Kingston C v Staines B, Thames Valley League division X match played at the Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Kingston on 15 December 2025

This was a well-contested encounter between two evenly matched teams. Ed Mospan, deputising for Jon Eckert, captained and played on board 1, losing with Black to Alex McTavish. Nette Robinson, with White on board 4, levelled the score; Rob Taylor drew on board 2 with Paul Silvester, and the issue was decided in Staines’ favour on board 3, Rashvir Raikmo (again with White) beating Anqi Yang to give the match to Staines by 2.5-1.5.

The evening doubled as a fundraiser by Kingston Chess Club on behalf of the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher. Organised primarily by the ubiquitous Ed Mospan, this initiative raised a fantastic £1,600 for the hospice, through a combination of donations (usually for the opportunity to play a rated game on the night), bids to be involved in a training session with grandmaster Daniel King, and cake sales.

Many thanks to Ed and Genc Tasbasi for running the fundraiser, Daniel King for offering his expertise for free to the highest bidders in the training auction, and to Anqi Yang and Heather Warren for bringing along their wonderful home-made cakes. A memorable evening and exactly the type of community involvement for which we strive at Kingston.

Stephen Moss