South luck extends with triple tie at 133rd NZ Chess Congress 2026

The southern tip of New Zealand, Invercargill kicks off 2026 with the 133rd NZ Chess Congress featuring local and international chess players.

New Zealand Congress is a significant annual event held at the beginning of the year in New Zealand. The event features various main events with various time controls such as Standard, Rapid, and Lightning, along with other events for Junior age group and also the local Invercargill Open event.

The Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell opened the event at the Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill which is set on 7 hectares of land and few kms away from the Invercargill Airport.

Another reference is the former Mayor Tim Shadbolt, a long-serving figure whose dedication made a lasting impact on public service in Invercargill, passing this week.

The event organizer, Richie Christie of Chess Ventures, along with the New Zealand Chess Federation, hosted a successful event with GMs from Poland and England, as well as local and overseas players - Germany, USA, Australia and SriLanka.

In sport, there are wins, draws, or losses, cultivating player confidence, resilience, perseverance, and determination to achieve success despite challenges. With participants of various ages, the experiences encompassed both joy and sorrow following victories or defeats.  Yet, failures are crucial steps towards success and the foundation of memorable stories.

Congratulations to Elena Moshakova with a score of 7.5 of 9, winner of the New Zealand Major Category for 2026. An early loss was integral in turning the tide to secure victories or a draw in the subsequent eight rounds.

In the Open Category and NZ Chess Championship, we have three-way tie  - GM Daniel Fernandez of England, GM Jacek Stopa of Poland, and NZ, IM elect Felix Xie, all three scored 7.5 of 9. The final match played by GM Daniel concluded in a draw, diminishing his opportunity to emerge as the ultimate victor.  IM elect Felix Xie is the 2026 NZ Champion with a top score among the New Zealand players

GM Daniel and IM elect Felix Xie dominated the Lightning event, impressively finishing with a spectacular score of 8 out of 9 games.

Richard Liu achieved a top score of 6 points out of 7 games in the Junior age category, earning him the title of NZ Junior Champion.

Quentin Johnson claims the Invercargill Open 2026 with top performance and a perfect 5 out of 5 score.

Some pictures of the event and the players

The arena is prepared for the participants to challenge and seize the King