The Fletcher-Morrow Shield is held by the winner of an annual challenge match between the Ballarat and Geelong Chess Clubs.
It is named after two significant figures in the first of these matches, played between the Ballarat and Geelong Chess Clubs in 1925.
J. C. Fletcher was then President of the Ballarat Chess Club; and H. G. Morrow was President of the Mechanics Institute (which then incorporated the Geelong Chess Club).
Ballarat defeated Geelong 12 games to 5 in that historic match, drawing first blood and sparking a friendly but determined rivalry persisting to the current day.
Guidelines for Competition
1. An annual inter-city chess challenge match between Ballarat and Geelong Chess Clubs
2. The match will be played over 10 boards from each club. Additional games may be arranged when possible but those games will not count towards the overall result.
3. The venue will alternate each year between the clubs.
4. The home club will have the white pieces on the top board. The colours will alternate on each successive board, black on board 2 and white on board 3 etc.
5. The rate of play for the games will be 90 minutes for each player plus an increment of 30 seconds from move one.
6. The date for the match will be set as the second Sunday in August each year. This will give each club and players sufficient notice to be available for the match. The starting time for the games is to be 1.00 pm.
7. Should there be any problem or disagreement then the respective captains will resolve the issue. It is expected that the match will be conducted in a competitive but friendly atmosphere.
8. Each club will hold a perpetual shield on which the name of the annual result will be recorded.
9. Chess Victoria may impose a small fee for the rating but hopefully they may agree to absorb it.
Adopted 14 August 2016
Geelong Chess Club 