On Tuesday 11 July the Gold Coast Chess Club hosted a very special rapid teams event - The Coomera State of Origin.
The event was a rapid tournament where players were divided into two teams QLD or NSW. The combined score from the team's top 6 performing players would determine the winner.
The event attracted a strong field of players. Representing Queensland was Steven Cooke (team captain), CAQ President Shaun Curtis and young guns Byron Morris and Luke Hu.
Kerry Stead (formerly VIC) switched states to captain the New South Wales Team. Queensland U18 Champ Micah Young also joined the NSW Team along with other strong juniors Josh Cooper and Luka Hart for the chance to play and win against chess coaches Shaun and Steve. Orsen Van Der Byl was also recruited to NSW.
The end result was that NSW won the tournament with 22.5 points with Queensland scoring 18.5 points
The outcome of the tournament may have predicted Game 3 of the actual State of Origin (football) where NSW beat Queensland 24-10 the following night.
The Blues restored pride on Sydney soil and avoid the whitewash, but it remains Queensland's year.
Top performing players for NSW: Micah, Josh, Kerry, Orsen (4 points) Luka (3.5 points), Elijah, Vilem, Max (3 points)
Top performing players for QLD: Byron, Steven, Luke (4 points), Shaun (2.5 points)
Full standings and cross table below.
Standings after 5 Rounds
Coomera State of Origin Cross Table
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