Wallington v Kingston 3, Surrey League division 4 match played at Wallington United Reformed Church on 21 January 2026

The visit to Wallington ended in an emphatic 5-1 win for Ed Mospan’s team. The success included wins on boards 1 and 3 by players new to Kingston this season, plus excellent performances by some seasoned club players.

Alexander Chmelev, one of the new arrivals, won well on board 1 against a highly rated rival, and another newcomer, the talented Thivan Gunawardana, won a thrilling game with White on board 3. With both players in severe time trouble, Black resigned in the position below when he was actually winning!. Zeitnot can do the strangest things.

Jon Eckert constructed a neat mating net with Black on board 2; Seth Warren won smoothly on board 4; and Genc Tasbasi overwhelmed his opponent on board 5. Wallington gained a consolation win on board 6, where Ed Mospan’s young opponent played well to win with a well-oiled London System. Ed, though, is a team man, and his side’s victory will mean more to him than his own reverse.

Stephen Moss, captain of Kingston Chess Club