments and is still a threat to overcome for any level player in the club.
A record 49 players have enrolled to play the new format shortened Swiss tournament which will conclude in 9 weeks. Top seed is Declan Smith, followed closely by two time and current club champion James Watson. James will have to play catch-up as he drew his first round game against young Declan Mahar, as did Rob Loveband against upcoming Lucas Ware on Board 4. Another notable upset was Zachariah Jacob's win as black against higher seeded Paul Marko.
Spielvogel Medals presented
Winners, Declan and Paul on the left, and right, Reserves Winner, Julian were presented their medals - congratulations!
Declan Smith, Melbourne Open International Tournament
Declan has done it again! He (jointly) won another prestigious tournament. This time the Amateur section of the International Open in Melbourne, held at the Melbourne Chess Club in Fitzroy from 9-14 April. Seeded first, he played top board from start to finish in a close race. In the last round the 3rd seed Tass Coracas caught up with him sharing first price on 7.5/9. Declan played excellent and very solid chess, drew his games against the 2nd, 3rd and 5th seeds and winning all his other games, including the game below against the number 4 seed, Shen Owen
Quick Quiz: Find the best move in this position for Declan with White, after Black's blunder - 35..Re8 (Answer below -play through the game.)
FM Simon Rutherford unscathed
Simon sailed through, albeit with some gnarly starting positions as Black, to win the tournament on full points, followed by Lucas Ware who performed exceptionally well on 5 points, and then by Justin, Leonard and Rob on 4 points. A show of hands towards the end of the tournament confirmed the popularity of this style of chess, and we'll look forward to at least an annual if not semiannual appearance on the calendar.
To generate your own starting positions use Julian's Generator here...
Jewel in the Crown: The Age 15/3/25
Back in Time
Take a minute out of your day to enjoy this immortal nugget of a game. Anderssen vs Lange 1859 (Ballarat Chess Club was 3 years old when this was played in Breslau.)
Freestyle Fischer Random 960 Holiday Tournament
The Chess960 tournament is a 6 round Swiss, 15 mins + 5 secs, which will be held over two weeks on 10th and 17th of April.
Magnus Carlsen on why the future of chess lies in freestyle;
Time, at the sport’s highest levels, for less computer-assisted rote learning and more creativity
. Click Magnus to read article, and Wiki to learn about Chess960
Illustration: Dan Williams
Time Handicap Tournament
Come along for the second week of the time handicap on April 3rd - and as maximum time for each game is just 30 minutes, you'll be out the door on the way home by around 9pm! Here are some photos from last week:
Kryal Castle tournament
The 2025 annual Kryal Castle tournaments have just concluded, ably run by Pearl from Northern Star Chess, and attended by schools from throughout the state. Ballarat Chess Club offers support to the tournament, providing arbiters and staff. The increasing popularity of the tournament has resulted in it now being held over three days and having two sections, Primary School and Secondary School. More information about the annual tournament can be found at https://northernstarchess.com/Tourney_KryalCastle.html Overall winners were Ballarat Clarendon - Open section, Werribee Secondary College - Secondary section, and Ballarat Clarendon in the Primary section. Of great interest was the attendance of Emmanuel College from Warrnambool who made the 2 hour trip by bus to arrive at 9:30am. They brought 20 students from their 70 strong member club. Great to see chess flourishing throughout the state!
Ballarat Begonia Open 2025
Read Patrick's report and check out the photos, games and results by heading over to the Begonia Open site ...
2025 Tournament Rules update
Feel free to peruse the latest updates to the rules regarding the Club Championship and other matters, here on the "Rules" page.
Spielvogel Memorial concludes
Paul Marko continued his good form, defeating Declan M, and as CM Declan Smith cleaned up Patrick, that left Paul and Declan S as joint winners of the Spielvogel Memorial on 6 points. Two juniors, Shanaya and Declan M shared third spot on 5 points with old-timers Patrick and Peter. In the Reserves, Julian Laffey on 4 points won the prize, followed closely by Anirudh and Anna on 3.5 points. The unrated section had 4 players on 3 points sharing the prize - Minsadi, Lachlan, Caelum and Davin. Congratulations to all those players for a great effort!
Rounds 4-6: Paul Marko and Patrick Cook continued their measured ascent through the second half of the tournament, arriving at the final round with 5 points apiece. Declan Smith, after his Round 3 lapse losing to Paul, continued to take no prisoners. Young Declan Mahar won all of his games, bringing him to a Board 1 final round. Peter Stickland and Shanaya Guha both lost to higher rated but more poorly performing players in Round 4.
Round 2 upsets included Lucas Ware and Mike Zhou's wins over their older opponents, Rob and Bas. Round 3 had more unpredictable results with Paul Marko defeating Declan Smith on Board 1 while Jamie Brotheridge took out Scott Stewart on Board 2. So. three players remain on full points, Patrick, Jamie and Paul, just showing that in chess anything can happen and usually does!
To all Ballarat Junior Chess Club Members, Parents, and Chess Players
We are thrilled to see so many enthusiastic juniors participating in the Ballarat Chess Club programs. As part of our commitment to providing a welcoming and respectful environment, we are outlining the disciplinary expectations for both the Junior Chess Club and Senior Chess Club sessions. These guidelines aim to ensure the safety of all participants, respect for the venue, and a positive experience for everyone involved.
Please read the guidelines carefully here....
Blitz 1
The first blitz tournament for the year had a healthy entry of 24 players, with Declan, fresh from the Oceania Zonals, taking no prisoners for 7 of 7 points. See the Blitz page for results.
Oceania Zonal update
Declan and Om (as well as Jeremy, Om's dad), did very well in the Zonal. Both players benefited from the experience of pitting themselves against high level opponents.Declan beat 13th seed IM Russell Dive (Elo 2267) in 32 moves in Round 5 of the tournament. After a speculative sacrifice of a rook for a bishop, a pawn and and more open attacking position, Black found himself facing Declan's 'sacrifice' of a bishop for 2, then 3 pawns, really opening up Black's king side to a blistering attack culminating in the coup de grace, Re7, which forces a swap of Black's queen and 2 bishops for 2 rooks -Black resigned seeing no future. Om beat higher rated Hannah Sayce (1852) in Round 2, in a nice game where she took advantage of White's reckless advances, consolidating and swapping off to win.
Oceania Zonals
Both Om and Declan are playing in the 2025 Oceania Zonals this year, with Om now titled as a WCM. Round 3 starts shortly and Om's game will be broadcast on both Lichess and Chess.com, just click the link to follow the games. Declan is playing on Board 10 in the Open section and as only top 8 boards will be broadcast, we'll have to wait for the results! Women's tournament results here...
Rapid Play 1
Three players shared the podium after 6 rounds of rapid play to start off the 2025 chess year: Nicanor Millan, Bas van Riel and Jamie Brotheridge. Crosstable here...
Here Bas and visitor Nicanor discuss their game after Round 6
Chess Coaching Term 1, 2025
To all Ballarat Junior Chess Club members, parents and chess players
Welcome back! We hope you all had a joyful and relaxing holiday season and are ready for another fantastic year of chess. As we step into 2025, we wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe New Year. We are excited to announce that the Ballarat Junior Chess Club coaching sessions will resume in Term 1, with details outlined below.
Term 1 Coaching Details
Start Date: Thursday, 6th February to End Date: Thursday, 3rd April
Time: 5:30 pm to 6:45/7:00 pm
Location: Humffray Room, Level 4, Ballarat Mechanics Institute, 117 Sturt Street, Ballarat.
Registration and Fees
Students from Term 4, 2024 can now register and pay for Term 1 via this TryBooking link. https://www.trybooking.com/CYIOU .
New students or those returning after a break must complete the attached 2025 application form first.
Aust Open review
Declan’s effort in the first 5 rounds was exemplary, scoring 3.5 points against three titled players, GM Darryl Johansen, WGM Julia Ryjanova, and former Victoria champion FM Chris Wallis. Although he faded somewhat in the last four rounds, he still managed to finish with an excellent total performance rating 120 points higher than his official rating. Out of 9 games he played 4 titled players, the 3 aforementioned and WIM Heather Richards, giving him a great experience playing at a higher levels. Rey Mukerjee, who played in the Minor Division finished strongly, scoring 1.5 points from his last two rounds.Well done to both of them!
https://boxhillchess.org.au/live/Vega/www2025AOPremier/pairs9.php
Aust Open update
Another good day for Declan... a WGM scalp! Well done! Take a look here...
Aust Open update
Declan managed an epic draw (111 moves) against FM Christopher Wallis (rated 2229) Take a look here...
Australian Open Chess Tournament 2025
Yesterday, the 2015 Open Australian Chess Championship has started in Melbourne.
After winning his first round game, Declan Smith, the only club-member who has entered the open tournament, will play against GM Daryl Johansen with white on board 3 in the second round. Rey Mukherjee is playing in the Minor tournament.
The top 16 boards, including Declan’s, will be streamed life online this afternoon from 2pm, on https://www.chess.com/events/2025-australian-open-premier-division , and on https://lichess.org/broadcast/2025-australian-open--minor/round-1/nk7AvWrs
Details and comments about the tournaments can be viewed on Chess Chat https://www.chesschat.org/showthread.php?19584-2025-Australian-Open-Chess-Championships-Melbourne-2nd-to-11th-January-2025 .
You can see all pairings and results here on VEGA https://boxhillchess.org.au/live/Vega/www2025AOPremier/pairs2.php
Good luck, Declan, and Rey!
Declan's picket fence
Declan Smith won the Triathlon held at the BMI today with a picket fence 6 out of 6! Anirudh Weerakkody and Julian Laffey finished equal first in the Reserves and Anirudh won the playoff. Only a small field of 14 but all enjoyed the day.
Shanaya meets Gukesh
Shanaya managed a photo with Gukesh just after his win against Ding - he looks tired but happy! Gukesh forced a resignation from his opponent Ding Liren in Game 11 of the World Chess Championship after the world champion blundered a piece while in desperate time trouble!
Meanwhile, Om played all her nine rounds against Singaporean local players on their home ground. She finished at the top of the Australian team with a well fought 5 points, while her father, Jeremy, garnered 3.5 points in the A Group.See more of the World Championship here at the official FIDE website.
Checkmate for the Environment
On Sunday, October 27th, the Ballarat Mechanics Institute was abuzz with strategic thinking as it hosted the "Checkmate for a Clean Environment" chess tournament. This seven-round event, designed to inspire both chess mastery and environmental consciousness, attracted young players under 12, under 10, and under 8, delivering a day of excitement, learning, and memorable moments.
Thanks to the generous support of the Department of Education Victoria, the tournament highlighted the importance of chess education and sustainability while fostering community engagement.
Special Presentation by Om O'Carroll
The event was elevated by an insightful presentation from Om O'Carroll, who drew connections between chess, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship. Her engaging talk inspired participants to think strategically not only on the chessboard but also in addressing environmental challenges. Her contribution was a cornerstone of the event’s broader educational mission. Read more here....
Chess Coaching 2025
Chess Coaching is available throughout the year. We welcome enrolments at any time from any junior chess player whether they have been part of the program previously or not.
Term Dates:
Updated soon
For info re coaching, junior tournaments, study resources etc.. visit the Ballarat Junior Chess Club pages.
New to Chess?
A great site for learning the basics from a cool video, improving your chess with puzzles, and playing against QWERTY the chess computer, check out ChessKid.com.
How to write down your games - Chess notation made easy here!
Coffee and Chess
There are some chess sets for use at the following cafes... just ask!
Racers on the lake, Frangos and Homeground, both on Sturt.
Chess is also played at Beechworth Bakery and Woowookarung lookout, but you'll need to take your own set.
Bas' Chess Columns
From April 1991 until March 1993, Bas wrote a fortnightly chess column for the Ballarat Courier. Read them here
