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The 3rd Barnstaple Rapidplay took place on Saturday 10th October 2026 with a great turnout of 31 players and a relatively strong field with FIDE Master Chris Gant and Grand Master John Nunn, who was once in the top 10 in the world! The event was organised by Barnstaple chess club and opened by Pete Worthington. The location was the Alverdiscott Community Hall, an excellent venue with a comfortable and spacious playing area. Jack Rudd was arbiter for the day. 
Play proceeded pretty much to form with the top 4 ranked players meeting in round 4 where Chris Gant and John Nunn both won their games against Paul Hampton and Jon Underwood respectively. Chris and John met in round 5 with John winning that tie and he was then leading on 4.5/5 having drawn with Giles Body in round 2. 
There was still everything to play for in round 6 with Petra Nunn and Adam Clark joining the top 3 boards on 4/5. Paul Hampton held on for a draw with John and a win for Chris meant first place was shared between Chris and John both with (5/6).
A draw between Petra Nunn and Jon Underwood took them both out of a share of 1st, but they both still secured a podium position in 3rd place, shared with Paul Hampton.
Grading Prize winners were:
- Emile Doran 4/6 Grading Prize (1550-1849)
- Martyn Maber 3.5/6 Grading Prize (U-1550 and unrated)
Full results can be found on Chess-Results Server here.
Many thanks to Barnstaple Chess Club for organising and thanks to all those of made some lengthy journeys to get there!
This event is part of the DCCA DCCA Rapidplay Grand Prix
Report by Paul Hampton
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The highly popular new chess club in Paignton (which has chosen to call itself "Torbay Chess Club") held its first-ever match on 28th September 2026 when it hosted local rivals Newton Abbot in a 6-board friendly match to kick off the new chess season.
The match was held at the club's headquarters, the Anchor's Rest Cafe on Paignton Harbour (magnificent views across Torbay!) and was closely fought, ending in a 3-3 draw, a result which pleased both teams!
Individual results (Torbay team names first):
1. Graham Phillips 0-1 Paul Brooks
2. Terry Greenaway 0-1 Mike Sapiecha
3. Bill Mentiply 0-1 Tom Bonds
4. Jack Kelly 1-0 Keith Middleton
5. Charles Rochford 1-0 Simon Howard
6. Kyle Phipps 1-0 Viggo Page
The Torbay club is looking forward to its fixtures in divisions 2 and 4 of the Torbay League this season, the league having also attracted entries from both Exeter and Plymouth Universities, a welcome new development.
The photo shows the match in progress with Torbay players facing the camera.
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Devon chess has launched a new competition, rewarding performance at Rapidplay events in the county during the season. The player with the highest total score from any three participating tournaments will become the Grand Prix champion. There will also be trophies for the best scores by a player rated under 1750, and the best aged under 18.
Confirmed so far:
Peter & Peggy Clarke Memorial Rapidplay: Saturday 3rd October 2026
Barnstaple Rapidplay: Saturday 10th October 2026
Jurassic Rapidplay: Sunday 15th November 2026
10th Plymouth Rapidplay: Sunday 6th December 2026
Bovey Tracey Chess Weekender (Maestros) 24th April 2027
Detailed rules can be found here.
