Kingston Summer Blitz, Willoughby Arms, 19 June 2023
The summer blitzes at Kingston have proved popular, attracting players from other local clubs. The giantkiller prize in the tournament on 19 June went to Kingston president John Foley, who defeated Peter Lalić in round 3 (in the game shown below) and David Maycock, who lost on time, in round 4.
Wernick Cup game played at the Sultan pub, Wimbledon, on 22 May 2023
Hayden is a relatively new member at Kingston – one of the group of young players who joined after lockdown – and has already made a huge contribution to all aspects of the club. As this game in section four of the Surrey Individual (designed for players of about 1500 ECF and below) shows, he is making rapid progress and promises to be a real force in future years.
Thames Valley League division 1 match played at the Willoughby Arms, Kingston on 15 May 2023
This game was played in Kingston first team’s final league match of the all-conquering 2022/23 season. Will has been a key figure in the first team’s success, travelling down from north London to play for us, and here he recorded the first win of the evening, defeating Paul Dupré on board 5 in a game in which both players sought to create complications from the start.
Thames Valley League division 2 match played at St Luke’s Community Hall, Maidenhead on 8 May 2023
Peter Andrews’ victory in this game – the last to finish on the night – earned a 3-3 draw for Kingston B away to league leaders Maidenhead A, and ensured that the team would not be relegated from division 2 of the Thames Valley League – a threat which has been hanging over us for most of the season. Both players went for the jugular in this game, and the mate which Peter conjures up – while in severe time trouble – is a most satisfying and elegant one. A memorable game to end a hard-fought match.
Surrey League division 1 match played at St Winefride’s Church Hall, Wimbledon on 20 April 2023
This was the board 8 game in Kingston’s 4.5-3.5 victory over a powerful Wimbledon team in the Surrey League – a result that meant Kingston won the league title with a perfect eight wins in eight matches. Kingston lost on the top two boards and at one point looked likely to lose the match, but Peter’s crucial victory over Tony Hughes and wins for Will Taylor and John Foley turned the tide. Hughes’s ambitious play may not be wholly accurate, but it is certainly scary, and Peter needed all his nous to blunt his opponent’s attacking intent, gain a hefty material advantage and ultimately carry Kingston to victory.
Alexander Cup final played at the Adelaide pub, Teddington on 14 April 2023
This was the board 3 game which ultimately decided the fate of the 2023 Alexander Cup final. Kingston’s Silverio Abasolo had to beat IM Chris Baker, or the match would have been drawn 5-5 and Battersea would have taken the title on board count. Fortunes swung both ways, time became a factor, spectators became anxious, but Abasolo was the calmest person at the Adelaide pub and eventually prevailed to ensure that Kingston retained the trophy.
Alexander Cup final played at the Adelaide pub, Teddington on 14 April 2023
The board 4 game between Mike Healey and Viktor Stoyanov was pivotal in Kingston’s victory over Battersea in the 2023 Alexander Cup final by the slender margin of 5.5-4.5. The match was an intense and dramatic one between two very fine sides, and here Mike plays a tremendous game to make possible Kingston’s win against a higher-rated team. Mike being Mike, his knights naturally lead the charge.
Surrey League division 2 match played at the United Reformed Church, Tolworth on 11 April 2023
This game was played in a crucial match in Kingston 2’s battle to stave off relegation in division 2 of the Surrey League. We won the match against Surbiton’s first team 5-2, greatly helped by Peter’s win against the doughty Nick Faulks on board 3. They have met over the board half a dozen times, and Peter was keen to annotate this relatively short game as he found it instructive. “I suggest two lessons,” he explains. “One, for me, is that if one is playing an opponent whom one has played before, it cannot be assumed that the opening will repeat, especially if one achieved a good position in the previous game. The other is that it illustrates a useful principle expounded by John Nunn: LPDO, Loose Pieces Drop Off!
Kingston 1 v Coulsdon (CCF) 1, Surrey League division 1, Willoughby Arms, Kingston, 27 February 2023
As John Foley says, playing rated games against very strong juniors is never easy. Banerjee was here playing on board 6 for Coulsdon 1 against Kingston 1 off a Surrey rating of 1667. His live ECF rating is actually 2029 (shouldn’t Surrey be recalibrating to match reality?), his Fide is close to 1900 and he is among the strongest players in the world in his age group – nine and under. Deploying his usual acute and accurate endgame skills, John won the game to help Kingston to a 7-1 victory (later adjusted to 5-2 because of a board order infringement), but he accepts that he may never do so again as young Banerjee ascends the chess ladder to titledom.
Kent Under-2050 v Surrey Under-2050, 15 October 2022
Encouraged by John Foley to turn out for Surrey’s under-2050 team, this was Kingston stalwart Peter Andrews’ first county match for about 40 years. He was playing on board 1 against Kent’s David Clear, and the game hinged on Peter’s disaster with an extremely hot cup of coffee. Always beware the Coffee Gambit!