Kia ora!

Today is a very special day! I am sure you all know why.

Although our awesome, diverse club is made up of many different cultures and religions, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members of BlogChamps a Merry Christmas! Regardless of how (or whether) you celebrate, I hope that this holiday season is full of joy, love, and happiness for everyone here!

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By the way, if you want to secure your present, make sure to save Christmas for all the chess bloggers in this awesome post published by @nova-stone in The Blogger Awards 2.0: Present's Gambit: A Christmas Blogging Adventure

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2025 was a very special year for this community. We finished three great seasons (7, 8 and 9) with no forfeits and full of high-quality blogs! From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who participated in any of them! Whether you were competing, judging or simply spectating, you were all very important and played a part in the community's awesome growth this year.

As you know, we are currently on our holiday break between Season 10 Weeks 1 and 2. I hope that all those competing are writing an amazing new blog to submit in Week 2 (or for the knockout rounds).

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"But Vanessa, what if I don't qualify again? Then it'll all be over too soon. I wish there were other events I could take part in."

You're right, imaginary random member. Unfortunately, not everyone can qualify due to the fierce competition and the extremely high quality of the posts we receive here. However, there are plenty of great bloggers who deserve more chances to compete.

And that's why this is the perfect opportunity for me to announce a new 'One-Round Event' that we will host for those who do not reach the Season 10 Knockout Rounds. 

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VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST 

As you probably know, 14 February is a special date called Valentine’s Day in many countries around the world. It is a day to celebrate love between romantic couples who are meant for each other. That’s what the competition will be about: a one-round submission with this main theme. So, how will it work?

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RULES

Registration is not required. Everything is much simpler. Anyone can participate except bloggers who have qualified for the Season 10 knockout rounds.

On 14 February at 00:00 (Kiribati time), I will post a kick-off announcement and open the submission forum. The forum will be closed on 14 February at 23:59 (Hawaii time), which means you have 48 hours to submit. (It must be the 14th somewhere in the world – it's as simple as that.)

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The post must be about chess and also be related to Valentine’s Day in some way. That's the only general requirement; everything else is up to the writer. Get creative and surprise us!

The blogs will be judged by @VOB96, @KevinChessSmith, and @PokeGirl93. They will read all blogs and choose their favorites based on the same criteria we always use to judge blogs.

And what do you get?

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PRIZES

Bronze: I will mention your blog in my post on 1 March.

Silver: The same as for 3rd place + you will be a judge at the Blogger Awards in March (or at any other month if March is not possible).

Gold: The same as the 3rd and 2nd prizes + one of the chess books written by @KevinChessSmith at your choice!

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That's it, guys! It's nothing too complex, but I hope you enjoy it. If it's well-received, we can try again on other special dates, such as April Fool's, Easter, or Kiwi National Day.

Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

We'll meet again on 4 January for the Week 2 kick-off!

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Love,

Vanessa