The New Zealand Chess Federation (NZCF) is a

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

federation in New Zealand. The first chess club in New Zealand was formed in September 1863 in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, while the New Zealand Chess Association came into being in the 1870s. The association, refounded in 1892, conducts the annual championship, usually held in the Christmas – New Year period. The Australian master C. J. S. Purdy stated in 1955 that New Zealand holds the record for annual tournaments for a national chess championship. New Zealand was one of the earliest countries to make use of telegraphic interclub chess as a method of play.

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

beat

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

in two consultation games in 1866. The first interclub match was played between

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

in 1869. The Bledisloe Cup, presented by the Governor-General in 1933, was until recently competed for annually in this way.

Prominent players

Ortvin Sarapu Ortvin Sarapu (born Ortvin Sarapuu; 22 January 1924 – 13 April 1999), known in New Zealand as "Mr Chess", was an Estonian-born chess player who emigrated to New Zealand and won or shared the New Zealand Chess Championship 20 times from 1 ...

(1924–1999),

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

, originally an Estonian, sometimes known as "Mr Chess", won or shared the New Zealand Chess Championship 20 times from 1952 to 1990 and participant in the 1967 interzonal tournament. *

Murray Chandler Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster. In the 1980s, he gained British citizenship and represented England at six Chess Olympiads. He has since returned to Ne ...

(1960–),

chess grandmaster Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life, though exceptionally the t ...

* Tom Middelburg is an International Master (IM) in chess and has played at the highest national and European levels. He is currently ranked 2660 in the world.

References

External links

* *
NZ Chess Magazine
' {{Authority control National members of the Asian Chess Federation Chess in New Zealand

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

1863 establishments in New Zealand 1892 establishments in New Zealand Sports organizations established in 1863 Sports organizations established in 1892 Chess organizations 1892 in chess

Prominent players

See also

References

External links