Kingston 2 v Epsom 2, Surrey League division 2 match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 12 January 2026

A match against Epsom always has a special flavour. The unstoppable force meets the immoveable object. We see ourselves as a pukkah Sherlock Holmes, while the likeable (but very determined and adroit) Epsom president-for-life Marcus Gosling is (in the nicest way possible) the Professor Moriarty of Surrey chess. It is a battle for domination. The Reichenbach Falls probably beckon, which is another way of saying that, amid the egomania of Epsom and Kingston, the quiet professionalism of Coulsdon and Guildford will probably eventually prevail. Anyway, leaving aside this powerful subtext, this was an excellent match which ended in a 3.5-3.5 draw.

Martyn Jones got Kingston off to a winning start with victory on board 7 over promising junior Ethan Bogerd (a Kingston member currently playing for Professor Moriarty’s team). But another of the professor’s large crop of promising juniors, Sachin Kumar, equalised with a win on board 3 in an opposite-coloured bishop endgame which Kingston president John Foley thought he could hold despite being a pawn down. Sachin played superbly on the increment to prove John wrong.

On top board, Julian Way and James Allison had a high-class tussle which ended in a draw. Allison, who played for Ashtead last season, is proving a terrific recruit for the professor and rising significantly in the ratings. On board 6, Epsom’s Chris Wright was always material up against Xavier Cowan and duly converted, while on board 2 that wily old fox Robin Haldane had too many tactical tricks for Jasper Tambini. Robin, the nicest of men but the doughtiest of opponents, is turning into something of a nemesis for Kingston this season. It was looking like Epsom would take the spoils, but there was a twist in the tale.

Alan Scrimgour played a lovely game to beat former British champion Peter Lee with White on board 4. He has analysed the game in the blogs section alongside his win in 2004 against another British champion, Bob Wade, pointing out that both victories hinged on the same piece sacrifice.

That made the score 3.5-2.5 to Epsom, and the fate of the match was in the hands of the professor himself, with White on board 5 against the gentle but resilient Stephen Lovell (pictured above, left foreground). The protagonists were both playing on the increment; spectators clustered round the board; match scores were thrust under the players’ noses so they understood the significance of the game result – a draw was enough for Epsom; Stephen didn’t seem to twig that he had to win, which was perhaps just as well as he might have frozen. The Reichenbach Falls swirled below. Stephen has annotated the match-defining game below.

With one bound we were free and the match drawn. The professor looked disconsolate. The journey back to Epsom would be a painful one. Honours were even in a division that is proving very competitive and unpredictable. Kingston and Epsom had nullified each other in their unending struggle. The story will be continued …

Stephen Moss, captain of Kingston Chess Club