Remembering the 80s – Our Best NSWJCL Chess Performance Since 1985
In Term 2, the Cranbrook chess teams played in their respective age-divisions for the first stage of the state championships.
The competition began with a bye for the Senior team and matches for the Intermediates and Juniors. The Intermediates convincingly defeated Corpus Christi Maroubra 3-1, (having forfeited a game, due to lacking a player). The Juniors drew their match 2-2 against Reddam House, an impressive first showing for many of our players.
The following week, the Seniors had their debut against top seeds Sydney Grammar A. A gaggle of Year 12 students turned up to support the team, and particularly James Xylas, who was making his Senior debut on Board 4. Cranbrook ended up winning the match on tiebreak after a victory on the top board and two draws on the lower boards collected enough points to take home the match. Meanwhile, in the Intermediate and Junior divisions, we scored another match win, and unfortunately, a loss in the Juniors. Although the Intermediates managed to outplay their combative opponents from Sydney Tech 3-1 (with another forfeit loss), Sydney Grammar A proved too prepared for our Junior players and we unfortunately lost that match 3.5-0.5, with the draw being scored by Maurya Mehta (Year 8) on Board 3!
With an excellent start to the season, spirits were high for our incoming matches, and our results matched our attitude! We scored an impressive 12-0 record against teams from Marcellin and Ascham, which propelled each team closer to the finals.
The following week was a strange match, where although the Seniors and Intermediates were scheduled for a match with Waverley, only three players out of eight turned up; two from the Seniors and one from the Intermediates. Because of this, both Cranbrook teams had already won their matches, and the only thing in contention was tiebreak points!
Meanwhile, the Juniors had a tougher match against Fort Street, where our own Kenneth Rhee played against Australia No. 27, FM Yifei Hu. Kenneth managed to play an excellent game against someone with so much experience, and I’m sure it was a very educational experience to play against such a player.
In the same match, we had a new player join the Junior team, who salvaged half a point against the strong Fort Street team. Magnus would go on to win/draw his remaining games and meet the criteria for an EQV. This is Magnus Blackstone, from Year 7, not Magnus Carlsen, (although that could be argued)!! He was winning but a draw is a very commendable result against Fort Street, and he should be feeling very accomplished.
In Round 5, both the Seniors and the Juniors played Emmanuel while the Intermediates played top seed of their division, Sydney Grammar A! On home turf, Cranbrook decisively won on Boards 1, 2 and 4 to ensure a 3-1 victory against their top team, while in the Juniors, the match was even more convincing after two forfeits, and we took home the win 4-0 after Maurya and Kenneth defeated their opponents on Board 1 and 2.
Meanwhile at Sydney Grammar, the Intermediates had an intense match against one of the most refined teams in the state. Unfortunately, a player on the Intermediate squad had not shown up, so we were already playing with a one point deficit. Although there was some turmoil on Board 2 involving a dispute on the touch-move rule and the use of the clock, the match went otherwise, rather undisturbed. The first result came back as a loss for Cranbrook on Board 2, but following this, Rupert Rust managed to flag his opponent on Board 1 in a drawn position, and scored a valuable win! It all boiled down to Board 3 where Peter Wang was in a winning position against somebody twice his rating! Unfortunately, time pressure got to our player and we unfortunately lost the final game, sealing the match 3-1 in Sydney Grammar’s favour.
Our penultimate match was a really important one. All teams played Scots at Cranbrook, and we all knew this match would be incredibly important; not only for this competition but for the Battle of Bellevue Hill next term. This match has been going on for decades between Cranbrook and Scots, and happens in mid-late Term 3. Our result here would give us an idea of what we can expect to happen then. In the Seniors, Ewan and I won our matches, but unfortunately, on Board 2, we lost from a won position after time pressure mounted on our player. We also lost on Board 3 from a drawn endgame, where at the end of the day, the more experienced player came out on top. Therefore, we drew that match 2-2. However, results were better in the Intermediates and the Juniors, with the Juniors winning their match on tiebreak and the Intermediates winning their match outright 2.5-1.5, with a draw on Board 1 against Deves Manoji.
And so it came to the final round. At that point, only the Seniors were in contention for the top spot in the division, leading it by half a point against Sydney Grammar, with Sydney Grammar having to face Scots while Cranbrook had a match against Marcellin Randwick. Meanwhile in the other two divisions, Cranbrook was fighting for some important placement
points. The Intermediates division was strange, as although they were three points behind Sydney Grammar, they were also four points ahead of third place! The Juniors were currently in 4th, but were fighting for 3rd with their final match against Scots.
In the Juniors, we managed to draw the other Scots team, which eventually jettisoned us into third place when the third placed team, Scots A lost their match 4-0 against Sydney Grammar.
In the Intermediates, we defeated Sydney Boys with a score of 3-1, with wins on Boards 2,3 and 4. This cemented Cranbrook’s standing in the Intermediate division, placing us in a convincing second place.
Finally, in the Seniors, a match win was necessary against Marcellin, to win our division. The first result was scored on Board 1, where Marcellin top board, Max Jansson resigned after losing a rook. Following this, (not long after), two wins on Board 2 and 3 came in as wins for Cranbrook, meaning we had already won the match, but a positive result on Board 4 would simply confirm it. James Xylas, who remained undefeated throughout the season, played an intense and dynamic game. In a sharp position with chances on both sides, he ultimately offered a draw to protect his potential eligibility for Colours which was met by laughter from both teams. Marcellin now thinks that Colours are “cool coloured stripes on a blazer”, (which isn’t entirely wrong!) The Seniors therefore won their match 3.5-0.5 against Marcellin, advancing us to the finals, the first stage of which will be played on August 1 against Sydney Boys A.
Throughout the season, seven players went undefeated, with two of them winning every game they played.
Congratulations to all players for their excellent results. Below are the results for each division.
If you would like to play chess during lunch or come support us while we play at school; we are always in V4.07, and if anyone is around on Friday evening in Week 6 or 7, keep a lookout for the Battle of Bellevue Hill! Bring your posters and school spirit and let’s win back that cup!
Team Members:
Seniors:
Board 1: Will Wenderoth
Board 2: William Hambly
Board 3: Ewan Walker
Board 4: James Xylas
Reserves: Oscar Peak, Bo Campion
Intermediates:
Board 1: Rupert Rust
Board 2: Sam Farquhar
Board 3: Etienne Roux Board 4: Peter Wang
Reserves: Rahul Jacob, Joey Olschewski
Juniors:
Board 1: Kenneth Rhee
Board 2: Ayan Cheong
Board 3: Maurya Mehta
Board 4: Magnus Blackstone
Reserves: Edward Jonkman
Comments from the team:
“This term has not only been a complete success, with many players receiving recognition for their performances. It was a very fun way to spend lunches, and to enjoy a Friday afternoon!” – Rupert Rust (Y10)
“In my game against Sydney Grammar A, my opponent mistakenly thought his queen was trapped. I quickly offered a draw, which he accepted, not realising he was actually winning! It was funny but I felt bad for him afterward.” – Maurya Mehta (Y8)
“To everyone who’s been part of the Cranbrook Chess Club, thank you. We welcome all chess enthusiasts to join us in V4, where the game continues, and so does the journey to victory.” – William Hambly (Y11)
“Chess is more than a board game, it is a mirror of life itself” – Ayan Cheong (Y8)
“I am very grateful to all the people who have been attending the chess club in order to play the game. I am also incredibly thankful to all members of the chess team, and I am very proud of our performance and results!” – Will Wenderoth (Y11)
Will Wenderoth, Year 11
Chess Captain
