On Saturday the 10th of December, the Hermanus Chess Club hosted their second annual Handicap tournament at the Hermanus Sports Club. All players were welcome and the tournament was divided into a Junior and Open section. There were some awesome cash prizes and hampers up for grabs so the competition was tough. The amount of entries grew from last year to roughly 60 players coming from all over Hermanus, Zwelihle, Kleinmond and Caledon.
Tournament Details
- 6 Round Swiss
- Rapid with 10/10 initial starting time (no increment)
- Open and Junior Section
- Not Chess SA rated
Prizes
Junior section
- 1st Place – R250 cash
- 2nd Place – R100 and R50 PnA vouchers, 2023 school diary and Aqua water bottle
- 3rd Place – R100
- ♟Chess key ring and chess playing cards to all above
Open section
- 1st Place – R350 Spur voucher, bottle of champagne, Handicap Rapid floating trophy
- 2nd Place – Bottle of red wine, firewood and firelighters, R150 meal voucher at Hermanus Sports Club
- 3rd Place – R200 cash
- ♟Chess key ring to all above
Best female
- R150 cash, teddy bear, chess keyring and chess playing cards
Best beginner
- R150 meal voucher at Hermanus Sports Club, chess keyring and chess playing cards
Lucky draw
- HCC cap and chess key ring
Handicap details
This year we had many beginners starting out in the Junior section, with some who have only been playing chess for 3 months. Therefore it was decided that the handicap will only apply to the Open section players. The handicap was in the form of a time penalty. A player with a higher rating will loose time on their clock, helping to increase the weaker player’s chances of winning.
Handicap Calculation:
| Rating Difference | Time deducted |
|---|---|
| 0 – 99 points | None, standard 10/10 |
| 100 – 299 points | 2 Minutes (eg. 10/8) |
| 300 – 399 points | 4 Minutes (eg. 10/6) |
| 400 points or more | 5 Minutes (eg. 10/5) |
Final rankings (Top 3 players per category)
Junior section
- 3rd Place – Francois Scholtz
- 2nd Place – Thobani Matinywa
- 1st Place – Kai Kiessling
Open section
- 3rd Place – Michael Arnold
- 2nd Place – Carel Schoombee
- 1st Place – Andrew Southey (Overall Winner of 2022 HCC Handicap Rapid)
Special prizes
Best Female
- Asonele Lusawana (Junior)
Best Beginner
- Kuhle Nel (Junior)
Lucky Draw
- Onwabe Somi (Junior)
Full standings can be found on chess-results:
- Open – https://chess-results.com/tnr700031.aspx?lan=1&art=0&fed=RSA
- Junior – https://chess-results.com/tnr700034.aspx?lan=1&art=0&fed=RSA
A big thank to you everyone that participated and to the organizers of this wonderful event. It was another huge success.
More photos can be found on our Instagram Page or our Facebook Page.