Onsite Team Nationals 2025 Welcome letter

WELCOME

On behalf of the team at Chess Power I want to wish you a very warm welcome to the Chess Power Onsite Teams National Finals 2025 Chess Championship. 

We’re thrilled to bring together our chess community once again, both onsite and online, for an event that celebrates the talent and determination of young players across New Zealand. Chess continues to experience tremendous growth not only here at home but also around the globe, with more schools, families, and communities recognizing the profound impact it has on young minds - fostering skills in critical thinking, resilience, and creativity.

For many of our players, competing at Nationals represents a dream come true, one built through dedication and countless hours of practice. We are committed to making this experience truly special, something they - and you - will cherish and remember.

Thank you for being part of this exciting journey, and for supporting these inspiring young players as they showcase their hard work and passion for the game. We look forward to sharing a memorable tournament filled with learning, growth, and the joy of chess!


Teams Nationals 2024 Junior Division Champions - Murrays Bay Primary School

This welcome letter is for the onsite Team Nationals. There is a separate welcome letter for the online Team Nationals, and the onsite and online Champions Trophy events, linked below.

Online Teams National Finals 2025 welcome letter

Onsite Champions Trophy 2025 welcome letter

Online Champions Trophy 2025 welcome letter

To all our parents, teachers and organisers, thank you for supporting our tamariki and giving them the opportunity to enjoy a truly memorable and unique experience. As always, we really appreciate your continued support. 

We have a total of 776 players registered for our National program of events. This represents an 8% increase in numbers over last year. For the onsite teams nationals we have 361 players registered. We are excited to meet all of you again and will do our best to ensure your experience is a positive one.

View a map of the schools participating in the onsite Team Nationals 2025.

I wanted to give you some pointers about the day to help ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible for you.

DATE
The date of the event is this Saturday 25 October 2025.

VENUE
The event itself and prize-giving is being held at:

Alfriston College
550 Porchester Road,
Randwick Park,
Manukau
AUCKLAND

Use this Google Map link for directions.

Note that all divisions for the onsite Champions Trophy on the following day, Sunday, will also be held at Alfriston College in the same space. A separate welcome letter will be sent to all registered players for the Champions Trophy and a link to this letter is at the beginning of this page.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING

We recommend all players bring a drink bottle. If you want to record your games (optional) you should also bring a pen and a score book. Score books will also be available for purchase at the venue.
 
GETTING TO THE VENUE
The venue is just 17 minutes drive from the Auckland Airport.
Auckland Airport to Alfriston College directions

If you are doing a road trip...

Use this map if you are travelling from the North to Alfriston College
Or use this map if you are travelling from the South to Alfriston College

Note: Labour weekend is extremely busy so expect delays on the road and allow for extra time for travel. 

PARKING
Entry to the venue is off Porchester Road. There is parking in the school carpark. For this event, you can park in both visitor and staff carparks. 
Additional parking is available on Porchester Road itself. 
View our Team Nationals facilities map for access, parking and venue areas.

 
FINDING THE PLAYING HALLS
The opening welcome and tournament announcements will be held in the school gymnasium. All teams should check-in at the gymnasium. On completion of the opening announcements, all players participating in the senior division will move to the theatre. 

Once all rounds are finished, senior players can move back to the gymnasium for the prize giving ceremony. 

Refer to the Team Nationals facilities map for an overview of the school, surrounding streets and layout of the school buildings.

 
ARRIVAL TIME
The event runs from 9am to 5:30pm. Check-in will be available from 8am. We recommend you aim to arrive at the venue by 8:15am to enjoy a stress-free arrival.
 
ON ARRIVAL
On arrival players should check-in making sure all their details are correct. There is one goodie bag per team. The team representative should pick up their team goodie bag. Name badges are in the goodie bag.
 
LATE ARRIVAL?
If you are going to be late, please text us on 021 0271 5577 with the school name, player names that will be late and expected time of arrival. We will give a half point bye for players that miss round 1 as long as you text ahead of time. Byes will not be available for later rounds.
 
EVENT SCHEDULE
Each player will play 9 rounds of chess. The time control is 15 minutes per player. There is no bonus time.
8.00am Guests arrival start
9.00am All guests should have arrived
9.30am Opening Announcements
10.00am Start Round 1
10.35am Start Round 2
 
11.00am MORNING TEA BREAK
11.20am Start Round 3
11.55am Start Round 4
12.30pm Start Round 5
 
1.00pm LUNCH BREAK
1.30pm Start Round 6
2.05pm Start Round 7
 
2.30pm AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
2.50pm Start Round 8
3.25pm Start Round 9
4.00pm Fun Activity!
4.30pm Prize Giving
5.30pm Tournament Close and Farewell


HEALTH, SAFETY, WELFARE AND EVACUATION PROCEDURES
It is important all participants and supporters are safe. You should be familiar with the health and safety policies and procedures to keep everybody safe and in case of an emergency such as a fire or lockdown situation.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT AND TOURNAMENT RULES
We have put together a summary of what to expect at Teams Nationals and the rules that will govern the event. We encourage you to go through this with your players.
 
TOURNAMENT PROGRESS
Results of games for all divisions will be recorded live and are available to view in Tornelo. You can also use this link to see the other teams that will be participating in your division and the players that make up each team as well as individual and team results. View our Understanding Event Results page to learn more about interpreting results.
 
UNIFORMS
As this is a school teams event school uniforms are required. We recommend you come well-dressed as this shows your team is well organised and you will look great in the team photos too!
 
FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS
Hero Coffee will be onsite from 7:30 - 10:00am. Cookies will also be available. View the Hero Coffee menu.

Andrew and his team from Nom Nom will also be onsite from 10:30 - 3:00pm for some great lunch options.

Theresia from Cream ice-cream will be onsite from 12:30 - 3pm for yummy ice-cream. They will have strawberry and mango real-fruit ice cream, as well as Whittaker’s chocolate-covered strawberries!

Other alternative food outlets close by include McDonald's, Subway, Daaku Kebab, Alfriston Fish and Chips and Noodle Canteen all within a five minute drive.

Refreshments (tea and coffee) will also be available for all adults throughout the day. 


PRIZES

Trophies

The winning team in each division will be crowned the Chess Power Team National Champions for their division and be given a trophy the team can display at their school.
 
Junior Master Titles
The top individual player in each division will receive the Junior Master title, a framed certificate and enter the Chess Power Hall of Fame.

FREE Entry to the Champions Trophy

The top 10 individuals in each division will gain free entry to their choice of the onsite Champions Trophy or the online Champions Trophy on the following day. An email confirming attendance including which event you wish to attend must be sent to events@chesspower.co.nz before 8pm on Saturday evening. 

Note: Players who quality but have already paid for the Champions Trophy are not eligible for refunds.

 
Medals
Medals will also be presented to the top 3 individual players, the top girl, and the players in the top 3 teams in each division.
 
Certificates
Each player will receive a certificate based on the teams' final placing as follows:

JUNIOR DIVISION
1st - 2nd: Distinction
3rd - 5th: Excellence
6th - 13th: Credit
14th - 31st: Merit

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
1st: Distinction
2nd - 3rd: Excellence
4th - 8th: Credit
9th - 18th: Merit

SENIOR DIVISION
1st: Distinction
2nd - 3rd: Excellence
4th - 7th: Credit
8th - 17th: Merit

X-Chess is Back!

We’re extremely excited to bring back X-Chess again at this year’s Nationals! X-Chess offers a refreshing twist to traditional chess by minimizing opening theory and preparation, bringing creativity to the forefront of each match. X-Chess means thinking from the very first move. Whether you're new to chess or a seasoned player, X-Chess provides a unique challenge, blending strategy and skill in ways that promise to engage and surprise.

This Nationals event you will be able to see the X-Chess professional tournament game and engage in the X-Chess online experience in our activities centre! We can’t wait for you to experience the game’s dynamic pace and exciting possibilities firsthand.

We’re also thrilled to announce that the boxed edition of X-Chess will be available for purchase from our product desk! With both the tournament set and the online game ready to play here at Nationals, this is the perfect opportunity to see what X-Chess has to offer and take a step into a new dimension of chess strategy. We hope you’ll dive in and discover why X-Chess is creating such a buzz in the chess community!

Play X-Chess Now!

Special AwardsThe Chess Power badge system will also be running throughout the event so you can earn and collect badges. In addition, prizes will be awarded for the biggest upsets and the biggest rating gainers. 

Coaching Clinic and Activities Centre

We have a great chess coach to help you improve your game throughout the event. Brain challenges will also be available and some challenges can earn badges and rewards. And yes, we will have Chess-e, the Chess robot!

Supporter of the Year

Each year we recognise a special individual that has supported chess in their school and community. The winner of the supporter of the year award will be announced at this event. 


Additional Activities
Jo from Sparkles & Smiles will be onsite at the activities centre to do face painting - get into the Nationals spirit with an awesome face design! You will have to get in early to not miss out.

PRODUCTS
A good selection of chess products will be available for purchase at discounted prices including chess sets, clocks, and cool stuff! You can purchase onsite at our product desk or order online at ChessCity.nz, enter the code "NATIONALS2025" and we will courier your products to you. You can pay via Credit Card or bank transfer. The offer will be available until midnight 26 October 2025.
 
CLOSING NOTE
I personally wish you and your team the very best of success in the Chess Power Teams National Finals. I am confident your team will thoroughly enjoy the day and have a memorable and rewarding life experience.

Yours in Chess,

Paul Macdonald - Signature

Paul Macdonald
CEO
Chess Power

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Phone: 0800 424 377 New Zealand

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