Kingston 2 v Kingston 1, Surrey League division 1 match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 28 September 2026

Kingston are in the happy (or should that be unhappy?) position of having two teams in division 1 of the Surrey League this season. League rules dictate that, to stop any manipulation later in the season, they have to play each other before more conventional fixtures against rival clubs get under way.

This was the second meeting of the first and second teams this season – Kingston 1 won the first match by 6.5 to 1.5 – and on top board were FM David Maycock (above left) for Kingston 1 and IM John Hawksworth for Kingston 2. No quarter was asked and none given. Given that the game had a rather unsatisfactory denouement (not wholly in his favour), John has very sportingly – but also, in his words, as a “cathartic exercise” – annotated the game.