Masters make all the right moves
Chess By Bob Anthony 26th June 2009
SOME of Australia’s best chess exponents are showing their knowledge of the game at the 2009 Oceania World Chess Championship Qualifier being played at Twin Towns Resort in Tweed Heads.
Their tactics and powers of concentration will need to be at their sharpest if they are to take out the top honours at the tournament.
The winner of the tournament will go through to represent the region in the chess World Cup in Siberia in November.
Players from as young as nine have been taking part in the competition – which started last Saturday and concludes today.
It has attracted 91 hopeful entrants from six Oceania countries, with the regional representative receiving $1500 for their efforts.
Contested in Open and Women’s divisions, players build up a cumulative score over nine rounds, with the best players facing each other in the final this morning from 10am.
Tournament media officer Cathy Rogers said the average game of chess usually took more than three hours and required a great mental focus from the players.
“We have some fine young players coming through such as grandmaster Zhao Zong Yuan from Sydney and Brisbane-born grandmaster David Smerdon, who are both in their early 20s,” Rogers said.
“Australia has a long way to go to be up with the real contenders for the World Cup – countries such as Russia or Armenia and India and China.
“Interest in international chess is very strong overseas, with some of the leading players capable of making some big money.”
The final of the Oceania World Chess Championship Qualifier gets underway from 10am this morning at the Twin Towns Resort.
Source: http://www.tweednews.com.au
Which one is better? What are their ratings?
I followed the Oceania zonal this year through the internet, and I enjoyed it very much. The tournament site had live transmission with comments from Rogers. He is a wonderful chess writer!! I followed the last 3 rounds transmission. On all of these last 3 rounds I concentrated on only one game. On the 7th I saw the fantastic win by Igor Bjelobrk over George Xie. Fascinating game especially the last part of the game. Than on round 8 I watched the same Igor Bjelobrk lose to Stephen Solomon. White won in a Petroff, but what a game! In the last round I watched how Smerdon plays the Scotch ala Garry Kasparov, and wins against Tomek Rej.
All in all the Zonal was wonderfully covered in the Internet. Especially Rogers’s commentary.