Seaton Chess Club had great pleasure in hosting the first of the season's Devon teams' competitions.

This was a five round rapidplay event for the Newman Trophy with a time limit of 25 mins plus 10 seconds increment. 

Six teams entered: along with Seaton there were two teams all the way from Barnstaple, Sidmouth, Exeter and Newton Abbot and so an all-play-all format was possible with the winner being the one with the most matchpoints.

The Barnstaple first team won the event with 10 points and were already confirmed winners when playing the last round.

There was more to play for to secure the second place with Seaton and Exeter vying for the honours. It all went down to the last match with Tim Paulden securing a win to edge Exeter ahead of Seaton by 1/2 game point.

Well done to Barnstaple and Exeter and we look forward to the next team event in the new year!

Thanks also to Jack Rudd for acting as arbiter, Tim Paulden for running the event and Steve Dean and Jon Underwood for organising the refreshments, venue and equipment.

Due to unforseen circumstances with our venue,  the club is now closed for the season and will return some time in January 2025.

If you would like to continue playing over the board chess then Sidmouth Chess Club meets on Tuesday nights at the Blue Ball Inn in Sidford. Some of our members are playing there now also.

Please get in touch if you are interested and need help with travel.

Have a good Christmas break and keep playing!

We are now closed for the season. Please check back soon for details of our next evening.

We may revise this as the season progresses so please keep an eye on the club Calendar for news of future meetings.

Seaton Chess Club held its second Rapidplay chess tournament in Axmouth, Devon on Sat 16th December 2024.

As last year, the event was held at the Axmouth Church Hall, which proved once again to be an excellent venue with a well-equipped kitchen and separate analysis room.

The time control was 20 minutes plus 10 second increment so there were a few close finishes as players became short of time – often attracting quite an audience!

By round 4 Jon Underwood had crept ahead by 1/2 point with 4/4 but wins for both juniors Zander Booth and Rami Talab in round 5 saw them pitted against each other for the title in the last round.

11-year-old Rami eventually won the match to win the tournament outright with 5.5/6.

Jon Underwood from Seaton Chess Club was 2nd with 5/6 and junior Zander Booth was 3rd with 4/6. 

You can find further details about the event in the 2nd Jurassic Rapidplay Event Report.