Doeberl Cup organisers are hopeful the success of the Vikings Weekender will lay the platform for a return of Australia's most prestigious chess tournament.
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The rapid onset of COVID-19 cancelled this year's Doeberl Cup over Easter, an annual tournament held in Canberra boasting a whopping $20,000 prize pool.
Last weekend's Vikings event was the first over-the-board tournament in Canberra since the global pandemic, and was being used by the ACT Chess Association as a test dummy for next year's Doeberl Cup.
Armenian grandmaster (GM) and world number 75 Hrant Melkumyan won the tournament with five wins and a draw, finishing half a point clear of Canberra-born GM Anton Smirnov.
Director of play Shaun Press said the event should pave the way for the historic Doeberl Cup's return.
"We got it basically right yesterday in terms of the whole COVID stuff," Press said.
"We were kind of using this as a bit of a test run to see whether chess players could be trusted to do the right thing, and they did. We restricted it to 60 players, we spread everything out tables and chairs - we had the hand sanitiser and so on and so forth. In terms of that, that was a success."
The Doeberl Cup was first played in 1963 and often attracts a smattering of overseas grandmasters who tour Australia and south-east Asia before returning for the European summer circuit.
It also draws Australia's best GMs, including Smirnov who earned the title in 2017 and has since become the country's number one player.
Winning the open tournament earns $5000, while a further $1000 is on offer as part of a fighting fund. The open section is one of four categories of competition.
Press expected a capacity field at next year's event, but didn't expect overseas GMs would make the journey given global travel restrictions.
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"Normally we get about four or five overseas grandmasters coming to play as well but I can't see them playing," Press said.
"Up until about 15 years ago, the Doeberl Cup was just a domestic tournament, we very rarely got overseas visitors. At least for next year we'll probably be going back to that feel.
"All the best Australian players will come and play. We'll still have the same prizemoney and everything else will still be the same. It'll be interesting to see which of the top Australians come to play there's about six or seven grandmasters in Australia to pick from as well."
"What I've been noticing with a couple of other tournaments around Australia ... almost all of them have said we're restricted to a certain size of field, so that fills up really quickly.
"The worry was no one would want to get together in groups and travel because of the risk. But that seems not to be the case, it seems to go the other way, people are really keen to get out and play chess."
Melkumyan and Smirnov were tied on 4.5 points apiece going into the final round on Sunday. The Armenian beat Frederick Litchfield in his last match while Smirnov could only manage a draw against International Master Junta Ikeda.
2020 Vikings Weekender:
Open
Winner: GM Hrant Melkumyan 5.5
Second: GM Anton Smirnov 5
Equal third: IM Junta Ikeda and Bazli Karattiyattil 4.5
U1600
Winner: Harry Johnson 5.5
Second: Paul Dunn 5
Third: James Buckley 4.5
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
