Checkmates: Mayor John Mitchell with chess grandmaster Darryl Johansen.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
Geelong has proven it’s no pawn with a checkmate of Sydney to win next year’s 2012 Australian Chess Championships.
Although a rookie in hosting major tournaments, Geelong Chess Club cleared the board with its council-backed bid.
Mayor John Mitchell said council put in $10,000 to help piece the bid together.
The 11-day tournament would attract 200 participants and more than 500 spectators, he said.
“This will showcase the region to a new audience,” Cr Mitchell said.
Australian chess king, grandmaster Darryl Johansen, played eight games simultaneously to launch the event this week.
Five-time Australian championship winner Johansen is also a member of the national chess team.
Geelong Chess Club’s Paul Power said the tournament would attract national and international players. The event would also determine the chess team for a 2012 Chess Olympiad in Turkey.
North Geelong’s The Sphinx will host the tournament from December 27 to January 8.
