Brentwood School Girls’ Chess Team secures silver in National Competition

In a fantastic achievement for Brentwood School Girls' Chess, the U19 team secured their spot in the National Final of the English Chess Federation Girls’ English School Championships for the first time, after winning an online Repechage tournament.

The girls took their place alongside 9 other U19 teams at St Catherine’s School in Surrey on the 6th and 7th April 2024. The tournament consisted of  9 rounds across two intense days with every team facing off against each other. There was also a parallel U11 competition. Most of the schools including Brentwood stayed at St Catherine’s which added to the friendly atmosphere of the weekend.

The team, made up of School Chess Captain Nina (Year 11), Gracie (Year 11) and Anushka (Year 9) showcased their prowess from the outset, gaining victory over reigning champions and top seeds North London Collegiate in the opening round. This proved to be the only match NLC lost in the competition!

As the competition headed into the final round, North London Collegiate had already secured their title which left Brentwood and St Paul’s battling for second place. Gracie’s strategic draw in the final game of the whole competition meant Brentwood (18 points out of a possible 27) just pipped St Paul’s (17.5) to the runner-up spot.

This was a fantastic achievement by the team in their debut appearance at this stage of the competition. All three girls surpassed their individual chess ratings over the course of nine challenging rounds. Their composure amidst the highs and lows of competitive chess was commendable.

St Catherine’s were once again generous and friendly hosts and the whole event (the U11 as well as the U19 Finals) was played in a perfect spirit of friendly competition. The English Chess Federation's provision of medals for all players and trophies for all teams added a fitting conclusion to a truly memorable competition. Congratulations again to Nina, Gracie and Anushka.