Blayney Chess Club    2007 NSW Country Reserve Team Champions   

In 2008 we return to some of the best days in Country Chess history, the era when the best players from each town would regularly travel to other towns to test themselves against the players there. No longer content to just be big fish in small ponds, Katoomba, Dubbo, Bathurst and Blayney players will now see if they are sharks or just small fry in a larger pond. That covers it from the competitive viewpoint for those that need to have a competitive reason for any event to occur. They can move on to the score table while we discuss other reasons that motivated the introduction of this series of matches. It could as well be just the love of the game, the joy in sharing a game and time with kindred spirits, the opportunity to promote how good this game we play really is to others, and a desire to make new friends that were the prime motivators in the birth of this competition.

Whatever the motivation, the series promises to be a great boon to chess in the country area, as strong players will gain huge benefit from playing against stronger players from other towns, juniors will be able to watch and ask for chess advice from a larger pool of players, thereby accelerating their learning, and all will gain much pleasure from seeing good quality games played on a regular basis.

Undoubtedly, this series will become a feature of the chess calendar. Combined with the regular tournaments offered by the Dubbo and Blayney Clubs, Dubbo Open (12-13 April, 2008) and Blayney Open (6-7 September, 2008), as well as the junior events held by the Dubbo and Bathurst Clubs, chess is experiencing a revival.

With our region representatives having already established a few firsts, it won't be long before more of the prized trophies in NSW chess will be finding a home on the 'wrong' side of the Hawkesbury River. Don't say that you weren't warned people, you are dealing with some of the new powerhouses of chess in NSW here.

The proposed format for the InterClub Challenge is;

                        4 players per team, with extra games encouraged as social games.

                        Games to be 90 mins plus 30 secs per move increment.

                        Home team to play White on Brds 1 & 3.

                        Team captains to act as arbiters if required.

                        Everyone to enjoy themselves!

Will provide a list of contacts for everyone when it is finalised, at the moment, just talk with your Club people, there are plenty of people at each Club that can answer most questions.

To alleviate the travel involved between Dubbo and Katoomba, their matches will be played at whichever Club is the home team of the Bathurst v Blayney match in the corresponding round.

Send mail to philwillb@bigpond.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 15-08-08