Hounslow C v Kingston C, Thames Valley division X match played at the Royal British Legion, Hounslow on 5 January 2026

Sean Tay led Kingston C at Hounslow in captain Jon Eckert’s absence and the team emerged with a very creditable 2-2 draw. Nette Robinson, pictured above in her role as jazz singer rather chess player (with grandmaster Daniel King as accompanist), enjoyed a quickfire win with White on board 3 and Nick Powell was also victorious with Black on 4. But the top two boards were lost, with Rob Taylor unlucky to lose with Black on board 2 after being on top for much of the game. But a trip to Hounslow is never easy, and we were happy to settle for a draw.

Stephen Moss is captain of Kingston Chess Club