Anstey Chess Club rounded off the year in style by hosting our annual Christmas Blitz and Curry evening on Thursday 18th December.

Kindly granted a rare free week before Christmas by the fixture secretary (many thanks!), the festive build-up featured a 5+3 blitz tournament, followed by a well-earned curry at our neighbours next door, Passage to India.

The chess was fast, frantic, and great fun — perfectly suited to the quicker format. Once again, the juniors we are so fortunate to have at the club showed just how much they continue to improve. On a personal note, your author El Presidente faced Alfie, whose progress was clear to see, and Leonardo, who demonstrated talent and potential well beyond his years.

The event was convincingly won by Alan Agnew, finishing on a perfect 5/5. Ted, whose improvement has been remarkable (the sky really is the limit!), claimed a well-deserved silver medal, while El Presidente just edged out Steve Billington on board count to take bronze.

There were plenty of notable performances on the night, including Rudy Gaw, Yvon van Neerven, Steve Billington staying firmly in medal contention despite missing the first round, and William O’Sullivan battling it out on the top board in the final round.

A big thank you and well done to everyone who took part in what was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The chess was great, the company even better — and the curry afterwards was simply delicious, enjoyed by the ten of us who stayed on.

Finally, we’d like to wish all our members, supporters, and friends a very Merry Christmas, and all the very best for 2026. 🎅✨

We will back on the 8^th January next year when our club nights will resume with a triple fixture, one of many these days!