2025-26 IOMCA Manx Candidates Round 1 - 4
Round-RobinStandard
8 players participated in this 4-round tournament, held from 03 Feb 2026 to 24 Feb 2026 in Douglas, Isle of Man. Top 10 Elo average was 1683, and top seed was John Costello (🇮🇲 IOM, 1801).
Sandor Talas (🇮🇲 IOM, 1778) won with 3.5/4, ahead of John Costello (3.0) and Colin Watkinson (3.0). Talas won solo starting round 3.
The biggest upset came in round 1: Colin Watkinson (1607) beat Paul Smith (1790), a +183-point gap.
Location
🇮🇲Douglas, Isle of Man
Dates
03 Feb 2026 → 24 Feb 2026
Time control
Standard: 75 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1
System
Round-robin · 4 rounds
Federations · 1 represented
🇮🇲Unknown (IOM)×8
Top 3
- 🥇
- 🥈
- 🥉
How it unfolded
Top 8 · 4 roundsSandor Talas led from R3 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
Co-leaders
3
2
1
1
R3–R4 · LEAD HELD
Sandor Talas held the sole lead from R3 through R4 without losing it.
R1–R3 · WIN STREAK
Sandor Talas won 3 in a row (R1–R3).
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇮🇲Talas, Sandor | 1778 | * | — | — | — | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | 2.75 | 3.5 | +17.4 | 1980 |
| 2 | 🇮🇲Costello, John | 1801 | — | * | — | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | — | 3.0 | 4.00 | 6.5 | +6.6 | 1859 |
| 3 | 🇮🇲Watkinson, Colin | 1607 | — | — | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | — | 1 | 3.0 | 4.00 | 6.5 | +28.8 | 1918 |
| 4 | 🇮🇲Cross, Kyle | 1723 | — | ½ | ½ | * | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3.0 | 3.00 | 6.0 | +19.6 | 1823 |
| 5 | 🇮🇲Quayle, Harry | 1701 | 0 | ½ | ½ | — | * | — | 1 | — | 2.0 | 3.00 | 9.5 | -9.2 | 1662 |
| 6 | 🇮🇲Smith, Paul | 1790 | ½ | 0 | 0 | — | — | * | — | 1 | 1.5 | 1.75 | 9.5 | -18.4 | 1634 |
| 8 | 🇮🇲Dunkley, David | 1413 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | * | — | 0.0 | 0.00 | 11.5 | -18.4 | 960 |
| 7 | 🇮🇲Jackson, Antony | 1647 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | * | 0.0 | 0.00 | 11.0 | -30.4 | 939 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
Top rating gainers
- 1Watkinson, ColinIOM+28.83.0 pts · #3
- 2Cross, KyleIOM+19.63.0 pts · #4
- 3Talas, SandorIOM+17.43.5 pts · #1
Top rating losers
- 1Jackson, AntonyIOM-30.40.0 pts · #7
- 2Smith, PaulIOM-18.41.5 pts · #6
- 3Dunkley, DavidIOM-18.40.0 pts · #8
Biggest upsets
- R1+183 Elo gap