All Welcome!
Thursday evenings at the BMI
All Welcome!
Thursday evenings at the BMI
In the second Thursday of the school holidays we will hold a Round Robin - 5 rounds with 6 players per section, 10 minutes, no increment! Make your moves within 10 minutes or else... no pressure!
For the second year running, GM Darryl Johansen visited Ballarat Chess Club on a cold and wet Thursday evening to play against all contenders up for a challenge.
30 boards upstairs with GM Johansen, 5 boards downstairs with CM Declan Smith, and between them they only conceded one half of a point. Last year three draws were achieved, one by Declan and two from Minsi and her dad, and this year Rob Loveband was the only one to get a half point score in the exhibition. Read more and see the photos here...
The 2026 Club Championship has officially concluded. Declan Smith clinched the overall title with a commanding 8/9, finishing just ahead of James Watson on 7.5/9. Making his win back‑to‑back years, he is now poised to join the greats of the club’s history if he delivers again next year — achieving a feat only matched by Bas van Riel before him. Continue report and see the play-offs list here...
Before the 8th round of the tournament started everyone enjoyed a short celebration of the club's 170th birthday, with photos and food.
Vipin played the Nimzo‑Indian Defense, a sharp option against d4 c4 Nc3 openings. He played a brilliant game until he missed the move 38.Qxh6 because the pawn was pinned to the king. James Watson didn’t let up, securing a victory over Patrick Cook. Sam Song pulled off a masterful win against Scott Stewart, playing into a Sicilian Dragon including a4, a less common choice. Scott later found himself in a somewhat equal position with a lot of imbalances and a position that was almost impossible to defend; he resigned on move 24 after he had no hope of achieving any points. Davin was given a free lesson by Rob Loveband, and Jamie picked up a quick and comfortable win against up‑and‑coming junior Terrance Wang. Continue report here...
The long‑awaited matchup between the club’s strongest players took place on Board 1. Starting with a sort‑of Queen’s Gambit Declined structure, it turned into a long game that finished in a rook‑and‑king vs rook‑and‑king‑and‑pawn endgame, which is a theoretical draw. Declan remarked that “after the move 17.Nb6, I had no real winning chances.” Continue report here...
Wear something old on Thursday 18th to invoke some feelings about the first time BCC was formed in 1856, or just bring a pack of chips to share, let's celebrate in some form the continuing existence of our chess club! Even if you forget all that - just being here for a game of chess is enough!
People queueing outside BMI to get in to play chess in 1869
Rob Loveband suffered his first loss of the tournament at the hands of Declan on Board 1. Rob went for a London‑style setup with a lot of early trades, but the critical moment came when he played 27.Re3, trying to connect his isolated queen’s pawn and stabilise his structure. Unfortunately, he overlooked the tactical shot 28.Rxe3 fxe3 29.Bg5, where Declan wins a pawn by force. Even if Rob tried to block with the bishop, the resulting king‑and‑pawn endgame was completely winning for Declan, who converted cleanly.
On Board 2, James Watson finally broke through against rival Scott Stewart, defeating him for the first time in classical chess after their previous encounters ended in one loss and two draws. A good result for James. Continue report here...
Sam Song made it all the way to Board One to meet Declan Smith. Declan played 1.Nf3, a line he usually doesn’t play. It later transposed into a Slav Defense, with Sam going for an early e5. The game was Declan building up a steady advantage move by move, as he usually does. After the move 39.exf6+, although material seemed to be equal, engines give his position a +4 advantage, mainly due to his bishop pair, piece activity, and king positioning. Declan later turned this into a winning opposite‑colour bishop endgame, securing him the point. Continue report here...
Action continued in Round 4 with what was easily the toughest and most intense day of the Championship so far. The club room was packed, with 28 boards in play and the top boards producing especially fierce battles.
Scott Stewart, in good form, met CM Declan Smith on Board 1. The meeting ended in a hard fought draw, but the result doesn't tell the full story. Scott abandoned his usual Morra Gambit and led the game into a Taimanov line that transposed into a Grand Prix Attack. The game quickly spiraled into a frantic, tactical jumble of ideas and precise calculation — the sort of chaos Scott excels in. The game is best savoured in his own words, and his full annotation is well worth a look. Continue report here...
A team of nine players representing Bendigo travelled to Ballarat to contest the annual interclub chess match for the Barrow – Van Riel Shield.
Ballarat got off to a great start early, with three quick wins on the lower boards. Jamie Brotheridge outplayed Shawn Choo on Board 9, Vipin Jyani made good use of an extra pawn in a double rook and pawn ending to defeat Stan Lajic on Board 7, while Patrick Moon created some overwhelming attacking threats against Brayden Mertz's king on Board 8. Go to the Match page to see the results, photos and games.
For info re coaching, junior tournaments, study resources etc., visit the Ballarat Junior Chess Club pages.
There are some chess sets for use at the following cafes... just ask!
Fergusson Plarre next to Woolies, Beechworth Bakery near the Court House
Chess is also played at Woowookarung lookout, but you'll need to take your own set!
To all members and chess players
The Humffray Room at the BMI is now in use for all club activities. Enter the foyer, walk up the stairs or take the lift to the third level. Remember to turn your phone to silent!
From April 1991 until March 1993, Bas wrote a fortnightly chess column for the Ballarat Courier. Read them here
ChessChat is a platform where all matters Chess Australia are discussed.
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.
Chess Victoria is the not‑for‑profit peak body for chess in the state of Victoria. Founded in 1938 (incorporated in 1983, renamed in 2000), it is one of seven state associations under the Australian Chess Federation. It fosters, governs, and organises chess through affiliations with local clubs.
