The historic Hastings International Chess Congress has once again showcased emerging British talent, with International Master Alex Golding securing a share of the prestigious title. The 22-year-old from Guildford scored an impressive 7/9 points, tying for first place with Ukrainian Grandmaster Alexander Kovchan, and earned nearly £2,000 in prize money.
A Storied Tradition Faces Modern Challenges
Founded in 1895 and held almost every year since 1920, Hastings is the grandfather of global chess tournaments. Its golden eras in the 1930s, 50s, and 70s saw world champions and challengers grace its boards. Legends like badminton star Sir George Thomas and Bletchley Park codebreaker Hugh Alexander have lifted its trophy.
Today, however, the event faces significant headwinds. Its traditional funding from Hastings Borough Council has vanished entirely, leaving a much-reduced prize fund of £10,000. This pales in comparison to the £50,000 at the London Classic or the €1 million at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Qatar. Consequently, this year's edition lacked any players from the world's top 200.
Stuart Conquest, the tournament director and a Grandmaster himself, confirmed the congress will continue in 2025-26, funded by entry fees from over 200 players. However, he stressed that securing a new sponsor is critical for venue costs and special centenary events planned for next year's 100th tournament.
Rising Stars and Established Names
Despite financial constraints, Hastings maintained its reputation as a talent incubator. Alex Golding clinched his co-victory with a final-round win over experienced GM Simon Williams. He honed his skills in the dominant Guildford 4NCL team and with Surrey, the current county champions.
His co-winner, 42-year-old Ukrainian GM Alexander Kovchan, now based in London, secured his share of first place with an endgame victory against 17-year-old German IM Marius Deuer.
Other English Grandmasters, including Stephen Gordon, Danny Gormally, and Simon Williams, showed flashes of brilliance but lacked consistency. Promising juniors Stanley Badacsonyi and Kenneth Hobson continued their pursuits of International Master norms.
In a notable side story, 10-year-old prodigy Bodhana Sivananandan delivered a solid 5.5/9 score, her only loss coming to GM Gordon. She used Hastings as preparation for the European Blitz Championship in Monaco, where she is seeded ninth following past successes.
The Future: A Centenary at a Crossroads
All eyes are now on the 2025 centenary event. Conquest is considering inviting past winners, with a pragmatic focus on English champions. Nigel Short, the only Englishman to win Hastings twice outright, is a prime candidate. 2025 also marks 50 years since the "English chess explosion" that propelled the national team to world number two.
The article also covered broader chess news, confirming that the Freestyle Chess event in Germany this February will be an official FIDE World Championship. This ends last year's negotiation stalemate and brings world number one Magnus Carlsen into the fold. A parallel Women's Freestyle World Championship with a $50,000 prize fund is scheduled for late 2026.
Finally, a puzzle from the World Rapid Championship was presented: Position 4006, with White to move and win. The solution is 1 Qg5+ Ke6 2 Qg4+ Kf6 (2...f5? 3 Qg6 mate) 3 Qg7+ Ke6 4 Rg6+ f6 (4...fxg6? 5 Qxg6 mate) 5 Rxf6+! exf6 6 Qd7 mate.
