24 Chess Marathon for MacMillan Cancer Support
ECF Home Director Yuri Krylov reports on the recent 24 hour online Marathon in support of MacMillan Cancer, which took place on chess.com on the 18th and 19th April 2026.
Following the deeply felt losses of IM Adam Hunt and GM Jonathan Hawkins last year, the English Chess Federation sought a meaningful way to honour their memory while supporting a cause close to many in our community. Fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support felt like a natural choice, and drawing on our previous experience of organising 24-hour chess marathons, we recognised this as a fitting tribute.
We are delighted to report that over £3,500 was raised. This achievement reflects a truly collective effort, and it is impossible to name everyone who contributed. Nevertheless, several individuals deserve special mention. Nigel Towers played a central role in setting up the event on Chess.com and leading the moderation team throughout. David Lightfoot worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the broadcast, enabling both leading players and promising juniors to take part. The event would not have come together without the remarkable efforts of Alli Badacsonyi, who coordinated an outstanding commentary team and even secured coverage from Leonard Barden in The Guardian. Debra Atkinson and Melinda Wilde did the publicity to make sure everyone was aware that the event was happening.
We are also extremely grateful to Chess.com for their generous support. In addition to providing prizes, they featured the event prominently on their platform and hosted the live coverage. Their enthusiasm and cooperation, particularly so soon after the Candidates Tournament, are greatly appreciated.
Further thanks go to Matt Reid and Matt Piper for contributing additional prizes. The prizes were much appreciated, but the event itself was never about competition or reward. It was, above all, about remembrance. One particularly moving moment came when Alexander Horwood (our rising young arbiter star and player) volunteered as a moderator at some very unsociable hours, sharing that Adam Hunt had been his coach. He wrote: “I want to get involved to do something for him, as I remember him with fondness. He told me the cancer had come back and couldn’t coach any longer; it wasn’t long after that he passed away. Moderating this tournament means a lot to me.”
Although I did not have the privilege of meeting Adam or Jonathan personally, it has been profoundly evident how many lives they touched. The warmth of the tributes shared throughout the event spoke volumes. Natasha Regan reflected that “Adam and Jonathan were both inspirational, and are greatly missed,” while others echoed similar sentiments of admiration, gratitude, and loss. There were countless heartfelt messages, far too many to include here, each underscoring the lasting impact both men had on players, students, and friends across the chess community. Polly and Henry Hunt (Adam’s wife and son) wrote – “Thank you all…love and prayers to Jonathan’s family today. Hope we can raise lots of money for this super charity!”
The marathon arena itself provided a fittingly competitive centrepiece to the event, attracting 378 players and generating an impressive 5,365 games, with a strong turnout of titled players adding further quality to the field. You can find the marathon results and games at the link here:
https://www.chess.com/tournament/live/arena/ecf-macmillan-cancer-support-charity-marathon-31114229
At the top, TorpedoKnight (Harry Bryant) was in dominant form throughout, quickly establishing a lead and never looking in danger of being caught. His run included an extraordinary streak of 43 games and an overall record of 115 wins, 4 draws and just 16 losses, underlining the consistency and quality of his play across the full duration of the marathon. Behind him, Tristan Cox (RockTroll) secured second place with a strong and consistent performance, while Alex Golding (alexg2003) completed the podium, highlighted by a remarkable 53 game streak and an almost flawless record. While the event was never about prizes or standings, the level of play and commitment shown added an extra layer of excitement, with the leading performers setting a standard that reflected both their competitive spirit and their support for the cause.
As the event drew to a close, Jovanka Houska and Daniel King captured the mood perfectly, reflecting the sense of unity that had defined the marathon from start to finish. It was, as they so eloquently put it, a wonderful example of the English chess community coming together - players, organisers, commentators and supporters alike, each contributing their time and energy to make the event such a success. Their closing words were a fitting tribute to what had been achieved, and to the spirit in which it was done.
On behalf of the English Chess Federation, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who made this event possible: the players, commentators, moderators, organisers, supporters, and donors. Your collective effort not only created a fitting tribute but also raised vital funds. We hope that the money raised will make a meaningful difference in supporting those affected by cancer, helping Macmillan Cancer Support continue their invaluable work for individuals and families facing some of life’s most difficult challenges. It is not too late to donate, just go to the link here - https://www.justgiving.com/page/chess
