The Kingston Invitational was established in 2022 to create a high-level tournament in south-west London and give much-needed Fide-rated games to predominantly local players. There have now been three very successful editions – the first with 10 players, the second with 20, the third with 40. We do not promise to double the number of players every year. Indeed, doubling the number of players in 2023 created about 10 times the work, so there may be an argument that “small is beautiful”.

We are committed to involving leading players from the Kingston club in these events, but have also been pleased to invite players from competitor clubs to participate. In 2023 the growing reputation of the Invitational led players from other parts of the UK and Europe to request invitations, and we were pleased to invite strong players from Iceland and Sweden to take part. This new global perspective to the tournament somewhat confused Chess Magazine, who in their excellent write-up of the event called it the “Kingston International”.

Both the 2022 and 2023 editions were all-play-alls: a 10-player all-play-all in 2022 and two 10-player all-play-all groups in 2023, the higher-rated of which offered IM norms, though such was the strength of the event that none was achieved. The inaugural tournament in July 2022 was won by Kingston star Peter Lalić. The second tournament in July 2023 was won by IM Conor Murphy, with Tim Seymour and Alistair Hill sharing first prize in the second group. For the details, see the full tournament reports below. The third Kingston Invitational – there were four high-level joint winners! – was held at Tiffin Boys’ School from Monday 12 to Friday 16 August 2024 and took the form of a very competitive Swiss. A report on that event also appears below. 

The plan for 2025 is to combine the two formats, so we will have a strong 10-player all-play-all event (again with norms on offer) and a 50-player Swiss aimed at players with an ECF rating of 1800-plus. There are no entry fees for either event – it is by invitation only but we warmly invite expressions of interest from those interested in playing – and we strive for a competitive but friendly tournament, a true festival of chess. 

This year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Kingston Chess Club, and the Invitational will form a central part of those celebrations. The dates are the same as last year – 12 to 16 August – but this year the event runs from Tuesday to Saturday. It will take place at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church in central Kingston and full details are given on the Chess Results server. Details of the IM norm event can be found here and the Swiss here. Fields will be updated as they are assembled.

Stephen Moss, tournament director, Kingston Invitational

First Kingston Invitational (2022)