16-year-old Anton Smirnov from Sydney has become Australia’s seventh and youngest Grandmaster with victory in the first Capablanca Memorial tournament in Anogia, Crete. Smirnov, a former Australian Junior Champion, smashed the record for the youngest Australian Grandmaster, held by Australian number one Zhao Zong Yuan, by five years.  

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…

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to play in the World Cadet Chess Championship (U8-U12) to take place in Brazil in August. Thank you to GM Ian Rogers, IM Junta Ikeda and David Koetsier for being the selectors. Under 12 Open Byron Morris Xander Liebert Siddhant Badrinarayan Under 8 Open Aiden Wen

2017 Johns-Putra Australian Junior Elite Training Squad (JETS) The Australian Junior Chess League is pleased to invite applications from talented Australian juniors (U/18) for the national junior training squad. The JETS Squad is Australia’s premier development squad, aimed at encouraging and challenging the next generation of Australian champions. (Past JETS members have gone on to…

15-year-old Sydney junior Anton Smirnov remained undefeated and is now two thirds of the way to becoming Australia’s youngest Grandmaster after a stunning 8.5/10 performance at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. Two Australian teams competed at the Olympiad with the Australian Open team finishing tied for 24th place in a field of 166 countries. You…

Australian Under 8 Champion Sayum Rapusinghe is co-leader of the Commonwealth U/8 Championship after four rounds. (Rapusinghe is seeded 24th from 26 players.) Lilian Lu is running =3rd in the U/14 Girls division, while Sebastian Bracks is currently th in the U/10 open division. Follow Sayum, Lilian and Sebastian’s progress at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr232121.aspx?lan=1&art=0&wi=821.