The RJ Shield events are the longest running series of junior chess tournaments in Australia. They were first started by Hilda O'Callaghan in 1994 and known simply as "Novice Tournaments". They were later named after legendary International Master and former Australian Chess Champion, Robert Jamieson. Robert is still involved with these events; if you start playing in RJ Shield's you might just be lucky enough to meet him one day!

Today we run a number of smaller RJ Shield "grand prix" events in various locations - points scored in these events qualify you to end-of-year finals and awards. See Prizes.

The Novice Tournaments are mass-participation events (in age-groups), designed to be an enjoyable first tournament experience for anyone learning about chess. But they aren't just for beginners, you'll find that beginners right through to Training Squad kids take part in these fun tournaments.

Most of Victoria's top junior players started out at RJ Shield events; so why not come along and see where you end up - who knows, like many before, you might Conquer the World!