Join us as we see the year out with our biggest 8² event yet. We’re hosting our first tournament to mark the end of 2025 with DJs, drinks, chats and, of course, chess.
Expect music, puzzling games, relaxed conversation and the usual 8² chaos where chess is just the excuse to get together and connect. The real focus is the people: meeting new faces, mixing circles and ending the year with a room full of energy. But it doesn't hurt that there are prizes 😉.
Everyone attending will have a chance to take home a piece of the club.
Prizes for the Qualifiers
Prizes for the Top 2 competitors
🏆 Grand Prize: £100 bar tab at Pink Moon
Sign-up from 18:00
Stage 1 runs 18:30–21:00
You’ll sign up and be placed on the tournament grid.
Choose your bracket:
Beginner: ~600 and below
Intermediate: 600–1200
Advanced: 1200+
Handicaps:
If you’re playing someone in the same bracket, the game starts normally.
If you’re playing someone one bracket away, the higher-rated player must remove their f pawn, and the lower-rated player chooses their starting colour.
If you’re playing someone two brackets away, the higher-rated player removes a rook and their f pawn, and the lower-rated player chooses their starting colour.
Play as many games as possible.
Draws do not count.
Report each result to the scorekeeper — every win counts towards qualifying for Stage 2.
21:00–21:30
Grab a drink, breathe, reset.
21:30–22:30
The top 8 highest-scoring players from Stage 1 will enter a 10-minute Rapid, single-elimination bracket (the classic tournament tree).
Quarter-finals → Semi-finals → Finals.
We have capacity for 50 players so there will be 50 tickets 🎫, but you are more than welcome to come along for the vibe!