Castell Nedd Chess Club

15/05/2026

Neath & District Chess Tournament Report

The Neath & District Chess Tournament was once again a strong success this year, featuring a healthy mix of players from Castell Nedd Chess Club as well as competitors from outside the Neath area. Participants travelled from Llanelli and Ammanford to take part, competing for the Neath & District trophies across multiple age categories.

Under 15 Section

The Under 15 category saw a competitive field, with Erik Elgersman completing his first season. Although he experienced a tougher second half after a strong start that boosted his grade, he remained the standout player in the age group. He finished on 5.5 out of 7 games, securing the Under 15 title.

Under 12 Section

In the Under 12s, Advik Ram finished in first place. Advik, already gaining experience through his second year in the West Wales Chess League, demonstrated consistency and strength throughout the event.

The runner-up position went to Oscar Purcell, another newer league player, who scored 5 out of 7. His performance marked a strong debut at this level of competition.

Under 10 Section

The Under 10 section provided opportunities for newer players to shine, especially as several more experienced juniors such as Aarush, Ethan, and Misha were competing in county events in England.

The main contest developed between Virat Nagari and Ashviga Pugalnanthy. Although Ashviga is self-taught and has had limited access to over-the-board club play, she demonstrated clear potential and strong natural ability.

However, Virat Nagari, playing in the league for the first time this year, proved dominant by winning all his games to take first place.

Under 8 Section

The Under 8 category was one of the most closely contested sections of the day. Kosta Antonov (from Llanelli) and Danny Jones, representing the newly formed Castle Neath Chess Club, finished joint first with 4 points each.

Both players showed strong promise despite their limited competitive experience. Danny Jones, who is self-taught and has only been attending Castell Nedd Chess Club for around four weeks, produced an especially notable performance.

It would have been interesting to see how returning players such as Misha and Ethan might have fared in this section.

Closing Notes

Overall, the tournament was an enjoyable and well-run event, offering competitive but friendly chess across all age groups. Additional prizes were awarded for puzzle-solving performances, adding an extra layer of engagement for participants.

Thanks are due to Anthony Beck and Michael Beck for their help in organising and running the tournament, as well as for assisting with players who received byes each round. Appreciation is also extended for providing refreshments, including coffee, tea, and squash, for both adults and juniors throughout the day.

10/05/2026

CLUB NEWS 19/26

THIS TUESDAY AT THE CLUB
12th May Committee Meeting 9 p.m.

NEXT WEEK
19th May E.J.Clarke at church hall. If any members want to join me, I will be at Aberdulais with the juniors.

EVENTS COMING UP
See Welsh Chess Union website: www.welshchessunion.uk/calendar
26th May Club AGM and Prize-giving
27th May EJ Clarke Rd 2 at Morriston
2nd June (9 pm) Post AGM committee meeting
3rd June EJ Clarke Round 3 at Llanelli
9th June EJ Clarke, Round 4 at Church Hall
17th June EJ Clarke Round 5 at Morriston
30th June West Wales AGM will be at the church hall, Cadoxton.

NEWS
Glyn has now surpassed last season’s huge match total and, to date has played 132 grading games since 1st July 2025. He still has a month and a half to add to that total! Phenomenal! He was hiding in Falmouth last weekend where he really struggled, but it is a tribute to his grit and determination that he managed to salvage three draws when he could have lost them all. This weekend he is in Leamington in Warwickshire.

Good news on the social front. The Green Dragon has been bought privately and is being done out as a pub. I was afraid it might be another block of flats. Perhaps within a year we will be able to return there for our after chess social gatherings.

4NCL
A magnificent effort by our team in Coventry confirmed promotion to Division 3 of the Four Nations Chess League next season.

This year it has been a 7-player, 11-round event with sessions in Peterborough and the Midlands. The team, competing as Castell Nedd, was complemented by several players from Cardiff chess club. Steve Smith captained and organized the team and led from the front, playing all his games on boards 1 or 2. The results of our players were as follows:

Steve Smith 5/11 Dale Westcott 4.5/9 Andrew Di Vetta 6/11
Hywel Griffiths 3.5/5 Jordan Heatman ½ Glyn Hill 2/4 (including one win by default). Well done everybody!


Promotion winning team.
Our lads with Sam Jukes and Joshua McKenna

WCPL U1850
Today our team are playing Morriston Extras at Bridgend in the 4th round of the Welsh Chess Premier League (U1850).

JUNIOR NEWS
EVENTS FOR JUNIORS COMING UP
If you are unsure whether your child should enter one of the above then speak to Hywel.

16th May Welsh Megafinal in Cardiff
https://www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com/.../2026.../

WEST WALES CHESS LEAGUE
To see live grades : www.welshchessunion.uk/Grading/playerSummaryView.php?zone=W1&club=5CN
To see results: www.westwaleschess.org

KNOCK-OUT UNDER 1650 FINAL

CENTURIONS
1. 1634 Carl Halpin 0-1 Julian Potier 1607 Noah’s Yard B
2. 1572 Louis Ba Thein 0-1 Neil Stuart 1628 Morriston Hydra
3. 1570 Andrew Powell 1-0 Paul Bevan 1483 Morriston Hydra
4. 1394 Advik Ram 0-1 Liam John 1310 Noah’s Yard B
1-3

The competition was won by Noah’s Yard B. This was a strange Jamboree style final (and personally I hope it is not repeated). All credit to the boys who got the team to the final but for the event the team was beefed up with the inclusion of Carl, Louis and Andrew. Even they found it too tough for them and only Andrew P managed to salvage something.

Report from Andrew P.:

Board 1: Carl Halpin (1634) - Julien Potier (1607
I didn't see any of this game, but it was the first Castell Nedd game to finish and Carl looked pretty dejected walking away (it's possible he blundered and was disappointed because of that).

Board 2: Neil Stuart (1628, Morriston) - Louis Bathein (1572)
Louis was up against a strong player in Neil, and although Louis put up a valiant fight, Neil won the game. I don't have any of the game details.

Board 3: Paul Bevan (1483, Morriston) - Andrew Powell (1570)
Paul came at me with his usual speed and aggression, and it was touch and go for a while whether I'd get checkmated. However, I found the right defensive moves and was soon two pawns up and had the initiative. I was never really in trouble in my bishop vs his knight endgame; Paul resigned on move 58.

Board 4: Advik Ram (1394) - Liam Johns (1310, Noah's Yard)
I only caught the endgame where Advik had a rook and two pawns to his opponent's rook and three pawns. I think Advik was unlucky not to get the draw, but credit to his opponent for accurate play in finding all the winning move.

Martyn

22/04/2026

22/04/2026

Congratulations to Ethan for coming second in the Welsh U8 Junior and Aarush in the U10! A number of our players took part including Advik ram (in the harder U12 section), Virat Nigari and Misha Nigari. Well done all for participating.

10/04/2026

For those of our juniors looking to take art in the megafinal, here's a link to the entry page for the Welsh option in Cardiff. Remember, you can attend others as well!

https://www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com/product/2026-wales-megafinal/

06/04/2026

Prize winners in 2015

05/04/2026

If you go down into last year you'll spot the photo that was taken when we accepted the Sheriff's Award. Blast from the past, our current President Dennis Thomas accepting the same Award after 20 years of our club in 1998!