John Foley reports on Kingston Chess Club’s leading role in the town’s popular Saxon Fayre, which took place on 25 July 2026 in the Market Square and All Saints Church

Chess featured prominently at this year’s Saxon Fayre, where Kingston Chess Club had a stall in the middle of the Market Square and also in the All Saints Church. Both stalls were fully occupied throughout the day as members of the public challenged our experts or just played among themselves. Our volunteers interacted with well over a hundred people who stopped by the stalls to chat or play. The event was held from 10.30am until 5pm on a beautiful summer’s day with temperatures reaching 29°C.

Our stall in the Market Square had two tables, each under a gazebo, one with two chess sets and the other with a large-piece chess set and a hnefatafl set. The latter is also known as the Viking game and was a nod to the historical nature of the event.

In All Saints Church, which is situated on the north side of the Market Square, we had two tables allowing for four chess sets. In addition, we had a floor set which attracted a young audience.

The Kingston Fayre had a variety of stalls illustrating various aspects of medieval life. There was also a re-enactment with an honour guard of armed soldiers marching through the town accompanied by drummers. Everybody was smiling as this motley crew passed by with their smocks and spears.

A couple of dozen people expressed an interest in coming along to the club or in entering their children into the Kingston Junior Chess Club, which will be starting on 14 September at the United Reformed Church in central Kingston, where the Kingston club meet. We will be contacting them over the summer.

We could not have delivered this event without our volunteers. The main organiser from the Council was Emma Humphries. John Foley was the Club organiser. The irreverend Stephen Moss took charge of church activities.

Seth Warren designed the iconic club t-shirts. Alan Scrimgour brought the tables in his car from our former venue at the Willoughby pub. Dominic Fogg helped set up the sets and put them away, as well as playing all-comers. Correr Chen looked after the stalls and members of the public as well as dressing as a Saxon to take part in the parade and the Saxon dancing. Leila Raivio brought the equipment, including the water-weights which secured the gazebos from being blown away. Mark Sheridan fitted in a serious game of chess with his daughter. Miles O’Brien played his heart out, as well as teaching some beginners.

Grandmaster Ameet Ghasi kindly dropped by and played some enthusiastic kids including eight-year-old Louis Esslinger, who nearly beat David Rowson. Robin Haldane from Streatham chess club played floor chess. He doubts he will repeat the position at the All Saints Blitz.

Kingston junior William Lin, who last year won the British under-10 championship, enjoyed a smooth victory in the blitz tournament held at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, on 6 July. Across seven rounds, played at a time control of five minutes and three seconds, William scored an impressive 6.5/7.

Only the rather more venerable John Foley, the Kingston club president, withstood young Lin’s onslaught, holding a difficult rook endgame to secure a draw. Their game, pictured above, drew a rapt crowd. John, an expert endgame player, makes a speciality of apparently impossible saves, and this one helped him to joint second place with fellow club stalwart David Rowson.

I undeservedly managed fourth with 4.5/7 after a terrible start, but it was two players on 4/7 who really caught the eye: juniors Miles O’Brien (playing off a ludicrously low estimated blitz rating) and the even younger Lucas Palmer Curiel, whose unquenchable enthusiasm for chess and rapid progress since joining the club six months have been a joy to behold.

Thanks as ever to Genc Tasbasi for organising the event with such aplomb and even managing to play in it, finishing with a 50% score. Playing and organising at the same time is never easy, so well done to him.

Stephen Moss is Kingston Chess Club captain

Top 12 places