Qualifier: 8th – 9th November 2025, RealBridge | Final: 31st January – 1st February 2026, venue TBC
The EBU Tollemache Cup
- the inter-county championships for teams of eight!
Qualifier: 8th – 9th November 2025, RealBridge
Final: 31st January – 1st February 2026, Venue TBC
Entry is open only to County Associations of the EBU and District Associations of the WBU please refer to the eligibility regulations for more details.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE (FINAL): TBC
For the final, teams are limited to 12 playing members, but this restriction has now been removed for the qualifier. A team can have different players in the qualifier and the final. The qualifying event, on 8th - 9th November 2025, will be held on RealBridge with screens, using written alerting and announcing. It is likely to be played in two sections, playing a complete round-robin in each section, qualifying four teams from each section. Play will be from 11am until approximately 7pm on both days, with a break for lunch about half-way through. Exact match times will depend on the number of teams playing. We will aim to play 90-100 boards over the two days.
The top eight teams will qualify to play in the final on 31st January - 1st February 2026, venue TBC.
Format
In 2021 there was one group, playing 27 x 4-board rounds. This will be the format if there are 27 or 28 teams this year. It would also be possible to have one group playing 33 x 3-board rounds if there are 33 or 34 teams.
The likely format is to have two groups, qualifying 4 teams from each: 13 x 8-board rounds, 15 x 7-board rounds, 17 x 6-board rounds.
If there are an odd number of teams in a group, each team in that group will sit out.
Timing and Schedule
There will be one more match on Saturday than Sunday. Play on Saturday will start at 11:00 and on Sunday (Remembrance Sunday) will start at 11:05. There will be a break of 45 minutes in the middle of each day.
There will be 7.5 minutes allowed for each board in a round, and 5 minutes between rounds for changes of line-up. In principle, it will be possible to change line-up after each round (If there is one group playing 3-board rounds, there may be different arrangements for change of line-up).
To enter
By entering an EBU congress or event you agree to abide by the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and Conditions document.
For the 2025-26 event County Secretaries will be provided with an entry form by EBU staff at a suitable time ahead of the event.
Online Event Prices
Competitions are an important way of raising the money necessary for the EBU's survival, and our pricing strategy for online events reflects this rather than the lower costs involved in running such events. Our intention is that this will continue for most of our online congresses and major competitions - they will be cheaper than face-to-face equivalents but will still be priced to help support other aspects of the EBU's work.
However, from April 2023 the entry fees for the Pachabo, Corwen and Tollemache have been halved to support counties who may have reduced income from no longer running online one-day green-pointed events.
Holders
2025
London (picture): David Bakhshi, Liam Sanderson, Nicola Smith, Brian Callaghan, David Burn, Heather Dhondy, Ben Green, Sebastian Atisen, Richard Creamer, John Pemberton & NPC Ian Payn
| Day | Times | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifier Timetable | Qualifier Weekend (based on 13 8-board rounds, with 5 minutes between rounds) | |
| 15-Team Group (Red/Green) | 7 Board Matches | |
| 8th - 9th November 2025 | Saturday | A slightly delayed start to observe Remembrance Day |
| Session 1 | 11:05 - 12:00 | Match 1 |
| 12:05 - 13:00 | Match 2 | |
| 13:05 - 14:00 | Match 3 | |
| 14:05 - 15:00 | Match 4 | |
| Break | ||
| Session 2 | 15:40 - 16:35 | Match 5 |
| 16:40 - 17:35 | Match 6 | |
| 17:40 - 18:35 | Match 7 | |
| 18:40 - 19:35 | Match 8 | |
| Sunday | A slightly delayed start to observe Remembrance Sunday | |
| Session 3 | 11:05 - 12:00 | Match 9 |
| 12:05 - 13:00 | Match 10 | |
| 13:05 - 14:00 | Match 11 | |
| Break | ||
| Session 4 | 14:45 - 15:40 | Match 12 |
| 15:45 - 16:40 | Match 13 | |
| 16:45 - 17:40 | Match 14 | |
| 17:45 - 18:40 | Match 15 | |
| Final Timetable | Final Weekend | |
| 31st January - 1st February 2026 | Saturday | |
| Saturday * | from 11:30 | Draw for team number |
| Session 1 | 13:00 – 14:50 | Match 1 (14 boards) |
| 15:00 – 16:50 | Match 2 (14 boards) | |
| Session 2 | 18:30 – 20:20 | Match 3 (14 boards) |
| 20:30 – 22:20 | Match 4 (14 boards) | |
| * Times on Saturday 30 minutes earlier, with shorter breaks | ||
| Sunday | ||
| Session 3 | 10:30 – 12:20 | Match 5 (14 boards) |
| 12:40 – 14:30 | Match 6 (14 boards) | |
| 14:40 – 16:30 | Match 7 (14 boards) |
| 2025/26 |
|---|
| £210 per team |
Master Points
Qualifier: Green Points per match won or drawn at standard EBU rate – eg 0.42 per 12 board match won, 0.21 for a draw . There are no bonus awards for overall ranking in the qualifier. Final: 1 Green Point per match won (1/2 for a draw), plus bonus ranking awards to the top four teams (6, 3, 2 & 1, respectively).
Agreements
Level 5 agreements are permitted in this event.
Venue and Tariff
Qualifier and Final
The qualifier will be played on RealBridge.
The venue for the final is still TBC
Please note: Most hotels cannot guarantee check-in times earlier than 3pm.
Previous Results
Final Results
2024/25 results
2023/24 results
2022/23 results
2021/22 results
2020/21 results
2019/20 results
2018/19 results
2017/18 results
2016/17 results
2015/16 results
2014/15 results
2013/14 results
2012/13 results
2011/12 results
2010/11 results
2009/10 results
2008/09 results
2007/08 results
2006/07 results
Qualifier Results
2023/24 results
2022/23 results
2021/22 results
2020/21 results
2019/20 results
2018/19 results
2017/18 results
2016/17 results
2015/16 results
2014/15 results
2013/14 results
2012/13 results
2011/12 results
2010/11 results
2009/10 results
2008/09 results
2007/08 results
The Tollemache Cup - a history