Nelson chess players made the most of having the South Island Chess Championships on their home turf, with some winning results.
The tournament, held at the Rutherford Hotel from 30 September to 3 October, attracted 77 players from across New Zealand, including a strong local turnout.
“Around 700 games were played over five days with players ages ranging from eight to 84,” says organiser Rami Riachi.
There were 21 competitors from Nelson, three from Richmond, eight from elsewhere in Tasman and three from Blenheim.
Nelson player Arvin Mohammadi was one of the standout local performers, finishing second overall in the Rapid Championship.
Rami explains that while the championships are open to players from across New Zealand, the South Island title can only be won by a South Island player.
As the Rapid winner was from the North Island, Arvin and the three other players who also finished second, Joshua Langford, John Stark and Quentin Johnson, became this year’s South Island Rapid Champions.
The result means all four players will have their names engraved on the Rapid Cup.
Nelson’s Keenan Taylor also had a strong tournament, finishing third in the Under 1800 category of the Classical Championship and winning the Under 1700 category in the Rapid Championship.
Fellow Nelson player Hugo Lawrence shared third place with Keenan in the Classical Under 1800 category.
Fourteen-year-old Lawrence Ciminiello, who attends Nayland College, also put in a strong performance, finishing second in the Rapid Under 1500 category.
The tournament featured two forms of chess - the Classical Championship involved slower games played over several days, while the Rapid Championship was played in a single day under much faster time controls.
There was also plenty of Nelson history on display, with projection mapping lighting up the Rutherford Hotel for six nights, showing the ‘game of the day’ and more than 170 years of Nelson Chess Club history.
But Rami says the best part was what happened after each round - players analysing their games together outside the hall, swapping ideas and stories.
“That’s the spirit of our chess community, and it’s what chess means to Nelson. We’ve had great feedback from players saying they’ll be back for future tournaments, which is exactly what we hoped for.”
This was the first time the championships had been held in Nelson since 2007 and Rami says bringing the championships back to Nelson after almost 20 years meant a lot to him.
“The Nelson Chess Club has more than 170 years of history, making it one of the oldest in New Zealand, and the light projection on the Rutherford Hotel let us share that story with the whole city. Seeing people stop on Selwyn Place to look at photos of players from more than a century ago was really special. It reminded everyone that chess has always been part of Nelson.”
