House and National Schools Chess

Congratulations were in order for House Chess winners and those that took part in the National Schools Chess Competition recently, Mr Hunt, Head of Chess and Examinations Officer at School, reported on both.

House Chess
Congratulations to Willard, who won House Chess last Wednesday evening, with Annott in second , Burwell in third and Seckford in fourth place. The winning team comprised of Year 12’s Rosalie, Zaid and Moses, Year 9’s Rowan and Maxim, and Year 7’s Oscar. Well done Willard!

National Schools Chess
Thursday 23 February saw us play Brentwood in the regional semi-finals of the National Schools Chess Championships, and it proved to be a very close encounter. Brentwood’s top two boards, who have both represented England, proved too strong for Year 12’s Rosalie and year 10’s Nikolai. Year 11’s Harry, on board 5 also had a tough game and lost to make the score 3-0. However, in games which lasted almost two hours were Year 12’s Polina on board 3, then Year 9’s Rowan on board 4 and then Year 10’s Georgia on board 6; all triumphed, leaving the final score tied at 3-3. Unfortunately for us, the first tie break used was ‘board count’ which puts more weighting on the results on the higher boards, meaning that Brentwood won the match and moved on to the final. Well done to the six who played, and also to Year 8’s Lade who played as the reserve.