Rapid Play #1 Report by Alberto Biju

The 2026 chess calendar opened with the first of three rapid tournaments scheduled for the year. There was a strong turnout of familiar faces returning to action, along with a few new members. The first round of the tournament saw no major upsets, other than Maximus Thekkan picking up a point against Bas van Riel. Round 2 saw Lucas Ware overcome the aggressive top seed, Scott Stewart. The final round of the first night ended with Lucas Ware, Rob Loveband, and Vipin Jyani tied on 3/3.

Round 4 saw Lucas Ware secure another point, this time with a win over Rodney Jacobs. The game between Rob Loveband and Vipin Jyani ended in a draw on Board 1, placing Lucas Ware as the sole leader heading into Round 5, where Vipin halted Lucas's winning streak. Rob Loveband did not slip up either, scoring a decisive win over Paul Marko. Round 6, the final round of the night, saw the two tournament leaders, Vipin and Rob, hold their nerve and finish equal first on 5.5/6. Scott Stewart bounced back from his earlier defeat to finish the tournament on an impressive 5/6, securing second place.