Coffee Zee Tournament Report and 2025 Wrap-up
If you know nothing about Coffee Zee Chess, I suggest that you check out my original blog post here: https://www.chess.com/blog/ThePawnSlayer/the-best-place-in-london-to-play-chess
We meet every Friday from 6-9pm at Coffee Zee just off Holloway Road. We normally run casual chess sessions but every so often I will run a casual tournament for some of our seasoned experts!
A Festive Farewell to 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, so too does our cozy coffee shop home, which shuts its doors each year to enjoy a well-earned festive break. It feels like the perfect moment to reflect on what has been another fascinating year for the London Chess Community:
While our Friday nights have remained a constant, much of the rest of the week has evolved. Our Tuesday night at the Thornhill Arms made a simple but important move back to its old and much-loved Wednesday slot. That change alone has breathed new life into the evening, with player numbers swelling once again and the pub happily filling with chessboards. Alongside this, we were delighted to reintroduce a Monday night, giving the community even more chances to gather. The aim remains the same: free, casual chess for anyone who loves the game—and the community continues to grow from strength to strength.
Coffee Zee has, as ever, been a bustling hub of chess activity, with healthy turnouts week after week. We’ve also continued to run our monthly(ish!) tournaments—organised by yours truly. For our final meeting of the year, I decided to host another relaxed, casual event. Eighteen players took part, filling Coffee Zee nicely and striking a far more comfortable balance than our last packed-to-the-brim 32-player extravaganza.
Round 1
Round 1 passed without too many shocks, with most results going as expected. That said, there was early drama on board one. Our reigning champion found himself under pressure against tournament stalwart Harry, landing in trouble surprisingly early:
In the end, however, class told. Cristian demonstrated why he’s the man to beat, unleashing a swift and devastating combination to dispatch his worthy challenger.
Round 2
On board one, Cristian faced another Hari (different spelling). This one ended with a neat and confident finish from Cristian:
Round 3
Round 3 featured an El Clásico on board one: Piron vs Cristian—two players who have each won our casual tournaments multiple times. The game descended into chaos, but amidst the mess, Cristian once again emerged victorious.
The real surprise of the round came elsewhere, as Jonnie—one of our strongest regulars—was defeated by a new challenger, Raja.
The game was a messy affair but in the chaos, our champion Cristian came out on top!
The only surprises from this round came in the form of Jonnie, one of our top players, being beaten by the new challenger, Raja.
Round 4
Thanks to that upset, Raja now found himself on a direct collision course with the champion. Both players were sitting on a perfect 3/3 score, and all the ingredients were there for a classic encounter.
Round 5
Round 5 saw an up-float pairing between Cristian and new challenger Nathan, rated around 2000 Elo. Nathan came out swinging, putting the champion under real pressure early on.
Cristian had to dig deep, weathering the storm before eventually finding his footing and turning the game around:
Round 6
This was Cristian’s sternest test yet. Facing Jonnie and his electrifying Evans Gambit, defeat seemed closer than at any other point in the tournament:
Round 7
Round 7 saw a clear mismatch on paper. Chris, rated around 1600, took on a now-tired champion.
Round 8
And finally, Cristian faced his toughest challenge of all… me.
Lurking in the lower rungs of the standings, I had been quietly accumulating points and now had my shot at the champion. Could I pull off the upset?
And with that, 2025 came to a close. A huge thank you to everyone who makes this community such a joy to be part of, and to all of our wonderful chess homes:
The Haverstock Tavern on Mondays, The Thornhill Arms on Wednesdays, and Coffee Zee on Fridays.
Here’s to an even stronger 2026
