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.

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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.

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The third Grand Prix of the season was held on an unseasonably warm and sunny day on the 24th March at St Johns School in Frome. This was the rearranged date following the postponement due to the snow and ice in early February. We welcomed over 90 children, competing across the 6 different age sections, including many children taking part in their first ever chess tournament.

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The 2018/19 season of the Somerset Junior Chess Grand Prix series started on a sunny day at St. Saviour’s Primary School in Bath. More than 60 children competed playing 6 rounds of chess each. Which (if my maths is correct), is over 360 games of chess played!

There were lots of first time entries, which is great to see, and we hope you enjoyed the day and motivated to see if you can score more points in your next tournament.

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Following a tough season of five Grand Prix events across the county, the top 4 players in each age category were invited to attend the SJC Finals Day at Millfield School in Street.

The scene was set for a knockout competition where in the semi-finals, 1st place would play 4th place in the league tables and 2nd place would play 3rd place. After a best of three games encounter, the two semi-final winners would play against each other in the final. The winner after three games would be crowned the Somerset Junior Champion for their age category, and have the honour of being the first name engraved on the new trophies.

Congratulations to all players for consistently playing well throughout the season, and scoring points in each round to earn qualification for the finals day.

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It was great to see so many new faces at the final Grand Prix of the 2017/18 season. More than 70 children competed at the event at Combe Down Primary School in Bath on Sunday 15th April 2018. The school is a lovely venue to use, with plenty of space in the playing hall and parent rooms. Thanks to the school for stepping in to host the event at short notice.

For children playing in their first ever chess tournament, we hope you enjoyed the experience. Playing six games of chess in a day requires a huge amount of effort and concentration, so well done for playing all games. It’s often said that you learn more from games you lost than games you won, and we hope that everyone went home feeling like they have improved their game or learnt something irrespective of their final score.

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St Johns School in Frome has been a regular host of Somerset Junior Chess tournaments for several years now, and on Sunday 4th February we saw 70 of the counties finest junior chess players compete in the latest round of the Grand Prix.

It was great to welcome several junior chess players competing in their first tournament. We hope you enjoyed the day, not matter how many points you picked up. There are some very strong junior chess players in Somerset right now, so there is no shame in losing or drawing. Even the most experienced chess grandmasters do not win all their games!

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On a wet and windy morning on Sunday 10th November, around 50 junior chess players met at High Ham Primary School to compete in the third grand prix of the Somerset Junior Chess season.

As usual, the were many closely fought games, with some matches coming down to seconds remaining on the clock before the outcome was determined. Whether resulting in a win, lose or draw it is great to see the huge amount of concentration used throughout the six rounds. We welcomed newcomers taking place in their first grand prix, and hope it was an enjoyable day.

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Over 50 junior chess players competed at the second Grand Prix event of the season on Sunday 12th November 2017. The competition took place at Somerset County Cricket Club’s ground in Taunton. This venue was being used for first time to host a Somerset Junior Chess event, and a rare opportunity to play outside of a school setting. There was an impressive view of the cricket ground and the hills behind from the playing room, and very fitting to have the prize-giving ceremony take place as the sun was setting outside the window.

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There will be 6 grand prix events in the 2017-18 season, and scores will contribute to a league table. Full tournament details.

You’ll find all the grand prix events in the events calendar.