As the vast majority of my results don't make it any further than my Facebook wall, here is an update beginning in 2025.
I began to keep these records to motivate a comeback after my FIDE rating briefly slipped down to a low of 2318.9, in early 2025, after being badly affected by the Senior Selection controversy.
2025:
The 19 tournaments which I won:
8 FIDE Opens:
Cheadle
Wells
Bristol
UKCA Easter
Earlsfield
Manchester
Earlsfield (again)
Swindon
6 FIDE Senior (50+) events:
Marienbad
Dublin
Bad Bertrich
British Championship
Cap Negret
Irish Championship (this was actually my first ever 65+ event).
5 FIDE Rapid/Blitz tournaments:
Marienbad Rapid
Marienbad Blitz
Dublin Rapid
Ayr Blitz
Arco Blitz (Italy).
2026. All Classical tournament results (and selected Rapid and Blitz).
January 2026:
1st. Dublin 65+ 7/7
2nd. Prague 30+ 6.5/9.
1st. Marienbad 50+ 8/9.
1st. Marienbad Open Blitz 9/11 (in beating the top seed I moved my score in R+B v R to 28/28).
February:
In the 4NCL '25-'26 season I only played the February weekend. I drew with GM Gasanov then beat the talented junior Billy Fellowes.
1st. Isle of Wight 50+ 7/7 (including games v 2 FMs and an IM).
2nd. Isle of Wight Weekend Open 4/5 (I had to default round 4 for health reasons v a player rated 2020).
2nd. Jersey Open Blitz 8/9, only dropping draws to an IM and a GM. GM Golubka went one better and scored 8.5/9!
2nd-3rd. Jersey International Open 5/7.
March:
=1st. Wells Open 4/5. I won this one for the 3rd year in a row - a tough event, with a number of very strong juniors in the line-up.
GM Matthew Turner also scored 4/5, and we were only separated by the 5th tiebreak - the infamous coin toss! So I became the West of England champion.
2nd. Exeter Open 4/5. Quick draws with GM John Nunn and IM Jack Rudd. I managed to win all 15 games in the 'chess 960 simul' on the Saturday evening.
1st. Milan Open 4.5/5.
April:
1st. Binz 50+ 9/9.
May:
1st. Bovey Tracey Rapidplay Open 5.5/6.
1st. Glossop Open 4.5/5.
June:
=4th European 65+ Championship 6.5/9.
1st Teplice 50+ 7/9.
July:
1st Bohumin 50+ 8/9.
August:
1st. British 65+ Championship 6/7.
=1st Dieppe Open blitz ( 2nd on tiebreak) 6/7. I was 7th seed.
=1st Dieppe 50+ 7.5/9. IM Christophe Claverie pipped me on the Hort system, so he earned 3/4 of 1st prize and 1/4 or 2nd prize. Vice Versa for me.
With this last event I took my unbeaten run in Classical Chess to 105 games, 98 of which were FIDE rated. Altogether I have won 75 of these games and drawn 30.
The 105 games include 28 v titled players: 5 draws v GMs, 4 wins and 5 draws v IMs and 5 wins and 9 draws v FMs.
My FIDE rating has dipped to 2386 because I have shed one or two too many draws recently. My ECF is hanging around a little over 2500. Barring 2 games in the 4NCL and 1 for my local league team Totnes, all the games are from tournaments.
ALL results of K. Arkell.
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Keith Arkell
- Posts: 1092
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:10 am
ALL results of K. Arkell.
Last edited by Keith Arkell on Mon Sep 21, 2026 8:49 am, edited 15 times in total.
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Keith Arkell
- Posts: 1092
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:10 am
Re: ALL results of K. Arkell.
September:
1st Riviera Congress AM Open 6/6.
1st Riviera Congress PM Open 5.5/7.
1st Rhyl Open 5/5.
This may be the first time in my life I have ever won 8 tournaments in a row.
Classical tournaments won this year: 14
This equals my total for 2025.
Rapid / Blitz tournaments won this year: 3.
The Unbeaten run ended at the Riviera Congress with some relief, because it was affecting my draw/win ration.
The run lasted 107 games in total, with 77 wins and 30 draws. It began in Prague on 15 January 2026, 7 days after my 65th Birthday, and ended in Torquay on 6 September 2026.
By chance my unbeaten run in Classical FIDE rated games was exactly 100! Details, for anyone interested, can be obtained from the FIDE website. The win/draw tally for those 100 games was 72 wins, 28 draws. The live rating gain was only about 25, largely because I took too many draws when I was in the 'nervous nineties'.
1st Riviera Congress AM Open 6/6.
1st Riviera Congress PM Open 5.5/7.
1st Rhyl Open 5/5.
This may be the first time in my life I have ever won 8 tournaments in a row.
Classical tournaments won this year: 14
This equals my total for 2025.
Rapid / Blitz tournaments won this year: 3.
The Unbeaten run ended at the Riviera Congress with some relief, because it was affecting my draw/win ration.
The run lasted 107 games in total, with 77 wins and 30 draws. It began in Prague on 15 January 2026, 7 days after my 65th Birthday, and ended in Torquay on 6 September 2026.
By chance my unbeaten run in Classical FIDE rated games was exactly 100! Details, for anyone interested, can be obtained from the FIDE website. The win/draw tally for those 100 games was 72 wins, 28 draws. The live rating gain was only about 25, largely because I took too many draws when I was in the 'nervous nineties'.
Last edited by Keith Arkell on Mon Sep 21, 2026 8:47 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Phil Neatherway
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:10 pm
- Location: Abingdon
Re: ALL results of K. Arkell.
Hi Keith,
what did you think of the Dieppe Congress? I played in it a few years ago and enjoyed it, but I was surprised how few ENG players there were (4, I think).
Would you recommend it?
what did you think of the Dieppe Congress? I played in it a few years ago and enjoyed it, but I was surprised how few ENG players there were (4, I think).
Would you recommend it?
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Keith Arkell
- Posts: 1092
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:10 am
Re: ALL results of K. Arkell.
Hi Phil, I loved it! Nice location at the seafront, and I had a splendid apartment nearby. I think it was just chance that there weren't many English playing this year, and I'd expect numbers to be back up next year.