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Newport A's domination of the 2025–26 Gwent Quick Play Division 1 will be remembered as one of the club's finest collective performances. Across five rounds of rapid-play matches — with up to 4 points available per board — Newport scored 58 points and conceded just 22, a success rate of over 72%.

The campaign opened with a crushing 16–0 victory over Malpas Rooks, who turned up for Round 1 but were outplayed on every board — Yoganand Kunche, Joseph Addis, Mateusz Gibiec and Neil Carter each won 4–0, a clean sweep across all four boards. Malpas did not appear again for the rest of the competition, defaulting Rounds 2 through 5 without fielding a team. Newport then travelled to Pontypool Front Row in Round 2 and earned a hard-fought 10–6 victory. Liam Powell-Jones was superb at board 2, scoring 3½ points, while Yoganand Kunche edged a tense board 1 encounter 2½–1½. Chris Dixon of Pontypool took board 3, but Judd Chidwick's 3-point haul on board 4 sealed it.

Round 3 brought Abergavenny B to Newport, and the home side were clinical — winning boards 1, 2 and 3 convincingly (Kunche 3–1, Bani Hani 3–1, Powell-Jones 3–1) with Chidwick adding 2½ more to make it 11½–4½. Newport then travelled to Cwmbran Crows in Round 4, where Powell-Jones delivered maximum 4 points at board 2 and Andrew Balfe won 3–1 at board 4 to deliver an 11–5 victory despite drawn results on boards 1 and 3.

The title was all but assured heading into the final round against Abergavenny A, and Newport clinched it in style. Kunche was near-unplayable at board 1, scoring 3½ against Richard Miles, while Tomas Forsey contributed 3 points on board 4. The final 9½–6½ scoreline completed five wins from five — an achievement that puts this Newport A side among the club's best-ever quick-play teams.

Final standings: Newport A 10 pts · Pontypool Front Row 8 pts · Abergavenny A 6 pts · Abergavenny B 4 pts · Cwmbran Crows 2 pts · Malpas Rooks 0 pts

Newport A results:

• R1: Newport A 16–0 Malpas Rooks (Malpas defaulted R2–R5 thereafter)
• R2: Pontypool Front Row 6–10 Newport A (away win)
• R3: Newport A 11½–4½ Abergavenny B
• R4: Cwmbran Crows 5–11 Newport A (away win)
• R5: Newport A 9½–6½ Abergavenny A

View the full QP Division 1 standings and board results →

Newport A ended the season on 13 points, a single point clear of Abergavenny A (12 pts), in one of the most competitive Division 1 campaigns in recent memory. The team won six of their ten fixtures, drew one and lost three, scoring 23½ game points for and conceding 16½.

The season started brightly. A 2½–1½ away victory at Abergavenny A in Round 1 — with Leslie Blohm winning on board 1 and Joseph Addis on board 2 — set the tone, and a 2½–1½ home win over Cwmbran Crows in Round 2 followed. But Newport's momentum stalled in Rounds 3 and 4, with a 1½–2½ home loss to Abergavenny B followed by a 2–2 home draw against Malpas.

Newport responded positively in Round 5, winning 3–1 away at Pontypool Front Row with Neil Carter and Liam Powell-Jones both in fine form. A damaging 0½–3½ home defeat to Abergavenny A in Round 6 left Newport in the pack — but the team dug in. Round 7 saw a stunning 3½–½ win away at Cwmbran Crows: Carter, Bani Hani and Powell-Jones all won their boards in one of the season's most complete performances.

A second stumble arrived in Round 8 — a 1–3 home defeat to Abergavenny B — but Newport finished the season with two consecutive dominant wins. Round 9 brought a 3½–½ away victory at Malpas, and Round 10 a 3½–½ home win over Pontypool. Yoganand Kunche and Liam Powell-Jones were the architects of both results.

Key players (2025–26): Yoganand Kunche, Joseph Addis, Liam Powell-Jones, Neil Carter, Madged Bani Hani, Mateusz Gibiec, Tomas Forsey, Leslie Blohm, Andrew Balfe, Judd Chidwick, Dave Connolly

Season record: P10 W6 D1 L3 · F 23½ A 16½ · 13 pts · 1st place

View the full Division 1 table and all board results →

Newport went into Round 10 knowing a win would guarantee first place regardless of other results. They delivered it in the manner of champions.

Yoganand Kunche opened the scoring with a controlled positional win over Mark Adams on board 1. Liam Powell-Jones then added a clinical victory on board 3 against James Richards. The evening was effectively settled when Pontypool were unable to field a fourth player, conceding board 4 by default — handing Newport the additional point that put the title beyond reach. Joseph Addis drew a well-fought game on board 2 against Ben Richards, a result that was ultimately academic.

The 3½–½ scoreline matched Newport's performance in Rounds 7 and 9 and rounded off a formidable final stretch of three wins — all by the same scoreline — that propelled the team from mid-table uncertainty to the Division 1 title.

Board results:

• Board 1: Kunche, Yoganand 1–0 Adams, Mark
• Board 2: Addis, Joseph ½–½ Richards, Ben
• Board 3: Powell-Jones, Liam 1–0 Richards, James
• Board 4: Default 1–0 Default (Pontypool walkover)

View all Division 1 board results →

The two Newport clubs met twice in Gwent League Division 2 in 2025–26, and on both occasions the Knights came out on top. Their second victory, in the final round, was a fitting way to end what had been a competitive and closely matched season for both sides.

Playing at home, the Bishops started well. Judd Chidwick beat Gee Garel on board 2 in a sharp encounter to put the hosts in front. But the Knights hit back on either side: Andrew Balfe proved too strong for Liam Powell-Jones on board 1, and the third board went Newport Knights' way to seal a 2–1 away win.

In the first meeting (Round 7), played at Newport Knights' board, the home side had won even more convincingly — 2½–½. Tomas Forsey held Liam Powell-Jones to a draw on board 1, but Andrew Balfe won on board 2 and Gee Garel took board 3 to complete the win.

Andrew Balfe's performances in both derbies — winning board 1 in Round 14 and board 2 in Round 7 — made him the standout player across the two encounters. Both clubs ended the season on 10 points, with Newport Knights finishing sixth and the Bishops seventh, separated only by games played.

Round 7 board results (Newport Knights home):

• Board 1: Forsey, Tomas ½–½ Powell-Jones, Liam
• Board 2: Balfe, Andrew 1–0 Smith, Charlie
• Board 3: Garel, Gee 1–0 Smith, Daniel

Round 14 board results (Newport Bishops home):

• Board 1: Powell-Jones, Liam 0–1 Balfe, Andrew
• Board 2: Chidwick, Judd 1–0 Garel, Gee
• Board 3: Muza, Robert 0–1 Smith, Charlie

View all Division 2 results and board details →

Abergavenny C ran away with the Division 2 title — 22 points from 14 matches, 10 wins and 2 draws. Newport's two teams could not match that consistency, but they provided entertaining chess and some excellent individual results throughout the season.

Newport Bishops (P14 W4 D2 L8 — 10 pts) accumulated four wins and two draws across the campaign. Highlights included:

• 3–0 win over Cwmbran Rooks (Round 11) — Powell-Jones, Muza and Charlie Smith all winning
• 3–0 away win at Abergavenny D (Round 12) — Horrell, Morgan and Daniel all losing on the other side
• 1½–1½ draw at home to title challengers Abergavenny C (Round 9) — a resilient point
• 1½–1½ draw against Malpas Rooks (Round 10)
• 2–1 home win over Pontypool Follies (Round 13) — Powell-Jones and Chidwick both winning

Liam Powell-Jones anchored the Bishops at board 1 throughout, and Judd Chidwick provided important results at board 2 in the second half of the season.

Newport Knights (P14 W5 D0 L9 — 10 pts) achieved five wins — one more than Bishops — but couldn't convert draws into wins when under pressure. Their best performances included:

• 3–0 win over Cwmbran Rooks (Round 11 and Round 13) — back-to-back demolitions
• 2–0 away win at Cwmbran Rooks (Round 6) — a well-earned three points
• 2–1 away win at Pontypool Follies (Round 1)
• Both local derby wins against Newport Bishops (Rounds 7 and 14)

Andrew Balfe, Tomas Forsey and Gee Garel formed the core of the Knights' lineup throughout. Both Newport clubs will be looking to build on this campaign and push for a top-four finish in 2026–27.

Final Division 2 table (top 3 and Newport teams):

• 1st — Abergavenny C: 22 pts (P14 W10 D2 L2)
• 2nd — Malpas Rooks: 19 pts
• 3rd — Malpas Knights: 17 pts
• 6th — Newport Knights: 10 pts
• 7th — Newport Bishops: 10 pts

View the full Division 2 table and all board results →