30 selected juniors, from 6 States and Territories, plus New Zealand, participated in the 2017 Johns-Putra JETS camp at Campbell High School in Canberra, ACT, from 3-7 July.
The camp consisted of three days of intensive training – by 4 Grandmasters and an International Master teaching rotating small groups – followed by a training tournament and a simultaneous exhibition by GM Ian Rogers. New Zealand’s Daniel Gong won the training tournament while the ACT’s Ruofan Xu was the only player to defeat Rogers in the simultaneous exhibition. (9-year-old Chao Xin Cheng also secured a draw against Rogers and two days later won the Victorian U/10 Girls Championship!)
Applications for the 2018 JETS Squad, targeting keen and improving juniors aged between 8 and 16, will begin in January. To be eligible for the squad, Australian juniors are required to participate in the 2018 Australian Junior Championship or the 2018 Australian Championships (any division).