Before January 2012, the Oceania Chess Championship was held approximately every two years, and winners qualified to represent the FIDE Oceania Zone at the Chess World Cup. Since 2012 the Oceania Chess Championship is held every year, with only each alternate (odd numbered) year acting as the Oceania Zone Championship and Chess World Cup qualifier. In these years, the winner of the Oceania Zone Championship event is awarded the title of International Master (IM) if they are not already an IM, as per the FIDE title regulations.[1]
The first Oceania Chess Championship was organised by the inaugural Oceania Zone President, Graeme Gardiner, on the Gold Coast, Australia in 1999. Vladimir Feldman of Australia won the event, undefeated, with a score of 7/9. In 2001, Mikhail Gluzman and Mark Chapman shared first place with a score of 7/9, but the former won a rapid chess play-off match and the title.
| Year | City | Winner | Women's winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Gold Coast | Vladimir Feldman (Australia) | Laura Moylan (Australia) |
| 2001 | Gold Coast | Mikhail Gluzman (Australia) | Ngan Koshnitsky (Australia) |
| 2002 | Coral Coast | Darryl Johansen (Australia) | Irina Berezina (Australia) |
| 2005 | Auckland | Gary Lane (Australia) | Irina Berezina (Australia) |
| 2007 | Denarau | Zong-Yuan Zhao (Australia) | Irina Berezina (Australia) |
| 2009 | Gold Coast | David Smerdon (Australia) | Arianne Caoili (Australia) |
| 2011 | Rotorua | Zong-Yuan Zhao (Australia) | Irina Berezina (Australia) |
| 2012 | Queenstown |