NSW and Perth Opens Anchor a Late-September Oceania Calendar

Oceania’s September chess was mostly classical and entirely Australian in the data we track, with the heaviest action stacked into the last week. Two events stand out by name and format: the Perth International Open and the NSW State Championship.

The late-month headliners

The 2026 Perth International Open ran September 25 to 28 in Perth, four days of classical chess organized by Andrew Hardegen. A 2026 Perth Minor ran alongside it on the same dates.

In Sydney, the 2026 NSW State Championship took place September 25 to 29. Winston Zhao Chen is listed as organizer. The Reserves and Minor sections shared the same five-day window.

The same organizer also listed the 2026 University of Sydney Classic, a three-day classical event from September 26 to 28. In Melbourne, the 2026 MCC Spring Classic ran from September 29 to October 1.

Eight-day events in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide

The longest events on the list each span eight days. The 2026 Victorian Women’s Championship ran September 12 to 19 in Melbourne, hosted by Hobsons Bay Chess Club. The same club’s Koshnitsky Rookies and Juniors Cup covered rounds 5 and 6 from September 5 to 12.

In Adelaide, the South Australian Chess Association’s 2026 City of Adelaide Championship Rounds 8-9 ran September 1 to 8. Perth hosted Metro Respini A and Metro Respini B, both rounds 1-2, from September 17 to 24.

Club and league rounds

A run of single-day classical rounds filled out the month, mostly in Perth. They include the SSCC David Ellis Cup Round 7 on September 1 and the Southern Suburbs Championship Round 1 and Perth Chess League Round 5 on September 22. Perth Chess Club’s John Brooke Cup Round 7 and Wolfgang Leonhardt Cup Round 7 both landed on September 30.

Elsewhere, the Chess Artists Winter Open Round 6 was played in Melbourne on September 6. The SA Pennant Teams A Grade Round 1 opened in Adelaide on September 22, and the Norths Purdy Major Round 1 in Sydney is listed from September 15.

What the data covers

We have no player counts for these events, so field sizes can’t be compared. Of the 25 events tracked, 21 were classical and four rapid.