129th NZ Chess Congress 2022
- Published

Table of Contents

129th New Zealand Chess Congress 2022
129th New Zealand Chess Congress 2022 is held from Sunday 2nd to Wednesday 12th January 2022 at Riccarton Park, 165 Racecourse Road, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The following tournaments are incorporated in 129th NZ Chess Congress 2022
- NZ Championship
- NZ Major Open
- NZ Rapid Championship
- NZ Lightning Championship
- NZ Junior and Age Group Championships
- Canterbury Open

COVID-19 Policy
COVID-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Lights) for Christchurch must be at Orange or Green for this event to proceed. Vaccine Pass REQUIRED.
Entry Details
Entry Fees
Tournament | Before 1 Nov | 1 Nov to 19 Dec | 20 Dec or later |
---|---|---|---|
NZ Championship | $200 | $225 | $250 |
Major Open | $120 | $175 | $200 |
NZ Rapid | $50 | $50 | $50 |
NZ Lightning | $35 | $35 | $35 |
NZ Junior | $70 | $85 | $100 |
Canterbury Open | $50 | $60 | $75 |
Banquet | $40 | $40 | $40 |
Entry Instructions
Use official PDF format entry form to enter.

COVID-19 Policy
COVID-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Lights) for Christchurch must be at Orange or Green for this event to proceed. Vaccine Pass REQUIRED.
129th New Zealand Chess Congress 2022
Event Information
129th New Zealand Chess Congress 2022 incorporates the following tournaments:
- NZ Championship, New Zealand Chess Championship. 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- Major Open, New Zealand Major Open. 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- NZ Rapid, New Zealand Rapid Chess Championship. 11th to 12th January 2022.
- NZ Lightning, New Zealand Lightning Chess Championship. 11th January 2022.
- NZ Junior, NZ Junior and Age Group Championships. 3rd to 9th January 2022.
- Canterbury Open, Canterbury Open Chess Championship. 3rd to 9th January 2022.
Dates
Sunday 2nd to Monday 12th January 2022
Venue

165 Racecourse Road, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Book Flights, Transport and Accommodation with
129th New Zealand Chess Congress 2022 is proudly sponsored by the Racecourse Hotel, ideally located directly across the road from the venue. Special rates for Congress – $120/night for a twin share room, $19 for English breakfast or $14 for continental breakfast. This is a busy time of year for the hotel, so book early to avoid missing out. Mention that you are playing in the chess tournament when booking.
Eligibility
Open to all chess players.
Non-NZL players must have FIDE ID issued by their chess federation.
NZL players without FIDE ID must provide full Date of Birth.
Format
NZ Championship, 9 round Swiss. FIDE and NZCF rated where possible.
Major Open, 9 round Swiss. FIDE and NZCF rated where possible.
NZ Rapid, 9 round Swiss. FIDE and NZCF rated where possible.
NZ Lightning, 9 round Swiss. FIDE rated where possible.
NZ Junior, 7 round Swiss. FIDE and NZCF rated where possible.
Canterbury Open, 7 round Swiss. NZCF rated where possible.
Time Controls
NZ Championship, 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an additional 30 seconds per move from move one.
Major Open, 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an additional 30 seconds per move from move one.
NZ Rapid, 25 minutes for the game with an additional 5 seconds per move starting from move one.
NZ Lightning, 3 minutes for the game with an additional 2 seconds per move starting from move one.
NZ Junior, 60 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
Canterbury Open, 60 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
Schedule
Start Time | Day & Date | |
---|---|---|
NZ Championship, Major Open Players meeting | 1.30pm | Sunday 2nd January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 1 | 2pm | Sunday 2nd January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open Players meeting | 8.30am | Monday 3rd January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 1 | 9am | Monday 3rd January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 2 | 2pm | Monday 3rd January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 2 | 9am | Tuesday 4th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 3 | 2pm | Tuesday 4th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 3 | 9am | Wednesday 5th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 4 | 2pm | Wednesday 5th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 4 | 9am | Thursday 6th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 5 | 2pm | Thursday 6th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 5 | 9am | Friday 7th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 6 | 2pm | Friday 7th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 6 | 9am | Saturday 8th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 7 | 2pm | Saturday 8th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open round 7 | 9am | Sunday 9th January 2022 |
NZ Junior, Canterbury Open Prizegiving | 12.30pm | Sunday 9th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 8 | 2pm | Sunday 9th January 2022 |
NZ Championship, Major Open round 9 | 2pm | Monday 10th January 2022 |
Banquet | 6.30pm | Monday 10th January 2022 |
Prizegiving | 8pm | Monday 10th January 2022 |
NZ Lightning Players meeting | 8.45am | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Lightning Rounds 1 to 9 | 9am | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Lightning Prizegiving | 11.30am | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid Players meeting | 1pm | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 1 | 1.30pm | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 2 | 2.45pm | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 3 | 4pm | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 4 | 5.15pm | Tuesday 11th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 5 | 10.15am | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 6 | 11.30am | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 7 | 12.45pm | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 8 | 1.30pm | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid round 9 | 2.45pm | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
NZ Rapid Prizegiving | 4.30pm | Wednesday 12th January 2022 |
Prize Fund
Event | Division | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ Championship | ||||||
Overall | $1500 | $1000 | $800 | $600 | $300 | |
under 2200 | $300 | |||||
Major Open | ||||||
Overall | $1000 | $750 | $500 | |||
under 1700 | $200 | |||||
under 1400 | $200 | |||||
NZ Rapid | ||||||
Overall | $400 | $300 | $150 | |||
under 2000 | $100 | |||||
under 1700 | $100 | |||||
under 1400 | $100 | |||||
NZ Lightning | ||||||
Overall | $300 | $200 | $100 | |||
under 2000 | $50 | |||||
under 1700 | $50 | |||||
under 1400 | $50 | |||||
NZ Junior | ||||||
Overall | $300 | $200 | $100 | |||
Under 16 | $50 | |||||
Under 14 | $50 | |||||
Under 12 | $50 | |||||
Under 10 | $50 | |||||
Under 8 | $50 | |||||
Best Girl | $50 | |||||
Canterbury Open | ||||||
Overall | $250 | $150 | $100 |
Trophies and Titles:
NZ Championship, highest placed NZ player(s) “2022 New Zealand Champion”.
Major Open, highest placed NZ player(s) “2022 Major Open Champion”.
NZ Rapid, highest placed NZ player(s) “2022 New Zealand Rapid Champion”.
NZ Lightning, highest placed NZ player(s) “2022 New Zealand Lightning Champion”.
NZ Junior, highest placed NZ player(s) “2022 New Zealand Junior Champion”, highest placed NZ player(s) in each age group will be the 2022 New Zealand Champion for that age group, and the highest placed NZ player(s) enrolled at and attended school in 2021 will be the “2022 New Zealand Schoolpupil Champion”. Age group eligibility is based on the player’s age on 31 December 2021, and only in the age group closest to the player’s age eg. a 13 year old player is eligible for the under 14 title but not the under 16 title.
Canterbury Open, 60 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
Personnel
Chief Organiser: Craig Hall
Chief Arbiter: IA Craig Hall
Rules and Regulations
NZCF and FIDE Rating: Tournaments will be NZCF-rated and FIDE-rated where possible except that the Canterbury Open will not be FIDE-rated.
Pairings and Rating-Based Prizes: NZCF ratings will be used for pairings and rating-based prizes except for the NZ Lightning Championship which will use FIDE blitz ratings. Players without ratings may be assigned a rating by the Chief Arbiter. The most recently-published rating lists will be used (November for NZCF, January for FIDE).
NZ Player: Per NZCF regulations, NZ citizen or a player who is normally resident in New Zealand and has been resident in New Zealand for at least one year prior to Congress.
Multiple Prizes and Tiebreaks: Players may not win more than one cash prize in a tournament – the highest cash prize will be paid and other prizes will be passed down to the next highest-placed player. Per NZCF regulations, titles and cash prizes will be shared by eligible players on the same score and ties will not be broken.
Defaults: Per NZCF Regulations, default time is 30 minutes after the start of the round.
Appeals: A player may appeal against a decision of the Arbiter in a tournament other than the NZ Lightning Championship (no appeals allowed). Appeals Committees for each tournament will be appointed by the Organiser from the players. Appeals must be lodged in writing within 30 minutes of the end of the game (10 minutes for the NZ Rapid Championship). A fee of $50 will apply, to be refunded if the appeal is successful or otherwise at the discretion of the Appeals Committee.
Mobile Phones / Electronic Devices: During a game, players are forbidden to have a mobile phone, electronic means of communication or any device capable of suggesting chess moves on their person in the playing venue. Such devices may be stored in a player’s bag or jacket, which is to be left under their table or the back of their chair during the game unless permission is given by the Arbiter. Such devices are to be
switched off and are not to make any noise. Breaches of this rule will result in loss of game unless the Arbiter decides otherwise. This includes smart watches but not standard analogue or digital watches.
Photos: Spectators may take photos during the first 5 minutes of a round.
Covid-19: Congress will not go ahead if Christchurch is at Covid-19 level 2 or higher. Entry fees will be refunded if this is the case.
Small Entry: If fewer than 40 total entries are received in the NZ Championship and Major Open, the events will be combined with a combined prize fund as follows: 1st $1400, 2nd $900, 3rd $700, 4th $500, 5 th $300, Under 2100 $300, Under 1900 $300, Under 1700 $300, Under 1400 $300. The Major Open Champion will be the highest placed NZ player with either NZCF or FIDE rating below 2100.
Small Entry to NZ Championship: Per NZCF Regulations, if fewer than 20 players enter the NZ Championship, players will be asked to move up from the Major Open.
Rules and Regulations
Further rules and regulations listed under “Tournament Regulations” in Official PDF Format Entry Form. (revised 10th December 2021)
Results
Vega Webpage View
Links to Vega Webpages:
- NZ Championship, 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- Major Open, 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- NZ Junior, 3rd to 9th January 2022.
- Canterbury Open, 3rd to 9th January 2022.
- NZ Rapid, 11th to 12th January 2022.
- NZ Lightning, 11th January 2022.
Live Broadcast
Lichess:
- NZ Championship, 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- NZ Junior, 3rd to 9th January 2022.
- NZ Rapid, 11th to 12th January 2022.
DGT Livechess:
- NZ Championship, 2nd to 10th January 2022.
- NZ Junior, 3rd to 9th January 2022.
- NZ Rapid, 11th to 12th January 2022.
Discussion thread for 129th NZ Chess Congress in ChessChat.org forum.
Photos available from
Prizewinners
Tournament | Position | Points | Player |
---|---|---|---|
Canterbury Open | |||
1st equal | 4.5/5 | Hao Tang | |
1st equal | 4.5/5 | Benedict Suazo | |
3rd | 3/5 | Hamish R Gold | |
NZ Junior | |||
Joint NZ Junior Champion, Joint NZ Schoolpupils Champion. | 1st equal | 6/7 | Gavith Dharmasena |
Joint NZ Junior Champion, Joint NZ Schoolpupils Champion, Under 16 Champion. | 1st equal | 6/7 | Ollie Archer |
NZ Schoolgirls Champion, Under 14 Champion. | 3rd equal | 5/7 | WCM Isabelle Yixuan Ning |
3rd equal | 5/7 | Jonathon Hookings | |
Joint Under 12 Champion | 10th equal | 4/7 | William Rui Liu |
Joint Under 12 Champion | 10th equal | 4/7 | Emily Gan |
Joint Under 12 Champion | 10th equal | 4/7 | Ryan Hwang |
Under 10 Champion | 10th equal | 4/7 | Justin Zhide Wang |
Under 8 Champion | 18th equal | 3/7 | Leo Yitao Lian |
NZ Championship | |||
NZ Chess Champion | 1st | 7.5/9 | FM Daniel Hanwen Gong |
2nd | 7/9 | CM Felix Xie | |
3rd equal | 6/9 | IM Anthony F Ker | |
3rd equal | 6/9 | FM Nicholas Croad | |
5th equal | 5.5/9 | IM Russell J Dive | |
5th equal | 5.5/9 | Matthew D McNabb | |
Under 2200 equal | 5/9 | Michael D Sole | |
Under 2200 equal | 5/9 | CM Edward Rains | |
Under 2200 equal | 5/9 | Ryan Winter | |
Major Open | |||
NZ Major Open Champion | 1st | 7.5/9 | Euan McDougall |
2nd | 7/9 | Karl Holdo | |
3rd | 6.5/9 | Kian Dharmasena | |
Under 1700 | 5.5/9 | Emily Gan | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Levi Paxton | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Tawan Sunathvanichkul | |
NZ Lightning | |||
NZ Lightning Champion | 1st | 8.5/9 | CM Felix Xie |
2nd | 8/9 | FM Daniel Hanwen Gong | |
3rd | 7/9 | IM Russell J Dive | |
Under 2000 | 6.5/9 | Thomas Van der Hoorn | |
Under 1700 equal | 6/9 | Ryan Winter | |
Under 1700 equal | 6/9 | WCM Isabelle Yixuan Ning | |
Under 1400 | 6/9 | Emily Gan | |
NZ Rapid | |||
NZ Rapid Champion | 1st | 8/9 | IM Russell J Dive |
2nd equal | 7/9 | WCM Isabelle Yixuan Ning | |
2nd equal | 7/9 | CM Felix Xie | |
2nd equal | 7/9 | Michael D Sole | |
Under 2000 | 6/9 | Gavith Dharmasena | |
Under 1700 | 5/9 | Justin Zhide Wang | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Barry R Hooton | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Wayne McDougall | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Yeqing Zhu | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Weiyang Yu | |
Under 1400 equal | 4.5/9 | Alexandre De Maupeou D'ableiges |