1) Add FRG West Germany to the historical list at bottom of FIDE Country Codes.

2) Add date ranges to the historical codes. For GDR and FRG I suggest 8 May 1945 to 2 October 1990. For URS I suggest 30 December 1922 to 1990/1991 (just "1990/1991"). We'll return to YUG, CSR, GBR, etc. later.

3) Starting dates for current codes can also be added. See e. g. Game Collection: Soviet Union Country Codes.

The GMs are from Brazil, Lithuania, Germany, China etc and there are some IMs and FMs etc

I entered the Open with vague hope I might give another GM a fright, although I could have entered the Major Open. There are also lightening and Rapid tournaments.

It is a great location for a chess holiday by the way. Entries are still open.

Here are some relevant links:

http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/

http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/NZ...

Some of the top boards may also be live.

It is to be held in the summer, and in Devonport, Auckland, a beautiful part of Auckland near the sea and much else (cafes, pubs, shops, a little mountain)....at Murray Chandler's 'Auckland Chess Centre'.

Absolutely! Some of them may be aliens. My son who is in his forties is into aliens and is convinced they are amongst us. But I am sure that we are safe here, as who could be safer than having the august Nigellus Shortus, and Gawain Jones (I like that game where he sacrificed a Q against Carlsen, it would have worked against every one, except - Magnus carlsen!).

But I played in a tournament parallel to one that had Gawain playing. I was playing in the second tier tournament and I played some good games but stuffed (one against the winner Bruce Wheeler who won) and we discussed that opening - the Tarrasch var vs the French - he (Gawain) showed me how he dealt with Black's g5 move early in the opening. I had never seen it so I set up a kind of blockade with g4 and h3, not the best according to theory, but I managed to get an attack down the h file. Bruce Wheeler defended, and I frittered away my winning chances...sound familiar?

Last year, of course there were a lot of Australians, who are more or less human, let's face it, and the winner was a Chinese woman GM. As well as the prizes Murray even gives out prizes for players who, even if their combination didn't work or win, "ingenuity", and other surprise things such as "the best and most clearly written score sheet' (Think of whoever has to enter the games into a computer if anyone want to do it.)

One player is from Hong Kong.

While I don't often beat players over 2000, I have sometimes beaten or drawn with FMs Steadman, ICCC IM Mark Noble (quick draw in the NZ Corresp Champs years ago).

Of the players that I can see I have reasonable results against a number. But I certainly need Lady Luck on my side. In the old days I never really expected to win a prize. And I never did except in more recent years, being rusty, my rating dropped and I won 2 B grade standard tournaments and 1 B grade Rapid.

Can we please have a forum for the ongoing <2015 FIDE WORLD YOUTH AND CADET CHAMPIONSHIP>??

Thanks

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The link I provided above is PGN for **all** of the games played so far.

Ho! The Rugby World Cup is tommorrow morning Aotearoa time: so whether rugby involves IQ thousands of Kiwis are having parties and so on and are getting up at 4 or 5 am to watch.

I'm not that interested...mind you, despite myself the hype is affecting me a bit...I usually rise at 9 am, and my son isn't interested in rugby much. However, we are exceptions here as it is, in fact, NZ's National Religion. Pretty extremist religion also...the aim of rugby is to attack the opposition and batter them, knee them, grab their goolies and hopefully break a lot of necks (as the public love that and a lot of blood)...all this leads to a kind of slug out with the last stangling player. If it goes on too long they are simply set upon by thousands of carnivorous Kiwis...

But when IM Solomon won a tournament here recently, he gave a gracious speech, which is something we used to hear in the good old days of NZ Chess, but, left up to kiwis, it is just a few grunts, and the cash is handed out and its all over.

Seriously I was impressed by the Australian GMs and IMs not only in their playing but in their attitude. And the 'lower ranks' had some very good players. Also some of the promising young players have already departed for Australia.

In one National tournament around the mid 60s Purdy was here playing Sarapu and Feneridis etc At one stage the NZ Chess was much closer to Aussie and I there is still a good relationship. None of this silly name-calling stuff the rugger buggers go in for...