The New Zealand Chess Championship is a competition held by the New Zealand Chess Federation . The first tournament was organized in 1879. Starting from the second tournament, New Zealand championships are held annually (with rare exceptions).
Until 1935, foreign citizens could obtain the title of champion of New Zealand, which some Australian chess players took advantage of. From the 1934/35 tournament. Only a New Zealand citizen can become a champion.
The greatest number of champion titles (20) was won by O. Sarapu. In second place with 13 titles goes E. Ker.
Chronological table
| Year | City | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| one | 1879 | Christchurch | Hookham, Henry |
| 2 | 1888/89 | Christchurch | Olivier, Arthur |
| 3 | 1890 | Dunedin | Hookham, Henry |
| four | 1890/91 | Wellington | Barnes, Richard James |
| five | 1891/92 | Auckland | Seidenberg, Franz |
| 6 | 1892/93 | Christchurch | Seidenberg, Franz |
| 7 | 1893/94 | Dunedin | Edwards, Joseph |
| eight | 1894/95 | Wellington | McKay, William |
| 9 | 1895/96 | Wanganui | Meldram, William |
| ten | 1896/97 | Christchurch | Barnes, Richard James |
| eleven | 1897/98 | Auckland | Barnes, Richard James |
| 12 | 1898 | Dunedin | Cleland, Robert |
| 13 | 1900 | Wellington | Mason, William Edward |
| 14 | 1901 | Christchurch | Forsyth, David |
| 15 | 1901/02 | Auckland | Barnes, Richard James |
| sixteen | 1902/03 | Dunedin | Grierson, John Creswell |
| 17 | 1903/04 | Wellington | Mason, William Edward |
| 18 | 1904/05 | Oamaru | Davis, Arthur William |
| nineteen | 1905/06 | Auckland | Barnes, Richard James |
| 20 | 1906/07 | Christchurch | Weiner, William |
| 21 | 1908 | Wellington | Davis, Arthur William |
| 22 | 1908/09 | Dunedin | Kuskof Kelling, Fedor |
| 23 | 1909/10 | Auckland | Mason, John |
| 24 | 1910/11 | Timaru | Mason, William Edward |
| 25 | 1911/12 | Napier | Mason, William Edward |
| 26 | 1912/13 | Nelson | Grierson, John Creswell |
| 27 | 1913/14 | Auckland | Mason, William Edward |
| 28 | 1914/15 | Christchurch | Kuskof Kelling, Fedor |
| 29th | 1919/20 | Wellington | Mason, William Edward |
| thirty | 1920/21 | Dunedin | Dunlop, John |
| 31 | 1921/22 | Auckland | Dunlop, John |
| 32 | 1922/23 | Christchurch | Dunlop, John |
| 33 | 1923/24 | Wellington | Crackenthorp, Spencer |
| 34 | 1924/25 | Nelson | Purdy, Cecil |
| 35 | 1925/26 | Dunedin | Crackenthorp, Spencer |
| 36 | 1926/27 | Auckland | Davis, Arthur William |
| 37 | 1927/28 | Christchurch | Davis, Arthur William |
| 38 | 1928/29 | Wellington | Erskine, John Engus |
| 39 | 1929/30 | Wanganui | Gundersen, Gunnar |
| 40 | 1930/31 | Rotorua | Giles, Alfred |
| 41 | 1931/32 | Napier | Gundersen, Gunnar |
| 42 | 1932/33 | Auckland | Goldstein, Maurice |
| 43 | 1933/34 | Dunedin | Dunlop, John |
| 44 | 1934/35 | Christchurch | Erskine, John Engus |
| 45 | 1935/36 | Wellington | Giles, Alfred |
| 46 | 1936/37 | Auckland | Abbott, Headley |
| 47 | 1937/38 | Dunedin | Hindin, Samuel |
| 48 | 1938/39 | Wanganui | Dunlop, John |
| 49 | 1939/40 | Wellington | Dunlop, John |
| 50 | 1940/41 | Timaru | Allerhand, Philip |
| 51 | 1943/44 | Wellington | Wade, Robert |
| 52 | 1944/45 | Auckland | Wade, Robert |
| 53 | 1945/46 | Christchurch | Lepwickman, Tom |
| 54 | 1946/47 | Palmerston north | Lepwickman, Tom |
| 55 | 1947/48 | Dunedin | Wade, Robert |
| 56 | 1948/49 | Wanganui | Nild, Alan |
| 57 | 1949/50 | Auckland | Allerhand, Philip |
| 58 | 1950/51 | Christchurch | Lynch, David I. |
| 59 | 1951/52 | Napier | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 60 | 1952/53 | Timaru | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 61 | 1953/54 | Wellington | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 62 | 1954/55 | Auckland | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 63 | 1955/56 | Dunedin | Fulds, Frederick |
| 64 | 1956/57 | Wellington | Feneridis, Arkadios Phillips, James Rodney |
| 65 | 1957/58 | Christchurch | Phillips, James Rodney |
| 66 | 1958/59 | Hamilton | Fulds, Frederick Menzies, Barry |
| 67 | 1959/60 | Dunedin | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 68 | 1960/61 | Auckland | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 69 | 1961/62 | Wellington | Haase, Graham |
| 70 | 1962/63 | Christchurch | Sarapu, Ortwin Sutton, Richard |
| 71 | 1963/64 | Auckland | Kurt, Roger |
| 72 | 1964/65 | Wellington | Phillips, James Rodney |
| 73 | 1965/66 | Hamilton | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 74 | 1966/67 | Christchurch | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 75 | 1967/68 | Dunedin | Anderson, Bruce |
| 76 | 1968/69 | Wellington | Sarapu, Ortwin Anderson, Bruce |
| 77 | 1969/70 | Auckland | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 78 | 1970/71 | Nelson | Sutton, Richard |
| 79 | 1971/72 | Hamilton | Sutton, Richard |
| 80 | 1972/73 | Wellington | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 81 | 1973/74 | Christchurch | Sarapu, Ortwin Garbett, Paul |
| 82 | 1974/75 | Dunedin | Garbett, Paul |
| 83 | 1975/76 | Upper Hutt | Sarapu, Ortwin Pharmacist, Leo Chandler, Murray |
| 84 | 1976/77 | North shore | Sarapu, Ortwin |
| 85 | 1977/78 | Wellington | Laird, Craig |
| 86 | 1978/79 | Sarapu, Ortwin | |
| 87 | 1979/80 | Upper Hutt | Sarapu, Ortwin Green, Ewan Small, Vernon |
| 88 | 1980/81 | Lincoln | Sarapu, Ortwin Small, Vernon Noux, Roger |
| 89 | 1981/82 | North shore | Small, Vernon |
| 90 | 1982/83 | Dunedin | Garbett, Paul Collogley, David |
| 91 | 1983/84 | Auckland | Garbett, Paul |
| 92 | 1984/85 | Upper Hutt | Small, Vernon |
| 93 | 1985/86 | Christchurch | Sarapu, Ortwin Lloyd Adrian |
| 94 | 1986/87 | Wanganui | Dive Russell |
| 95 | 1987/88 | North shore | Sarfati, Jonathan |
| 96 | 1988/89 | Dunedin | Garbett, Paul Ker, Anthony |
| 97 | 1989/90 | Wellington | Sarapu, Ortwin Martin, Benjamin |
| 98 | 1990/91 | Auckland | Ker, Anthony |
| 99 | 1991/92 | Dunedin | Dreyer, Martin |
| 100 | 1992/93 | Wellington | Ker, Anthony |
| 101 | 1993/94 | Invercargill | Ker, Anthony Mackenzie, Peter |
| 102 | 1994/95 | Wanganui | Ker, Anthony |
| 103 | 1995/96 | Wellington | Dive Russell Dreyer, Martin Smith, Robert Wayne |
| 104 | 1996/97 | North shore | Kulashko, Alexey |
| 105 | 1997/98 | Hamilton | Kulashko, Alexey |
| 106 | 1998/99 | Dunedin | Dive Russell |
| 107 | 1999/00 | Auckland | Kulashko, Alexey |
| 108 | 2000/01 | Waitakere | Westney, Scott |
| 109 | 2001/02 | Christchurch | Ker, Anthony |
| 110 | 2002/03 | Wanganui | Ker, Anthony |
| 111 | 2003/04 | Wellington | Ker, Anthony |
| 112 | 2004/05 | Wanganui | Ker, Anthony |
| 113 | 2006 | Queenstown | Chandler, Murray |
| 114 | 2007 | Wanganui | Wang Puchen |
| 115 | 2008 | Auckland | Chandler, Murray |
| 116 | 2009 | Queenstown | Ker, Anthony |
| 117 | 2010 | Auckland | Ker, Anthony |
| 118 | 2011 | Auckland | Ker, Anthony |
| 119 | 2012 | Queenstown | Steadman michael |
| 120 | 2013 | Wellington | Westney, Scott |
| 121 | 2014 | Auckland | Wang Puchen |
| 122 | 2015 | Auckland | Dive Russell Crowd, Nicholas Hag, Ben Garbett, Paul Ker, Anthony Thornton, Gino Smith, Robert Wayne McLaren, Leonard Jules, Alexandra Morell, Gordon |
| 123 | 2016 | Auckland | Kulashko, Alexey Steadman michael |
| 124 | 2017 | Wellington | Westney, Scott |
| 125 | 2018 | Palmerston north | Dive Russell Ang, Alpheus |