Brentwood Prep Triumphs in Chess Qualifiers

On Saturday, 28th March, Brentwood Prep hosted the Mid-Essex zone of the English Chess Federation (ECF) Primary Team Challenge. The event saw ten teams from six local schools compete in a four-round tournament for a place in the National Final.

Representing Brentwood Prep A were Joshua (Top Board) and Ava (both Year 6), Krishnav (Year 5), and Maansi (Year 3). Our B team was led by Mark, alongside Finley and Lola (all Year 6), and Ronav and Ralph (both Year 5).

The tournament remained competitive until the final moments. Entering the last round, Brentwood Prep A and Widford Lodge A were tied on 9 points, closely followed by St Cedd’s A. Our B team also performed impressively, securing a 2.5–1.5 win over St Cedd’s in the penultimate round.

In the final round, Brentwood Prep A defeated St Cedd’s 3–1, while Widford Lodge matched the score in their fixture against Ursuline. With both teams finishing on 12 points and having previously drawn their head-to-head match, a play-off was required to determine the overall winner.

Brentwood Prep A successfully won the play-off match to claim the trophy. Both Brentwood Prep and Widford Lodge have now qualified for the ECF Primary Team Challenge National Final, held at Nottingham University on Monday, 22nd June.

This achievement marks a significant milestone for the School’s chess program. With our Senior School U14 and U19 teams also qualifying for their respective finals, Brentwood will be represented in three national categories on the same day. Congratulations to all the children involved!

Reflecting on the day, Head of Chess Mr Slade said:

“It was a great morning’s chess played in excellent spirit by the students from all the schools.”

Thanks to Mr Bowley and Mr and Mrs Trowell for their assistance, as well as the Brentwood parents for their continued support of our players.