Brentwood School Shines at English Chess Federation National School Finals in Nottingham
Brentwood School is celebrating outstanding performances by its chess teams at the English Chess Federation National School Finals held in Nottingham. The event marked a milestone for the school with both the Prep and Senior teams qualifying for the National Finals in the same season.
The Prep School was among just 12 schools to reach the Primary Team Challenge Final, competing in a fiercely contested 5-round rapid play tournament. The U19 Senior team participated in the British Team Challenge Final, also a 5-round rapid event, and subsequently competed in the National Final of the English School Championships – a two-day competition in Nottingham on 25th/26th June following the Team Challenge Finals.
In the Primary Team Challenge Final, Brentwood’s Prep team (Nikith, Dhruv, Joshua, Aiden and Aarav), secured 2 match victories out of 5 and won 8 individual games from 20, finishing in 10th place. Just one additional individual game win would have elevated them to 7th place in a tightly fought field. The team faced strong opponents, including eventual winners Fairfield Prep and National U11 Champions Westminster Under School.
Head of Chess, Robin Slade, said; “Our Prep players demonstrated excellent skill and sportsmanship throughout, and my thanks go to Mr and Mrs Trowell for their dedicated support and care during the day.”
The U19 Senior team finished 9th out of 22 teams in the British Team Challenge Final, a commendable achievement especially with stiff competition including fellow Essex schools Southend (17th) and KEGS (19th).
As Essex Champions, Brentwood also competed in the English U19 School Championship Finals. Over six rounds of standard play (50 + 10), the team won two matches, drew one, and lost three. Highlights included victories over King Edward VI, Birmingham and Newcastle Grammar, and a hard-fought draw against Queen Elizabeth Hospital School, Birmingham.
Brentwood’s Team Captain, Max, Year 10, led with distinction, achieving an impressive personal record of 8 wins and 3 draws over 11 games across the three days. Despite missing two of their top three players, the U19 team outperformed their seeding in both competitions. Everyone scored points for the team with Max, Aryan and Chiza exceeding expectations on the top 3 boards in the English Championships by scoring 12 points out of 18 between them.
Mr Slade thanked Max, Aryan, Chiza, Markos, Maadesh, Shay and Yahya for representing Brentwood School so well on and off the board across the three days. He also thanked International Master Richard Pert, Miss White and Mr Bowley for all their support. He added: “The trip was an absolute pleasure from beginning to end.”
