On Tuesday 21st October our 4th team travelled to Hastings to take on their 4th team in division 3.
Bill Luxton played on board one against an opponent who is rapidly rising in terms of her rating. The game came down to an endgame of 5 pawns each. Bill looked to have a slight disadvantage as 2 of his pawns were isolated, but he played very accurately to earn a good draw.
On board 2 Oliver’s game came down to a rook and pawn end game. Oliver managed to advance a pawn to the 7th rank but it became clear that it was going no further and a draw was agreed.
On board 3 I played an old adversary. Once again it was a close match, and once again, with both Kings exposed a draw was agreed.
On board 4 Oli took on a very experienced opponent who is on a very good run of form. Oli playing black, played very well and gained a fine draw.
The final score was 2 all from 4 draws.
PS Don’t forget to enter our November 29 Rapidplay – Go to OUR EVENTS page for full details and entry
Friday 17th October saw the first matches of the 2025/26 Sussex League matches.
Our 1st team played our 2nd team in a Division 1 match thereby creating a little bit of history for the club as we have never had two teams in the top division before.
We also had our 3rd team playing our 4th team in division 3.
After 3 hours of high quality and hard fought matches the final results were
1st team 3 2nd team 1
3rd team 3.5 4th team .5
The individual results were
1st v 2nd
Luke 1 v Andrew 0
Howard 1 V James 0
Michael Hubbard 1 V Michael Hayward 0
Oli 0 V Alan 1
3rd v 4th
Janis 1 V Oliver 0
Steve Blewitt 1/2 Bill Luxton 1/2
Joe 1 V Ed 0
Lawry 1 V Harry 0
Thanks to everyone who took part in what was a much closer affair than the score lines suggest.
Bill
Games commentary by editor
Our first team played our second team in Division 1.
Below, 2nd team L – 1st team R view from Board 4 as Steve looks on L
Board 1 – Luke Chapman(W) -1- 0- Andrew Fleming, (B) a tough battle, going long distance.. An endgame emerged early where Luke had 2 bishops and Q-side pawn majority, picking up a weak pawn on c6 but in doing so giving up one of the bishops leaving drawish bishops of opposite colours..Andrew conducted a long blockade on the white squares, but Luke eventually created 2 connected passed pawns and pushed them to win, as time trouble finally hampered accurate defence.
Board 2 – Howard Tebbs (B) 1- James Lumsden (W) , a Jobava system by James with early pawn advances by White on the K-side.. The early exchange of the White bishop on f4 set up doubled pawns f3/f4 but with the upside of a half-open file for White.. Black exploited the pawn structure, targeting a weak pawn on g3 with …Nh5. There was a neat tactical point, based on James’ castling Q-side. If the g3 pawn was defended by a piece, Black would play …Nxg3! anyway, as a recapture would result in a double attack..Qxf4+. James had to give up the f4 pawn. A double rooks endgame saw Howard press his advantage, eventually controlling the e-file himself and picking off the weakened, advanced K-side pawns.
Board 3 – Michael Hubbard (W) – 1- 0- Michael Hayward (B), An open game with initial symmetry of pawn structures, but White’s bishops and rooks had the better placement for greater pressure. When Black’s N picked off the advanced, isolated d-pawn ( but exposed the castled king position) , White ( though down to 39 seconds on the clock) set up a battery of Q and B with a winning double attack, threatening both mate and the loose N..
Board 4 – Oli Balp (B) -0 – 1- Alan Ticehurst, (W) was a complex game, difficult to assess with a locked centre and no captures. Alan manoevred to create pressure on the c-file, eventually opening it, and targeting a weak pawn on c6. Oli had to defend it laterally with rooks placed laterally from a6 and b6.. When Oli tried to exchange off the pawn with c5, and supporting it by Rb6-c6, he overlooked the decisive pawn fork b5!, side-stepping the c5 pawn and winning a rook.
Our third team played our fourth team in division 3.
Below, Janis L v Oliver R
Board 1 – Janis Peturson (B)- 1 – 0- Oliver Kuzmanoski (W), a double-edged open Sicilian ..e5 variation, where Oliver had a strong N on f5 ( which Janis exchanged off with …Bxf5 ) and Janis having a strong N on e5. Both sides with isolated pawns on central files. Janis exploded the tension with ..d5 which sacrificed a pawn for play on the dark squares and exploiting Oliver’s exposed K position.. Janis went on to win the exchange and later picked off several pawns to force a win.
Board 2 – Steve Blewitt (B)- 1/2 – 1/2 -Bill Luxton ( W). Bill gained early pressure with ..Nd3 , forking a Re1 and pawn on b2. ( It looks like Bill Tracey caught that moment in the above photo, as I see over Steve’s shoulder a N on d3!). Steve, defending a pawn down., had a further weakness on c3, which Bill pressed determinedly.. Steve did not crack, so Bill switched to the d-file and penetrated the 8th rank. Steve’s K had to run, and was now vulnerable on h3. Bill could not find a mating net for the K and Steve managed to generate counterplay with c5 and cxb6, in the ending regaining a pawn which was an outside passer! But Bill placed his rook behind the passer which Steve could not promote – a game of resilient defence against strong pressure.
Below Janis L i at the back , Oliver, Bill (3rd from L , and Ed 4th from L in the foreground
Board 3 – Jo Carthew (B) -1 – 0 – Ed Booth (W), had an early gain of 2 pawns by Jo with a pair of bishops. Ed fought hard with active play from his 2 knights and centralised rooks. But once the most dangerous N was exchanged off, Jo’s remaining bishop dominated and the pawn disparity was decisive.
Below, Jo L Janis 2nd L Bill, Steve
Board 4 – Lawry Rhodes (W) -1 – 0 Harry Morter (B) Harry played quickly and missed a threat of a pawn fork and was forced to exchange a piece for 2 pawns. He fought hard, pushing the passed d-pawn but Lawry’s rooks interposed to get behind the passer and decisively prevented promotion. It was unfortunate for Harry who was very tired after an exhausting series of games, on behalf of Bexhill Academy, the night before and travelling back from Brighton College where he performed well against more experienced players.
Here is Bill Tracey’s report for the recent Hastings v Bexhill match, kicking off the start of the season with a narrow defeat in the annual ( since 1896 !!) friendly martch.
“Sunday 28th October saw Bexhill make the short journey to take on Hastings in our annual match.
There was a time when Hastings would very kindly leave out their top players to make an even match. However with several strong players joining us in the last few years, plus the ever improving juniors in our club both clubs are now able to field their best players.
Our team, in board order was
Luke Chapman
Andy Nguyen
Mike Hubbard
Andrew Fleming
Phil Swain
Oliver Kuzmanoski
Bill Luxton
Michael Hayward
Lawry Rhodes
Rose Burgess
Bill Tracey
Harry Morter
Jon James
Both Oliver and Jon were making their debuts for Bexhill.
Jon gained a very credible draw against a much more experienced opponent.
Oliver faced a tough challenge against an opponent who out rated him by about 170 points. He stayed in the game very well up to move 17 but there after the game slowly got away from him.
Rose was making her competitive debut for the club and played a fine game to win on board 10
Harry played on board 12 against an experienced opponent who out rated him by 90 points. Harry was up an exchange in the endgame but his opponent had a very solid defensive position so a draw was offered and accepted. Harry has now played 3 matches for the senior section of the club and is still unbeaten with 2 draws and a win.
Lawry had a tough match which could have been a draw but his opponent declined to go for a draw by repetition and Lawry proceeded to use his active King and Bishop to force a win.
Michael Hayward on board 8 faced a fast improving opponent and unfortunately made an error that he could not recover from.
I played on board 11 with a rating advantage of 90 points over my opponent. The game was very even until I was able to win a bishop for a pawn, and then swapped off the remaining pieces, whereupon my opponent resigned.
On board 7, Bill Lurton appeared to have a very strong attack but unfortunately his much higher rated opponent kept finding the right moves and Bill’s sacrifice ultimately proved to be in vain.
Phil played on board 5 against an opponent out rating him by 200 points. Phil played extremely well but eventually had to resign when it became clear that his opponents one remaining pawn would eventually be promoted.
On board 4, Andrew enjoyed a fine win and his opponent resigned with Andrew having two extra pawns.
Michael Hubbard was on board 3. He and his higher rated opponent agreed a ‘grand master’ draw after about 45 minutes.
Board 2 saw Andy in action. Unfortunately he lost after his opponent won an exchange.
On the top board was Luke. He had a long tough game with the very strong Daniel Lowe, and after almost four hours the game ended in a draw.
The final score was 7-6 to Hastings. It is interesting to note that we were out rated on 9 of the 13 boards. It is also interesting to note, that the results of the top 4 boards, which is the number that make up a league team, would have been a draw.
Many thanks to Hastings for their hospitality and we look forward to trying to regain the cup next year.”
Some photos from Karen Burgess, giving a flavour of the day generously hosted at Hastings’ historic venue.
There was an impressive display of silverware and trophies at the presentation of awards, the prelude to the year in review at the AGM on Friday 26 September.
On display was the recent anonymous donation of a Team Honours Board and set recording (so far!):
Division 3 Winners 2023
Division 2 winners 2025
Mid-Sussex Knockout Winners 2025
Bill Tracey, club chairman, remarked on the achievement of a club that is 129 years old but has only fielded teams in the Sussex league for the last 5 years. There were 27 players in 3 Divisions. Two juniors competed ( Luke Chapman, Andy Nguyen.)
In the season 2022-23, the Division 3 team won 8 matches and drew 1, from 9 matches. Bill Luxton scoring 7/9 all on top board. Other notable individual performances of the winning team were Alan Ticehurst with 4.5/5 , Steve Merchant and Bill Tracey each with 5/7. The other team members were Luke Chapman, Andy Nguyen and Phil Swain. Those who could make it to the Awards are pictured below.
In the season 2024- 25, the 2nd team were awarded the Gregory Cup ( pictured below for winning the 2nd divisiion, and promotion to Division 1 in the forthcoming season).
Some of the team members below( L-R) Luke Chapman, James Lumsden, Michael Hayward, Lawry Rhodes, John Kimber.
The outstanding Division 2 player was James Lumsden, holding the Gregory Cup above.
The club reached the Final but lost against Lewes in the Watson Trophy. We lost in the semifinal of the MacArthur Cup largely due to an error in clock setting!. Then, facing Lewes again in the final of the Knockout, we gained the victory ( see the shield below).
Players in the Knockout were Andrew Fleming, Janis Petursons, Phil Swain, Mark Rich, Andy Nguyen, Luke Chapman , James Lumsden and Howard Tebbs,- some of them who could be at the AGM pictured below.
Outstanding Player of the Year is James Lumsden ( Pictured below)
Club Members of the Year ( jointly awarded by the committee for general contributions ) are Lawry Rhodes and Michael Hayward ( pictured below).
Finally , The Winners of the Club Championship :
Luke Chapman – Winner of the top section, now holds the Championship Trophy ( pictured below) :
Phil Swain, winner of the new Challengers trophy could not be present to collect it on the occasion .
The winner of the 3rd section , the Gordon Cup, is Harry Morter, pictured below celebrating his achievement.
The 3rd Sussex University Chess Congress ( Standard Play) took place recently. Now in a new-looking Student Centre, with electronic display boards for the Open section ,with an impressive field of competition overall, with 2 additional sections ( U-1900 and u-1600). Bexhill Chess Club was well represented. Here is Bill Tracey’s excellent report.
Over the weekend of August 29th to 31st six members of our club took part in the 3rd Sussex University Congress.
Luke Chapman competed in the Open section and continued to show the fine form that he has displayed this year.
He finished the tournament in 14th place having started ranked 22nd scoring 3 points with 2 wins 2 draws and 1 loss.
His only loss coming against the tournament winner.
In the u1900 section we had 5 entrants Rose, Lawry, Michael H, our new member Oliver Kuzmanoski and myself.
I had a rather average tournament and scored 2 points. ( He was much better than that- the competition was intense! )
Rose and Lawry both competed well and finished on 2.5 points.
However the stars of our group were Michael and Oliver who only lost 1 game each finishing on 3.5 points.
This was enough for them to finish joint 2nd.
Congratulations to both Michael and Oliver. Oliver joined the club literally over this weekend. Welcome! I think we will be seeing a lot more of both featured in the new season’s successes. Watch this space…
Bexhill Juniors recently competed successfully at the British Championship tournaments at St George’s Hall Liverpool. It was a prestigious venue and a vast field of competition.
LUKE CHAPMAN played in the Rapid u-16 , finishing in 6th place ( having started ranked 9th) with a score of 5/9. Here is his game against the tournament winner, who vastly out-rated him. After Luke’s speculative aggessive opening counter-attack which gave White good chances, in the complex tactical battle which followed, White came unstuck and it looked as through Luke could consolidate a clear win, a piece up, and with White in a passive position. Maybe it was the time factor that led Luke to go for a Rook sacrifice and perpetual check.
Editor – I’m now having problems with Fritz copying and inserting diagrams into this website page, so my apologies
British Ch. – Rapid u-16 2025.08.01 Round 5 White Badacsonyi, Stanley Black Chapman, Luke Result 1/2-1/2 Annotator – FRITZ program ECO A04 White Elo 2343 Black Elo 1830
Here is Karen’s account of Rose’s experience at Liverpool :
“It was a great experience. She was happy with her win against Shreyas as he’d beaten her during round 2 of the U-1750 She got 3 points in the U-14 and 3.5 in the U-1750.
It was good to see so many girls at the British and Sussex girls doing well,. Only Rose and Spriha Punjabi came away with titles for Sussex…”
..”St George’s hall was a spectacular venue, a beautiful hall to play in and importantly, the chairs were comfortable. The players were pleasant and the tournament was well-organised with everything running to time. We spent well over an hour chatting to Thalia Holmes who won TV’s Chess Masters earlier this year. She went through her games with Rose and showed her some behind the scenes photos and gossip.”
Here is Rose’s Game against Shreyas
Burgess, Rose (1598) – Pasupulety, Shreyas (1648) 2025 British Chess Championships: Under 14 (St George’s Hall in Liverpool), 08.08.2025
Luke Chapman, on Friday 15 Aug , showing his sweeping successes this year have been no ‘fluke‘, capped off the season with his final trophy – for 1st place in the Annual club Blitz tournament, with a stunning 4.5/5.
In 2nd place was James Lumsden with 4/5 who was also presented this year’s Mid-Sussex tankard for the outstanding player in the second division. Congratulations James!
James pictured earlier this year :
With a great score, in 3rd place was Janis Petersens, who was also adept in handling the bespoke laptop installed for such efficient tournament control! And credit to Jo Carthew, edged out on tie-break also on 3.5
Well done to all for a great competition, and with thanks especially to Bill Tracey for the organisation. It was good to welcome a strong visitor from the West Midlands, John Wrench, who added an extra edge to the battles.
Here is the final crosstable :
Editor – In the next few days I will be posting games/ key positions from Luke’s and Rose Burgess’ performance in the recent British Championship in Liverpool, so don’t leave it too long before you log on to us again.
