Northland Chess Championship 2022 on track!

September 2022

The local Kerikeri chess club together with Our Kerikeri is organising the first ever Northland Chess Championship in Kerikeri on the 12th of November.

It will be a full day of chess tournament with players divided into three age division (Junior, Youth and Senior) and battle it out over 6 rounds of chess.

So far more than 70 players have registered coming from all over Northland from beginners to experienced tournament players. It will be a full house in the stunning Plaza Centre in the Turner Centre with many Junior players bringing their whānau with them. As this will be the first ever large-scale public chess tournament in the region, we do expect many visitors to Kerikeri.

Behind the scenes we have been busy organising and thanks to the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board we have now secured a much-needed community grant.

We had a number of players registering from the Far North so we are confident that we can fill a bus we are sponsoring from Kaitaia on the tournament day. We have also been able to borrow 5 rather expensive digital chess boards. This means we will be able to live broadcast games to the internet as well as on the big screen in the venue.

The players metal cup trophies from a New Zealand supplier has arrived and looks stunning. We have also started design and work on the actual title trophies. These are trophies that will be kept by Kerikeri Chess Club and be on public display with engraved names of title winners. We want to create something unique with a Northland identity so watch this space!

In terms of budget we have secured 2/3 of the funding with the community grant and kind support from private donors. However, we still need support from local business and have just finalised our sponsor package. We have a number of packages available, including opportunity for sponsor to be on stage to hand out trophies and awards, so if your business is interested please contact the event organiser for more details. We will also need some volunteers on the day, so if you are interested in helping out do get in touch.

Our aim is to create a fun and exciting event that will motivate existing chess players and inspire new ones and create a reoccurring annual event in our region. Chess has a unique ability to bring people together, facility new friendship and strengthen mental and strategic skills that are useful in all aspects of life. And it’s fun and exciting.

Thank you to the Turner Centre and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board for their support in making this event possible.