NSW Open 2021

This year's NSW Open was held in the Russian Club in Strathfield, Sydney on the June long-weekend (12th & 13 June).

We were very pleased to have two of our players in the tournament. Chris Nadolny and Khaiam Ali both played in the tournament.

Chris Nadolny

I attended the NSW Open Chess Tournament at the Russian Club in Strathfield over the long weekend in June. The competition is designed for serious chess nerds. A capacity 140 players played 7 long games (90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment per move for each player) over 3 days in a large dingy room. There were two competitions held simultaneously: the open event and an event for players with a rating of under 1600. I entered the open event even though my rating is well under 1600 so I could watch and play the better players. Consequently I only won 2 out of my 7 games. Covid restrictions meant that there was no room for spectators, which limited much of the social elements of the competition. It was well-organised even though some rounds started late because of the odd marathon game running over the allocated time in the previous round. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience.

Below I have provided one game of my games from the event. I chose a game that I lost, but was interesting, featuring a dramatic sacrificial attack, with me struggling to defend - and finally making a fatal mistake.