Glen Eira Club Championship

This week sees the start of the Glen Eira Club Championship. I'm hoping that this will become an important event in the Melbourne chess calendar, and as such will be competed for by a number of strong players. However, we want to make it something that the local players can compete for, and that up and coming juniors can aim to qualify for throughout the year. To get in to the Championship, which is a round robin event, you have to participate in a qualifier during the year, and place in the top 3. We've found this to be very successful in both helping to develop a local crowd to the club, and encouraging some stronger players from outside the area to join in.

The nine players who have qualified for the final include 1 International Master, 1 FIDE Master, 2000+ rated players representing England and Iceland, a Women's Candidate Master, and local players who have participated throughout the year. It is a nice eclectic field, and a fitting end to the year. We have avoided cash prizes for our qualifying tournaments which has reduced the cost of entry, but this final tournament will have cash prizes:

1st: $1000

2nd: $600

3rd: $400

Fee: $5 per night

The tournament is to be run on Friday nights starting on the 10th October at 7.15 pm and a 9-round swiss event will be run alongside it, The Reserves Championship. There will be no play on 31st October because of the Melbourne Chess Club's Cup Weekender (and as it's that scary Halloween thingy!!).  We have made the draw for the tournament, and the pairings are as follows:

Round 1 Friday 10th October:

 1 Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]       :     Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]  
 2 Jerzy Krysiak      1355 [0]       :     Smari Teitsson          [0]  
 3 James Morris       2401 [0]       :     Sarah Anton        1640 [0]  
 4 Carl Gorka         2069 [0]       :     Josh Moore              [0]  
 5 Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]       :     BYE                          

Round 2 Friday 17th October:

 1 Sarah Anton        1640 [0]       :     Carl Gorka    2069 [0]  
 2 Smari Teitsson          [0]       :     James Morris  2401 [0]  
 3 Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]       :     Jerzy Krysiak 1355 [0]  
 4 Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]       :     Rad Chmiel    1750 [0]  
 5 Josh Moore              [0]       :     BYE                     

Round 3 Friday 24th October:

 1 Jerzy Krysiak 1355 [0]       :     Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]  

 2 James Morris  2401 [0]       :     Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]  

 3 Carl Gorka    2069 [0]       :     Smari Teitsson          [0]  

 4 Josh Moore         [0]       :     Sarah Anton        1640 [0]  

 5 Rad Chmiel    1750 [0]       :     BYE                          

Round 4 Friday 7th November:

 1 Smari Teitsson          [0]       :     Josh Moore         [0]  

 2 Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]       :     Carl Gorka    2069 [0]  

 3 Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]       :     James Morris  2401 [0]  

 4 Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]       :     Jerzy Krysiak 1355 [0]  

 5 Sarah Anton        1640 [0]       :     BYE                     

Round 5 Friday 14th November:

 1 James Morris  2401 [0]       :     Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]  

 2 Carl Gorka    2069 [0]       :     Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]  

 3 Josh Moore         [0]       :     Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]  

 4 Sarah Anton   1640 [0]       :     Smari Teitsson          [0]  

 5 Jerzy Krysiak 1355 [0]       :     BYE                          

Round 6 Friday 21st November:

 1 Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]       :     Sarah Anton  1640 [0]  

 2 Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]       :     Josh Moore        [0]  

 3 Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]       :     Carl Gorka   2069 [0]  

 4 Jerzy Krysiak      1355 [0]       :     James Morris 2401 [0]  

 5 Smari Teitsson          [0]       :     BYE                    

Round 7 Friday 28th November:

 1 Carl Gorka     2069 [0]       :     Jerzy Krysiak      1355 [0]  

 2 Josh Moore          [0]       :     Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]  

 3 Sarah Anton    1640 [0]       :     Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]  

 4 Smari Teitsson      [0]       :     Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]  

 5 James Morris   2401 [0]       :     BYE                          

Round 8 Friday 5th December:

 1 Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]       :     Smari Teitsson      [0]  

 2 Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]       :     Sarah Anton    1640 [0]  

 3 Jerzy Krysiak      1355 [0]       :     Josh Moore          [0]  

 4 James Morris       2401 [0]       :     Carl Gorka     2069 [0]  

 5 Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]       :     BYE                      

Round 9 Friday 12th December:

 1 Josh Moore              [0]       :     James Morris       2401 [0]  

 2 Sarah Anton        1640 [0]       :     Jerzy Krysiak      1355 [0]  

 3 Smari Teitsson          [0]       :     Rad Chmiel         1750 [0]  

 4 Rebecca Strickland 1540 [0]       :     Domagoj Dragicevic 2243 [0]  

 5 Carl Gorka         2069 [0]       :     BYE                          

Obviously we want the games to be played on the night, though we are aware that some of the players will be unable to make a particular round for one reason or another. In this case, we are willing to allow rearrangements, though I'd highly recommend getting these arranged as soon as you are aware that you will be unable to make a game. There will be some players unable to rearrange as this will be the only night they can play. In this case, forfeits will have to apply.

I'll be writing more of this tournament as it happens, including games, fragments and pictures (hopefully).