Michael Schreenan faced Clint Stewart who defended with a Sicilian Dragon. Black won a rook and 2 pawns in the opening!, then the exchange in the middle game to have 2 rooks for a Bishop, plus the pawns. White never recovered from the deficit.

Kevin Perrin versus John Frangakis was a Caro-Kann. Black set up a typically passive, but solid structure. White gradually obtained a dominating position and won a piece, before finishing off his opponent with a brilliant combination.

John Abson, fresh from his triumph last week, took on Rob Bailey. Another Sicilian, Black won a piece in middlegame complications. White fought back to have a rook and pawn for 2 pieces, but then missed a nasty rook fork and went downhill from there.

James Eldridge played a Danish Gambit against Tim Commons, who declined the gambit. Black later snatched a pawn, but White regained it soon after, leaving a sharp, even position. A neat 'pseudo-sacrifice' of a piece by Black added zest to the middle game position. Tim picked up a pawn from his inventive play to reach a winning pawn ending, but a bad error threw away the win and he was fortunate to escape with a draw.

Jamie Brotheridge met Patrick Cook in their traditional grudge match. A French, Advance variation it was a tough, tense affair. Black seemed to gain a decisive edge in the middle game when he won the exchange and a pawn, but could not find a way to convert the advantage in the endgame. White was able to regain the material and reach a drawn rook ending.

Top seed, and runaway tournament leader, Scott Stewart played a Kings Indian Attack against Rob Loveband. White gained little more than a broken pawn structure from the opening, but sacrificed a piece in typically speculative style, for an attack that crashed through for another powerfully played win.