The 130th New Zealand Chess Congress was held from 2-12th January at the Wellington Bridge Club, 17 Tinakori Road, Thorndon in Wellington.
The Congress consisted of five events:
- New Zealand Championship 2023
- Major Open
- New Zealand Blitz Championship
- New Zealand Rapid Championship
- New Zealand Junior and Age Group Championships
The main section, the New Zealand Championship 2023, gathered 44 participants. Guest Grandmasters Elshan Moradiabadi (USA) and Samy Shoker (Egypt), and local 19-years old FM Daniel Hanwen Gong shared the first place with 7,0 points each.
FM Daniel Hanwen Gong is declared national champion and can represent New Zealand at the Oceania Zonal in Melbourne. Gong also won the New Zealand Junior Championship that was held concurrently with the main event.
The Major Open featured 71 players. The 14-years old Kayden Loke was convincing winner with 8,0/9 points, a full point ahead of the nearest followers.
More information on the New Zealand Chess Federation facebook page
