The 2007 Ballarat Chess Club championship, the 42nd since the Club's revival in the mid-1960s, begins on the 3rd of May with a healthy field of 12 players.

Once again, Scott Stewart is top seed, making yet another bid to win the title that has cruelly eluded him over the past decade. His main rival is likely to be defending champion Patrick Cook who is aiming for a third successive title. If successful, Patrick will be equal two longstanding club records: 7 titles in all to equal Kevin Perrin's record and 3 titles in a row to equal Bas van Riel's record from the mid-1990s. Other serious contenders are the aggressive Jamie Brotheridge, the solid technician Rob Loveband, and of course, Kevin Perrin himself, playing in his 42nd successive championship, an astonishing record that will almost certainly never be broken.

As in previous years, players in the bottom half of the field are also eligible for the title of Reserves champion.