Sunday 25 February 2007

Street Chess

Street Chess is a weekly outdoor chess tournament that has been run in Canberra every Saturday for the last 15 years. It has always been run using the same format of a 7 round swiss with each player having 15 minutes per game (Allegro time limit). This has meant that the tournament lasts no longer than 3 1/2 to 4 hours, which seems to suit most players, whether they be casual or serious.
The tournament starts at 11 in the morning which allows plenty of time for late sleepers to get down and enter, while early risers can enjoy a nice outdoor breakfast and coffee before getting down to business.
When the tournament first started the prize pool was funded out of the entry fees but due to its longevity as part of the activities in the main shopping district of Canberra, it now attracts sponsorship from King O'Malley's Bar and Chicken Gourmet Restaraunt, allowing $100 in prizes to be paid out each week. The organisers were also pleased when the ACT Government provided storage facilities for tournament equipment when they redeveloped the Garema Place area of Canberra a number of years ago.

So next time you are in Canberra you are most welcome to drop in on Saturday mornings in City Walk, Canberra City from 11am for some enjoyable chess under the trees.
Complete information here

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