Greater London Chess
Club Tournaments 2025-26
Introducing for the 2025-26
season, the GLCC Grand Prix...
A new venture for the club, we will run a Grand Prix
for club members based on the six club events listed below.
The Grand Prix will run through the season, no entry fee required.
Grand Prix points will be calculated for all club members participating
in the tournaments and a leaderboard maintained on the club website.
Lower-rated players will be able to compete with higher-rated club
members by scoring points in the rating-limited club championship
sections, handicap tournaments and TJR games. Non-members may play
in some of the events listed above but won’t be eligible for
the Grand Prix.
Grand Prix points are scored following the English Chess Federation
GP system:
Grand Prix points = % score in event + number of games played.
Byes and wins by default not counted
Results from a player’s best three events added together
for total score
Leaderboard of top 5 or 10 players will be maintained on the club
website and updated with each event
Prizes
- Final Grand Prix standings and winner declared at close of season
- Prize giving at the autumn general meeting
- 1st 50% off GLCC membership in following season and up to 6
book choices from book donation list
- 2nd 25% off GLCC membership and up to 3 book choices from book
donation list
1. Bernfield, Foley and Ashelford
Club Championship Tournaments
- Open to GLCC club members only. Tuesday
evenings November 2025 to June 2026. Space permitting, entries
from new members will be accepted up until February 2026
- Rated tournaments for all playing strengths (approximate
rating limits: under 1500, 1500-1800 and over 1800)
- Games submitted for ECF rating
- All-play all groups with knockout play-offs if
required
- Flexible tournament schedule – fit your
tournament games around league matches through the season
- Entry fee – £6
Prizes
- Bernfield –
winner will be declared the Club Champion and hold the Bernfield
Trophy for one year. They will give the Club Champion's simultaneous
display at the Autumn General Meeting. Current holder: Jason Rihel
- Foley – winner to hold the Foley
Cup for one year. Current holder: Cecil Sloan
- Ashelford – winner to hold the Ashelford
Trophy for one year and earns the right to compete in the Foley
the following year. Current holder: Roger Clarkson
- Engraved replica trophies awarded to all first
time winners.
Format
In each tournament, all-play-all groups of up to six players.
The controller may need to modify the grade banding of tournaments
to ensure players are evenly grouped. Groups within tournaments
will be drawn by lot once entries have been received. If necessary,
Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak score will decide group placings. Rate
of play: 75 minutes + 15 second increments (DGT2010
Method 18)
Arranging your games
You will be provided with contact details for players in your
tournament and you should arrange games against opponents in your
group for mutually convenient dates. The player of the White pieces
has the responsibility of contacting his/her opponent and should
offer up to four dates for the game to be played. One of these should
be accepted by the player of the Black pieces.
Reporting of results
Winner of the game or player of the White pieces if a draw must
report the games result within seven days of the game being played
using the Google results reporting form lower down this page. Tournament
tables will be published on the GLCC website and regularly updated.
Rules and Rating
The FIDE Laws of Chess apply. A copy of the current Laws (2023)
has been placed in the club equipment cupboard for reference. In
the event of a dispute the tournament controller will arbitrate.
Results will be submitted for ECF rating on a regular basis, hence
timely submission of results is essential. Unrated players should
provide an estimate of playing strength.
Players must be ECF members (minimum Bronze membership) to take
part in these tournaments.
Venue
Games will normally be played at St George’s Bloomsbury
on Tuesday evenings, start time 6.30pm. By mutual agreement, players
may arrange to play at another venue or with a different start time.
Players not arriving at the board within 45 minutes of the agreed
start time should expect to be defaulted. By mutual agreement of
the players, games may be played using an online platform such as
chess.com or lichess with the same time control as above. Online
games cannot be submitted for standard ECF rating. Please inform
the controller if any game is played online.
Time commitment
Before entering a tournament, please be sure that you will have
sufficient time to complete all your games by June 2026. If you
need to withdraw from a tournament please notify the controller
as soon as possible. The tournament controller will rule on the
scoring status of a withdrawing player’s games.
Enquiries
All enquiries to Nigel Blades, tournament controller, phone
 , email
glcctournaments@gmail.com
How to enter
- Please enter by completing the Google
Form (takes you to a separate page). New member
entries accepted up to February 2026.
- Payment of entry fees - please use the buttons below for Paypal
or card payment of £6, or pay by cash or cheque (payable
to Greater London Chess Club) to the tournament controller on
a Tuesday evening.
2. Tyrone Jefferies Rated Games (formerly LMS)
Named for Tyrone Jefferies, a dedicated team captain and organiser
for GLCC who passed away in 2025. This event is designed to give
members the opportunity to play rated games as often as they wish
through the season, without participating in a tournament.
- Open to club members only, no entry fee required. ECF Bronze
membership or higher is required
- FIDE Laws of Chess apply, rate of play 75 mins + 15 sec increment
- Tuesday evenings, start 6.30pm
- Play as few or as many games as you wish
To request a TJR game for the upcoming Tuesday, please complete
the pairing request form, below, by 18.00 on the Sunday before.
Pairings will be published by email on the Sunday evening. Pairings
will be copied to team captains for matches upcoming that Tuesday,
in case they are short of players. If asked, please prioritise playing
for a team over a TJR game.
Results should be reported using the Google Tournament Results
Form, below, by the winner, or player of the White pieces if
a draw. Results will be submitted for ECF rating each week. A link
to TJF results and standings will be set up on this webpage so players
can follow their score.
TJR
Game Pairing Request Form
TJR
Standings (link to ECF LMS stats page)
Reporting Individual Tournament Results
For Club Championship Tournaments and Tyrone Jefferies Rated Games
the winner, or player of the White pieces if a draw, should use
the Google
Tournament Results Form to report the result within
seven days of the game being played.
3. Informal Club Rapidplays
- Three Tuesdays through the season: 21 October, 18 November and
17 February
- Free entry for club members, £5 entry fee for non-members
- Unrated, no ECF membership required
- Four or five round single-section Swiss, 15 minutes per player
per game
- Start 6.45pm. Advance entry not required, but please arrive
by 6.30pm
- No cash prizes
4. Christmas Tournament, Tuesday 16 December
- Five round
rapidplay, 15 minutes per player per game
- 19th century
set openings with odds-giving based on rating difference. Unrated
- Start 6.45pm, please enter in advance
- Entry fee £10 for club members, £15 for non-members,
includes Christmas buffet and drinks
- Highest placed club member will hold the Phil Jeffries Trophy
for one year
5. Bush Time Handicap Tournament, Tuesday 17 March
- Five rounds, 30 minutes per game, divided between the players
according to rating difference
- Unrated
- Start 6.45pm, please enter in advance
- Entry fee £5 for club members, £10 for non-members
- 40% of entry fees returned as 1st and 2nd cash prizes
- Highest placed club member will hold the Bush Trophy for one
year
6. June Gorton Summer Tournament, Tuesday 23 June
- Five round rapidplay, 15 minutes per player per game
- Start 6.45pm, please enter in advance
- Entry fee £5 for club members, £10 for non-members
- 40% of entry fees returned as 1st and 2nd cash prizes
- Highest placed club member will hold the June Gorton Trophy
for one year
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