.png){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
.png)
.png){kind=logo}
Wadsworth Lifts the Trophy on Tie-Break
Grandmaster Matthew J Wadsworth (ENG, 2508) claimed the Isle of Wight Masters 2026 trophy after a dramatic and closely contested nine-round tournament, finishing on 7 points from 9 games.
Wadsworth shared first place with IM Tobias Koelle (GER, 2487) and GM Matthew J Turner (SCO, 2448), with all three players ending the event tied on 7/9 after an intense final round. With the scores level at the top, tie-breaks were required to determine the silverware winner, Wadsworth edging ahead to lift the trophy, while Koelle and Turner also finished as joint winners of the tournament.
The trio’s shared winning score reflected the fiercely competitive nature of the event, where the lead changed hands several times and the title race remained undecided until the final games concluded.
A large chasing group finished on 6.5/9, underlining the depth and competitiveness of the field. This group included top seed GM Gawain Maroroa Jones (ENG, 2645), GM Boris Chatalbashev (DEN), GM Thomas Beerdsen (NED), GM Vojtech Plat (CZE), IM Edvin Trost (SWE), IM Tarun Kanyamarala (IRL), and WIM Trisha Kanyamarala (IRL), who produced one of the standout performances of the event. Kanyamarala also secured the Women’s Prize, finishing among the leading players in the overall standings.
With nine rounds of classical chess and norm opportunities on offer, the 2026 Masters once again confirmed the Isle of Wight as one of the strongest events in the UK calendar. Over 300 players competed in various events with 109 of those in the Masters representing 30 Federations.
The tournament was also featured in a BBC South News television report, which focused on the surge of young players taking part and the growing popularity of chess among the next generation. The feature highlighted England’s youngest ever Grandmaster Shreyas Royal, alongside junior competitors including Rami Talab and eight-year-old Sofia, showcasing the strong youth presence at the event and the Isle of Wight tournament’s role in supporting the rapid growth of chess in the UK. The BBC article can be read here.
RESULTS 2026
If you have won a prize. Please email hello@iowchess.com from the same email you used to register for the event. We will send you a template to add your details so you can be paid.
As you can see below, we have a lot of transactions to work though. Your patience is appreciated while we work through them.
Fed | Player | Start Rating | Score | W-We | Result | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters | Out of 9 | |||||
GM Wadsworth, Matthew J | 2508 | 7 | 1.57 | 1st=, B1 win (7) | £1,017 | |
IM Koelle, Tobias | 2487 | 7 | 0.90 | 1st= | £917 | |
GM Turner, Matthew J | 2448 | 7 | 0.99 | 1st= | £917 | |
GM Maroroa Jones, Gawain | 2645 | 6½ | -1.03 | 4th=, B1 win (1,2) | £300 | |
GM Chatalbashev, Boris | 2529 | 6½ | 0.33 | 4th= | £100 | |
GM Beerdsen, Thomas | 2525 | 6½ | -0.12 | 4th= | £100 | |
GM Plat, Vojtech | 2463 | 6½ | 0.72 | 4th= | £100 | |
IM Trost, Edvin | 2458 | 6½ | -0.14 | 4th= | £100 | |
IM Kanyamarala, Tarun | 2397 | 6½ | 0.20 | 4th= | £100 | |
WIM Kanyamarala, Trisha | 2223 | 6½ | 0.47 | 4th=, 1st Woman | £450 | |
GM Royal, Shreyas | 2519 | 6 | -0.17 | U18 1st= | £75 | |
FM Khoury, Theo | 2295 | 6 | 0.03 | U18 1st= | £75 | |
Rami, Talab | 2187 | 6 | 2.63 | Rating U2300 | £200 | |
Kendall, Arthur | 1897 | 5 | 3.16 | Rating U2000 | £200 | |
WGM Radeva, Viktoria | 2284 | 4½ | -0.55 | 2nd Woman | £150 | |
Senior 50+ | Start Rating | Out of 7 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
GM Arkell, Keith C | 2463 | 7 | 0.88 | 1st | £250 | |
Crocker, Philip J | 2226 | 6 | 0.91 | 2nd | £100 | |
Jennings, Richard | 2034 | 4½ | 0.46 | 3rd= | £25 | |
Costello, Colin A | 1915 | 4½ | -0.32 | 3rd= | £25 | |
Waldock, Adrian D P | 1670 | 3 | 0.71 | Rating 2 | £25 | |
Williams, Ad (Tony) | 1585 | 3 | 1.45 | Rating 1 | £25 | |
Weekday U2100 | Start Rating | Out of 7 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
Sommerbauer-Cornell, Ben | 2043 | 5½ | 0.57 | 1st= | £267 | |
Yiyi, Liu | 2020 | 5½ | 1.48 | 1st= | £267 | |
Thornley, Oliver | 1874 | 5½ | 1.35 | 1st= | £267 | |
Epstein-Lightman, Yishai | 1496 | 4 | 2.53 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
Mehta, Aarav Swansh | 1669 | 3½ | 2.11 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
Weekday U1700 | Start Rating | Out of 7 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
Byelashova, Sofia | 1096 | 7 | 6.44 | 1st | £500 | |
Coles, Rob | 1599 | 5 | 0.48 | 2nd= | £75 | |
Powell, Cassian | 1595 | 5 | 0.62 | 2nd= | £75 | |
Purle, David | 1571 | 5 | 0.83 | 2nd= | £75 | |
Xiong, Yichen | 1534 | 5 | 1.14 | 2nd= | £75 | |
Byelashova, Darya | 1322 | 4 | 1.95 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
Yue, Blake | 1317 | 4 | 2.29 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
Weekend Open | Start Rating | Out of 5 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
IM Grieve, Harry | 2567 | 4½ | 0.40 | 1st | £500 | |
GM Arkell, Keith C | 2463 | 4 | 0.50 | 2nd= | £150 | |
Liu, Yiyi | 2020 | 4 | 0.56 | 2nd= | £150 | |
Stringer, Joseph | 1780 | 3½ | 0.78 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
Sengupta, Sohana | 1682 | 2½ | 1.25 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
Weekend U1900 | Start Rating | Out of 5 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
Turner, David J | 1712 | 5 | 2.36 | 1st | £500 | |
Rowland, Alex | 1575 | 4½ | 3.19 | 2nd | £200 | |
George, Naveen Daniel | 1636 | 4 | 1.08 | 3rd | £100 | |
Rozmus, Oliver | 1454 | 3 | 1.63 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
Sheikh, Amaan | 1156 | 2½ | 2.10 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
Weekend U1600 | Start Rating | Out of 5 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
Kornilovich, Gregory | 1518 | 5 | 1.66 | 1st | £500 | |
Danov, Miroslav | 1593 | 4½ | 0.80 | 2nd | £200 | |
Meichanetzidis, Filimon | 1491 | 4 | 0.87 | 3rd= | £33 | |
Talab, Karam | 1428 | 4 | 0.09 | 3rd= | £33 | |
Tarihalkar, Shrisha | 1320 | 4 | 1.27 | 3rd= | £33 | |
Martirossian, Talea | 1095 | 4 | 3.34 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
Guan, Evan | 1076 | 4 | 3.39 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
3+2 Blitz | Start Rating | Out of 9 | W-We | Result | Prize | |
GM Plat, Vojtech | 2350 | 8 | 1.55 | 1st | £250 | |
GM Beerdsen, Thomas | 2518 | 7½ | -0.11 | 2nd | £125 | |
Rami, Talab | 1973 | 7½ | 4.52 | 3rd + U15 | £125 + Hat | |
Cancedda-Dupuis, Livio | 2232 | 7 | 1.01 | U18 | Hat | |
FM Yu, Zechen | 2388 | 6 | -1.80 | U12 | Hat | |
Anjulan, Ashwin | 1635 | 5 | 3.63 | Rating 1 | £50 | |
Shah, Samuel | 1518 | 4½ | 3.45 | Rating 2 | £50 | |
5+3 Blitz | Start Rating | Out of 7 | Result | Prize | ||
GM Fernandez, Daniel H | 2390 | 6½ | 1st | DGT Pegasus Set + IOW Chess Hat | ||
FM Stanojevic, Ilija | 2283 | 5½ | 2nd | DGT 1500 Clock + IOW Chess Hat | ||
FM Yu, Zechen | 1891 | 5½ | 3rd | DGT 1500 Clock + IOW Chess Hat | ||
Patel, Zain | 2172 | 5 | 4th = | Hat | ||
CM Dasgupta, Avyukt | 2110 | 5 | 4th = | Hat | ||
Steiners, Emils | 2110 | 5 | 4th = | Hat | ||
CM Murawski, Jan | 2069 | 5 | 4th = | Hat | ||
Brett, Andrew R | 1898 | 5 | 4th = | Magnus Carlsen Photo Book | ||
Sasikumar, Srivathsan | 1844 | 5 | 4th = | Magnus Carlsen Photo Book | ||
Anjulan, Ashwin | 1635 | 5 | 4th = | DGT 1500 Clock | ||
Freeman, Luke | 1765 | 4½ | U18 | Hat | ||
Rastogi, Nayan Keats | 1746 | 4½ | U2000 | DGT 1500 Clock | ||
Bara, Jan | 1921 | 4 | U15 | Hat | ||
Gopikrishna, Ashwin | 1606 | 4 | u13 | Hat |
PHOTO GALLERY
Photography by Paul Blackley and Wing Chee Man. Copyright owned by Double Rook Media Ltd.
Feel free to use the images in press and on personal social media. Please credit the photographer on the file name if used in press.
If you would like a photograph removed, please email hello@iowchess.com with a screenshot of the image.
