Kingston A v Hammersmith A, Thames Valley division 1 match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 9 November 2026

Hammersmith are always one of the toughest opponents for Kingston A in the Thames Valley League so this home match was likely to prove critical for the title race, as indeed it was last season. Both clubs fielded strong teams and most of the games were long, tough battles in which time trouble ultimately played a part.

The only exception was the game between Peter Lalić and Gaston Franco on board 2, where early exchanges led to an equal ending and an agreed draw after 15 moves. Even this game, however, did not reach an especially swift conclusion. Those 15 moves took more than two hours. This was the position in which a draw was agreed:

Kingston took the lead with a win on board 6 for Jasper Tambini (pictured above) against Madison Bowden. As White, Jasper played a highly unorthodox opening (reminiscent to me of IM Michael Basman at his best) featuring both a3 and b4 and h3 and g4, both involving pawn sacrifices. Black was objectively better initially, but Jasper took over in the middle game and won with some nice tactics after mounting an attack on Black’s king.

On board 4 Julian Ward was rather more fortunate to prevail after his opponent Carsten Pedersen gained some positional advantage as Black with a strong knight on d4. After Julian captured this, Black got a protected passed pawn on d4 and also had some pressure down the b-file by the time the position in the diagram below was reached. White had counter-chances on the kingside, however, so there was still all to play for as time trouble approached.

Peter Large, with Black on board 3, was also somewhat worse and very short of time after 30 moves against Ali Hill, but managed to outwit his opponent in a time scramble with some resourceful play. White had a dangerous passed pawn on a6, but Black’s attack against the king proved stronger on the other side of the board.

Peter’s win secured the match for Kingston as we were then leading 3.5-0.5. There was a heavyweight clash on board 1 between Peter Finn (a Kingston regular in 4NCL but playing for Hammersmith in this league) and David Maycock. Peter had White and they reached a fairly equal position in the diagram shown below, but David then unleashed a typically bold and creative piece sacrifice. The computer says the position is still about equal, but it was very difficult for Peter Finn to defend as time ran short and David finally won with a nice tactical finish. 

My own game on board 5 as Black against Bajrush Kelmendi was the last to finish. It ended with a consolation win for Hammersmith after a rollercoaster ride in the final time scramble where both players missed wins before my opponent landed the final blow.

Overall, therefore, a satisfying 4.5-1.5 win for Kingston A that moves us to the top of the Thames Valley league table, although the margin of victory disguises how close most of the games were. 

John Hawksworth is an international master and Kingston first-team player