On Thursday 22nd February we took six pupils to the Junior Team Chess Challenge, hosted by Dunottar School (near Reigate), organised by the English Chess Federation. This was an official qualifier for a major national event, with the winning team getting an invite to the School Teams final being held in Birmingham over Easter.
Emanuel ‘A’ did very well, winning three of their four matches, with our two spare players teaming up with boys from Wilsons Grammar, to field a mixed Emanuel/Wilsons team.
Our ‘A’ Team scores:
Won Emanuel ‘A’ 3 Southborough 1
Won Emanuel ‘A’ 3.5 Reeds ‘A’ 0.5
Lost Emanuel ‘A’ 0 Wilsons B 4
Won Emanuel ‘A’ 3 Dunottar A 1
Our ‘B’ Emanuel/Wilsons
Lost Emanuel/Wilsons 1 Reeds ‘A’ 3
Won Emanuel/Wilsons 4 Solefield ‘A’ 0
Drew Emanuel/Wilsons 2 Eltham ‘A’ 2
Lost Emanuel/Wilson 1 Reeds ‘B’ 3
The competition was eventually won by Wilsons ‘A’ who defeated Wilsons ‘B’ in the final and progress to the National Final. Emanuel ‘A’ finished a highly commendable joint second, alongside a couple of other teams who won three out of their four matches.
Everybody had a great time, and this was the first taste of competitive chess for a few of the players. They represented Emanuel in style, and I am sure there will be many other competitions on the horizon for all of them, especially since a few are already in the senior squad for league fixtures.
How our players scored:
Eddie (Year 8) 3 wins, 1 loss
Thomas (Year 8) 3 wins, 1 loss
Franklin (Year 7) 2 wins, 2 losses
Lila (Year 7) 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss
Lucas (Year 8) 1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses
Tim (Year 8) 1 win, 3 losses
Mr Jones, Senior Librarian
