White Knights Summer Series – Kicking Off in Style
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
We’ve had two very different but equally enjoyable nights of chess so far in our Summer Calendar. One was fast and unforgiving. The other was structured, creative, and full of surprises. Both delivered.
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Event 1: Blitz at the Conservative Club (3+0)
Wednesday 2nd July
We kicked off our Summer Series with a 3+0 Blitz tournament. Twenty-one players took part. Everyone was split into two round-robin groups, with Group A containing eight players and Group B seven. Every game was played at a furious pace. After the group stage, all players progressed to a knockout bracket, with pairings based on final standings. First place from each group played second from the other. The same pattern followed for third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and so on. One player received a bye due to the uneven group sizes.
Group A was led by Alan Young, who scored 6 out of 7. Vismith Prabhu also finished on 6, but tiebreaks placed him in second. John Arnold followed closely with 5 points. In Group B, Jason Garcia went unbeaten with 5 out of 6. David Guy also finished on 5, but Jason edged him out on tiebreaks. Adam May scored 4.5 and took third. Aaron Davies grabbed the last qualifying spot with 3.
The knockout bracket gave us some sharp and memorable matchups. Jason beat John Arnold in a tense game. Alan got the better of David Guy. Vismith took down Chris Daniel. Matthew Billington won against Mike Richards after a close opening. One of the key moments of the night came when Vismith’s consistent play earned him a place in the third-place match, while Alan and Jason set up a showdown for the title.
Their first final game ended in a draw. A tiebreak was needed. Alan, focused and experienced, won the decider and claimed first place. Vismith beat Adam May to finish third. Matthew edged Gareth Harper in a scrappy game to take fifth.
Alongside the main event, we also held a junior round-robin. Six players took part. Bobi won all five games to finish on a perfect score. Harri came second with four points. Stuart followed in third with three. Every junior player got on the board and showed strong fundamentals, even under pressure.
The night felt like a true blitz event. Sharp tactics, quick decisions, and plenty of late drama. You could feel the energy in the room.
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Event 2: Opening Roulette Rapid (10+0)
Wednesday 16th July
Two weeks later, players returned to the Conservative Club for a very different challenge. The format was Opening Roulette. This time it was a 10+0 Rapid event played over five rounds using Swiss pairings. Before each round, a random opening was drawn from a hat. Every board played the same opening, no matter what side they were on. You had to adapt.
Round one began with the Alekhine Defence. It was a difficult start for many players. The opening is known for being unorthodox and uncomfortable for Black. Players on the Black side had to improvise early. Tony Williams pulled off a strong win with Black, showing confidence in the face of chaos.
Round two drew the Reti. This allowed players to steer the game in different directions. Some transposed into English or Queen's Pawn systems. The flexibility of the Reti gave everyone a little room to breathe, and the quality of games improved across the board.
In round three, things tightened up with the Queen's Gambit Declined. This opening forced everyone into proper classical chess. Newer players had to wrestle with solid structures and long-term planning. Most games were slower, more positional, and grounded in good fundamentals.
Round four took things in the opposite direction. The Grunfeld was drawn. With 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5, the position became sharp from the start. Many players were caught off guard. Despite this, the adaptation was impressive. Players rose to the challenge and fought through complex middlegames.
Round five was the Scotch Game. A classic choice, and for one player, a familiar one. Alan Young faced Adam May on top board. Alan has played the Scotch for most of his chess career. He knew exactly where to go, converted the point, and finished on 4.5 out of 5.
James Evans followed closely with 4 points. David Guy placed third on 3.5. Matthew Billington took fourth on tiebreaks with 3.0. Tony Williams also scored 3.0 and placed fifth. Most players ended the night with at least one win, despite the unpredictability of the format.
The night rewarded flexibility, good instincts, and the ability to stay calm in unfamiliar territory. It also made for great spectating.
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That’s two events down with more still to come. Thank you to everyone who played, helped set up, or stuck around for analysis and banter. You’ve made the club a great place to be this summer.
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