2025 Scottish Borders Allegro Chess Tournament Report

On Saturday 02 August, we hosted the 2025 Scottish Borders Allegro Chess Tournament, and what a brilliant day it was. 14 players from across the region took part in this five-round Swiss tournament, held at the South of Scotland Enterprise building (Hawick Business Centre).

The tournament was not only a celebration of local chess talent but also a showcase for our brand-new DGT boards, clocks, and pieces, funded by a £1,500 wind farm grant last year. The new digital equipment performed flawlessly, recording every game for future analysis and archiving - a first for the region.

To our great surprise (and honour), David Kilgour turned up to play. David is a former world #8 in correspondence chess (2002), and having him in the room elevated the entire event. Watching him play live on the big screen, on our top DGT board, was a real treat.

Representatives came from all across the Borders - including players from Peebles, Melrose, Galashiels, Hawick, and even further afield.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the day came from 10-year-old Felix, who stunned the room by defeating Steve Leckie in a sharp tactical game. A glimpse of the future, perhaps!

The tournament ran for just over five hours, comprising 35 total games. The winners were:

1st – David Kilgour with 5 wins out of 5
2nd – Mark Gardiner with 4 points
Joint 3rd – Martin Wallace and Calum McGillivray: 3.5 points each

A special mention goes to Ian Thompson, who played well above his grading and earned our ‘Overperformer’ award.

The event was made even more enjoyable by the excellent catering from Love Scottish... who provided a delicious spread for players and guests. The premises were bright, clean, and well-organised, with a large screen displaying live games and a dedicated analysis room for post-game reviews and friendly discussion.

A huge thank-you goes to Harry Cornwell, who handled the technical setup, and Sam Cornwell, who organised the day. Thanks also to all who helped, turned up, and made the event such a success.

Several attendees have already suggested we make this a yearly tradition, and we agree - it’s definitely on the cards.

Lastly, a reminder to all clubs and organisers in the region that the DGT equipment (boards, pieces, clocks, cables) are available for use across the Scottish Borders Chess League. They’re currently housed in Hawick and if you’d like to borrow or discuss using it, just get in touch.

Here are the full results, and a gallery of photos taken that day.

Borders Allegro 2025-26: Winner David Kilgour
Name	Grade	DK	MW	GC	DB	CM	JM	MG	SC	TW	AG	IT	SL	HC	FD	Tot
David Kilgour	2225	.	1	.	1	1	.	1	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	5
Martin Wallace	1720	0	.	.	.	½	1	.	.	1	1	.	.	.	.	3½
Gordon Christie	1719	.	.	.	0	0	1	.	.	.	1	0	.	.	.	2
Dave Bogle	1586	0	.	1	.	0	.	.	1	.	.	1	.	.	.	3
Calum McGillvray	1586	0	½	1	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	.	.	3½
John Moore	1449	.	0	0	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	1	.	.	1	3
Mark Gardiner	1387	0	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	.	1	.	.	1	1	4
Sam Cornwell	1241	0	.	.	0	.	.	0	.	1	.	.	.	1	.	2
Tam Wylie	1174	.	0	.	.	.	.	.	0	.	0	.	1	.	1	2
Ally Gray	1118	.	0	0	.	.	0	0	.	1	.	.	.	.	.	1
Ian Thompson	1066	.	.	1	0	.	0	.	.	.	.	.	1	1	.	3
Steve Leckie	1037	.	.	.	.	0	.	.	.	0	.	0	.	0	0	0
Harry Cornwell	938	.	.	.	.	.	.	0	0	.	.	0	1	.	1	2
Felix Dixon	0	.	.	.	.	.	0	0	.	0	.	.	1	0	.	1

Results Rd 1
Kilgour-Cornwell S	1-0
Wallace-Wylie	1-0
Christie-Gray	1-0
Bogle-Thompson	1-0
McGillvray-Leckie	1-0
Moore-Dixon	1-0
Gardiner-Cornwell H	1-0

Results Rd 2
Thompson-Leckie	1-0
Cornwell H-Dixon	1-0
Moore-Walllace	0-1
Gardiner-Kilgour	0-1
Cornwell S-Bogle	0-1
McGillvray-Christie	1-0
Wylie-Gray	0-1

Results Rd 3
Kilgour-Wallace	1-0
Christie-Moore	1-0
Bogle-McGillvray	0-1
Gardiner-Gray	1-0
Cornwell S-Wylie	1-0
Thompson-Cornwell H	1-0
Leckie-Dixon	0-1

Results Rd 4
Cornwell H-Cornwell S	0-1
Dixon-Gardiner	0-1
McGillvray-Kilgour	0-1
Wallace-Gray	1-0
Bogle-Christie	1-0
Moore-Thompson	1-0
Wylie-Leckie	1-0

Results Rd 5
Kilgour-Bogle	1-0
Wallace-McGillvray	½-½
Christie-Thompson	0-1
Gray-Moore	0-1
Cornwell S-Gardiner	0-1
Wylie-Dixon	1-0
Cornwell H-Leckie	1-0

Photo gallery: Allegro tournament 02 Aug 2025

1. Preparations before the start. Harry Cornwell (background) sets up the electronics, while Sam Cornwell (foreground) checks the clocks. Mark Gardiner, Ian Thompson and Dave Bogle are making their own preparations.

2. The prizewinners: David Kilgour (in the red shirt) won the tournament with a perfect 5/5 score. To David's left (in the checked shirt) is Mark Gardiner, who came second with 4/5. Calum McGillvray (left) and Martin Wallace shared third place with 3½ points each from the 5 rounds..

3. Another photo of the prizewinners, with David Kilgour holding the winner's cup.

4. Martin Wallace and Tam Wylie at the buffet lunch, provided by Love Scottish of Hawick. Harry Cornwell, Mark Gardiner and David Kilgour are in the background.

5. The 3rd round match between David Kilgour (now Durham, but formerly of the Borders) and Borders Champion Martin Wallace. David Kilgour won that game. The screen is showing the state of play on all top 4 boards.