NZ Chess Congress 2023
- Published
Table of Contents
NZ Chess Congress 2023
NZ Chess Congress 2023 is organised in association with Chessable.
The 130th edition of the NZ Chess Congress will be held at the Wellington Bridge Club, 17 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington from Monday 2nd to Thursday 12th January 2023.
Results
Prizewinners
| Position | Points | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Championship | |||
| 1st equal | 7/9 | GM Elshan Moradiabadi | |
| 1st equal | 7/9 | GM Samy Shoker | |
| NZ Champion | 1st equal | 7/9 | FM Daniel Hanwen Gong |
| 4th equal, Under 2200. |
6/9 | CM Edward Rains | |
| 4th equal | 6/9 | IM Herman C Van Riemsdijk | |
| 4th equal | 6/9 | IM Anthony F Ker | |
| 4th equal | 6/9 | Ryan Winter | |
| NZ Major Open | |||
| NZ Major Open Champion | 1st | 8/9 | Kayden Loke |
| 2nd equal, Under 1700. |
7/9 | Jie Gong | |
| 2nd equal | 7/9 | Romero Suggate | |
| Under 1400 | 5/9 | Zeqi Xing | |
| NZ Junior and Age Group Championships | |||
| Joint NZ Junior Champion. | 1st equal | 6/7 | FM Daniel Hanwen Gong |
| Joint NZ Junior Champion, NZ Schoolpupils Champion, NZ Under 12 Champion. |
1st equal | 6/7 | Daqi Mao |
| 3rd equal | 5.5/7 | Cohen Young | |
| 3rd equal | 5.5/7 | Leo Malcom | |
| Joint NZ Under 16 Champion. | 5th equal | 5/7 | Lucas Barnett-Harris |
| Joint NZ Under 16 Champion. | 5th equal | 5/7 | Bill Li |
| Best Girl, NZ Schoolgirls Champion, NZ Under 14 Champion. |
10th equal | 4.5/7 | Sarah Wanyao Sun |
| Joint NZ Under 10 Champion. | 18th equal | 4/7 | Luna Xiahan Lu |
| Joint NZ Under 10 Champion. | 18th equal | 4/7 | Richard Jingjie Liu |
| Joint NZ Under 10 Champion. | 18th equal | 4/7 | Carol Huixin Wang |
| Joint NZ Under 8 Champion. | 53rd equal | 2/7 | Long Minh Le |
| Joint NZ Under 8 Champion. | 53rd equal | 2/7 | Kevin Qi |
| NZ Blitz Championship | |||
| 1st | 8.5/9 | GM Samy Shoker | |
| NZ Blitz Champion | 2nd | 8/9 | FM Ben Hague |
| 3rd | 7.5/9 | IM Anthony F Ker | |
| Under 2000 | 7/9 | Thomas Van Der Hoorn | |
| Under 1700 | 6.5/9 | Leo Malcolm | |
| Under 1400 | 7/9 | Kayden Loke | |
| NZ Rapid Championship | |||
| 1st | 8.5/9 | GM Samy Shoker | |
| Joint NZ Rapid Champion | 2nd equal | 7/9 | FM Nicolas Croad |
| Joint NZ Rapid Champion | 2nd equal | 7/9 | CM Felix Xie |
| 2nd equal | 7/9 | IM Herman C Van Riemsdijk | |
| Joint NZ Rapid Champion | 2nd equal | 7/9 | IM Anthony F Ker |
| Under 2000 | 6.5/9 | Philli Park-Tamati | |
| Under 1700 | 6.5/9 | Justin Zhide Wang | |
| Under 1400 | 6/9 | Matthew Keith |
Vega Webpage View
Games PGN for download.
These are being updated regularly until complete.
Live Game Broadcast
Link to broadcast of live games on,
- Lichess:
New Zealand Championship, New Zealand Rapid Championship.
- DGT Livechess:
New Zealand Championship, New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships, New Zealand Blitz Championship, New Zealand Rapid Championship.
- Facebook Live:
Photos available from
Entry Details
Entry Fees
130th NZ Congress 2023 comprise 5 separate tournaments with the following entry fees.
| Fee | Tournament |
|---|---|
| $200 | 2023 New Zealand Championship |
| $120 | 2023 Major Open |
| $70 | 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships |
| $30 | 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship |
| $50 | 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship |
Entry Instructions
Express electronic entry is available to players listed on the NZCF Active Rating List. If you are on that list simply fill out this electronic form. The form includes instructions for paying your entry fees.
Entries close 2 days before the start of the tournament entered.
New Zealand citizens or permanent residents can also enter the tournament by email using the following procedure;
Pay the combined entry fees for the tournaments you wish to enter to the Wellington Chess Club’s bank account number 06 0582 0096726 00. Put your name under ‘Particulars’ and ‘Congress’ under ‘Reference’. Follow up by sending an email titled “Congress 2023” to the organiser Bill Forster, at email [email protected]. Clearly state your name as listed on the NZCF Active Rating List and list the tournaments you wish to enter. If you are not listed on the Ratings page of the NZCF website, you can still enter, add your date of birth, gender, contact phone number and NZCF and FIDE IDs if you have them.
Overseas players with a FIDE ID should email the organiser Bill Forster, at email [email protected] to arrange a modified entry and payment procedure as required. Sadly, we cannot accept entries from overseas players who do not have a FIDE ID.
Name of player(s) entered would be listed in Vega webpages. Links are available in Results section of this webpage.
Event Information
NZ Chess Congress 2023 summarised information available in printable PDF brochure. Information also availabe in webpage by the organisers.
Dates
Monday 2nd to Thursday 12th January 2023
Venue
Wellington Bridge Club, 17 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington
Travel Arrangements
Flights and Accommodation with WayAway
The Atura Wellington Hotel, 24 Hawkestone Street Thorndon is our accommodation partner for this event. They are the closest hotel or motel to the venue. The hotel is offering a very attractive rate for a Queen room, $119 per night, or $139 including breakfast for visitors staying 8 nights or longer. Please use this link to book (first come first served).
The breakfast option can be added either at check-in or by emailing [email protected].
Car Hire with Economy Bookings
NZ Chess Congress 2023 Rules and Regulations
- All tournaments are FIDE rated.
- Entries for all tournaments close two days before the start of the tournament. Late entries for the NZ Blitz and Rapid tournaments may be accepted at the discretion of the organiser.
- Please note that New Zealand players who participate in two or more NZCF rated tournaments in a year are required to be a member of an NZCF Affiliate or Associate Chess Club.
The Mount Maunganui RSA Chess Club offers memberships that fulfill this requirement from just $10.
- Player meetings will be held for all tournaments 30 minutes before the start of the first round. Players who don’t attend the player meetings risk being excluded from the draw for the first round.
- Covid requirements for the tournament may change at any time in accordance with New Zealand Government regulations and level settings. In the unlikely event of Covid regulations making it impossible to run the tournament, entry fees will be refunded but the tournament organisers will not be responsible for any further compensation to affected players.
- The Junior Championship age group rules are as follows; The highest-placed NZ player in each age group will be the 2022 New Zealand Champion for that age group. The highest-placed NZ player who was enrolled at and attended primary or secondary school in 2022 is the 2023 NZ Schoolpupil Champion, and highest-placed NZ player overall is the 2023 New Zealand Junior Champion. Age group eligibility is based on the player’s age on 31 December 2022, and only in the age group closest to the player’s age e.g. a 13 year old player is eligible for the under 14 title but not the under 16 title.
- If the organisers choose to move a player from the Championship to the Major Open, the difference in entry fees will (of course) be refunded to them.
- Up to date parking information will be published on the Wellington Chess Club site before the tournament starts.
- The organisers reserve the right to make adjustments to the tournament conditions if necessary. If any significant changes occur, they will be prominently notified.
Eligibility
| Tournament | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| 2023 New Zealand Championship | Open to all players, however players rated less than 2000 (NZCF or FIDE) may be moved to the Major Open at the discretion of the organisers. Non NZ residents must have a FIDE ID. |
| 2023 Major Open | Players must have an NZCF rating below 2100 or a FIDE rating below 2000. Non NZ residents must have a FIDE ID. |
| 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships | Open to players born in 2003 or later. Non NZ residents must have a FIDE ID. Age group rules as in NZ Congress Rules and Regulations. |
| 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship | Open to all, except that non NZ residents must have a FIDE ID. |
| 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship | Open to all, except that non NZ residents must have a FIDE ID. |
Format
| Tournament | Format |
|---|---|
| 2023 New Zealand Championship | 9 Round Swiss |
| 2023 Major Open | 9 Round Swiss |
| 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships | 7 Round Swiss |
| 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship | 9 Round Swiss |
| 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship | 9 Round Swiss |
All tournaments are NZCF and FIDE rated where possible.
Time Controls
| Tournament | Time Control |
|---|---|
| 2023 New Zealand Championship | 90 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one. 30 extra minutes are added at the completion of 40 moves. |
| 2023 Major Open | 90 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one. 30 extra minutes are added at the completion of 40 moves. |
| 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships | 60 minutes for the game with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one. |
| 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship | 3 minutes for the game with an additional 2 seconds per move starting from move one. Article B.4 of the Laws of Chess will apply. |
| 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship | 25 minutes for the game with an additional 5 seconds per move starting from move one. Article A.4 of the Laws of Chess will apply. |
Schedule
| Tournament | Schedule |
|---|---|
| 2023 New Zealand Championship | 2nd to 10th January 2023, one round per day at 2pm. |
| 2023 Major Open | 2nd to 10th January 2023, one round per day at 2pm. |
| 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships | 3rd to 9th January 2023, one round per day at 9am. |
| 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship | 11th January 2023, rounds start at 9:30am |
| 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship | 11th to 12th January 2023, the first four rounds start at 1:30pm on the 11th, the last five rounds start at 10am on the 12th. |
Prize Fund
In addition to the NZ Chess Congress 2023 monetary prizes below, our sponsor Chessable is providing a generous selection of their renowned innovative, instructive and entertaining chess courses as additional prizes.
| Position | 2023 New Zealand Championship |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1400 |
| 2nd | $800 |
| 3rd | $600 |
| 4th | $400 |
| 5th | $300 |
| under 2200 | $200 |
| Position | 2023 Major Open |
|---|---|
| 1st | $800 |
| 2nd | $600 |
| 3rd | $400 |
| under 1700 | $200 |
| under 1400 | $200 |
| Position | 2023 New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships |
|---|---|
| 1st | $300 |
| 2nd | $200 |
| 3rd | $100 |
| under 16 | $50 |
| under 14 | $50 |
| under 12 | $50 |
| under 10 | $50 |
| under 8 | $50 |
| Best Girl | $50 |
| Position | 2023 New Zealand Blitz Championship |
|---|---|
| 1st | $250 |
| 2nd | $150 |
| 3rd | $100 |
| under 2000 | $50 |
| under 1700 | $50 |
| under 1400 | $50 |
| Position | 2023 New Zealand Rapid Championship |
|---|---|
| 1st | $400 |
| 2nd | $300 |
| 3rd | $200 |
| under 2000 | $100 |
| under 1700 | $100 |
| under 1400 | $100 |
Personnel
Chief Organiser: Bill Forster
Chief Arbiter: IA Craig Hall
Deputy Arbiter: IA Ying Wang
