While the Tunbridge Wells Chess Club is officially taking a break until our AGM and season resumption on September 7th, we know that many of you will still be looking for a game over the holidays.
When life gives you lemons… you play chess! 🍋♟️
We are delighted to share that club member Daniel Payne is hosting an informal “summer chess club” to keep us all playing while the club premises are closed.
If you are looking to get a game in, here are the details:
When: Every Monday evening, 17:00 – 21:00.
Where:Lemons Bar, 40 The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Cost: None—there is no up-front fee.
Vibe: Casual and friendly. The venue is child-friendly, and refreshments are available from the bar.
There is no pressure and no strings attached—this is simply a great opportunity for chess players to meet up, play, and enjoy some games during the summer break. Daniel is looking forward to welcoming as many people as possible, so do feel free to head over and make the best of the summer gap!
As we head into our summer break, we are delighted to look back on a fantastic 2025/2026 chess season at the Tunbridge Wells Chess Club. It has been a year defined by strong competition, new faces, and an impressive level of engagement across all our tournaments.
Club Championship Results
The highlight of our competitive calendar, the Club Championship, concluded on June 22nd. We are thrilled to announce that Robert Jacobs has retained the title, putting in a truly dominant performance by winning all seven of his matches.
A well-deserved second place goes to David Fryer, who finished with an impressive 6 out of 7. The competition for third place was incredibly tight, with four members sharing the podium—Jerry Anstead, Andrew Rimmer, Hugh Tassell, and Matt Smith—all finishing with 4 out of 7.
A huge thank you to Jerry Anstead for organizing and running this year’s championship so efficiently, ensuring that play was consistent throughout the season.A Busy and Successful Year
Beyond the Club Championship, it has been an active and rewarding year for the club:
Tournament Success: In June, we were proud to host the Psyon Chess FIDE Congress at our home club, which provided an exciting opportunity to watch high-level competition.
Junior Development: Our Junior Rapid Championship in May was a great success, showcasing the talent of our younger members.
National Achievement: We were incredibly proud to see Samyak Chadha play a key role in the Kent team that won the under-9s section at the Inter-County National Finals.
Club Friendlies: While our friendly against Crowborough Chess Club didn’t result in a win for us, it was a spirited match and a great experience for all involved.
Looking ahead, the club is now on its summer break, with our final club night held on July 13th. We will be resuming our regular Monday night meetings at the Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club on the first Monday of September.
Whether you are a long-time member or someone who joined us for the first time this year, thank you for making this season so memorable. We look forward to seeing everyone again in September for another exciting year of chess!
Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club welcomed 84 players from near and far for a packed weekend of tournament chess from 5–7 June 2026.
Run by Psyon Chess and supported by Savills, the Tunbridge Wells FIDE Congress featured three sections: an Open, an U1800 and an U1500. Players contested five long-play games at a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one.
It was particularly encouraging to see six Tunbridge Wells Chess Club members taking part—and to find a familiar club name near the top of one of the final tables.
Tom takes third in the U1500
The outstanding local result belonged to club secretary Tom Lawrie, who finished third in the U1500 with an unbeaten 3½ points from five games.
Tom began with consecutive victories over Hardhav Hari and Elio Samaha. He then drew with eventual champion Adam Amirthanathan before completing his weekend with two further draws, against Ishaan Ratakonda and fourth-placed Glyn Hill.
That amounted to two wins, three draws and no defeats: a very steady performance in a section where only half a point separated second, third and fourth places.
Adam Amirthanathan won the section with 4/5, followed by Alexander Hudson and Tom on 3½. The tie-break placed Tom third in the final standings.
Hugh and Jon lead our U1800 contingent
Three Tunbridge Wells members entered the 29-player U1800 section.
Club treasurer Hugh Tassell finished ninth with 2½/5. After drawing his opening game, Hugh recorded consecutive victories over James Peel and fellow club member Jon Armory. Those results put him on 2½/3 and into contention near the leading boards, earning him tough final-round pairings against two of the section’s strongest performers.
Jon Armory also scored 2½/5, finishing 17th. Jon entered as the section’s 28th seed but performed at a level of 1629—more than 150 points above his listed rating of 1471.
He defeated Tom O’Neill and Matthew Reynolds and held the considerably higher-rated Chris Bernard to a draw. Jon’s result was an excellent example of why congress chess is worth trying: a player can enter near the bottom of the starting list and still compete successfully against much higher-rated opposition.
The meeting between Hugh and Jon in round three also provided the weekend’s all-Tunbridge Wells derby.
Rick Hennessy completed the club’s U1800 representation. His early pairings included several strong and experienced opponents, but he kept going and was rewarded with a final-round victory over Matthew Reynolds. Rick finished on 1½ points.
The section was won by Thommy Lipardo on 4½/5, ahead of Druha Chandrashekhar on tie-break.
Robert and Jerry take on the Open
Club president Robert Jacobs and long-standing member Jerry Anstead stepped up to contest a strong 43-player Open section headed by several titled players.
Robert produced an excellent 3/5, finishing 16th. His three wins came against Advik Saxena, Abhishek Pradhan and Eric Granzelius. The official results calculated a performance rating of 1950 and a gain of 4.8 FIDE rating points.
It was a strong, uncompromising result: Robert did not record a single draw, finishing the weekend with three wins and two defeats.
Jerry scored 2/5. Following a difficult opening, he steadied the ship with consecutive draws against Ben Barton and Peter McGill before finishing on a high with victory over Robert Wall in the final round.
The Open was won by FM Frankie Badacsonyi, whose 4½/5 left him half a point clear of Aditya Verma and Matthew Payne.
Tunbridge Wells results at a glance
Player
Section
Score
Final place
Robert Jacobs
Open
3/5
16th
Jerry Anstead
Open
2/5
33rd
Hugh Tassell
U1800
2½/5
9th
Jon Armory
U1800
2½/5
17th
Rick Hennessy
U1800
1½/5
23rd
Tom Lawrie
U1500
3½/5
3rd
Serious chess in familiar surroundings
For our members, one of the pleasures of this event was the chance to play a proper weekend congress in the same attractive London Road venue that hosts our Monday club nights.
A five-round congress is a real test. With one game on Friday evening, two on Saturday and two more on Sunday, players must manage their time, energy and concentration as carefully as the positions on their boards. Every one of our six representatives came away with at least one victory, and together they scored 15 points from 30 games—exactly 50%.
The fact that all available places were filled shows the appetite for well-run, rated chess in Tunbridge Wells. Our thanks go to Satish Gaekwad and the Psyon Chess team, the arbiters, sponsors, venue staff and everyone else who helped make the weekend possible.
Could you play next year?
If you have never entered a chess congress, an event like this is an excellent place to begin. Graded sections mean that you do not have to be an expert, while the Swiss format normally brings opponents closer to your own score as the weekend progresses.
Playing five serious games in three days is challenging, but it is also one of the quickest ways to gain experience, meet other players and discover more about your own chess. Ask Tom, Robert, Hugh, Jon, Jerry or Rick about their weekend when you next see them at the club.
When this excellent competition returns next year, we would love to see an even larger Tunbridge Wells contingent taking part. Watch the club website and Psyon Chess calendar for details—and consider adding your own name to the entry list.
A weekend chess congress is coming to Tunbridge Wells this June, offering local players a welcome opportunity to play rated tournament chess close to home.
The Tunbridge Wells FIDE Congress takes place from Friday 5 June to Sunday 7 June 2026 at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club, 40 London Road, TN1 1DL.
The event is a 5-round Swiss standardplay tournament, with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one. It will include FIDE and ECF rated sections, making it suitable for players looking for serious classical games over a full weekend.
The sections listed are:
Open — FIDE and ECF rated
Major / U1800 — FIDE and ECF rated
Minor / U1575 — ECF rated
The planned schedule is:
Round 1: Friday, 6:45pm
Round 2: Saturday, 10:00am
Round 3: Saturday, 3:00pm
Round 4: Sunday, 10:00am
Round 5: Sunday, 3:00pm
The venue is very conveniently placed, just a short walk from Tunbridge Wells railway station, with limited on-site parking and a large paid car park nearby.
It is always encouraging to see more chess taking place in Tunbridge Wells, and we hope many local players will consider entering or supporting the event.
n the evening of May 11th, the Tunbridge Wells Chess Club bridge club premises were buzzing with energy as we hosted our annual Junior Rapid Championship. It was a fantastic evening that showcased the incredible talent, quick thinking, and sportsmanship of our younger members.
The competition was fierce, with 10-minute, no-increment games keeping everyone on their toes. We are incredibly proud of the effort put in by all our participants. A massive congratulations to our top performers:
Samyak: Our 2025/26 Junior Rapid Champion, putting in a commanding performance to finish with an impressive 6.5/7
Julian: Taking a well-deserved 2nd place with a strong 5.5/7
Anish & James: Sharing the 3rd place podium, both finishing with a solid 5/7
A special shout-out to Anish, who treated us to a real “Magnus Carlsen” moment during the night! Finding himself with only 3 minutes left on the clock in one of his 10-minute games, he kept his cool to turn the position around and secure the win—a brilliant display of composure under pressure.
A huge thank you to Tom Lawrie for organizing the event, and to Hugh Tassell for his help in running the tournament so smoothly on the night.
It was a joy to host this tournament, and we are already looking forward to organising more events like this in the future to keep the momentum going for our junior players. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a memorable night of chess!
The new season of the Tunbridge Wells Chess Championship is about to begin!
Round 1 will take place on Monday 27 October at 7.30 pm at the club.
Good luck to all players taking part — and a warm welcome to those competing in the club championship for the first time.
Round 1 Mon 27/10/25 at 19.30
WHITE
BLACK
1 Andrew Rimmer
Tom Lawrie
2 Stephen Timbers
Jon Armory
3 Charles Davies
Julian Teubler
4 Steve Bond
Hugh Tassell
5 Matt Smith
Jerry Anstead
6 Fife Alex Alade
Robert Jacobs
7 David Fryer
Gualtiero Chiaia
If you are unable to play your match on 27th October then please
(1) contact your opponent and arrange to play at some mutually agreed other time and
(2) let Jerry Anstead (anstead@btinternet.com) know about this so that we are not expecting you on 27th.
To find out your opponent’s contact details please ask Jerry or Tom.
Rate of play is one hour plus a ten-second increment.
You can find full event details and standings as the tournament progresses on the Club Championship page.
Our annual Tunbridge Wells Chess Club Championship is about to begin! This is your chance to play a series of competitive, rated games against fellow club members and test your improvement over the season.
🏆 About the Championship
The Club Championship is open to all Tunbridge Wells Chess Club members, and games will count toward your official ECF rating.
Pairings will be arranged to ensure players of all strengths can take part, from new members to experienced competitors.
⏰ A quick reminder that our two main competitions for the 2025/26 season are beginning shortly.
If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time to get involved.
⚡ Quickplay 2025/26
Our popular Quickplay tournament uses time handicaps to balance games between players of different strengths. It’s always lively, competitive, and great fun. 👉 See full details here
⏱️ Club Championship 2025/26
The Club Championship is our flagship event, played at the longer 60+10 time control over seven rounds. A great opportunity to play serious, rated games across the season. 👉 See full details here
✅ What You Need to Do
Make sure you are registered for the competitions you want to enter.
Don’t leave it to the last minute — register today!
⚠️ Reminder: To play in the Club Championship, you must be an active ECF Member (minimum Bronze). It’s quick and easy — see our step-by-step guide: 👉 How to Register as an ECF Member
✨ We encourage all members to take part — whether in the fast and fun Quickplay, the competitive Championship, or both.
Register now and make sure you’re ready for the season ahead!
Welcome to the Club Championship for the 2025/26 season! This year’s event is a 7-round Swiss, with games scheduled monthly across the season. Results will be ECF-rated, so please ensure your ECF membership is Bronze or above (and that you’re a club member).
Format & rules
Format: 7-round Swiss (no repeat pairings).
Pairings: Round 1 is a random draw; from Round 2, players are paired within score groups with colour alternation where possible.
Time control:60 minutes for the game + 10 seconds increment per move from move 1.
ECF rating: All results submitted for ECF rating (Bronze+ required).
If you can’t make a Monday: Please contact your opponent and rearrange to another mutually convenient date.
Dates (2025/26)
Rounds are played on the last Monday of each month listed, except May which uses the next-to-last Monday:
R1: Monday 27 Oct 2025
R2: Monday 24 Nov 2025
R3: Monday 26 Jan 2026
R4: Monday 23 Feb 2026
R5: Monday 30 Mar 2026
R6: Monday 27 Apr 2026
R7: Monday 18 May 2026(next-to-last Monday in May)
