Keith Jones’ AGM report on the London League team’s season began “A somewhat disappointing season, which still has a chance of becoming a very disappointing season.” At that time, our London League team in Division 2 was sitting in 8th position of 11 teams, having finished its programme level on Match Points with Battersea 2 and ahead of them by just 2½ Game Points, but Battersea had the head-to-head advantage and had a match in hand. The only remaining fixtures […]

Nine Wanstead players entered the Southend Easter Chess Festival 17-21 April 2025. These included Ryan Colclough defending the Essex Minor Champion, with hopefuls Philip, Mark, Colin Li and Mary all going in the U1900 where that trophy is awarded. It was Mark who started off like a train, though he admitted he rode his luck in some early games. But the wins kept coming, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, by which time Mark had secured the Essex Minor Championship from Ryan, […]

Thursday 2 January 2025 The New Year at Wanstead & Woodford Chess Club started with a bang with a breath-taking evening of speed chess, embracing two games of Rapid at G10+5 in the all-Wanstead Finchley Cup semi-final (WW2 v WW3) followed by a searingly hot Blitz of 9 rounds at G3+2, all squeezed into a throbbing three hours; firworks a-plenty! Wanstead 3 emerged 6½-5½ victors over Wanstead 2 and David Spearman won the Blitz with an imperious 8½/9. See the […]

A Festive club night added to the 2025 calendar to launch the New Year and the reopening of Wanstead House after the festive closure. THURSDAY 2 JAN 2025,  7.30 pm Members are invited to play in: A) the Finchley Cup rapid semi final FC2 v FC3 at 7.30 (G20/10). 16 players mimimum. If there is sufficient interest from the Lawrance Cup squad some of you may participate with them in a team challenge either at G20/10 or 2 x G10/5 B) at […]

Entries are now open for the Southend Easter Chess Festival 2025 which takes place from 17-21 April 2025, at Southend Adult Community College, Ambleside Drive, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2UN. The Festival embraces the 6-Round Rapid on Thursday 17 April, followed by the 7-Round Congress from Friday 18 April to Monday 21 April. Full details for the Rapid and the Congress are given on the Festival website southendcongress.org where the Entry Form (pdf) can be downloaded and Online Entry is available. Southend […]

The two North Circular League home fixtures for Wanstead teams on a sodden gridlocked evening came close to being a double disaster for the Home sides. All four teams showed great perseverence to reach the venue and ensure no defaults. In Division A Wanstead 1, defending League Champions and comfortably the stronger side, fell to a shock defeat against Ilford by 4-2. Playing alongside in the Finchley Cup, Wanstead 2, also the clear favourites on paper, came close to a […]

Mark Murrell skipped for this one, reporting on “Breaking News”: Sea, sand, sunshine and a fine away day performance particularly by Voldi and the band. A cluster of wins in lower boards and crucial middle order holds. All-club match play at its best. Yes, we won.  https://lms.englishchess.org.uk/lms/league_fixture/254439 We have added our additional commentary on the make-up of the Hastings team – stronger than of recent times – with a flavour of the closing stages, which you can find under the Sundry Fixtures tab; […]