Brentwood School Hosts Brentwood Junior Chess Tournament

Brentwood School hosted and co-organised the 8th Brentwood Junior Chess Tournament alongside British Chess and the Essex Junior Chess Association on Sunday 3rd March.

The tournament attracted a record entry of 140 juniors from Essex and beyond, with players split into 4 sections based on age and chess rating. This included 40 students from Brentwood Senior and Prep Schools.

For the 8th Brentwood Junior Tournament, we had a new format of 8 rounds at the faster time control of 10+5 to mirror the 8x8 design of the chessboard. 

Although it was a stand-alone event, the tournament was also the Brentwood Senior and Prep School Championships and part of the Essex Junior Chess Association Grand Prix.

The Under 18 Open - the top section - was won by Ruqayyah R (Yr 7) with 7.5 out of 8. Ruqayyah had beaten British GM Mark Hebden the previous week to cement her reputation as one of England’s rising junior stars. 

Max P (Yr 9) from Brentwood School was the runner-up and as a result retains his Brentwood School Championship. Nina P (Yr 11), also from Brentwood School, was third.

The Under 18 Minor - for players rated below 1000 - was won by Toby A on 8 out of 8. Lenny H from Suffolk was the runner-up with two Brentwood School students - Akaash J (Yr 8) and Pranav C (Yr 7) - third and fourth respectively.

The U11 Open (the largest section with 52 players) was won by Hantin W from Shenfield on tiebreak from fellow Chelmsford Junior Chess Club member Digby S. Oscar Q came third. George N became the first student to retain the Brentwood Prep School Championship with his score of 5 out of 8.

The Under 11 Minor (mainly consisting of players in their first tournament) was won by Siyon S with 7 points. Arjun K was second and Finley K third. Brentwood Prep students Ronov C and Krishnan R both scored 5 points.

It was a fabulous day’s chess played in a perfect spirit and showed the power of chess to bring people together of all ages and backgrounds. Well over 500 individual games with no serious disputes.

Thank you to everyone - Brentwood School and Courage Hall staff, our team of arbiters and board stewards led by FIDE arbiters Mohammad Islam and John Bowley, Essex Junior Chess Association members and chess parents - who helped make the day such a success. Thank you also to Angelin for keeping everyone fed and watered. 

These photos that give such a great feel of the day are courtesy of professional photographer and chess parent Melinda Wilde.

Some words from two students who participated in the Tournament:

Chiza (Yr 8) - Brentwood U18 Open

I liked the chess tournament on Sunday 3rd March 2024 because there were lots of rewards to be won for things like sportsmanship and positivity, even if you did not place in the top 3. I enjoyed how there were 8 rounds of 10+5 instead of 6 rounds of 20+5 because if you start badly, you can change that in the second half of the tournament after lunch. With the lunch break and several other intermissions, you were able to practise weak areas which you might have discovered in your previous games.

Ronov (Yr 6) - Brentwood U11 Minor

The tournament was a very different experience as it was my first across the board tournament. It was a very exciting experience with highs and lows. The matches were easy to find as it was arranged in sections. All of the referees helped with any problems in the chess games. At the end there was a prize ceremony where a lot of people got trophies and other prizes that they can enjoy. Overall it was a very fun tournament and I look forward to the next one.