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2026 Coomera King of the Mountain Heats Up After Blitz Rounds

The 2026 Coomera King of the Mountain continued on Tuesday night at the Upper Coomera Centre, with players returning for the fast and furious Blitz rounds.

Following an exciting opening week of Rapid chess, the Blitz event delivered another 10 rounds of high-intensity action — and with it, a major shake-up in the overall standings.





Kerry Holds Strong, But the Field Closes In


After two formats, Kerry Stead remains at the top of the leaderboard, backing up his perfect Rapid performance with a strong Blitz showing to sit on 20 total points.

However, the chasing pack has tightened significantly:

  • Luka Hart sits in second place on 15 points, continuing his consistent form across both formats

  • Oleg Kitikov surged into contention with an impressive Blitz performance, moving to 14 points

  • David Harvey remains close behind on 13 points


A standout performance also came from Shivam Karthikeyan, who jumped into the top group after scoring 6.5 points in Blitz, bringing his total to 8.5 points despite missing the Rapid round.

With margins tightening, the race for the title is well and truly on.


A Unique Combined-Format Championship


The King of the Mountain remains one of the Gold Coast Chess Club’s most distinctive events, testing players across three formats:

  • Blitz Chess (10 rounds)

  • Rapid Chess (5 rounds)

  • Classical Chess (5 rounds)


Each format contributes to the overall championship:

  • Blitz: Win = 1 point | Draw = 0.5 points (10 total)

  • Rapid: Win = 2 points | Draw = 1 point (10 total)

  • Classical: Win = 3 points | Draw = 1.5 points (15 total)

🏆 Prizes are awarded based on combined points across all three formats

The Classical section is ACF rated, while Rapid and Blitz are QJ rated.


With only two formats complete, there is still plenty of movement possible heading into Classical.

What’s Coming Next – Classical Begins

The tournament now shifts to the Classical phase, where the largest share of points — 15 in total — will be decided.

This stage will be critical. With higher point values per game, strong Classical performances can completely reshape the standings.

Players can still join the tournament:

  • Enter the Classical portion (receiving bye points for missed formats)

  • Compete for rating in officially ACF-rated games

Event Details

📍 Location: Upper Coomera Centre – Hall, 190 Reserve Rd, Upper Coomera QLD

🕒 Time: Tuesday nights, 6:45pm start

💲 Entry Fee: $35 full tournament $25 Classical Only


Player may join for the Classical event, and will be given 3 total bye points for the Rapid and Blitz rounds



Please note:

📌 CAQ Membership Required for Classical: https://caq.org.au/membership/


Schedule

  • Day 1: Rapid – Tuesday 5 May

  • Day 2: Blitz – Tuesday 12 May

  • Day 3: Classical Round 1 – Tuesday 19 May

  • Day 4: No club (hall unavailable) – Tuesday 26 May

  • Day 5: Classical Round 2 – Tuesday 2 June

  • Day 6: Classical Round 3 – Tuesday 9 June

  • Day 7: Classical Round 4 – Tuesday 16 June

  • Day 8: Classical Round 5 – Tuesday 23 June


Time Controls

  • Rapid: 10 min + 2 sec increment

  • Blitz: 3 min + 2 sec increment

  • Classical: 60 min + 10 sec increment


The Race Intensifies

With Rapid and Blitz now complete, the tournament enters it's final stage. The Classical rounds will demand precision, endurance, and consistency — and could completely redefine the Leaderboard.

Will Kerry Stead hold his lead?

Can the chasing pack catch up?

Or will a new contender rise in the longer format?

The mountain is only getting steeper from here. ♟️🏔️

 
 
 

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