Club Championship
The Club Championship will be a 5- or 6-round Swiss tournament, with each round to be played on the dates specified below. Results and rankings are displayed on the right.
Round 1 08/10/25
Round 2 19/11/25
Round 3 11/03/26
Round 4 18/03/26
Round 5 15/04/26
Round 6 29/04/26
Club Championship Rules
Click here to download the full rules as a pdf. The main points are summarised below.
- All club members are eligible to enter the Club Championship but, as for league matches, it is also necessary to be an ECF member as the games are graded.
- The draw for each round is made using the standard Swiss system with 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
- All games must be played on the specified date. Exceptions are allowed at the discretion of the tournament controller. However the last round can only be played on the specified date unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- Players unable to play on the date specified for a given round must inform the tournament controller before the draw is made (usually by 5pm on the Tuesday 8 days before the round). In such cases the player will receive a ½ point bye, subject to a maximum of two such byes.
- Games should normally be played at the club, starting at 7pm, but players are allowed to arrange to play outside the club, subject to the agreement in advance of the tournament controller.
- The time control is 75 minutes for the game but with an extra 10 seconds per move, as in the Durham County and Northumberland Leagues.
- Players are responsible for sending results to the tournament controller and/or writing the result on the list of fixtures if a printed copy is at the club that night.
- The Championships are played as a combined tournament until the final two rounds. Then players with a grade under 1750 enter the Minor Championship section (carrying forward their points) while the other players compete in the Club Championship section. Ungraded players are not automatically eligible for the Minor Championship. The tournament controller will decide on eligibility based on estimate or previous grades.
- After the final round the player in the club championship section with the most points is declared the Club Champion. Similarly the highest ranked player in the Minor championship section becomes the Minor Championship Winner.
Club Championship 2025-26 Tables, Fixtures and Results
Current Club Champions (2024/25 season winners)
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-1600) Winner: Harry Grieveson
Ranking after Round 3 - 11/03/2026
| Pos | Name | Gms | W | D | L | Score |
| 1 | George Gazis | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
| 2 | Raj Singh | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 3 | Ken Neat | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 4 | Ollie Clarke | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 5 | Ioannis Ziogas | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 6 | Hari Anilkumar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 7 | Matthew Blanckley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 8 | Louis Meadows* | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 9 | Oliver Belcher* | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 |
| 10 | Philip Brooks* | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 |
| 11 | Rafael Neely | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 12 | Harry Grieveson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 |
Players marked * are graded under 1600 so are eligible for the Minor Championship.
Games in Round 4 - 18/03/2026
| 1 | Raj Singh | - | George Gazis | ..... |
| 2 | Ken Neat | - | Matthew Blanckley | ..... |
| 3 | Ollie Clarke | - | Louis Meadows* | ..... |
| 4 | Hari Anilkumar | - | Ioannis Ziogas | ..... |
| 5 | Philip Brooks* | - | Oliver Belcher* | ..... |
| 6 | Harry Grieveson | - | Rafael Neely | ..... |
Games in Round 3 - 11/03/2026
| 1 | George Gazis | - | Ken Neat | 1-0 |
| 2 | Ioannis Ziogas | - | Ollie Clarke | 0-1 |
| 3 | Oliver Belcher* | - | Raj Singh | 0-1 |
| 4 | Matthew Blanckley | - | Hari Anilkumar | ½-½ |
| 5 | Rafael Neely | - | Philip Brooks* | 0-1 |
Absences
| Harry Grieveson | - | Abs with msg | Louis Meadows* | - | Manual pairing bye |
Games in Round 2 - 19/11/2025
| 1 | Ken Neat | - | Ollie Clarke | 1-0 |
| 2 | George Gazis | - | Oliver Belcher* | 1-0 |
| 3 | Philip Brooks* | - | Ioannis Ziogas | 0-1 |
| 4 | Raj Singh | - | Harry Grieveson | 1-0 |
Absences
| Louis Meadows* | - | Abs with msg |
Games in Round 1 - 08/10/2025
| 1 | Louis Meadows* | - | Ken Neat | 0-1 |
| 2 | Ollie Clarke | - | Philip Brooks* | 1-0 |
| 3 | Harry Grieveson | - | George Gazis | 0-1 |
| 4 | Ioannis Ziogas | - | Raj Singh | ½-½ |
Absences
| Oliver Belcher* | - | Pairing alloc bye |
Previous Club Champions
2024-25
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-1600) Winner: Harry Grieveson
2023-24
- Club Champion: George Gazis
- Minor Championship (U-1750) Winner: Philip Brooks
2022-23
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-1750) Winner: Philip Brooks
2021-22
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Edwin Smith
2020-21
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Charlie Hazlerigg
2019-20
- Club Champion: Thomas Eggleston
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winners: Edwin Smith
2018-19
- Club Champion: Thomas Eggleston
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winners: Steve Jefferies
2017-18
- Club Champion: Thomas Eggleston
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winners: Steve Jefferies & Geoff Raw
2016-17
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Geoff Raw
2015-16
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winners: Maurice Bell & Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya
2013-14
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Maurice Bell
2012-13
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Szymon Palucha
2011-12
- Club Champion: Dave Renton
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Tony Shires
2010-11
- Club Champion: Ken Neat
- Minor Championship (U-140) Winner: Peter Turner