This annual event in the calendar sees an Under 11 team and an Under 9 team compete against other ‘associations’ (mostly counties) across the country. This semi-final stage pits Somerset against other teams in the south of England. The U11s competed against 6 other teams in Maidenhead; and the U9s compete in Southampton on 14th March (results will be updated here when they are in!)
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The Wilts & West of England Junior Chess Championships for 2020 were held in Swindon on the 22nd and 23rd February 2020. It is good to have this event back in the calendar following the cancellation of the event last year. The championships included many different age categories over the weekend, with trophies being awarded for Wiltshire champions, West of England champions, and the Age Section champion. Lots of trophies and medals to be won!
The European Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships 2019 took place in Tallin in Estonia from 30th November to 4th December 2019. The England team were selected by the English Chess Federation (ECF), and Somerset Junior Chess are proud to have Gabriel Keech selected to play for England in this tournament!
The annual West of England and South Wales County Team Championships took place on Saturday 11th January 2020 in Chepstow. Somerset Junior Chess fielded three teams: Under 14’s, Under 11’s and Under 9’s.
There were 4 Gigafinals held in the 2019 Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge: Northern, Midlands and two in South-East England. This is the next stage on from the Megafinals, held across the UK earlier this year.
It’s great to see so many Somerset junior players representing the region in the Gigafinals, too many to mention all by name, but congratulations to everyone who reached this stage of the competition.
The Somerset Junior Chess Grand Prix 2018/19 season comprised of 4 grand prix events taking place across the county, with more than 130 children taking part this year. It’s great to see so many children in Somerset playing chess and meeting other children from the region.
The Top 4 players in the league table standings for each age section were invited to the SJC Finals Day 2019, held at Millfield School in Street on the 30th June. Across the 7 age categories, 28 in total players battled it out to determine the final placings.
The annual London & South East vs Rest of England match took place on 15th June 2019 in Twickenham. This was organised by EPSCA and is two round match for Under 11’s played over 13 boards this year.
Same as the recent Wales vs South West England match, teams were selected by EPSCA based on good performance at selected junior chess tournaments throughout the year. Two players from the SJC Grand Prix 2018/19 season were selected: Matthew Timbrell and Ernie Fields.
The European Schools Chess Championships 2019 took place in Constanta, Romania and the English Chess Federation (ECF) selected a team to compete in the competition against some of the best junior chess players in Europe. Two members of the England team were Matthew Timbrell (Under 11) and Toby Kan (Under 13), both representing England for the first time in an international tournament.
The 4th and final round of the Somerset Junior Chess Grand Prix 2018/19 season was held in St. Michael’s CofE Junior School in Bath. This is the first time the school has held a chess tournament and we thank them for hosting the event.
We also welcomed new players, taking part in their first SJC Grand Prix event. We hope all players and parents enjoyed the day and hope to see you again when the 2019/20 season begins again in Autumn 2019.
On Sunday 2nd June 2019, Wales and South West England junior chess players competed against each other in a team event held in Chepstow. There were two age sections:
- Wales Under 14’s vs South West England Under 14’s
- Wales Under 11’s vs South West England Under 11’s
There were 12 boards in each age section, with players selected by EPSCA based on their performance at other events. Three players in the 2018/19 SJC Grand Prix season each played two rounds and contributed to the S W England score.