Is faster Chess and more Junior orientated the way to go? Read on…

November 2, 2026 by Kerry Corker

Remember that 95% of the Australian Chess economy is fueled by Juniors and the seemingly endless pockets of their parents.
Coaching – how many coaches would survive coaching only adults?
Teams Chess – Remember that inter-school chess is all Teams Chess with literally thousands of participants around the country. All Teams Chess.
Once that stops at Year 12, 99% of Juniors are gone, not to be seen again until their own kids have left the nest.
Entry fees for Adult events – probably 40% of entries on the average weekender are now Juniors.
My guess is that the adult population of people who attend 3 or more weekenders per year is about 300-400 Australia-wide. With a population of 28 million you have to wonder how the – “Endless Weekenders” format is working out. NZ, with a population of Sydney placed ahead of us at the Olympiad, as did a few countries who are in the middle of civil wars. Syria for instance.

Junior, Faster Chess is the future.

Thanks to Kuanysh Batyrbekov for passing on this Hobson’s Bay Chess Club news item –