2022 NZ Open Review 

By Colin Grierson, 

I'm tournament director again, however our secretary Chris Ding has done most of the work behind the scenes - much appreciated Chris! 

26 people have registered, about 50/50 in person and remote. Having remote players makes running the tournament harder - but it also means a lot more people can participate so this is the new normal and we have to get good at it. A few more people will turn up on the day, we might have 30 participants - not bad ????

Setup on the day is easy, New Image is a great venue and one of their people lets us in and helps me move the equipment. People arrive, mostly on time, and we start just a little after the advertised time. Good going! There are a few hiccups of course, mostly with remote games. For some this is their first time playing remotely, or their first time on OGS, or they don't have a device. Thanks to everyone who let others use their laptops, especially Corrin Lakeland who has brought two and is loaning both - plus technical support.

David Wu organises lunch, fried chicken from a local shop. Very nice.

Rounds two and three in the afternoon run smoothly, no major surprises. At the top of the open division, undefeated, are Chahine and Gang Du. In division two Tianze Wang is on top. I've had two wins and a respectable loss - pretty good for me. 

Who wants to go out to dinner? Only Corrin, Fergus, Caleb and me. We check out the local Mangere bridge options and choose a Thai restaurant. It looks humble but the food is very good. It's still early when we finish so we crash Mike Taler to review today's games and play some more ????

Sunday. 

The second day is normally easier for the organiser than the first - but today we have the handicap division starting and they will play 6 rounds. I’ll need help with this if I also keep playing.

Several of the players who have registered for the handicap division do not arrive… but eventually we have five players and start a round robin. 

After round 4 and the first round of the handicap it is time for the AGM, which goes smoothly and does not take too long.

• Gang Du accepts nomination for president and is elected. Many thanks to him and to our outgoing president Kevin Liu for his years of service. 

• Chris Ding accepts nomination as secretary and is reelected. You are doing a great job, thanks Chris. 

• Han Ping is treasurer

• The other committee members are Colin Grierson, Caleb Murray, Kevin Liu and Kelvin Li

• The full minutes should be posted on our website. 

Chicken and chips for lunch again. Nice if a bit expensive.

Round 5 starts. Chahine is the only undefeated player in the open division. Tianze is still undefeated in division 2. Can they hold on for two more games?

Round 6. In the Open Chahine has 5 wins, Gang Du and Qin 4. Gang and Qin have both played Chahine and can just hope someone else takes him down, In division 2 Tianze is still on top, Fergus second. They too have played earlier. We have lost one player in the Open division so we have a bye - I shamelessly take it so I have time to collate the results and organise prizes - which are very good for us, as New Image is providing $2000 sponsorship. 

Chahine wins the Open division undefeated - he is a deserving champion. Gang Du is next with 5 wins, Moses, Qin and Kelvin on 4. In Division 2 Tianze wins undefeated - well done and welcome to the Open division next year! Fergus Roach has 5 wins, Amy Bain 4.  In the handicap division Zixing Guo was undefeated, James Huang had one loss and Rafick Koleejan two.

Thanks everyone for making the tournament easy to run. Special thanks to our new committee members.

See you all next time!