The 2026 Bledisloe and Blackburn Cups Hybrid Interclub Rapid Team event was held on 18 October 2026, attracting ten teams from across New Zealand.
Kapiti Chess Club put in a solid performance, narrowly missing out on the Blackburn Cup, which is contested by chess clubs outside New Zealand’s major metropolitan centres.
The Kapiti team played four matches, winning two. The team line-up, in board order, was:
- Brendan Reedy
- Ross Jackson
- Stanley Fitton
- Chris Moses
- Isaiah Heta
- Duncan Turnbull
Isaiah was Kapiti’s top performer on the day, scoring an impressive 3 points from 4 games. Ross, Stanley and Chris also had very respectable performances, each scoring 2.5 points.
The Bledisloe Cup was won by Otago Chess Club, with Wellington Runners Up.
The Blackburn Cup was won by New Plymouth Chess Club and Hawke’s Bay Chess Club were Runners Up.
Final table:
| Rank | Team | Score |
| 1 | Otago Chess Club | 3 |
| 2 | Wellington Chess Club | 3 |
| 3 | New Plymouth Chess Club | 2 1/2 |
| 4 | Hawke’s Bay Chess Club | 2 1/2 |
| 5 | Canterbury Chess Club | 2 1/2 |
| 6 | Kapiti Chess Club | 2 |
| 7 | Waitakere Chess Club | 2 |
| 8 | Nelson Chess Club | 1 |
| 9 | Auckland Central Chess Club | 1 |
| 10 | Invercargill-Southland Chess Club | 1/2 |
Congratulations to all the players who represented Kapiti. It was great to see the club competing against some of the strongest teams from around the country.
