Kingston 3 v Epsom 5, Surrey League division 4 match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 23 February 2026
Kingston 3 were badly hampered in this match by a default on board 3 when the Kingston player forgot his engagement at the Richard Mayo Centre. But his team-mates rallied to the cause superbly, and wins for Martyn Jones, Adam Nakar and David Shalom, plus a draw for Jon Eckert (pictured) with Black on board 2 against a dangerous opponent, saw Kingston 3 home and kept them in the promotion hunt in Surrey division 4.
IM Peter Large won the 18th blitz held at All Saints church in Kingston on 4 March 2026, but suffered a loss to Chris Briscoe before fighting back in the final round
A strong field of 20 players assembled for the 18th All Saints Blitz. Once again it was won by IM Peter Large – he has now won exactly half the monthly tournaments, nine out of 18 – but this one was a true battle.
Peter lost to the highly rated Chris Briscoe in round 4 and thereafter had to play catch up. Peter duly beat Tom Mayers in round 5 and Stephen Lovell in round 6, but it was still Chris’s to lose. Chris drew with IM John Hawksworth in round 5 and then had to beat fellow Surbiton player Joshua Pirgon (whom he used to coach!) in the final round to take the title. But Joshua played an excellent game to secure the win, and thus hand Peter Large the crown (and the victor’s box of chocolates) yet again.
That left Chris Briscoe and John Hawksworth tied for second, with plenty of very strong players just behind them. It was another memorable event, ably overseen by Edward Mospan. Many thanks to Ed and to All Saints church for allowing us to use the Heritage Room. Thanks also to the organist for playing very softly during the tournament. We are scheduled to do it all again on 1 April – this is not an April Fool!
Final standings
1: Peter Large (Kingston) 5/6 2-3: Chris Briscoe (Surbiton) 4.5/6, John Hawksworth (Kingston) 4.5/6 4-7: Marcus Gosling (Epsom) 4/6, Stephen Lovell (Kingston) 4/6, Tom Mayers (Streatham) 4/6, Joshua Pirgon (Surbiton) 4/6 8/9: Graham Keane (Streatham) 3.5/6, Arne Eilers (Streatham) 3.5/6
Richmond C v Kingston C, Thames Valley League division X match played at the Adelaide pub Teddington on 10 February 2026
This is not a match on which we wish to dwell. What on paper was a well-balanced encounter produced a very one-sided result, Richmond C trouncing Kingston C by 3.5-0.5. Well done to Nette Robinson (pictured above in singing mode), who secured a draw to avoid a whitewash. And congratulations to Karl Stand’s Richmond C team on playing so well to secure an emphatic victory.
Coulsdon v Kingston, Alexander Cup semi-final played at Coulsdon Chess Club, Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon on 9 February 2026
The build-up to the Alexander Cup semi-final away to Coulsdon was not propitious for Kingston. Two players reported sick, though one managed to suppress his ailments for an evening and play. Young Zain Patel was also sick, but his illness worked to our advantage. He was too ill to fulfil a singing engagement, so was able to replace the player who really was too ill to make it to Coulsdon. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
A further complication was that we were playing Guildford 2 at home in Surrey division 2 on the same night. We needed strong players for that match as well. Fighting on two fronts is not easy. But the final blow came at 7.33pm, just as the match at Coulsdon was getting under way. The news was relayed via the club WhatsApp group that our 2200-plus board 4 was having a desperate journey south to Coulsdon and would not make it before the half-hour default time. There was only one reserve – a rather feeble player rated 1750. Yes, me. I would do my best, but outrated by 300 points we were almost certainly 1-0 down before we even started.
On board 7, Julian Way and Ian Calvert agreed a quick draw – a reasonable start as Julian had Black against the supersolid Calvert. David Rowson drew on board 8, as did Peter Lalić against the dangerous Ian Snape on board 2. I then went down to my expected defeat – thoroughly deserved as I played a singularly dull game and was out-techniqued by Coulsdon captain Mark Smith. That put Coulsdon 2-5-1.5 up and Kingston’s nerves were jangling.
Peter Hasson calmed those nerves to some degree with a smooth win on board 6 against Amit Kulkarni, whom he had beaten in the corresponding league match at Coulsdon the previous Monday – a useful dress rehearsal. “I had played the same opponent with the same colours in the league match a week earlier, when he suffered a positional opening disaster,” explained Peter afterwards. “This time he opted for something solid, but conceded White a big space advantage and was also burning time as he was not so familiar with the position.”
Peter’s win tied the score at 2.5-2.5 and it quickly became 3-3 when Zain Patel, who had been substantially worse in the opening, secured an important draw against fast-rising junior Rupert Marsden with Black on board 5. If we had lost that game, as had once seemed likely, it really would have been squeaky-bum time. Well played Zain! Did this match really hang on the dodgy state of your vocal cords?
The feeling was that Will Taylor, with Black on board 9, had winning chances against Vedant Papneja. But time was starting to press and Will, in his own words, “blundered into a perpetual on the increment”. That made it 3.5-3.5, and the match was still in the balance. I could barely bring myself to watch, but Peter Lalić, who was spectating and could actually work out what was going on, was looking confident. He was right to be so – the rest of the match proved to be one-way traffic.
Peter Large (pictured above, right), had Black against Evaldas Baltrunas on board 3 and the game turned into a fascinating tussle, with much middle-game manoeuvring for an advantage. The endgame was tricky and, though Peter had a serviceable advantage, time was running short. Peter then played a knight check with such elan that his opponent assumed his hemmed-in king had been mated, missing the fact there was a flight square. Peter declared it “the strangest game I have played in my 58-year chess career”. Hallucinations, it seems, are part of chess, even at this elevated level.
On board 10, Kingston’s president and Alexander Cup captain John Foley played a masterful rook and pawn endgame to defeat the doughty Nick Edwards – a tremendous battle between two admirable players who have each been on the chess scene for more than half a century. After the game, John looked sheepishly pleased with his win, and he has instructively annotated it for the website’s Games section.
David Maycock reined in his usual attacking game and adopted a quieter positional style to thwart Supratit Banerjee
The marquee game was the board 1 match-up between Supratit Banerjee and David Maycock. David had beaten Supratit in the league match the previous week, but this time Supratit had the white pieces. Would that make a difference? David played a tricky sideline of the Philidor Defence – do we detect the influence of team-mate and sparring partner Peter Lalić? – and it worked out very well, allowing him easily to equalise in the opening. There followed some cagey positional chess, proving that David – who we usually think of as a purveyor of chess fireworks – can also play in a more pragmatic, wait-and-see style.
Now, after a series of games against each other in IM norm tournaments and the Surrey League, David and Supratit can revert to being team-mates in the 4NCL and the Thames Valley League. Kingston are very fortunate to have two such talents.
The wins by Peter Large, John Foley and David Maycock came in rapid succession and made the final score 6.5-3.5 to Kingston. The earlier travails were forgotten and we could at last rest easy. Until the final at least, where a very strong Guildford team awaits us. This eagerly anticipated match will take place at the neutral venue of Ashtead Chess Club on Tuesday 26 May. We thumped Guildford 8-2 in the final last year, but expect it to be much closer on this occasion as Guildford have added to their resources and are building a very powerful team.
The incentive for Kingston to retain the trophy is that it would complete a run of five successive Alexander Cup titles – something no team has ever done in the 100-year history of the competition. We feel the weight of history on our shoulders, but will that burden prove too great? Book your tickets for the final now; it is going to be intense … and we hope historic.
All three CSC/Kingston teams made good progress in the third round of 4NCL matches, played in Coventry and Daventry on the weekend of 7/8 February
We have reached the halfway stage of the 4NCL season, and all three CSC/Kingston teams are feeling pretty chipper. The first team had a tremendous weekend, winning both their matches – against Blackthorne and Celtic Tigers 1 – by 6.5-1.5. IM Harry Grieve, FMs Supratit Benerjee (pictured above) and Roland Bezuidenhout, and WIM Liwia Jarocka all scored 2/2 across the weekend. The results leave CSC/Kingston 1 joint third in division 1 and looking to improve on last season’s seventh place.
Current Div 1 table
The second team, playing in division 3 (knights) and chasing promotion to division 2, suffered a reverse on Saturday, going down narrowly to promotion rivals Golden Cockerels. But an emphatic 5-1 win against Celtic Tigers 2 the following day means they still lead the division going into weekend 4 on 21/22 March. With Golden Cockerels and Sussex Martlets 2 just a point behind, the battle for the two promotion spots is sure to be intense. Silverio Abasolo had a memorable weekend, winning both his board 2 games against strong opponents.
Current Div 3 (Knights) table
Determined not to be left out, CSC Kingston 3 – playing in division 4 in Daventry – also had an excellent weekend, hammering She Plays To Win Lionesses B 5.5-0.5 on Saturday and edging out Ashfield 2 3.5-2.5 on Sunday. Daniel Sparkes and Giampiero Amato both scored 2/2, but everyone contributed in two very solid team performances. That leaves CSC/KIngston 3 in third place in division 4 and suddenly starting to dream of promotion. Four go up to the two division 3 pools from this division.
Coulsdon 1 v Kingston 1, Surrey League division 1 match played at Coulsdon Chess Club, Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon on 2 February 2026
A trip to Coulsdon is never easy and this was no different. Kingston captain Peter Andrews breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Coulsdon teamsheet as they were missing a few strong players, but they still gave us plenty to think about on the night, and we were relieved to run out 6.5-1.5 winners.
Peter Hasson’s game – he had White on board 5 – was first to finish. Indeed it was over in less than an hour and a half, way ahead of any of the other seven games. Peter played a beautifully thematic game in a Symmetrical English and won in 27 moves. This was the denouement, though the game was really won thanks to a series of small positional pluses earlier in the game.
Inevitably when FMs David Maycock and Supratit Banerjee clash, their game always generates a good deal of interest. Supratit plays for Kingston in 4NCL and the Thames Valley League, but tonight he was on the opposing team. David had the advantage of White – it was a good toss for Peter Andrews to win – but he had the worst of the opening exchanges, and, as they entered the middle game, Supratit was pressing. Black has an advantage in the position below because of the pin on the knight on c4 and White’s doubled e-pawns. I was convinced Supratit would win, but David is a master complicator, time started to take its toll, and the game began to turn around.
Jasper Tambini, with White, and veteran Nick Edwards had a hard-fought draw on board 7. Jasper gave up a pawn for the initiative in the opening, but Nick found an imaginative way of returning it to neutralise White’s attack, forcing a draw. On board 4, John Hawksworth felt he was better out of the opening but, in his words, “spent too much time looking for something immediately decisive (which didn’t exist according to the engine).” He then blundered a pawn, but still felt he was better with the two bishops, forgoing a nailed-on draw in pursuit of a victory which eventually turned into a defeat in a time scramble.
David Rowson, bottom left, playing alongside Peter Hasson and John Hawksworth on the middle boards
There was better news on board 6, where David Rowson steadily outplayed his opponent with a pair of knights against a pair of bishops to secure a win. When the position below was reached, David has given up both his bishops for knights, judging correctly that White’s fractured pawn structure and the bishops’ restricted movement will favour him. Now he decides to press.
David summed up the game with characteristic modesty: “Nothing dramatic, and my opponent didn’t play very strongly, but I was pleased that I made some of the right choices (such as swapping bishop for knight and playing g5 – not a move I usually play lightly) and that I was able to show that my knights were better than his bishops.” Captain Andrews appreciated it too: “A nice example of a caged bishop, with nowhere to go from g3, and a game where there wasn’t a single moment of decision, rather incremental outplaying.”
Peter himself also won with Black on board 8. White has a small plus in the position below, but Black has an immediate threat which must be countered. Unfortunately for Peter’s opponent, he fails to see it and the small plus becomes a hefty minus.
On board 3, Peter Large had White against Ian Calvert, who is something of a draw specialist. A lengthy technical battle ensued in which Peter gradually established the upper hand.
Another intense technical battle was raging on board 2, where Peter Lalić was playing Coulsdon captain Mark Smith. Peter went for one of his speciality queenless middle games and thereafter shuffled with purpose, though White did have a fleeting chance in the position below.
That made it four wins for Peters and two for Davids in a very satisfying 6.5-1.5 victory which takes Kingston back to the top of Surrey League division 1. We now face another tough trip to Coulsdon this coming Monday (9 February) for the semi-final of the 10-board Alexander Cup. We will be hoping for a similar result as we target a historic five-timer in this hallowed competition. No other club has managed more than four successive wins in the Alexander Cup. To win five in a row really would be something to shout about.
Kingston 3 v Wallington, Surrey League division 4 match due to be played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 2 February 2026
Disappointingly, Wallington were unable to fulfil this Surrey division 4 fixture, so Kingston 3 claimed the match by default. Under the rules of the Surrey League, this means that Wallington lose on all boards, giving Kingston a 6-0 victory – a fillip in the team’s bid to win promotion. Kingston 3 are currently top of the division, but only narrowly on game points from Epsom 4. The battle is likely to go to the wire, with ambitious Epsom pressing hard.
Wallington had been unable to raise a team to come to Kingston for this match earlier in the season and Kingston 3 captain Edward Mospan had generously allowed a rearrangement of the fixture. But on this occasion it was felt that we should claim a win by default. We thank Wallington for giving us ample warning of the cancellation, which allowed the Kingston players due to take part in the match to be paired in the regular rated friendlies (pictured above) which are now a feature of club nights at the United Reformed Church in central Kingston, the club’s new home.
The second round of 4NCL matches, spread across two weekends in January, saw mixed results for CSC/Kingston’s three teams, with a setback in division 1 but solid progress in division 3
For a moment we dared to dream. After two victories on the opening weekend, including a remarkable 6-2 victory over GM-laden Cheddleton, we had started to believe our own publicity. Might we actually be able to win the competition? Unfortunately, the answer was a resounding no: on the Saturday of Weekend 2 (10 January) we drew with Barnet Knights and the following day we lost 5.5-2.5 to Wood Green, by some margin the strongest team at 4NCL. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
We had taken a very strong team to Coventry in the hope that we could spring a surprise: Polish grandmaster Jakub Kosakowski on board 1, former British champion Harry Grieve on 3, GM Ameet Ghasi on 3, youthful Ukrainian IM Vlad Larkin on 4 – but our opponents had strengthened too.
The match on Saturday against Barnet Knights ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw, with Grieve pressing hard for a win against GM Eldar Gasanov on his debut for CSC/Kingston. On Sunday, we were outgunned on the lower boards – every Wood Green player was 2400-plus – though the result could have been closer. Ulysse Bottazzi was on top against IM Jonah Willow until time trouble undermined him. A good learning experience for all of us – this league is tough! The players remained in good spirits and, as the photograph above shows, happily played blitz and bughouse late into the night on Saturday. Good for team bonding, if not for early-morning prep on Sunday.
CSC/Kingston 2, playing on the same weekend and at the same venue – a Holiday Inn somewhere on the M6 – had a more successful weekend in their quest to win promotion from division 3 (knights). They beat south-west London neighbours Surbiton 4.5-1.5 on Saturday, and followed it up with victory by the same margin over Ashfield on Sunday. Peter Finn and Clive Frostick both scored 2/2, and everyone contributed in what has become a tightly knit and very effective unit. The team is now 4/4 after two weekends and sit proudly atop the division (see tables at foot of report).
CSC/Kingston 3 played in division 4 a week later (17/18 January) in Dudley and suffered a 5.5-0.5 hammering by the evocatively (sic) named FCPL-UK on Saturday. FCPL-UK were outrated, so one can only assume they have some seriously underrated players. Or perhaps we just had a bad day at the office. Anyway, well done to Chris Rice for securing the half-point which avoided the dreaded “bagelling” (ie 6-0, as in a very one-sided set in tennis).
Sunday was a much better day, and CSC/Kingston 3 bounced back with a convincing 4.5-1.5 victory over Crowthorne B to leave the team eighth of 30 teams in the table (division 4 is a Swiss, unlike the other divisions which are all-play-alls). Chris Rice and Giampiero Amato won, as did Kingston junior (and British under-10 champion) William Lin on his debut weekend at 4NCL.
A great result for William and, despite the Wood Green setback, a generally encouraging set of results for the 44-strong CSC/Kingston squad. Thanks as ever to squad matriarch Kate Cooke for looking after the players, booking the hotels and making the logistics work. Weekend 3, when all three teams play on the same days (7/8 February) in Coventry and Daventry, promises to be even more complicated.
Kingston 4 v Dorking 2, Surrey League division 5 match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 26 January 2026
This drawn match was a good result for our fourth team against Dorking 2 and a sign that we are developing more strength in depth as a club. We are also growing! New members Tom Mayers and Sebastian Allam made their first appearances for Kingston in this match.
Dorking had strong players on the top two boards, so for Kingston to win them both was exceptional. Dorking were too strong for us in the middle order, and won on boards 3, 4 and 5. As I know from bitter experience, Peter Horlock is seriously underrated at 1569. But Nette Robinson, who is in a rich vein of form, won with Black on board six to tie the match at 3-3. An excellent outcome for for Ed Mospan’s team given the rating disparity.
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
