The Memorial Masters – 15 January, 2026

Arthur Pomeroy
Arthur Pomeroy
Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Chess Master - Hilton Bennett
CM Hilton Bennett
International Master Bob Wade
IM Bob Wade

Sponsorship

These tournaments are part of the sponsorship program of the MGCF [Middle Game Chess Foundation] and are also financially assisted by the FIDE Planning & Development Commission. We acknowledge the support of the FIDE PDC in allowing these tournaments to take place.

Dates: 

Thursday 15th January – Wednesday 21st January 2026

Venue:

The Exhibition Hall, Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Road, Mt. Wellington, AUCKLAND.

Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre - Exhibition Hall
Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre - Exhibition Hall

Tournament Format:

Four 10 player round robin events.

  • The Bob Wade Memorial Masters will be a GM/IM norm event with invited GM’s, IM’s and FM’s.
  • The Hilton Bennett Memorial Masters and Peter Weir Memorial Masters sections are open to players with FIDE elo ratings of approximately 1800 or higher.
  • The Arthur Pomeroy Memorial Masters is open to players with FIDE elo ratings below 1900, with preference being given to junior players under 20 years old.

The organizer reserves the right to switch players between these events at his discretion, but they will be of approximately equal playing strength.

Time Control:

90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move one.

Entry Fees:

The Bob Wade Memorial Masters is entry by invitation.

The entry fee for the Hilton Bennett Memorial Masters, Peter Weir Memorial Masters and Arthur Pomeroy Memorial Masters events is $150.

Fees are payable to: Howick Chess Centre Account: BNZ, Howick 02-0168-0020937-000

Entries are not considered as confirmed until the entry fees have been remitted. Enquiries to Paul Spiller: paulsspiller@outlook.com

Timetable:

Thursday, January 15

Opening & Players Meeting:  2.00 pm

     Round 1:  3.00 pm

Friday, January 16

     Round 2:  9.30 am     Round 3:  3.00 pm

Saturday, January 17

     Round 4:  3.00 pm

Sunday, January 18

     Round 5:  3.00 pm

Monday, January 19

     Round 6:  9.30 am    Round 7:  3.00 pm

Tuesday, January 20

     Round 8:  3.00 pm

Wednesday, January 21

     Round 9:  9.30 am

Prizegiving will be held at approximately 3.00 pm for the Hilton Bennett Memorial, Peter Weir Memorial and Arthur Pomeroy Memorial sections and participants in the Bob Wade Memorial Masters section are invited to attend a dinner & prizegiving at Wellington’s restaurant at Waipuna Hotel at 6.00 pm.

Prizes (in NZ$):

  • Hilton Bennett Memorial, Peter Weir Memorial & Arthur Pomeroy Memorial:  1st $400;   2nd $300;   3rd $200;   4th $100
  • Bob Wade Memorial:  1st $2,000;   2nd $1,500;   3rd $1,000;  4th $750;  5th $500

Accommodation:

Accommodation can be booked directly at Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre if required. You can also contact the Waipuna Hotel bookings manager Shabnam Khurana at ShabnamK@waipunahotel.co.nz for assistance.

Rating:

All events will be NZCF and FIDE rated where possible.

Chief Arbiter:

IA Ying Wang

Chief Organizer:

Paul Spiller

paulsspiller@outlook.com

Ph:  +64 274595176

Memorial Masters – Past participants and winners