Chess enthusiasts of every age and level are welcome to sharpen their strategising skills at an upcoming tournament, notes Christoph Vogel.
You can imagine the atmosphere in this room when it's packed with around 50 people. All of them seated at 27 tables, fighting an unbloody war against the opponents across from them. No yelling, no screaming. It's all happening in their minds.
Right now, it's just Mike Steadman who's taken a seat in the clubroom of the Auckland Chess Centre in Mt Eden. He's aiming to win in the club's upcoming tournament. The masterminds must survive seven rounds, each game a minimum of one hour long.
Mr Steadman is rated ninth in the country. But, as the tournament is played in the Swiss system, he'll encounter every level of skill.
"In a Swiss, everyone plays everyone," he explains. "That's popular as well because the lower-rated players normally don't get to play us higher-rated players."
In the class-one event, the players can gather up to 20 points for their national ranking.
"Ratings are all about your wins and losses against players in the country," says Mr Steadman. "I'm rated number nine in the country, so I'll be expected to score - depending on the field - six out of seven. Anything below that, I'm losing rating points."
The player accumulating the most points in the seven rounds becomes the overall winner. According to 48-year-old Mr Steadman, that person is likely to be much younger than him.
"Half of the field will be juniors, so under 20. We don't have any junior fields or junior rates any more because half of them are so good that they win the prize money."
The chess club hands out $14,000 of prize money. Mr Steadman is also club treasurer and looks after entries.
"I've already got entries for a 7-year-old girl playing and there will be over-60s playing," says the Epsom resident.
In general, the younger you start playing chess, the better your chances of becoming a grandmaster. Mr Steadman has the rank of a FIDE (World Chess Federation) master.
"We normally find that chess players are good at maths and they've got to be quite patient," he says. "They often have an average IQ, too. They're normally not stupid, but actually quite good problem-solvers."
Mr Steadman started playing at the age of 12. He's aware younger lads can readily checkmate him.
"There's various structures in the game and various patterns that you can learn. So some kids are very good tactically, because they'll learn tactics books or they memorise openings."
The tournament is open to everyone who's keen, but you must enter by March 4. The registration fee is $45.
Your move
What: Auckland Chess Centre Weekender
Where: 17 Cromwell St, Mt Eden
When: March 5-6, from 6am
For details, email: steadmanm@hotmail.com
Pawn cocktail
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