Wednesday, January 23, 2008

GM Antic To Coach Manly Chess Club

Now for something Australian... :)

My brother-in-law, Steven, is at the Manly chess club who now has a GM to coach at their club.

I hope Antic's residency is approved. It would be very sad as Australia has a severe shortage of good GM trainers and it would be a mistake to let him slip by.
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"PRESS RELEASE

TOP GUN TO COACH MANLY CHESS CLUB

The Manly Chess Club has hired Australia's leading player, Grandmaster Dejan Antic, to coach its members.

Club president Chris Dimock said the appointment would "add to the armoury of our players" in matches against other Sydney clubs and be an attraction for new members.

Antic, 39, who won the Australian Open Championship in Sydney this month, is one of only two active international grandmasters in Australia and is a registered trainer with the world governing chess body FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs).

Antic, one of Serbia's top players before moving to Australia in 2006, believes the key to success is learning the endgame before studying opening tactics and strategies.

"There are so many good young players in Australia, but they don't want to learn the endgame," Antic said. "So I say, I'll show you how to win in 60 moves instead of 20, and you'll win more often."

The Manly Chess Club meets every Monday night at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club and Antic will be conducting coaching sessions for the next three weeks, with a view to extending on a more permanent basis, Mr Dimock said.

Antic's initial application for a resident's visa was refused because the Australian government does not recognise his teaching skills, even though the world chess body does. With his wife and two children still in Serbia, Antic has appealed to the Immigration Review Tribunal with a
petition signed by a host of Australian chess players who want him to stay and the support of his local member of Federal Parliament.

For further information

Club president: Chris Dimock: 9221 8390
Dejan Antic: Mob: 0423 368 980
Publicity officer: John Radovan Mob: 0403 888 015"

2 comments:

  1. At first I thought you meant this was a chess club where all the players lifted weights, compared the richness of their facial hair, and played rugby. Manly's a city then...right.

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  2. lol. Manly's actually a suburbian town on the east coast where the beach is. It's where the tourists go to get fleeced.

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