SACA's Home Page

All South Australian Champions are recorded here with information about each individual. At the moment I'm trying to find out who they are so keep looking back. I would also like to mention briefly that South Australian Chess history will have it's own page. I will say from what little I know that the club started in 1864 and has been through two world wars and several depressions. At one time the financial membership dropped to three but still the club carried on, those devoted survivors dipping deeper into their own pockets enabled to keep it afloat. Their love of chess has made S.A.C.A what it is today a continuing well established chess association.

I personally would like to dedicate this archive section to Evelyn Koshnitsky who over the years has contributed tirelessly to South Australian Chess.

Here is one of Evelyn Koshnitsky's games where Evelyn beat L.Horton in 1964

View Game

Previous S. A. title holders:

• 1887 Henry Charlick won the Australian title held in Adelaide
• 1888/93 Henry Charlick ( It has come to my attention that Henry Charlick has an opening after his name it is the Charlick Gambit also known as the Englund Gambit. The first recorded move was found by me after doing an extensive search it was in 1792 played by W. Bouttier Vs. B Charrier. I would like to make available to you one of Charlick's games that was played in Britain in 1894 H. Charlick Vs. H.W. Apperly View Game
• 1894 J. Hilton
• 1895 W.J. McArthur
• 1896 J.M. Belcher
• 1898 W.J. MvArthur
• 1901 J.M. Belcher
• 1905 W.J. McArthur
• 1911 J.M. Belcher
• 1921 W.C.Simmons
• 1925 W.Slack
• 1927 N.E. Hill ( Norman Ellis Hill, SA's Chess champion in 1927,28/29,32,38,39. Norman and his twin brother, Bruce Jacque Hill was by all accounts both outstanding chess players. They migrated to Australia from England at the age of 21 in 1894. They both spent time in SA and WA, (Norman was the WA champion in 1895) Whilst working in the vineyards. Bruce moved on to NSW where he was a representative in Interstate competitions. The twins learned chess from a very young age playing against each other, one of them developed very advanced attacking styles, the other a more defensive style of play. September 1939 N.E. Hill retained veteran won all of his games and drew two).
• 1928/9 N.E. Hill
• 1929/30 W.H.Bundy
• 1932 N.E.Hill
• 1937 R.F.Condon ( C.S.Purdy came 1st & M.E. Goldstein 2nd but niether were eligible for the title )
• 1938 N.E. Hill
• 1939 N.E. Hill
• 1940 Keith Sheard
• 1941 Alan L. Miller
• 1942 G. B. Hynd
• 1943/45 A.L. Miller
• 1946 Ernest W. Brose
• 1947/8 David N. Bowman ( A journalist who later became Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald )
• 1949 Romanas Arlauskas ( Migrated from Lithuania )
• 1950/1 Lucius Endzelins ( Migrated from Latvia, also became Australian Champion in 1951 )
• 1952 D.N.Bowman
• 1953 L. Endzelins
• 1954 Frank Sulik ( Migrated from Poland via Argentina )
• 1955 L. Endzelins
• 1956 Dr.P.V. Kalinovsky ( Dr. of medicine migrated from Russia he and his wife both still live north of Adelaide. Peter when playing for the State title was living somewhere on the Yorke Penninsula and had to drive 300 miles to Adelaide )
• 1957 L. Endzelins
• 1958 L. Cohen ( Jewish migrant from the Netherlands )
• 1959 Allen Miller
• 1960 L. Endzelins
• 1961 L. Horton ( formally Hortovanyi, migrated from Hungary )
• 1962 L. Horton
• 1963 L. Endzelins
• 1964 L. Endzelins
• 1965 S. Wawryck ( Migrated from Czecko-Slavakia) ?
• 1966 G. Koshnitsky
• 1967 P. Sanders
• 1968 N. Craske...... Craske ties with Arlauskas for the State title. Craske a former jr. champion
• 1969 F. Sulik
• 1970 F. Sulik
• 1971 F. Sulik
• 1972 Brett Stokes (a former jr. champion) Now in 2004 Brett is a Mathematician and Musician! Brett has just said to me what a blast from the past and an honor to see his name here amoungst some truly great names.
• 1973 F. Sulik........Sulik ties with C.Cloudsdale
• 1974 F. Sulik........Sulik ties with N.Vassilaropoulos and agrees to play best out of four games and very convicingly takes the first position. Sulik won the first and second and drew the third.
• 1975 N. Vassilaropoulos ( A Greek Australian & former jr. champion)
• 1976/8 F.Sulik
• 1979 Robert Cowley ( former jr. champion )
• 1980/1 Srbo Zaric ( Migrated from Yugoslavia )
• 1982 Alan Goldsmith ( former jr. champion from Jersey Isle )
• 1983/4 Mark Chapman ( Emigrated from South Africa when he was about 10yrs-12yrs old and was a jr. champion )
• 1985 Justin Pengelley ( former jr. champion )
• 1986 Konrad Hornung ( former jr. champion )
• 1987 A. Goldsmith
• 1988 K. Hornung
• 1989 A. Goldsmith
• 1990 S. Zaric
• 1991 Aleks Whol ( Orinally from Croatia and former NSW jr. champion and now tour's Europe playing chess ) & K. Hornung
• 1992 R. Cowley
• 1993 Nick Speck ( former jr. champion )
• 1994 Trevor Tao ( autistic jr champion )
• 1995 WGM Daniella Nutu-Gajic ( Migrated from Romania )
• 1996/7 T.Tao
• 1998 WFM Ngan Koshnitsky ( The now world famous match played against R. Cowley. When I think of this game it reminds me of this quote: " If you play at night with a single candle, place it at your left-hand side, so that it does not disturb your eyes; if you play by day, place your opponent facing the light, which gives you a great advantage. Also, try to play your adversary when he has just eaten and drunk freely. For to play a long time it is best to have eaten lightly. To avoid getting dizzy during the game, you should drink water, but by no means wine. and play only short sessions, and for a stake small enough to avoid the possibility of the loss weighing on your mind. LUCENA (15TH Century)
• 1999 Kevin Sheldrik ( former top-junior )
• 2000 Song Yang ( jr. champion )
• 2001 S. Zaric
• 2002 R. Cowley

The first GM to visit Adelaide was GM Yuri Averbakh in 1960 here he is giving a simil outside John Martins. Yuri Averbakh has a website called InterChess.com that is most interesting and worth a visit. In the foreground of this photo is Nick Koshnitsky amoungst many talented young chess players.

InterChess.com

Luciuos Endzelins had won the South Australian Championship eight times, having defeated A. Cuntala in the 1964 play-off by two points to one. The first game was drawn, Cuntala lost the second one on time, and the third was also drawn. View Game

Gary and Evelyn Koshnitsky made chess history by being the first married couple in Australia to win their respective titles in the same year of 1966. They also each finished with the same convincing margin of 1 and a half points. It was Garys first attempt at the State title and he produced something of the form which won for him two national titles, three Queensland titles and seven N.S.W. titles, the last of which however was in 1952. His win was something of an anniversary he won his first tournament in Australia, the Queensland championship in 1926.

Peter Sanders was born in 1943 in London and emigrated to Australia in the early sixties with his parents. They settled in Para Hills, where I believe Peter is still living today. Here is one of Peter Sanders games from the seventh round playing Dr. P. Kalinovsky, View Game

In 1964 The grandmaster and writer Alexander Kotov (1913-1981) from Tula in Russia made a visit to Adelaide, there was some concern about his involvement with the NKVD setting aside politics and personal opinions he was accepted by the majority and gave a wonderful similtaneous display where 38 individuals took full advantage of his appearance. At a remarkably rapid rate by the GrandMaster 4 games were won by Adelaide players 3 of them from the Norwood club, seven games were drawn. The players who obtained draws were P. Koshnitsky, A. Driscoll, J. Tindale, L. H. Monouze, M. Halusko, G. Bennet and J. Ferguson. The winners were D. Rudd, M. Cekulis, G. Peters and B. Foster. Here are the four won games. View Games

The First International Chess Tournament in Adelaide was in 1971 it was called The Karlis Lidums International Tournament where a large group of Grandmasters attended. There was GM. L.Portisch from Hungary, GM. A. Matanovic from Yugoslavia, GM. Gheorghiu from Romainia, GM W. S. Brown from Australia and GM. L. Schmid from Germany. The first top five out of 155 chess participants were:

1. Portisch
2. Schmid
3. Gheorghiu
4. Matanovic
5. Brown

Three prizes had been won by A. Flatlow, D. Hamilton and H. Barber these were the best three performers ( excluding those who also shared in the top five major prizes. ) Top prizes were $200, $100, and $50.

After the K. L. International Tournament all five grandmasters toured Australia, giving simuls and lectures. In all 58 exhibitions were given and this gave tremendous stimulation to chess in every state. Results of the S.A. simuls :

• Portisch - Chess Centre - played 35 games in 3 and a half hours, he won 26, lost to Peter Burnett.
• Schmid - Victoria Club - played 26 games won 22, and lost to L.Meier.
• Matanovic - Marion Shopping Centre - played 33 games in 3 hours he won 26, and lost to Alan Goldsmith
• Matanovic - Dom Polski - played 33 games in 3 hours and won 28, he lost to M.Kaim and E Tomczack-George
• Matanovic - Chess Centre - played 30 games in 2 and a half hours won 27 and lost to Robert Hickman
• Gheorghiu - The Grosvenor - played 32 games in almost 5 hours he won 27 with no losses.
• Browne - City Cross - played 32 games in 3 hours won 28, and lost 2 to A. Driscoll and B.Stokes
• Browne - Junior simul at Arndale Shopping Centre - played 35 in 3 hours. won 31 games and lost one to Alan Goldsmith
• Brown - Whyalla - played 26. Won 25 and lost one to J.Rawnik. Ten year old Michael Beatuleit lasted for twenty two moves aginst the GM.

The following game was played by one of our best players at the time Mr. R. Arlauskas Vs GM. A. Mantanovic the game ended in a draw but what a good game it was, shows that the grandmasters are not invincible. View Game

If you have any information to add to this archive please e-mail

chess_sa@yahoo.com Steven Nicholls.