About Scott

A full-time Engineer but part-time chess nut. Ask me about chess coaching (0478 572 688) or visit betterchess.org.

Chess to resume in 2021

Posted on 7 December 2020 by Scott

Just a quick note that we are planning to restart chess on the 2 Feb 2021, while holding on the 19th January the Annual General Meeting for 2020. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements and a 2021 event calendar!

Peter Caissa Memorial Page

Posted on 31 August 2020 by Scott

We have created a new page here, to provide more information about Peter Caissa. Peter was a long-standing president and junior coach of the club and also a friend and mentor to its members.

Chess cancelled for the remainder of 2020

Posted on 6 August 2020 by Scott

Sadly, the Committee has taken the decision to cancel chess for the remainder of 2020, on the basis that there is no reasonable prospect of being able to recommence the activities in the current year. The stage 4 restrictions are in place until mid-September, and the venue is waiting until 100 people can meet before it re-opens, as such even fitting in a club championship over 7 weeks is not possible.

When we are able to meet again, we will do so with our AGM to direct what the club does in 2021.

The club will not be charging any membership fees for 2020. Therefore, players who have paid their 2020 membership will have this credited to the following year. If any player would prefer a refund of the membership, please feel free to contact me with bank details and I’ll arrange the deposit.

Players are welcome to play casual games against each other, I have played a number of members in multiple games and have enjoyed playing, despite it being done remotely.

Update on COVID-19 impact on chess

Posted on 17 June 2020 by Scott

Although the Government will shortly announce the further easing of restrictions, allowing 50 people to meet, there remain some matters than need to be worked through that prevent the club from setting a re-commencement date. These issues are outlined below.

1: The Salvation Army will be opening their venues once 100 people are allowed to meet. This will be required before the club can re-commence.

2: We have written to Chess Victoria (CV) seeking advice on a State-wide policy for re-opening chess clubs. We have asked CV for advice that would apply to re-opening of all Victorian Chess Clubs that’s supported by Government advice. Our public liability insurance is through CV, therefore their guidance on re-opening chess clubs will inform how we can proceed.

3: The Committee are discussing a draft COVID policy for the club to follow, along with a revised calendar for what will remain of the year and pro-rata membership fees. These will all be available prior to re-commencing.

We will continue to provide updates as they are relevant. Please be assured that we are actively looking at timing and policies for the club returning, however we are not in a position to advise a date at this time.

Online chess tournament to start

Posted on 31 March 2020 by Scott

Very pleasing sign-up to the online tournament, with 19 entries to date. Therefore, the event will be run over 7 rounds. The tournament can be entered up until Steven releases round 1 pairings on the evening of Friday 3rd April.

The event will run through the Chess Time app.

It’s terrific for the club to regain contact with players who’ve moved away. Players who you may not recognise from the club have been members that have moved interstate or overseas.

If you wish to play but have not entered, please contact Steve and add him on Chess Time (Steve Hogan is my name on the app).

These online events are UNRATED and have no official standing in terms of club awards etc. It is purely being run to enhance a level of social interaction in these times and provide us with a way to continue the club and our enjoyment of chess.

Club activities suspended

Posted on 19 March 2020 by Scott

The Committee took the decision yesterday to indefinitely suspend the Hobsons Bay Chess Club due to the Corona Virus. This is not a decision we wanted to take, however the health of participants is the first priority and the club can no longer meet the requirements of Government recommendations. Important information is below.

The reasons for the suspension are due to the following:

Today’s Government recommendation that people stay 1.5 metres apart. The chess club cannot operate in such conditions.
The ban on indoor meetings of groups over 100 and even though we are well below this number, such a ban indicates that meeting indoors is not advisable.
Similar suspensions for the majority of Victorian Chess Clubs.

The club will provide regular (minimum monthly) updates regarding activities. However, early indications is that this may take 6 months to clear up to a sufficient level to permit the club to meet. This site will also advise of the ban and provide important communication information.

We will provide refunds to those members who have paid membership fees (please provide bank details to me privately if you have paid and would like membership to be refunded this way). Otherwise, if the club is able to open later in the year, we will charge a pro-rata membership and memberships already paid can cover this (a later refund of the pro-rata discount can be provided at this time).

If the club is able to resume later in the year, we will revise the calendar to suit, along with club championship qualification if needed.

Chess still operating, for now…

Posted on 16 March 2020 by Scott

Just a confirmation that with the Corona Virus and State of Emergency in Victoria, chess club will be continuing until I provide further advice. This decision is based on current advice that gatherings under 500 people can continue. If advice comes that the community should not meet indoors (i.e. mass school system closure) then any change in this situation will be advised. The other situation that may result in suspension of the club is if the Salvation Army venue closes (this is not currently the case).

In terms of ensuring the health of participants, the following MUST be adhered to:

Players who experience flu-like symptoms stay away from chess until the matter is cleared with your doctor;
If any player has contact with a person that is suspected to have Corona, stay away until either you complete a 14 day quarantine period OR the person who was suspected of infection receives a negative test result; and
If returning from oversees, the now mandatory 14 day quarantine will include absence from chess during this period.

Thanks for the co-operation with these important matters. Any queries can be directed to Steven Hogan.

Lightning #1 for 2020

Posted on 5 March 2020 by Scott

The first 9 round, 5-minute ‘skittles’ event was held on Tuesday. David Beaumont won on 7.5/9 from a close field, with 17 people scoring 50% or better! We start the 5 round Purdy Cup next week.

Final standings

Pos   N     NAME                      | Rtg  PRtg Fed |  Pts    Buc1    BucT  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1  29     Beaumont,David            |    0  273 VIC |  7.5    46.0 
  2   1     Gusain,Daniel             |    0  220 VIC |  7.0    45.5 
  3   4  CM Davis,Tony J              |    0  220 VIC |  7.0    44.5 
  4  31     Enano,Ronald              |    0   95 VIC |  6.0    45.5 
  5   5     Humphreys,Scott           |    0  125 VIC |  6.0    40.5 
  6   6     Ilic,Milan                |    0   80 VIC |  5.5    45.0    49.0 
  7   2     Hogg,Dean                 |    0   80 VIC |  5.5    45.0    48.5 
  8  28     Zhang,Eric                |    0   80 VIC |  5.5    40.5 
  9   9     Richards,Derek            |    0   80 VIC |  5.5    36.0 
 10  12     Mullen,Chris              |    0   43 VIC |  5.0    48.0 
 11  11     McIntyre,Julian           |    0   43 VIC |  5.0    42.0 
 12   7     Hogan,Steven              |    0   43 AUS |  5.0    38.5 
 13  10     Saric,Sergey              |    0   43 VIC |  5.0    36.0 
 14   8     Whitford,Matthew          |    0    0 VIC |  4.5    43.0 
 15  25     Annapureddy,Rheyansh      |    0    0 AUS |  4.5    38.0 
 16  17     Clerk,Max                 |    0    0 VIC |  4.5    37.5 
 17  15     Kurian,Maksym             |    0    0 VIC |  4.5    37.0 
 18  13     Paul,Cijo                 |    0    0 VIC |  4.0    44.0 
 19  20     Pethe,Abi                 |    0    0 VIC |  4.0    34.5    35.0 
 20  26     Condick,Peter             |    0    0     |  4.0    34.5    35.0 
 21  19     Nawar,Mena                |    0    0 AUS |  4.0    34.0 
 22  14     Jing,Lang                 |    0    0 VIC |  4.0    32.5 
 23  23     Minic,Branislav           |    0    0 VIC |  3.0    36.0 
 24  16     Shelev,Petar              |    0    0 VIC |  3.0    33.5 
 25  22     Zhang,Benjamin            |    0    0 VIC |  3.0    32.5 
 26  18     Clerk,Felix            |    0    0 VIC |  2.0    34.0 
 27  24     Watson,Nicolas         |    0    0 VIC |  2.0    28.5 
 28  21     Bejjanki,Pranav Sai    |    0    0 VIC |  1.5    29.5 
 29  27     Deng,Tina                 |    0    0 VIC |  1.0    26.5

March 2020 Ratings updated

Posted on 4 March 2020 by Scott

The latest updated ACF ratings (and current FIDE rating) for our members are available, listed here.

It is also pleasing to see that Tina Deng has now achieved an ACF rating (160)! She has been coming to the club since April 2018, but only recently scored a result, allowing her to get an ACF (and presumably FIDE) rating. She played 34 rateable games between September 2018 rating period and the December 2019 rating period. This is a great example of perseverance and dedication to improve, even though she scored zero and (usually) had a bye in each event she entered.

Honourable Bob – final standings