IM Peter Large won the 17th blitz held at All Saints church in Kingston on 28 January 2026 with a perfect 6/6

This was the 17th All Saints Blitz and, in winning the event with a perfect 6/6, IM Peter Large took his eighth title, pronouncing it his “cleanest” win yet. It was a strong field, but Peter made victory look straightforward, beating Peter Roche, Robin Haldane, CM Chris Briscoe, Arne Eilers, CM Tony Hughes and Graham Keane en route to the title – a handy half dozen, all very strong players. If there was a trophy, we would give it to Peter in perpetuity, but there isn’t, so he had to make do with his umpteenth box of chocolates as a prize.

Chris Briscoe came second with 5/6, finishing his final round just in time to dash off to teach chess at Kingston Grammar School. Peter Roche, a key figure in sustaining the Wednesday social chess group at All Saints, was third with 4/6, followed by Tony Hughes and All Saints debutant Arne Eilers on 3.5. A gaggle of players finished on 3/6 – Robin Haldane, Graham Keane, Alan Hayward and David Shalom.

It was the first All Saints Blitz in which Edward Mospan was tournament controller. Many thanks to Ed for doing a brilliant job, especially as he had to manually pair the first round when the ecclesiastical internet disappeared. The tournament was held in the Heritage Room at All Saints Church, and we thank the church for making this delightful space available to us. This will be the home of the tournament henceforth. There will be 10 All Saints Blitzes during 2026. The next one is scheduled for Wednesday 4 March, and the big question is “Who can stop IM Large grabbing the chocolates again?”

Final standings

1. Peter Large (Kingston) 6/6
2. Chris Briscoe (Surbiton) 5/6
3. Peter Roche (Kingston) 4/6
4-5. Tony Hughes (Wimbledon) and Arne Eilers (Streatham) 3.5/6
6-9. Robin Haldane (Streatham), Graham Keane (Crystal Palace),
Alan Hayward (Pimlico) and David Shalom Kingston) 3/6

Full results

List of All Saints winners