Chess for everyone! Ballarat Chess
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 https://www.trybooking.com/DBEOK
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....
Ballarat Chess Club Championship
We are rapidly approaching the Club Championships for 2025 which will commence on Thursday May 1st.
The format has changed this year and it will be a 9 round Swiss tournament with accelerated pairings across the first 5 rounds. (Similar to the Begonia Open Tournament). There will be a single pool of players (hence the need for acceleration), but there will be prizes for the outright winner, B grade and C grade winners, as well as the highest rated female player and unrated player (providing sufficient entries in these last 2 sections). The time control will be 60 minutes per player, plus 30 sec per move.There is an option for up to 2 half point byes to be taken in the first seven rounds. To facilitate the tournament organisers and pairings, PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE OF YOUR INTENTION TO PLAY by emailing the tournament director, Julian, on jules1975@pm.me This is particularly important if you wish to take a half point bye in the first round, as adding additional players will be tricky with the accelerated format. If you have any questions, please contact me or one of the other members of the tournament committee.
Anna Yates, Secretary, Ballarat Chess Club and member of the tournament committee
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
