Help Joshua Represent NZ Chess
Achieving his goal of representing NZ in chess.
Bay of Plenty
Joshua (age 14) learnt chess from his dad but very quickly it became obvious he had a real talent for it and he needed more of a challenge.
In early 2023 Joshua set a goal of gaining the Junior Master title from Chess Power, a goal which he had achieved by the end of the year.
His next goals were to play in NZCF (New Zealand Chess Federation) and FIDE (International Chess Federation) tournaments to increase his ratings and then a long term goal of representing NZ one day in international tournaments.
Now in October 2025, Joshua has been selected as part of the NZ team to play in the COMMONWEALTH Chess Championship in Malaysia in November 2025!
Alongside the Commonwealth Championship, Joshua will also be playing in:
• Oceania Youth Zonal Chess Championship in Brisbane in December 2025
• Arthur Pomeroy Memorial Cup invitational tournament in Auckland in January 2026, featuring 10 top junior players from New Zealand and overseas
To do this he needs help! Joshua is fundraising locally but with such a short time frame he is limited to what he can do without assistance from others. We would be so grateful for any amount large or small to help achieve this dream.
Gemma Barnes' involvement (page creator)
I am Joshua's mum.
Use of funds
Joshua is fundraising to cover the costs of international travel and tournament entry fees.
Latest update
Home from Commonwealth Chess Championship in KL, Malaysia 24 November 2025
We're home from the Commonwealth Chess Championships. We had few busy days after we got home including in Auckland on Saturday for a one day, Fischer Random chess tournament where the pieces are in random order at the start of each round.
Good results for my first international tournament, we have been told 50% is a good result:
4/9 for classical (long games)
5.5/9 for Blitz (quick games)
I lost my final round of classical at the Commonwealths after 5 hours of battling. Playing my first international tournament a division higher and against some very strong players was a wonderful experience. I learnt a lot!
In just under 3 weeks I'm off to play in the Oceania Youth Zonal in Brisbane and have three 1 day tournaments (2 in Auckland & 1 in Rotorua) before then!
Thanks again for your support - we are hopeful to raise the remainder required in the next couple of weeks as waiting to hear back from an organisation who is meeting to discuss helping financially.
Latest donations
Who's involved?
Help Fundraise
You can create your own page to help fundraise for this cause.Page Q&A
Ask a question hereAny concerns?
Report this pageThank the donor
Your message will be displayed on the page and emailed to the donor.
Your new message will also be emailed to the donor.
Saving a blank entry will delete the current comment.