Saxon Fayre at Canbury Gardens, 26/27 July, 2025

A celebration of 1100 years since Athelstan was crowned the first king of England and 150 years since the foundation of Kingston Chess Club

It is the year 925 and Athelstan, alongside a parade of his most worthy warriors, dignitaries and towns people cross the bridge into Kingston upon Thames at noon to celebrate his coronation. The parade moves with a drum beat to Canbury Gardens to Athel’s Town, a glorious place comprising the the Saxon Fayre and a Saxon encampment and reenactment staged by Regia Anglorum. We are reminded us the skills and trades of the Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons, as they were later called, derived from the Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, which migrated to Britain after the Romans left in 410. We saw a reenactment of the coronation, a battle with swords, poles and shields, tapestry making, flax weaving, pottery, a forge, their dwellings and a lot of other fascinating aspects of Saxon village life. Athelstan, one of the seven Saxon Kings of England, merged Mercia and Wessex to create England. Kingston, as the name suggests, was at the heart of the Kingdom, being a crossing point on the Thames. Peace did not last as England was later invaded by the Vikings from the 780s.

Kingston Chess Club were stallholders at this event, as we were last year when it was held in the Market Square, but with a more substantial presence this time. We had two gazebos (provided by the Council), a giant chess set (from The London Chess Centre), and five fold-up trestle tables belonging to the club. We helped out the Malmesbury History Society with a table in the spirt of co-operation between Kingston and Malmesbury: Athelstan was crowned in Kingston and buried in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Our two new pull-up banners proclaimed that we were celebrating 150 years as a chess club. We also had a couple of menu signs saying Kingston Chess Club.

On my quick tour of the encampment and a visit to the Dark Ages Society, I picked up some random Saxon factoids:

• We don’t know much about the games the Saxons played because they main used wood or stones. However, glass survives well and some pieces of glass may have been used for games. The Saxons never figured out how to make glass so they melted down glass from the Roman period.
• There are more Saxon coins in Scandinavia than in England because the Anglo-Saxons had to pay off the Vikings to stay away (the “Danegeld”). The Vikings didn’t have much use for Saxon money so they melted it down into silver for trading.
• Sugar came mainly from honey and so the Saxons were keen beekeepers. Even their beer was fermented honey and water with some fruit and spices, known as mead.
• The Gaelic term “Sassenach”, used in Scotland and Ireland to refer to a foreigner or English person, is derived from the word “Saxon”.

The Saxons played games carried over from Roman times. The most notable game from the Viking period was hfnefatafl, which means “king’s table” which was played throughout Scandinavia and the Celtic territories. The board is set up as a battle between two armies – one army has a king who must try to escape with the help of his soldiers; the other army tries to stop him. All the pieces move as rooks, and captures are by sandwiching the opposing piece between two of yours. The game looks intriguing and many people came over to try it out. Ultimately, hfnefatafl was replaced by chess which arrived with the Vikings in the 12th century – see Lewis Chessmen.

During the weekend, we enjoyed a steady stream of visitors, mainly youngsters, and the tables were full for both days. The weather was warm and sunny both days with only a five-minute shower on Saturday. There was relaxed, friendly atmosphere as people played chess on the tables. Many people asked about teaching their children chess. We answered their queries, signposted what they could do next and took their details for follow up.

Members from Kingston Chess Club who assisted on the rota included Greg Heath, Alan Scrimgour, Stephen Moss, Ed Mospan, Rob Taylor, Mark Sheridan, David Rowson and Peter Andrews. Leila Raivio and Correr Chen were vital volunteers. Leila sewed and block-printed the tunics, and took most of the photographs. Correr Chen offered a warm welcome to visitors. Other club members popping along included David Bickerstaff and Malcolm Mistry who had been monitoring the Saturday match where his son Jaden Mistry, playing for Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club, bowled out Club Chair-elect Peter Andrews of West Wimbledon 3rd XI.

The giant chess board proved a popular attraction.

There were plenty of competitive chess games

The tables were busy

The chess stall commanded a high profile

Ed Mospan found his calling.

Stephen Moss ran the Sunday session

John Foley ran the Saturday session

4th SCCU/London Club Championship held at St Luke’s Church, Hampstead on Sunday 21 June 2025

Photograph: John Foley (captain), John Bussmann, Vladimir Li, Supratit Banerjee and Peter Lalić

Kingston capped, or should that be cherried, an extraordinary season by winning the London Team Championships organised by the Southern Counties Chess Union. This unique event brings together teams from London and the Home Counties which normally compete in different leagues. Kingston played in the top section of three, which was limited to an average rating of less than 2200 ECF. It was the hottest day of the year with temperatures over 30C, which affected some players more than others.

Each team comprised four players with an optional reserve. In our case, the team was 1) Supratit Banerjee 2) Peter Lalić 3) Vladimir Li 4) John Bussmann with me as captain/reserve. The line-up conformed with the average rating provided that John Bussmann played in each round, which meant there was a lot of pressure on John.

The tournament was supposed to be a Swiss format. However, one of the teams dropped out late and the organisers modified the format so that no player would miss a game. Although well-intentioned, the practical consequences of a triangular format embedded into the Swiss format left us wondering if it is worth avoiding byes. Under this arrangement, three teams play each other wherein each round boards 1 and 2 play different opponents from boards 3 and 4. The players were confused as to whom they would play, and online followers were confused about the match results. There was a delay after each round to sort out pairings. The tournament director David Gilbert reassured everyone that matters were under control as the laptop master Michael Flatt grappled with the pairings.

In round 1, Supratit won, as did Vladimir, against Ian Snape (see start of game below).

Kingston won in the first four rounds but could only draw against Pimlico in round 5. Vladimir’s game in that match is shown in the Games section. In a fitting finale, Kingston faced Richmond & Twickenham in the final round. R&T are formidable opponents well known to Kingston. They had won the event on each of the previous three occasions it was held. On top board, Supratit drew with occasional Kingstonian Michael Healey. Peter accepted a draw offer from Gavin Wall in what was shown afterwards to be a winning position.Vladimir beat Maks Gajowniczek.

In the final game to finish, John Bussmann decided to play aggressively against Martin Benjamin as the best way to obtain a draw. He sacrificed a piece and was rewarded with perpetual check. The game was a draw, the match was won, the London Team Championship was won and so was the historic octuple of victories.

Supratit had a tremendous result undefeated on board one with 5/6. The prize for the best performance at the event went to Vladimir Li who scored 6/6. These two were the engine room of the team.

In the final ranking, the Dummy entries are there on account of the triangular match. We are unable to provide any explanation of their purpose.

We celebrated by repairing the famous Old Bull and Bush in Hampstead for a liquid refreshment.

John Foley, Kingston Chess Club president