Deep Thinking and Dynamic Play in Derby’s Queen’s Gambit Tournament

5 Dec

Derby Chess Club continued its themed chess series with an evening tournament on 2 December 2025, this time venturing into the rich strategic world of the Queen’s Gambit.

Across four thoughtfully prepared rounds, players began each game from one of eight curated Queen’s Gambit positions — including the Classical Main Line, Ragozin Defence, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Lasker Defence, Cambridge Springs, and the dynamic Chigorin. The varied starting positions provided a fresh strategic test in every round and highlighted the depth and versatility of this historic opening.

Leonid delivered a superb performance, scoring a perfect 4/4. Following his impressive debut in October’s King’s Gambit event, this victory marked another big step forward in his rapidly developing chess journey.

Strong performances also came from Paul and Curtis, who both navigated the demanding Queen’s Gambit structures with confidence and creativity. Meanwhile, David, Stephen, Alan, Shah, Asher, Matthew, and Pav all contributed to a competitive and enjoyable evening of chess.

The event offered a fascinating contrast to October’s swashbuckling King’s Gambit tournament — this time favouring careful planning, positional understanding, and well-timed tactical breaks.

The final table was:

  
- Rank -
- Name -
- Pts -

1
Siedielnikov Leonid
4

2
Burrows Paul
3

Morrell Curtis
3

4
Williams David
2

Lamont Stephen
2

Kennedy Alan
2

Hussain Shah
2

8
Wastie Asher
1

Caswell Matthew
1

10
Singh Pav
0