Lancashire Rapidplay Championship (4th October)

Our annual Rapidplay was well attended with 55 entrants, almost all hailing from across Lancashire. The open individual event also doubled as the team championship, with the top three individual scores for each club counting towards their overall team standings.

Contested as a 6-round Swiss open with a 15 min + 10s increment time control, the contest went down to the wire with spectators gathering around the top boards throughout the afternoon. Heading into the final round, Peter Mulleady (Atherton) held the sole lead on 4.5/5, with eight chasing players closely behind on 4 points.

Peter drew his final game against Martyn Hamer to secure an undefeated performance. However, with decisive results across the remaining top boards, five players finished level on 5 points. Following the application of tie-breaks, final individual honours were awarded as follows:

Team Event Standings

With two players taking the top individual spots, Clitheroe claimed the Team Championship title:

• 1st Place (Champions): Clitheroe – 14 pts
• 2nd Place: Crusaders – 13 pts
• 3rd Place: Atherton – 12 pts

Junior Chess Update

Following a late summer break over August and September, the Junior section returned with fantastic momentum on Saturday, 17th October at the Wigan Junior Event, welcoming over 90 young players.

The Queens and Rooks sections were run as 6-player all-play-all round robins, while the remaining sections competed across competitive Swiss tournaments.

Section Winners (All Unbeaten)

County Chess Season 2026/27

The County Championship campaign is underway with Lancashire fielding squads across the U1450, U1650, and U2050 divisions. We look forward to another strong showing building on 2025/26, where both our U1450 and U1650 teams reached the national finals stages (the U1650s narrowly bowing out in the semi-finals to eventual champions Kent), while our U2050 team defeated eventual division winners Yorkshire in group play.

Congress Reports: Leyland Congress

The Leyland Congress brought together nearly 100 competitors across three competitive sections.

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