Congratulations to Jamie Brotheridge for winning his fifth consecutive year of Blitz tournaments. Five years of being King of the Clock!

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Jamie gives junior, Ian, a lesson on how to play Blitz.


Chris and Samantha battle it out while Tom and Bas cogitate.more..

All games are complete in both sections and the winners remain the same. Congratulations to our former junior player who now clearly stands with the best players in the club, James Watson. Congratulations also to Michael Tausz who was the top contender of the B grade and stayed there with his win.

James has had a great year in chess, winning his first major tournament, the Koelle, and jumping up the ratings ladders. more...

The 5th Blitz tournament of 7 rounds (plus possibly some more) will be held on Thursday night. The winner for the year is the player with the highest score taking their best 3 of 5 rounds. Jamie Brotheridge now leads with 18 and may be out of reach of any contenders, but we should all do our best to make him work for it! more...

The end of year get together will be held at Rob Loveband's place this year, starting around 6:30 pm. Bring your family and some food and drink for a social evening celebrating the end of another successful year for Chess in Ballarat. BBQ facilities, plates, utensils, cups, bread, nibbles provided, anything else just bring it along. The address is the last house at the end of Greenhaven Court, Mount Clear; come in off Main Road at Hocking Avenue lights and go straight ahead.

All games are complete in both sections and the winners remain the same. Congratulations to our former junior player who now clearly stands with the best players in the club, James Watson. Congratulations also to Michael Tausz who was the top contender of the B grade and stayed there with his win. more...

James Watson's lead is now unassailable as he is a half point clear of runner up Bas van Riel. Bas will be regretting taking a draw against drawmeister Patrick Cook! Potential threat Peter Lumsdon fell foul to Harrison's inventive play and can also no longer challenge James' position. Michael Tausz will win the Reserves no matter what the outcome of next week's catchup games. So, congratulations to James and Michael! more...

Round Six is over but the tournament is not decided yet; James can be caught by Peter even with a Round Seven win, and if he loses to Rob B then Bas has a chance and it's anyone's game! Michael T has a one point lead and needs to win next week to confirm his place at the top of the Reserves. more...

The Teters Memorial Trophy clock was presented to Bas Van Riel by Patrick Cook last night for his 2015 win. The clock was donated by Bill Homburg who has played Arthur Teters using the very same clock. more...

Round Five has James hitting the lead but Peter still has a catch up game to play and could equalise. Bas could still be in the run for an equal first if there are upsets in the last two rounds. Michael T now tops the Reserve with Tim after a win against James E. more...

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. more...

Here is a link to a very interesting game played by Arthur Koelle in the final round of the German Landesliga. The game went for 6hrs 55 mins and Arthurs win gave his team the premiership in the division. The win came just before the sudden death at 7 hours. There were errors on both sides but it was played under great tension. It was the last game of the final round with the outcome to determine the team winner for the year in that division. Hannover Chess is the web page in German, and for the game try here.

Round Four saw Harrison hold steady and wrest a win from Rob B, Peter beat Patrick to the draw by sacking a bishop as well as rook, and Bas came back from the precipice to defeat James after an unexplicable momentary loss of concentration cost him the game. Kevin gave up the h pawn early giving Rob L a clear plan and eventually the win. In the reserves Michael T beat Tim in the end game to even their scores on the crosstable. more...

Round Three is over and James has hit the lead as Peter's opponent was a no-show and he is still to play his game. Tim has edged to the front of the Reserves with Michael T a half point down due to the Bye in the first round. Next week they are due to play in what could be a decisive game. more...

Nigel Barrow shared the honours with Khosrou Ghafouri from Portland in a lively tournament with plenty of upsets! Best local scorer was Rod Jacobs, but Rob Bailey scored a first round win against top seed Simon Rutherford. more...

Round Two saw a night of upsets, with Bas falling to Peter in a drawish endgame and Kevin conceding to Rob Bailey. more...

Next weekend the 2015 Victorian Country Chess Championship will be held in Geelong. The championships are very kindly being hosted by the Geelong Chess Club and the details are as shown in the attached flyer.
If you have not already entered or notified Nigel Barrow or myself of your intention to participate I would encourage you to do so. It will as usual be a keenly contested event with prizes for both outright and Reserve (lower half of field) winners. I am pleased to be able to advise that last year’s champion Simon Rutherford will be back to defend his title again this year.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the championship.
Kind regards
Kevin Perrin (President - Victorian Rural Chess League) more...

Have you played Nigel Short lately?
Well, consider registering for the Begonia Open in 2016 and you well may, as he is a confirmed entry to the tournament! more...

Round One saw all games go to the expected winners according to ratings except Patrick who lost to upcoming Harrison. Koelle A all pairing are up and Koelle B, a Swiss, Round Two is up. more...

All formal tournaments now to START AT 7:30 P.M!
Chess club opens at 6:30 -- We have initiated this change to encourage more young players to enter tournaments. We have also gotten rid of any entry or membership fees for players under 18. IT'S ALL FREE for JUNIORS!!

The Arthur Koelle A & B tournaments will commence on Thursday the 15th at 7:30 p.m. Please come early and register your interest to play; once the names are in and first round is set no late entries will be accepted unless there is an odd number of players.
Prizes for both divisions make it more attractive for all! more...

Jamie blitzed his way to the top, again! . more...

Harrison scores a perfect 6 of 6, showing fine form. more...

Come and have your say at the Annual General Meeting. Office bearers will present reports, current topics will be discussed and elections will be held for all positions. Tea and coffee available, casual chess before and after the meeting.

This year's event will once again be held in Geelong. It will be the third weekend of October rather than the second, so make plans country players! more...

The enormous rating jump by James Watson compared to the previous rating, ie +226 points, making him number 6 on the top improvers list of the ACF should be noted! James and Patrick are equally 2nd & 3rd on 1651, closely followed by Rodney Jacobs on 1649. The improvements by Michael Tausz (+97) and Bjorn Lategan (+82) are also exceptional. Well done! more...

Next year's Begonia Open has its own dedicated site! Check out the growing list of GMs, FMs and IMs playing in the tournament. more...

You can subscribe to and view the Australian Chess Federation newletters at their site. There is an interesting note on bringing phones and devices to tournaments that is worth a look! more...

With an influx of younger players, both boys and girls, the club is becoming a lively community hub every Thursday night. Moving the starting time 30 minutes or an hour forward might suit our younger players and will be discussed at the next AGM.

Congratulations to Bas Van Riel who won his final match against Harrison to win the Arthur Teters Memorial for 2015. Bas will have his name added to the historic Tournament Clock Trophy. James Watson fared well again in this tournament, hot on the heels of Bas in second place. Congratulations also to James Eyre who won the Reserves half of the Tournament more...

Time to stretch those synapses with seven rounds of 5 minute blitz. It's fast and furious, all welcome! more...

Time to stretch those synapses with seven rounds of 5 minute blitz. It's fast and furious, all welcome! more...

Going over 2 weeks, we have 3 rounds per night of Rapid Play at 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. This is the 3rd Rapid Play Tourney for the year. more...

Bas van Riel has won the 2015 Championship after defeating James Watson in a postponed game. Congratulations to Bas who had to fend off a strong challenge from a youthful, upcoming opponent in James. more...

You can subscribe to and view the Australian Chess Federation newletters at their site. There is an interesting note on bringing phones and devices to tournaments that is worth a look! more...

Read Ben Kersten's report and see some of Bas' photos, as well as going over more annotated games here. more...

Ballarat Chess Club travelled to Geelong on Sunday 9th August, for the 5th annual 10 board challenge match between the two Clubs. more...

A friendly rivalry has always existed between the Geelong and Ballarat Chess Clubs.
This was only intensified in 1925, when a contest between the clubs was organised, and Ballarat prevailed. The contestants did not sit down again until 2011, when the Fletcher-Morrow Shield, an annual challenge match between the two old foes, was inaugurated. The format was a best of ten games played between the two clubs in a single sitting, with Geelong settling the score. This year, the Geelong Chess Club will be defending the Fletcher Morrow Shield, wrested last year by a single point, against a resurgent Ballarat on Sunday, 9th August at the Girl Guides Hall, 33 Myers Street, Geelong.
Matches will commence at 1pm, and all are welcome to attend.more...

Bjorn defeated Michael with a sound win which left Tim Commons at the top of the Reserves. Congratulations to our 2015 Reserves Champion! more...

With a record 21 entrants, including 6 juniors, we should have a lively and interesting tournament with everyone getting challenging pairings. more...

James Watson held on to the lead with 5 out of 6, closely followed by a pack of contenders. more...

We should see good numbers for our 5th Arthur Teters Memorial, a 7 round Swiss tournament. No one has won the tournament twice and it should be hotly contended! more...

A healthy interest in the Rapid Play saw 14 entrants in the first round of 3 games. James Watson holds the lead but has Peter Lumsdon to contend with next week. Several juniors have valiantly joined the fray. more...

The time controls are 20 minutes + 10 seconds; long enough for a good think but short enough so you can't ignore the clock! Two weeks, 3 rounds per night. more...

Jamie Brotheridge holds on to win this tourney by a point and in so doing extends his lead in the 2015 Lightning Championship. more...

Fast and furious, come and join the fun on Thursday. All welcome! more...

Both tournaments as yet unresolved; only one game was played. more...

Thursday evening 02 July 2015 with Rob Bailey. Come early around 7pm! more...

This tournament will be decided midweek when Bjorn meets Michael Tausz.
No prizes for guessing who Tim Cmmons will be barracking for. more...

Last week's blurb: James Watson and Bas van Riel still head to head on 9.5, leading the pack to a final confrontation in the last round!
This week's blurb: Sorry for the anticlimactic let down...Bas has gone OS for 2 months so we will be without a new Champion until it is decided on his return; James Watson will have to wait for his chance to be the 50th Club Champion, or not! more...

We are fortunate to have on hand our very own wordsmith, Patrick Cook, who has been tirelessly going over the games and describing the over-the-board dramas in the championship for posterity. They're all here for you to relive, those glorious Triumphs and Disasters, while playing through the games on Chess Microbase. more...

This year's event will once again be held in Geelong. It will be the third weekend of October rather than the second, so make plans country players! more soon...

Experienced coach Rob Bailey will help you improve your game.
All ages, all abilities welcome!. Private coaching also available. more...

Yes, the main result is missing... Bas has gone OS for 2 months so we will be without a new Champion until it is decided on his return; James Watson will have to wait for his chance to be the 50th Club Champion, or not! more...

James Watson on a run with 6 wins in a row! more...

Ladder report! Ladders are for climbing more...

Changes to the pairing for the Reserves: Check the new pairings more...

Ladder report! Tim Commons at the top: challenge him to swap to the top! more...

The 49th Ballarat Chess Club Championship in 2014 proved to be a wonderfully dramatic event, with a 4-way tie, before Rod Jacobs ultimately triumphed. This year’s 50th Championship has all the ingredients for an equally dramatic tournament in celebration of 50 years of local Championship chess. No less than 6 previous Ballarat Champions grace the field...more...

The 50th Club Championship will begin next week: if you would like to enter the A or B Grade Tournament let Bjorn know, and if you intend to be absent during the tournament; there will be opportunities for catch up games over, and at the end of the tournament, so even if you may miss one or two nights, please sign up and organise a catch up game with your opponent. more...

James Watson takes the honours for the first Rapid Play more...

Congratulations to Kanan Izzat for winning the Open with a perfect score of 7!
This is the first time in 49 years this has happened!
Congratulations also to local players, Rob Bailey, Patrick Cook, Harrison H, Michael Tausz and Jamie Brotheridge for winning division and other prizes!
Top 10 board games and photos: more...

Two weeks of 20m +10s rapid play swiss, all in one section. A great way to prep some openings in unrated games for the upcoming Championship. more...

Congratulations to Kanan Izzat for winning the Open with a perfect score of 7! This is the first time in 49 years this has happened! Congratulations also to local players, Rob Bailey, Patrick Cook, Harrison H, Michael Tausz and Jamie Brotheridge for winning division and other prizes! more...

Entry forms for Australia's most popular regional tournament more...

The Spielvogel Memorial was won by Harrison! Congratulations to Harrison who succeeded in getting a draw against veteran Patrick, after gaining a pawn in the mid-game but ceding a positional advantage to him. Check out the game: more...

The Spielvogel Memorial will be won by Harrison or Patrick next week on Thursday evening. The top two will contest the $75 prize: the dark horse versus the veteran, it'll be one to watch! Harrison only needs a draw...more...

Get climbing on the Ballarat Chess Ladder: it's an unrated 15 minute rapid play tournament with prizes. Perfect for those who come in a bit early or want to play serious chess without the really late nights of the long time controls! Last challenges at 7:30 so come in early and have a game or two. more...

The Spielvogel Memorial, a 90 min + 30 sec per move, 1 section 7 round Swiss tournament, has two rounds to go. 20 Players! Rd6 Pairings up! more...

A belated congratulations to Patrick Cook and Bjorn Lategan for winning the Koelle A&B tournaments in 2014! The results and cross table have been updated for posterity! more...

Get climbing on the Ballarat Chess Ladder: it's an unrated 15 minute rapid play tournament with prizes. Perfect for those who come in a bit early or want to play serious chess without the really late nights of the long time controls!

The Spielvogel Memorial, a 90 min + 30 sec per move, 1 section 7 round Swiss tournament, begins this week. Everyone welcome to play!

This Thursday the first Blitz of five will be held at the Club: rumour has it that Arthur Koelle is back in town... come on down and take him on! What have you got to lose?

As of the first day back, Thursday 15th January 2015, chess night will be back on Thursdays. Club members decided by popular vote to take the opportunity to change back to Thursday after an opening came up at the library. So, Thursday it is!