Thursday 2 April

Next Thursday evening we will hold 2 tournaments simultaneously, to try to cater for the different levels of our members, in particular Junior members, or those new to chess. They will share the same time control, 10 minutes with 0 seconds increment, and will run for 1 hour and 10 minutes. This format is called 'Arena' on Chess.com, and the winner is the one who amasses the most points in the allocated time. Juniors and players rated under 1000 in the club, can join either tournament (Arena 1 or 2) but those above 1000 ACF rating must opt for Arena 1. There is no pressure to start next games immediately after you finish a game, so, unlike the Blitz tournament, toilet breaks are a possibility!! (Kevin had to change batteries in his mouse mid-game last tournament - very hard to accomplish in a 5 0 blitz tournament online!) The committee is investigating how we can continue our Junior Coaching program online, and there will be more news about this shortly. These are difficult times that require some flexibility and willingness to adapt - two traits of every good chess player! Please feel free to contact Rob and Ruari about issues you have with the online environment - find us in the Members section, or email webmaster@ballaratchess.com.

More info on the tournaments, including tournament links, will follow soon.