By Jamie Troughton

Four moves and 15secs. It was almost like Tamsyn Liddall was in a rush for chess to get to the 2027 Zespri AIMS Games.

The Year 6 St Mary’s Tauranga School student employed ‘Le coup du berger’ during a recent Bay of Plenty chess tournament. Better known as Scholar’s Mate, it’s an intricate four-move mating trap targeting her dazed opponent’s vulnerable black pawn.

He was left mouth agape. Tamsyn was quietly chuffed a move she’s only used twice during tournaments had worked successfully, then was absolutely thrilled to learn that chess was to become the 28th sporting code at AIMS from next year.

“I’ve watched AIMS on TV and always wished I was there – I really love chess, so it’s great I’ll be able to play next year,” she explains.

Equally delighted was Amelia Morgan, a Year 7 at ACG Tauranga, who thought an appearance in the annual intermediate-aged tournament was in another realm.

“I’ve never really thought I would go to AIMS Games unless I was in a sports team but I’m really happy I can compete next year,” she says.

“It opens it up to all those kids who don’t play sports or aren’t athletic but would like to be in a big competition like AIMS Games.”

It’s been a big journey to get chess into AIMS, with a rigorous application process, but the AIMS Games Trust loved the added dimension the new code brings.

“I saw what was going on with AIMS Games and wondered why chess wasn’t involved,” Chess Power chief executive Paul Macdonald, who spearheaded the proposal with endorsement from the New Zealand Chess Federation, says.

“A lot of people don’t see chess as a sport because it’s not physical but it has all the elements of sport. It’s a very challenging game. You’re under an immense amount of stress. It’s quite draining, physically. You can play for a team – not just as an individual – so it can become a team sport. It’s physically exhausting even though you’re not moving.”

He also points out that there are 200 countries at the Chess Olympiad and more than 10 million playing online chess every day, while Chess Power offers coaching in 100 schools in the upper North Island alone, and runs regional tournaments with thousands of competitors.

A key plank of the chess proposal was ‘chess expands who gets to be an AIMS athlete, without changing what it means to be an AIMS athlete.’

And that was music to the ears of Omanu Primary Year 6 student Beau Petrie, who gave a whoop of excitement when he learned one of his favourite pastimes was available next year.

Not that he doesn’t have choice – he won his school’s recent cross country, plays football and surfs and does surf lifesaving over summer.

But chess gives him a different kind of workout, which he just loves.

“It makes me think and it’s a good feeling when you win, but it’s also alright when you lose – I just know I need to try harder in the next game,” Beau says.

Chess will be played at the Tauranga Racecourse next year, with organisers hoping for between 300-500 players to enter the inaugural tournament.

Article added: Wednesday 09 September 2026