Chris Shepherd’s Tasmanian Open 2025
I can recommend the book The Rookie – An odyssey through chess (and life) by Stephen Moss. I was remined of this written on the back cover of the book - “But what will be the consequences if he fails and has to confront the realisation that he is doomed to mediocrity – in chess as in life?”
I shouldn’t really start with such a down beat quote because despite only winning two out of my six games I still enjoyed the event immensely. Mostly these days chess is played at speed, whereas I like to lose slowly and think about the game as it unfolds like the difference between Test Cricket and T20.
By the close of registration, we had 34 players but unfortunately one didn’t make the trip and had to withdraw. The field bristled with previous (and current) Tasmanian State Champions, namely - Adrian Flitney (champion 1981 & 82, joint champion 1983, champion 1987), Brad Stansfield (joint 1993), Alija Premilovac (1995), Kevin Bonham (2001 & 02, 2014, joint 2015 & 16, 2020, joint 2021 & 22), Ian Rout (joint 2015, 2017, joint 2018 & 19, joint 2021) and Will Rumley joint winner in 2019 and current State Champ for 2025.
Brad Stansfield is a well-known figure in Tasmanian politics and to put it mildly it was an interesting weekend for him to choose chess over #politas. I found a moment on Sunday to mention to Brad that I had enjoyed listening to his podcast, particularly the episode released on the Friday before the tournament: The lemmings.
Of the 34 enteries, I was ranked (by my ACF rating) as 15th my normal middle of the pack spot. Just high enough to get me into the top half of the draw and an opening game on board 12 against an enthusiastic young man from Railton, Blaick Bryant-Caputo racked 30th. He played solidly until on move 20 he blundered his queen. Blaick would probably have benefited from a minor division like the one run at the recent Tasmanian Championships in Deloraine.
Saturday evening, I was rewarded for my win with a match up on board one with Will Rumley. Will and I also happen to be locked in battle in an online tournament Tasmania 2024 Online Chess Championship. Yes 2024 this competition started in June 2024 and still has some way to go yet. Now that is slow chess. The online game is here: https://www.chess.com/game/daily/819071604.
Over the board we repeated the first 9 moves setting up a Dutch Defence: Leningrad Variation. The opening prep gave me a solid platform to give Will a good game (I think?) you can see for yourself below. We ended up in an endgame where Will had a Knight against 3 connected passed pawns. It didn’t end well for me.
Round three kicks off at 10am on Sunday. I’m nervous I’m playing a 12-year-old junior Mary Khodjaeva against whom I had a record in classical games of played one lost one. On this occasion I came out on top. That however was the high point of my Sunday. Next up another junior (all be it older this time), Samuel Cassidy, again a hard-fought contest but I found myself on the back foot trying to hold out for a draw in an endgame where I overreached and lost. Finally, at 6pm I had to play the third classical game of the day, against Kevin Bonham. At the time of writing, I remember lest about this game which I think I was playing on auto pilot (Kevin’s games can be found here: https://www.chesschat.org/showthread.php?19854-2025-Tasmanian-Open-Hobart-June-7-9&p=519316&viewfull=1#post519316).
Back refreshed on Monday to play the final round I needed to beat Darvin Hansen to claim my normal spot in the middle of the final crosstable. However this time that didn’t pan out as Darvin out played me.
The game (see below) was dead even until move twenty when I played 20. Kg2 opening up tactics with a knight check on f4. Darvin didn't see that move. And it goes without saying that I didn’t either. Stockfish pointed it out later, and it’s not hard once seen. However, the pressure he brought to bear from that point on, paid off. And when I played 32. c4 missing that I need to defend my rook on e1 from a discovered attack, my fate was sealed.
Another quote from that book:-
“… too often [he] is beaten by precocious 10-year-olds, leaving his ego battered. He is looking for spiritual fulfilment from the game, but for much of the time finds only mental torture.”
Final Crosstable
| Pos | Name | Rtg | Perf | Fed | Pts | | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |2 | BH | BH/C1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rumley William | 1968 | 2077 | TAS | 5.5 | | | +W17 | +B26 | +W7 | +B6 | =W4 | +B5 | | | 21.5 | 19.5 |
| 2 | Rout Ian | 1847 | 1544 | TAS | 5 | | | -B18 | +W20 | +B23 | +W13 | +B14 | +W8 | | | 19 | 16.5 |
| 3 | Bonham Kevin | 1943 | 1725 | TAS | 4.5 | | | =HPB | +B25 | +W15 | -B4 | +W26 | +W9 | | | 20.5 | 16 |
| 4 | Song Anya(W) | 1688 | 2153 | TAS | 4 | | | =HPB | +W16 | +B8 | +W3 | =B1 | -- | | | 25 | 21 |
| 5 | Flitney Adrian | 1884 | 1625 | TAS | 4 | | | +W23 | +B13 | =HPB | =B14 | +W10 | -W1 | | | 22.5 | 18.5 |
| 6 | Stansfield Bradley | 1721 | 1486 | TAS | 4 | | | +W29 | +B19 | +W10 | -W1 | -B8 | +B16 | | | 22 | 19.5 |
| 7 | Prieto Esteban | 1406 | 1432 | TAS | 4 | | | +W11 | +B32 | -B1 | +W19 | -B9 | +W18 | | | 21.5 | 19.5 |
| 8 | Cassidy Samuel | 1380 | 1659 | TAS | 4 | | | +W27 | +B28 | -W4 | +B26 | +W6 | -B2 | | | 19.5 | 17.5 |
| 9 | Sih Jethro | 1321 | 1426 | TAS | 4 | | | -W32 | +B27 | +W29 | +B12 | +W7 | -B3 | | | 18.5 | 16.5 |
| 10 | Shaw Hayden | 1371 | 1633 | TAS | 4 | | | +B30 | +W18 | -B6 | +W17 | -B5 | +B15 | | | 18 | 17 |
| 11 | Zheng Yien | 941 | 1467 | TAS | 4 | | | -B7 | -B22 | +W21 | +W24 | +B17 | +W14 | | | 17.5 | 15 |
| 12 | Miller Rosalia-Maryam | 1240 | 1367 | TAS | 3.5 | | | +W22 | =B14 | =HPB | -W9 | =B20 | +W21 | | | 18.5 | 15 |
| 13 | Blackburn Roger | 1301 | 1538 | TAS | 3.5 | | | +W31 | -W5 | +B24 | -B2 | =W15 | +B25 | | | 18 | 17 |
| 14 | Banks Sam | 1396 | 1470 | TAS | 3 | | | +B20 | =W12 | +B22 | =W5 | -W2 | -B11 | | | 22 | 19.5 |
| 15 | Lee Kam | 1576 | 1250 | TAS | 3 | | | =B16 | +W21 | -B3 | +W23 | =B13 | -W10 | | | 20 | 17.5 |
| 16 | Lee Karl | 1039 | 1439 | TAS | 3 | | | =W15 | -B4 | +W25 | =B29 | +B19 | -W6 | | | 19.5 | 17 |
| 17 | Hansen Darvin | 1245 | 1070 | TAS | 3 | | | -B1 | +W30 | +W28 | -B10 | -W11 | +B26 | | | 18.5 | 17.5 |
| 18 | Khodjaeva Mary | 1124 | 1237 | TAS | 3 | | | +W2 | -B10 | -W26 | +B31 | +W27 | -B7 | | | 18 | 17 |
| 19 | Khodjaev Yusuf | 1268 | 1111 | TAS | 3 | | | +W24 | -W6 | +B32 | -B7 | -W16 | +B27 | | | 17.5 | 15.5 |
| 20 | Hansen Max | 688 | 1295 | TAS | 3 | | | -W14 | -B2 | +W30 | +B28 | =W12 | =B22 | | | 17 | 16 |
| 21 | Burton Jordan | 0 | 856 | TAS | 2.5 | | | =W25 | -B15 | -B11 | +F32 | +W28 | -B12 | | | 17.5 | 15.5 |
| 22 | Premilovac Alija | 1894 | 641 | TAS | 2.5 | | | -B12 | +W11 | -W14 | -B27 | +B31 | =W20 | | | 16.5 | 15.5 |
| 23 | Foster Eric | 1219 | 787 | TAS | 2.5 | | | -B5 | +W33 | -W2 | -B15 | =B24 | +W31 | | | 16.5 | 15.5 |
| 24 | Sanderson Lochie | 0 | 797 | TAS | 2.5 | | | -B19 | +PAB | -W13 | -B11 | =W23 | +B33 | | | 16.5 | 15.5 |
| 25 | Nagy Alex | 1295 | 745 | TAS | 2.5 | | | =B21 | -W3 | -B16 | +W33 | +B30 | -W13 | | | 15.5 | 14.5 |
| 26 | Shepherd Chris | 1318 | 1115 | TAS | 2 | | | +B33 | -W1 | +B18 | -W8 | -B3 | -W17 | | | 21 | 20 |
| 27 | Wang James | 307 | 1068 | TAS | 2 | | | -B8 | -W9 | +B33 | +W22 | -B18 | -W19 | | | 17.5 | 16.5 |
| 28 | Yuan Alexander | 0 | 401 | TAS | 2 | | | +PAB | -W8 | -B17 | -W20 | -B21 | +W30 | | | 15.5 | 14.5 |
| 29 | Sutton Hera(W) | 1042 | 954 | TAS | 1.5 | | | -B6 | +W31 | -B9 | =W16 | -- | -- | | | 15 | 13.5 |
| 30 | Hansen Zane | 201 | N/A | TAS | 1 | | | -W10 | -B17 | -B20 | +PAB | -W25 | -B28 | | | 15.5 | 14.5 |
| 31 | Bryant-Caputo Tabius | 0 | N/A | TAS | 1 | | | -B13 | -B29 | +PAB | -W18 | -W22 | -B23 | | | 15 | 14 |
| 32 | Broad Braydon(W) | 0 | 1208 | TAS | 1 | | | +B9 | -W7 | -W19 | -F21 | -- | -- | | | 14 | 13 |
| 33 | Bryant-Caputo Blaick | 0 | N/A | TAS | 1 | | | -W26 | -B23 | -W27 | -B25 | +PAB | -W24 | | | 12.5 | 11.5 |
| 34 | Hann Thomas(W) | 1549 | N/A | TAS | 0 | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | | | 0 | 0 |
PGN Viewer from Chess Tempo
Prize list
1st Will Rumley - $420 (30%)
2nd Ian Rout - $280 (20%)
3rd Kevin Bonham - $140 (10%)
Womens' Prize Anya Song - $140 (10%)
Seniors' Prize Adrian Flitney - $140 (10%)
Junior prize: Esteban Prieto/Samuel Cassidy/Jethro Sih - $47 each (10%)
U1400 prize: Samuel Cassidy/Jethro Sih/Hayden Shaw - $23 each (5%)
U1100 prize: Yien Zheng - $70 (5%)