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2010-2011 SEASON
EPSCA Under 11 Final, 7 May 2011
The Kent Under 11 squad competed in the EPSCA Under 11 Inter-Association Championship 2011 final in Northamptonshire on Saturday 7 May 2011.
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Record win for KJCA under 11 team Congratulations to our under 11 team for scoring an unprecedented 51½ out of 60 to take the National EPSCA title in style. This is the highest score achieved by any team since the competition began in 1967. It was a very exciting day with everyone in the team playing superb chess and contributing to the overall win. We arrived in Northampton on time and raring to go. The inspirational talks from Chris Ward GM and Krishna Shiatis helped to set the tone for the day and motivate us. Round 1 saw a solid and respectable start by many of the counties. Wey Valley and Barnet led the way with a score of 16 out of 20 with Kent ominously poised in third place just half a point behind. Having missed out on the title for the last two years by just half a point, the team were galvanised into fighting mode and we put all our training and discipline into practice to secure an even better second round performance with a score of 17½ out of 20. At this stage, Wey Valley still led the way with 33½ out of a possible 40, with Kent advancing into second place, although still that elusive half a point behind on 33. Barnet and Sussex shared third spot, both on 30½. Going into the third and final round, as a team, we knew that we would have to do something special. All expectations were exceeded! It was a truly exceptional third round scoring an excellent 18½ points out of 20. This final round secured our well deserved victory by a 2½ point margin over Wey Valley. With this awesome result, the Kent Juniors have cemented their reputation for being one of the most consistent and formidable teams in the country. |
The Triumphant Team: |
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The venue was excellent and everything flowed smoothly. Many thanks to EPSCA, the organising team in Northampton for such a lovely day and to Chris Ward GM for presenting the trophies. Also, a very big thank you to all the children who took part, their parents, Chris Ward GM (team coach), Michael Gilbert and Krishna Shiatis (team managers) and all the volunteers at KJCA who have loyally supported the GPs and children throughout. |
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Final results were as follows:
1st Kent 51½ 2nd Wey Valley 49 3rd Sussex 45½ 4th Barnet 44½ 5th= Berkshire 36½ 5th= Nottinghamshire 36½ 7th Hertfordshire 34½ 8th Richmond 33½ 9th Essex 30 10th Birmingham 29 11th Cheshire and North Wales 23½ 12th Northamptonshire 23 13th Yorkshire 22½ 14th Oldham 20 15th Lancashire 18 16th Manchester 17 17th Lincolnshire 14 18th Staffordshire 11½>Back to top >>
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2010~11: Hinckley, Leicestershire.
Round 9 v Oxford 2: Saturday 30 April 2011;
Round 10 v Holmes Chapel: Sunday 1 May 2011;
Round 11 v Celtic Tigers 1: Monday 2 May 2011.
The KJCA Kings team entered the final weekend of this season’s 4NCL campaign with a chance of gaining one of the 4 promotion slots to Division 2. We went into the weekend 2 points behind the 2 leading teams in Division 3 and 1 point behind 2 other teams in the division. 2 other teams were level on points with us at the outset. However, this season, the 4NCL has inaugurated the Northern League, which merges with Division 3 for this final weekend. Only 8 teams have subscribed and 2 of these have been too strong for the rest. They came into the merged division respectively 3 and 2 points ahead of the Division 3 leaders. Although this raises some clear questions about the future structure of the league, much would depend on how strong they were in comparison to the top teams in Division 3. Our task was much harder as a result but, even without this, the team would have to play well against very strong opposition.
On the Saturday, we were outgraded slightly by an average of 50 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 7 points) by Oxford 2, one of the teams 1 point ahead of us. We knew that this was a match that we had to win and that this was within our range. However, our opponents had not lost all season, so it was bound to be tough. This was exactly how it turned out. It was not one of the team’s better days and all of the 3 bottom half games were lost, resulting in a 2 – 4 defeat.
Promotion was now out of our own hands. The only way forward was to win the final 2 matches and see whether this was good enough. We were drawn against Holmes Chapel, one of the Northern League teams (from Cheshire), but not one of the top 2, on the Sunday. We were again marginally outgraded by an average of 12 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 2 points) but the team felt confident that this was a match from which we could achieve the win that was an absolute requirement. Although one match was lost, we always held a slight advantage and in the end gained a narrow 3½ – 2½ victory.
Going into the last day of the season, we were still in with an outside chance of promotion but realised that we were also probably still leading in the race to the 1st grading prize – average grade below 2000 (FIDE) – and that a draw would secure this award. We were drawn against Celtic Tigers 1, who were 1 point ahead of us but outgraded us substantially by an average of 168 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 21 points). Both teams needed to win this match to have a chance of promotion, although our opponents’ intentions were unclear, as they had elected to be relegated from Division 2 the previous season. This was clearly a difficult match on paper and so it transpired. We lost all the games with Black and only managed a couple of draws with White to finish with a 1 – 5 defeat by far the worst of our 4 losses this season. Regrettably, it also meant that we were provisionally overtaken for the 1st grading prize.
This meant that we finished 13th in the 44-strong merged league with 13 points, one point less than last season and 3 points off the final promotion place. As we were among the lower graded teams in the league, this reflects superbly on the players. Provisionally, we also won the 2nd grading prize. The players can consider themselves unlucky, in many ways, to have narrowly missed out on promotion for the third season in a row. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 teams promoted from Division 3 last season are now being relegated from Division 2 this season and the 2 teams that are accompanying the 2 new Northern League teams in being promoted from Division 3 this season were relegated from Division 2 last season. This tells us a lot for next season not only about what is needed to achieve promotion but also about what is needed to become established in Division 2.
Pride of place over the final weekend goes to William Jones, who remained unbeaten in winning 2 of his games and drawing the other.
The full team over the weekend, managed by Peter Bayliss, was as follows: 1) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) William Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Dominic Foord (Westminster School and Willesden & Brent CC); 4) Robert Maguire (Wallington Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 5) Lyall Bayliss; 6) Laurence Jones (Lewisham CC). The top 3 boards swapped board positions during the weekend.
>Back to top >>EPSCA Under 9 Final, 2 April 2011
The Kent Under 9 squad competed in the EPSCA Under 9 Inter-Association Championship 2011 final in Nottingham on Saturday 2 April 2011.
Final results were as follows:
1st Sussex 30½ 2nd Wey Valley 29½ 3rd Barnet 29 4th Nottinghamshire 27 5th Kent 25½ 6th Birmingham 21 7th Wiltshire 20 8th Hampshire 19½ 9th Yorkshire 17½ 10th Essex 17 11th Hertfordshire 16½ 12th Oxfordshire 16 13th Wirral 14 14th Liverpool 12½ 15th= Cheshire & North Wales 12 15th= Manchester 12 17th Berkshire 11½ 18th Oldham 8½ 19th Tameside 2½>Back to top >>
EPSCA Under 11 Girls Final, 26 March 2011
The Kent Under 11 Girls’ team of 12 plus 4 reserves travelled to Oxford for the EPSCA Under 11 Girls Inter-Association Championship 2011 on Saturday 26 March 2011, with some girls playing at county level for the first time. There were 12 teams in all, each player having 50 minutes on their clock. There was not as early a start as last year, with most of the group travelling by coach. We were also accompanied by WFM Ros Kieran, who provided valuable coaching during the day.
Our scores of 7½/12, 5½/12 and 7/12 were respectable but put us in 6th place at the end of the tournament. Given that there was a sizeable number of players who had little experience of chess at this level, next year looks promising if the girls continue to improve. The best performance of 3/3 came from Iona Fleming. Zara Hussain and Emily Green were also unbeaten on the day with a score of 2½/3.
The full team, managed by Tony Rao and coached by Ros Kieran WFM, in board order, was Zara Hussain (Granville School), Isabelle Gilbert (Mersham Primary School), Amelia Ward (Sydenham High School), Angharad Jones (Rosemead Primary School), Imogen Duke (Bromley High School), Joelle Hakim (Bromley High School), Emily Green (Goodnestone Primary School), Rohini Parchure (Bromley High School), Katie Gambier (Blackheath High School), Riya Parikh(Bromley High School), Charlotte Wistow (Bromley High School), Iona Fleming (Cranbrook Primary School), Bhavana Pasupathy (Heronsgate Primary School), Isabelle Santhiapillai (St Christopher’s The Hall School), Priyanka Patel (Bromley High School) and Emily Wistow (Bromley High School).
Final results were as follows:
1st Barnet 29½ 2nd Wey Valley 27 3rd Sussex 24 4th Nottinghamshire 22 5th Manchester 21½ 6th Kent 20 7th Oxfordshire 19 8th Essex 16 9th Richmond 14 10th Berkshire 11 11th Cambridgeshire 7 12th Liverpool 5>Back to top >>
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2010~11; Daventry.
Round 7 v The Rookies: Saturday 26 March 2011;
Round 8 v Warwickshire Select 2: Sunday 27 March 2011.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against a new team in the league this season, The Rookies. Both teams came into the match locked together in equal fifth place in the league with 5 other teams, just two points behind the joint leaders. We were marginally outgraded by an average of 21 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 3 points) and our opponents were unbeaten so far this season, albeit with 4 matches drawn, so we expected the match to be quite close. However, we proved too strong on the White boards, winning all three of these clashes, and picking up a couple of draws with Black to gain a solid 4 – 2 victory. This was a good team performance.
The following day, we were drawn against Warwickshire Select 2. They had also come into the weekend level with us in fifth place but, having lost on the Saturday, were now 2 points behind us. We were again outgraded but only by an average of 38 points per board (ECF equivalent: 5 points). We had a very close match with our opponents last season when they matched us all the way to both teams just missing out on promotion, so we knew that this would be a very tough fixture. This was how it turned out. We were again solid with White, gaining a win and 2 draws. Combined with one win with Black, honours finished even on 3 – 3.
This represented another good weekend for the team with the 3 match points gained moving us into a 3-way tie for fifth place, just one point outside the promotion places and 2 points behind the joint leaders. The position is complicated by the merging of the new 4NCL Northern League with Division 3 for the final 3-match weekend. The 2 leading teams of this have been too strong for the rest of that league but it will not be clear how they compare with the leading Division 3 teams until then. What is clear is that for the third consecutive season, the team goes into the final weekend with a chance of promotion. It will be necessary to beat any of the teams above us against which we are drawn, so promotion is likely to be in our own hands. Pride of place over this weekend goes to William Jones, who won both his games.
The full team, in board order, self-managed but under the watchful eye of Sally Coultas-Paul (many thanks, Sally) was: 1) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) William Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC; 4) Lyall Bayliss; 5) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). Victor and William and Lyall and Matt switched boards on the Sunday.
>Back to top >>KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2010~11; Sunningdale.
Round 5 v Bristol 2: Saturday 19 February 2011;
Round 6 v Wessex 2: Sunday 20 February 2011.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against Bristol 2, who were level with us in 5th place on 6 points going into the weekend. We slightly outgraded our opponents by an average of 38 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 5 points) and felt confident going into the game that we could shade what was likely to be a close match. This is very much how it turned out. After a few ups and downs, the team ran out with a narrow 3½ – 2½ win.
On the Sunday, we were drawn against Wessex 2, who were level with us in 3rd place on 8 points after Saturday’s games. We felt that this was a match against a team that was likely to remain in the running for promotion till the end of the season. They slightly outgraded us by an average of 43 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 6 points). All the games were very tight from the start. However, we were unable to convert advantages on 2 boards and ultimately conceded defeat on one of the boards with all the other games finishing in draws. The 2½ – 3½ defeat was probably a little harsh but we knew before the start that we would need to convert advantages in this fixture. Nevertheless, we finish the weekend in equal 5th position with 7 other teams, just one point behind the 4th promotion place and, therefore, with all to play for.
Pride of place over the weekend goes to Victor Jones and Jasdeep Gahir, who both achieved a win and a draw in their matches.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 2) Dominic Foord (Westminster School and Willesden & Brent CC; 3) William Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 4) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 5) Lyall Bayliss; 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC).
>Back to top >>KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2010~11; Hinckley.
Round 3 v e2e4.org.uk 2: Saturday 15 January 2011;
Round 4 v Oxford 3: Sunday 16 January 2011
The KJCA Kings team continued its 2010 – 11 4NCL campaign with fixtures against e2e4.org.uk 2 and Oxford 3. The weekend also featured the 4NCL’s Annual Awards Ceremony hosted by the 4NCL’s Mike Truran and Dave Welch before the start of play on Sunday morning. This included the KJCA Kings’ team being presented by Mike as winners of last season’s Division 3 Grading Prize, see photo attached.
In the match against e2e4.org.uk 2, we were outgraded by an average of 130 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 16 points). As anticipated, the match was closely contested and the advantage in most of the games fluctuated considerably. This was one of the longest matches in which we have been involved with one of the games going into the final hour and two more going into the last couple of hours. In the end, one player on each board ran into time trouble and either lost outright or had to settle for a draw. The final outcome of a 4 – 2 win for us was a very good team performance and featured strong rearguard actions by our players on several boards.
The following day against Oxford 3, we outgraded them by an average of 111 points per board (ECF equivalent: 14 points). On paper, this was a match that we all felt we should win before the start and, once an advantage was gained, it was converted into a win. Our victory margin ultimately was 4½ – 1½.
Pride of place over the weekend must go to Dominic Foord, making his debut for the team, and Lyall Bayliss, both of whom won their 2 games. For the team, it was a most satisfactory weekend with 2 victories. This left us with 6 points from the first 4 rounds and now up to 6th place in the division.
The full team, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) William Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Dominic Foord (Westminster School and Willesden and Brent CC); 4) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 5) Lyall Bayliss; 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC).
>Back to top >>NYCA Under 12 Championship, Telford, Saturday 13th November 2010
Despite a 5.30am start from Eltham our U12 team were full of enthusiasm and commitment to achieving the best result possible on the day. And did all the players give it their best! The tournament was played over four 45minute rounds with 10 teams of 12 competing. Our team consisted of, in board order; Hector Huser, Yasmin Giles, Alexander Selway, Zara Hussain, Girinath Haridas, Jackson Wen, Thomas Morton, Peter Mant, Ianto Jones, Angharad Jones, Joelle Hakim and Imogen Duke.
The first round proved to be the hardest (perhaps a case of still getting into gear) achieving a score of 5½ out of 12 and placing us in 7th place. However the players confidence gained momentum and resulted in us winning the third round by a clear margin. We were now in contention for the major prizes as we entered the final round. Our final placing was 4th with 27½ points, just seven points behind the eventual winners. The placings at the top were very tight, with a couple more wins and the story would have been very different. Well done to all the team members all of whom performed well. A special mention should also go to Thomas Morton who won all of his games.
>Back to top >>NYCA Under 16 Championship, Telford, Saturday 13th November 2010
Another trip to the north heralded the NYCA U-16 tournament at the Abraham Darby Academy in Telford. We had yet another 05:30 start, but proved again that Kent has excellence across a range of ages, finishing second to a Yorkshire team who were over a year older. Best performances of the day were from Conrad Allison and Raunak Rao, who scored 4/4 and 3½/4 respectively.
The full team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: 1) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar School), 2) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School), 3) Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College), 4) Alexei Davis (Eltham College),5) Raunak Rao (St. Olave's Grammar School), 6 Baven Balendran (Eton College), 7) Conrad Allison (St Olave's Grammar School) and Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep School)
>Back to top >>KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2010-11; Staverton, Northamptonshire
Rounds 1 and 2 Triangular Match v Iceni and v Metropolitan: Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 November 2010.
The KJCA Kings team was due to open its 4NCL campaign against Celtic Tigers 2 on the Saturday but they were unable to raise a team. The draw was re-arranged so that we would play a triangular match on both days against Iceni, our original opponents on the Sunday, and Metropolitan, a stronger team than Celtic Tigers 2. We outgraded Metropolitan narrowly by an average of 59 FIDE rating points per board but conversely were ourselves outgraded by an average of 60 FIDE rating points per board by Iceni. It is a long time since the team was last involved in a triangular match and we had forgotten that it was a rather strange empty experience. Normally, on the Saturday night, one is either elated or down at the result but with only half of the matches completed against each opponent, nothing is finalised. In fact, at half time on Saturday night, we were 2 - 1 up against Metropolitan but ½ - 2½ down against Iceni.
The following day, the second half had to be played and we realised that the task against Iceni was going to be very tough. By the end, we had achieved a 4 - 2 win against Metropolitan but were unable to claw back the deficit against Iceni and lost 2 - 4.
We would probably have happily settled for a win and a draw from these fixtures before the start, so the outcome, although disappointing, is not disastrous. Pride of place over the weekend goes to Robert Maguire, who won both his games.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Raunak Rao (St. Olave's Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
>Back to top >>NYCA Under 14 Championship, Telford, Saturday 25th September 2010
The NYCA U-14 national competition was held in the Abraham Darby Academy in Telford. Our team had a very early start leaving by coach (with the U18 team) from Eltham College at 5:45am! In spite of a pre-occupation with electronic devices on the coach and a long journey, Kent pulled off the best result they had ever achieved in the history of the tournament, with a score of 41½ points out of a maximum of 48. This was a clear 12 points above second place. The best performances of the day were from Raunak Rao, Patrick Smith, Hector Huser, Yasmin Giles, Rohan Bansal, Simon Leung and Shyam Kalairajah,who won all 4 of their games.
The full team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: 1) Peter Andreev (Hall School), 2) Raphael Kalid (Trinity School), 3) Alexei Davis (Eltham College), 4) Raunak Rao (St. Olave's Grammar School), 5) Patrick Smith (Judd School), 6) Alexander Selway (Eltham College Junior School), 7) Hector Huser (Trinity School), 8) Yasmin Giles (Newstead Wood School), 9) Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College), 10) Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep), 11) Elizabeth Elgar (Sevenoaks School), 12) Shyam Kalairajah (Sevenoaks School).
>Back to top >>2009-2010 SEASON
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10: Mortimer, Berkshire.
Round 9 v Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg: Saturday 1 May 2010;
Round 10 v Cambridge University 2: Sunday 2 May 2010;
Round 11 v The Full Ponty: Monday 3 May 2010.
The KJCA Kings team entered the final weekend of this season’s 4NCL campaign with a chance of gaining one of the 4 promotion slots to Division 2 from a starting position of equality with 4 other teams in second place and with the leaders only 1 point ahead. With 5 other teams close behind, the players knew that they would face a weekend of difficult matches against teams with the same incentive.
On the Saturday, we were outgraded by an average of 286 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 36 points) by Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg, one of the teams level with us on points. We knew that this would be a difficult match, as they were one of the 2 highest-graded teams in the league. This was exactly how it turned out. For the first time this season, we were outplayed and we really only had chances of a win during play on two of the boards. These chances slipped away, however, and we went down ½ – 5½, only our second defeat of the season.
This increased the pressure for the match against Cambridge University 2 on the Sunday. Having drawn the previous day, they were now 1 point ahead of us. We were again outgraded but more narrowly by an average of 181 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 23 points) but the team felt confident that this was a match that we could achieve the win that was an absolute requirement. Unfortunately, for only the second time this season, we fell below our high standard of consistency and went down to a disappointing 2 – 4 defeat. Studying the other results later in the evening, we realised that this defeat had ended our hopes of promotion for this season.
Going into the last day of the season, we realised that we were probably still leading in the race to the 1st grading prize – average grade below 2000 (FIDE) – and that a win would secure this award. We were drawn against The Full Ponty, who were 1 point ahead of us but only outgraded us by an average of 49 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 6 points). The players felt very confident of winning this match and so it transpired, eventually winning by 4½ – 1½.
This meant that we again finished 7th in the 32-strong league but this time with 14 points, only one point off the promotion places, our best finish to date. As we were among the lowest graded teams in the league, this reflects superbly on the players. Provisionally, we also won the inaugural 1st grading prize. The players can consider themselves unlucky, in many ways, to have missed out on promotion but we only took 3 out of the last 8 points available and these last 4 matches contained the only 2 instances where the team’s high level of consistency dropped during the season.
Pride of place over the final weekend goes to Jasdeep Gahir, who remained unbeaten, and to Robert Maguire, who won 2 of his games.
The full team over the weekend, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss, was varied as follows: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). Matt and Robert swapped boards on the Monday.
EPSCA Under 9 Final, 24 April 2010
The Kent Under 9 squad competed in the EPSCA Under 9 Inter-Association Championship 2010 final in Haywards Heath on Saturday 24 April 2010.
The day ended in a close contest for the top three positions. Just half a point separated us from the winners and despite a valiant effort we came second and handed the trophy, won last year, back.
The top three teams were: 1st Wey Valley (27); 2nd Kent (26½); 3rd Barnet (26) - the full list of results can be found on the EPSCA website www.epsca.org.uk
EPSCA Under 11 Girls Final, 17 April 2010
The Kent Under 11 Girls’ team of 12 plus 4 reserves travelled to Barnet for the EPSCA Inter-County final on Saturday April 17th 2010, most of whom were experiences players and we had high hopes for the team. There were 12 teams competing this year and each player had 50 minutes on their clock in a jamboree draw. The group was accompanied by WFM Ros Kieran, who provided valuable coaching during the day.
We were off to promising start, after a score of 10½/12 in the first round, but only 1 point ahead of both Sussex and Nottinghamshire. However, we started to pull away with another 10½/12 in the second round, then 3½ point clear of second place Barnet.
After winning the title last year, this is now the second year in a row that we have won the EPSCA U11 Girls’ shield, with all credit due to immense efforts and concentration from the girls. Best performances of 3/3 wins came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary School and Lewisham CC), Zara Hussain (Granville School and Westerham CC), Jessica Wen (Sutton Valence School), Rachel Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Helen Jones (Walthamstow Hall School and Westerham CC), Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep School), Kira Chathli (Sydenham High School) and Imogen Duke (Bromley High School).
The full team, managed by Tony Rao and coached by Ros Kieran WFM, in board order, was Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary School and Lewisham CC), Zara Hussain (Granville School and Westerham CC), Jessice Wen (Sutton Valence School), Rachel Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Raveena Rao (Bromley High School), Helen Jones (Walthamstow Hall School) and Westerham CC), Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep School), Joelle Hakim (Bromley High School), Amelia Ward (Sydenham High School), Anu Shankar (Amherst School), Kira Chathli (Sydenham High School) and Imogen Duke (Bromley High School).
Final results were as follows: 1st Kent 31; 2nd Barnet 25½; 3rd Wey Valley 25; 4th Nottinghamshire 24½; 5th = Sussex & Oxfordshire 23; 7th Berkshire 16½; 8th Oldham 15½; 9th Lincolnshire 12½; 10th Hertfordshire 9; 11th Manchester 5; 12th Richmond 4½
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley, Leicestershire.
Round 5 v Warwickshire Select 2: Saturday 20 February 2010;
Round 6 v 3Cs: Sunday 21 February 2010.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a top-of-the-table fixture against Warwickshire Select 2, who were joint leaders with us going into the weekend. We were outgraded by the opposition by an average of 115 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 15 points). However, we felt confident going into the game that we could shade what was likely to be a close match. This is very much how it turned out. The team gave a very solid performance and ran out with a narrow 3½ – 2½ win.
This put us overnight into the unprecedented position of leading the division outright. The following day, we were drawn against 3Cs, who were only a point behind us. We felt that this was one of the 2 very strong teams in the division and that we would all have to be on top form to achieve a result in the match. They outgraded us by an average of 235 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 30 points). The match appeared to be going very well approaching the first (2 hour) time control with good chances of our winning on 3 boards and of drawing on the other 3. This happy situation dissipated in a ‘mad half hour’. This was through a mixture of some good play and plenty of solid play by our opponents but disappointingly predominantly by errors on our part. If, at the end of the season, we can look back and say that we got all the errors out of the way in one match, then we will be able to smile about it. However, during this half hour, we contrived to lose 4 matches and draw one. An hour or so later, the remaining match was also lost and we ended on the wrong end of a ½ – 5½ drubbing. Such results are always especially disappointing when one has set up the base for a positive result. Nevertheless, we finish the weekend in equal third position with 3 other teams, just one point behind the joint leaders. If we had been offered this position at roughly the halfway mark before the start of the season, we would undoubtedly have taken it and the team remains well-placed to make a run for promotion.
Pride of place over the weekend goes to Robert Maguire, who achieved a win and a draw in his matches.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). Lyall and Matt swapped boards on the Sunday.
KJCA Knights: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley.
Round 3 v Oxford 2: Saturday 16 January 2010;
Round 4 v Sussex Smart Controls: Sunday 17 January 2010.
The KJCA Knights fought valiantly at 4NCL in rounds three and four against two strong and experienced teams, Oxford 3 and Sussex Smart Controls.
On Saturday we played Oxford 2 and we were outgraded by an average of 269 FIDE points so this was always going to be a tough round. Whilst the Knights lost 6-0, three hours into the round they were all still playing and credit to the youngsters, they were not going to fall easily. Despite Raphael and Connor playing for almost five hours, in the end, they all had to admit defeat but were able to come away knowing that they had put up a good fight.
Sunday brought a fresh day and with a good breakfast inside, the KJCA Knights were ready to do battle again. Yet again they had an experienced team against them and Sussex Smart Controls outgraded them by an average of 239 FIDE points. We were beaten again but this time by 5-1, with Barnaby picking up a point on Board 6 but once again, the team was confident that they had played well and challenged their opponents.
As a weekend, we all had a great time and the children are gaining a lot of experience from their games. This weekend was never going to be easy and the team moves forward with one match point and the knowledge that they are well on their way to developing into a strong and successful team.
The full team in Round 3, in board order, managed by Sally Coultas-Paul was: 1) Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich Prep and Lewisham CC); 2) Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC); 3) Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich); 4) Gautham Reddiar (St Olafs School); 5) Alexei Davie (Eltham College and Lewisham CC); 6) Barnaby Paul) Lancing College and Beckenham and Bromley CC).
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Hinckley.
Round 3 v Nottinghamshire 1: Saturday 16 January 2010;
Round 4 v Sambuca Black Sheep: Sunday 17 January 2010.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with fixtures against Nottinghamshire 1 and Sambuca Black Sheep. Both our opponents had started the season with wins in both the 2 opening rounds and, like us, were in an eight-way tie at the top of the division on maximum points.
In the match against Nottinghamshire 1, we were outgraded by an average of 128 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 16 points). As anticipated, the match was very closely contested. Although we never looked like losing, we were not quite able to force the win and had to be satisfied with the 3 – 3 draw. This was a fair reflection of a good contest and it would have been a little harsh on our opponents if they had lost.
The following day against Sambuca Black Sheep, we were again outgraded by an average of 139 points per board (ECF equivalent: 17 points). This again was the expected tight contest and turned into one of the longest matches in which we have ever been involved. The Board 3 and Board 4 matches finished well after all the other Division 3 matches had been completed. Prior to this, we needed 1 point from these two games for victory with Lyall better on Board 4. Eventually, Matt did well to force the vital draw on Board 3 and the players on Board 4 shook hands on a draw to give us a narrow win by 3½ – 2½.
Pride of place over the weekend must go to Victor Jones and Lyall Bayliss, both of whom scored a win and a draw. This left us with 7 points from the first 4 rounds and now in only a two-way tie at the top of the division. This is our best ever start to a 4NCL season. The whole weekend was tense and exciting with some very good chess played. There appear to be many closely-matched teams in the division this season and the fight for honours is likely to go down to the wire. It should be an exciting season. Consistency will be vital. There is a long way to go!
The full team in Round 3, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Laurence Jones (Lewisham CC). In Round 4, the team was the same but Lyall was on Board 4 and Matt on Board 3.
NYCA Under 12 Championship, Telford, Saturday 7th November, 2009
The NYCA U-12s national tournament was held, as it was for the U-14s, in the Abraham Darby Academy in Telford. There we were again at 5:30am leaving the Eltham College car park on a pre booked coach packed with, despite the early start, buzzing group of players and an already worn out, sleepy but as always supportive handful of parents. The tournament kicked off at 10:30am. At the end of the 1st round we had a score of 8/12. Only 3 losses!!! The optimism went up high. The second round though brought us back to reality. The 6 losses in round 2 sent us back to mid table position. Rounds 3 and 4 were much better giving us back the hope and finally the points we thoroughly deserved to claim the third spot. Well done and congratulations to our twelve players. In board order : 1- Raphael Kalid, 2- Patrick Smith, 3-Hector Huser, 4- Robert Wang, 5-Mano Sathyamurthy, 6-Elisabeth Elgar, 7-Rohan Bansal, 8-Alexander Selway, 9-Sophie Wahts, 10- Thomas Morton, 11-Zara Hussain, 12- Ianto Jones.
The best performances of the day, with a score of 4/4, were from Patrick Smith and Robert Wang. Two other players were also unbeaten: Raphael Kalid and Rohan Bansal.
NYCA Under 16 Championship, Telford, Saturday 7th November, 2009
The under 16 team travelled by coach to Telford (accompanied by the under 12 team), being one of 7 teams in the tournament. The other 6 teams were Berkshire, Cheshire & North Wales, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The first round saw us make a reasonable strong start on 4/8, putting us in 3rd place. The second round was our best with 5 points, putting us second equal and with a chance of finishing in the top 3. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there, scoring only 2/8 in round 3, putting us in 6th place, where we remained, even after another 4/6 on round 4.
The best performance came from Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), scoring 3/4.
The full team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows:
Peter Andreev (Henry Cavendish Primary, Dulwich), Baven Balendren (Eton College and Beckenham & Bromley Chess Club). John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington), Gautham Reddiar (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC) and Abigail Sathyamurthy (Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar, Canterbury and Herne Bay CC).
The full official Championship result was as follows:
1) Yorkshire 21; 2) Hampshire 18½; 3) Lancashire 18; 4) Glamorgan 17½; 5) Berkshire 15½; 6) Kent 15; 7) Cheshire/North Wales 6½
KJCA Knights: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Daventry.
Round 1 v AMCA Rhinos: Saturday 24 October 2009;
Round 2 v Bristol 2: Sunday 25 October 2009.
Congratulations must go to the KJCA Knights on their debut weekend as a 4NCL team. Most of the children were new to 4NCL and weren’t really sure what to expect from it but they rose to the challenge and had a fantastic weekend.
The KJCA Knights team kicked off with their first round against AMCA Rhinos, a very experienced 4NCL team and despite being outgraded by an average of over 240 FIDE points per board they put up a really good fight. Conor secured a well deserved win and several of his team mates came very close. Despite losing the round 5 – 1, they put in their best efforts and learned from the experience.
Day two came with some good preparation, and with some good advice from the KJCA Kings, the KJCA Knights proved they were ready for action. Sitting opposite Bristol 2, another very experienced team who this time only outgraded them by an average of over 200 FIDE points per board, they demonstrated their ability brilliantly. Several hours into the round, the KJCA Knights were still fighting it out and came away with two wins, two draws and two losses, securing a 3 – 3 draw for the team. Conor secured another win, two wins for the weekend being a fantastic result, as did Barnaby, whose opponent outgraded him by 288 FIDE points. Baven and Alexei secured excellent draws and Nicholas and Raphael both played extremely well, only missing out in the very end game.
Taking into consideration that not only is the KJCA Knights a new, inexperienced and very young 4NCL team, who were heavily outgraded in both rounds, this was an amazing start to their 4NCL career and each and everyone of them should be proud of their achievement. I have no doubt that they will go from strength to strength and become a strong and formidable team.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Sally Coultas-Paul was: 1) Baven Balendran (Eton College and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 2) Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich Prep and Lewisham CC); 3) Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC); 4) Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich); 5) Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC) and 6) Barnaby Paul (Lancing College and Beckenham & Bromley CC). A photo of the team taken before the second round is attached.
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2009-10; Daventry.
Round 1 v Oxford 3: Saturday 24 October 2009;
Round 2 v FCA Solutions 2: Sunday 25 October 2009.
The KJCA Kings team opened its 4NCL campaign against Oxford 3. We outgraded our opponents narrowly by an average of 41 FIDE rating points per board. The match was a bit more of a struggle than we had predicted beforehand, especially as our opponents defaulted the bottom board match. However, we pulled home by 4 – 2, which was converted into 4 – 1½, as our opponents were docked ½ of a point under the new rules for defaulting games.
The following day, the team had a tougher fixture against FCA Solutions 2, who outgraded us narrowly by an average of 40 FIDE rating points per board. However, we had beaten them towards the end of last season, so the team went in confident. It was a close contest throughout and the match looked as if it was heading for a draw. However, no one had reckoned on an amazing performance from Jasdeep Gahir. Playing the penultimate game and in a worse position, he played superbly in the time scramble leading up to the first time control to turn the game round completely and force his opponent to resign early into the second time period. This enabled the team to emerge with another 4 – 2 victory.
This is the first time that the team has ever managed 2 wins on the first 4NCL weekend. It was just what the players had targeted, as in previous seasons excellent results late in the season had not been quite sufficient to overturn poor starts. In truth, we probably had a bit of luck but this in itself must be a good omen for the season. Pride of place over the weekend goes to William Jones, Victor Jones, Matt Lunn and Robert Maguire, all of whom achieved a win and a draw.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC). A photo of the team before the Round 2 match is attached.
NYCA Under 14 Championship, Telford, Saturday 26th September, 2009
The NYCA U-14 national competition was held in the Abraham Darby Academy in Telford.
The Kent team had a very early start leaving by coach (with the U18 team) from Eltham College at 5:45am. We had a smooth journey with time for a 45 minutes coffee/breakfast interval en route before arriving in Telford at 10am.
9 teams of 12 players had entered for the U14 Championship this year. Each player had to play 4 Jamboree pairing matches with 45 minutes each on the clock.
At the end of Round 1, Kent scored a solid 8 points out of 12 and was in joint second place with Berkshire, 1½ points behind our rival Sussex, with Lancashire in fourth place on 7½ points.
Round 2 produced a better result of 9 points, giving Kent a total of 17 points but we remained in second place behind Sussex who had secured 11 points for a total of 20½. Berkshire fell back to third on 15 points.
Round 3 was our best performance with 9½ points but still Sussex pulled ahead with 11½ points secured. Their only dropped point in round 3 was the half point secured in a draw by Raphael Kalid, board 3.
Going into the final round we were in second place, 2½ points clear of Berkshire in third but 5½ points behind the leaders Sussex. Our only hope of victory was that Sussex may have had to get up even earlier than our players to get to Telford! As we waited for our players to emerge from the final session rumours circulated that Berkshire had had a very strong round and might even be catching Kent in second place. When our final players completed their games, Kent had scored 8½ points in the final round, against 8 for Berkshire. The top three final positions were therefore, Sussex, first on 42½ points, Kent second on 35 points and Berkshire third on 32 points.
Kent did not enter a team at U14 level last year so we were pleased with our performance. Sussex fielded a very strong team with average grading of 14 per player above our team’s grading. Eleven of our players are however eligible to compete at U14 level again next year, when we hope to improve on this year’s performance.
The best performance of the day was from Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC) who received a board prize for winning his 4 games. Four other players were also unbeaten on the day: Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich College Prep and Lewisham CC), Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Patrick Smith (The Judd School and Sevenoaks CC), and Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC).
The full team, managed by Angela Smith, in board order, was as follows: 1) Gautham Reddiar (St. Olave's Grammar, Orpington), 2) Nicholas Clanchy, 3) Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), 4) Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), 5) Alexei Davis, 6) Conor Murphy, 7) Patrick Smith, 8) Oliver Petrick (The Judd School and Sevenoaks CC), 9) Orlando Devoy (Hampton Court House School), 10) Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep and Dulwich CC), 11) Benedict Rodrigues and 12) Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC).
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Sussex 42½pts; 2) Kent 35pts; 3) Berkshire 32pts; 4) Lancashire 30½pts; 5) Yorkshire 18½pts; 6) Cheshire North Wales 17½pts; 7) South Wales 17½pts; 8) Staffordshire 14½pts; 9) Manchester 8pts.
2008-2009 SEASON
EPSCA Under 11 National Final 2008-9;
High Wycombe; Saturday 9 May 2009.
The team of 20 players plus 4 reserves, Chris Ward and a host of parents, made the trip to High Wycombe in a fleet of cars with the mission of defending our national Under 11 title. The team would have to play 3 rounds with 50 minutes each on the clocks. A total of 16 teams had qualified for the Final.
The first round produced a solid 14/20 but left us in second place equal with Barnet but 3½ points behind Nottinghamshire. Round 2 was our best producing another 17 points to close the gap on Nottinghamshire to 1½ points, alone in second place. The final round produced another 16 points to take the overall result down to the last match in which a Nottinghamshire player, needing a draw, was a couple of pieces down but managed to turn the game round to leave them winners by ½ of a point over us in second place – quite a finish! The team had done very well, having scored 4 points more than in winning last year and were 10 points ahead of the third-placed team, but were still just short. This was, however, good enough to win the Audio Chess Grand Prix and its 1st prize of £150 for the overall results from this season’s EPSCA Primary inter-County Championships, having won the Under 9s and the Under 11 Girls’ Championships, 2 points ahead of Nottinghamshire. The reserves also did well to score 9½/12 to finish in third place in the Reserves competition. 8 players won all their games: Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Dulwich CC), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School and Sevenoaks CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Daniel Reidy (Barming Primary). 6 other players were also unbeaten on the day: Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC) and Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
The full team, managed by Targino Kalid-Filho and Veronica Davis and coached by Chris Ward GM, in board order, was as follows: Alexei Davis, Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep), Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Conor Murphy, Patrick Smith, Simon Leung, Yasmin Giles, Hector Huser, Oliver Petrick, Owen Messere (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Robert Wang (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Bansal, Mano Sathyamurthy, Elizabeth Elgar, Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Vishal Shiatis, Mary Scott (St. James’ Primary, Tunbridge Wells), Rohan Rao (Eltham College), Alex Selway (Eltham College), James Meredith, John-James Daley, Thomas Morton (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Daniel Heraghty (Rosemead Prep and Lewisham CC) and Daniel Reidy.
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Nottinghamshire 47½; 2) Kent 47; 3) Barnet 37; 4) Sussex 36½; 5) Hertfordshire 32½; 6) Oxfordshire 31½; 7) Yorkshire 30½; 8) Manchester 30; 9) Berkshire 30; 10) Wey Valley 29½; 11) Devon 27½; 12) Oldham 26½; 13) Richmond 24; 14) Essex 17½; 15) Lancashire 16½; 16) Buckinghamshire 16.
The full official result of the Reserves competition was as follows: 1) Barnet 10½; 2) Sussex 10; 3) Kent 9½; 4=) Berkshire and Nottinghamshire 7½; 6) Hertfordshire 6½; 7) Oxfordshire 4½; 8=) Essex and Wey Valley 4; 10=) Oldham and Yorkshire 3; 12) Richmond 1; 13=) Devon, Lancashire and Manchester 0.
The full official result of the Audio Chess Grand Prix was as follows: 1) Kent 54 (£150); 2) Nottinghamshire 52 (£100); 3) Barnet 39 (£75); 4) Sussex 37 (£50); 5) Wey Valley 36; 6) Hertfordshire 28; 7) Berkshire 26; 8) Yorkshire 24; 9) Manchester 23; 10) Oxfordshire 22; 11) Staffordshire 17; 12=) Essex, Liverpool and Richmond 15; 15) Oldham 14; 16) Cheshire and North Wales 12; 17=) Buckinghamshire and Hampshire 11; 19=) Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Somerset 10; 22=) Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire 9; 24) Devon 8; 25) Wiltshire 5; 26) Norfolk 3; 27) Tameside 2.
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9: Mortimer, Berkshire.
Round 9 v AMCA Dragons: Saturday 2 May 2009;
Round 10 v Guildford A&DC 4: Sunday 3 May 2009;
Round 11 v Littlethorpe 1: Monday 4 May 2009.
The KJCA Kings team entered the final weekend of this season’s 4NCL campaign with a chance of gaining one of the 4 promotion slots to Division 2 from a starting position of only 1 point behind the team in fourth place. The players knew that they would have to play at their best against teams above them with the same incentive starting with a very difficult match against AMCA Dragons, the unbeaten team at the top of the league.
We were outgraded by an average of 217 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 43 points) by AMCA Dragons. However, the team entered the weekend and the match with a very positive attitude and the realisation in this match that we needed to break the sequence which had seen our opponents remain unbeaten all season on any of their top 3 boards. This was achieved with Victor Jones winning and the other 2 top boards resulting in draws. Unfortunately, our opponents proved too strong in the latter stages of the matches on the bottom 3 boards resulting in a 2 – 4 defeat. Midway through it had looked as if we would win narrowly and the opposing captain graciously conceded that it was only the second time this season that he had thought that they were going to lose.
This put us in a more difficult situation on the Sunday, knowing that we needed to win both our remaining matches and would still need to rely on other results. We were drawn against Guildford A&DC 4. We were again outgraded but more narrowly by 88 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 19 points). This was again a tough match in which we managed to see through our advantage to win by 3½ – 2½ with wins for all our players with White.
This meant that we went into the last day of the season in sixth place two points behind the team in fourth place but still in with a chance but reliant on one other team above us slipping up even if we won. We were drawn against Littlethorpe 1, who were in third place also 2 points ahead of us. They had imported the notorious GM Danny Gormally, who used to do coaching for the KJCA, on board 1 to try to assure themselves of promotion. This made a hard task already more difficult with Lyall Bayliss consigned to the pleasure of playing him with Black! We were yet massively outgraded – by an average of 285 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 57 points). Our opponents needed to win to ensure their own promotion. Another long and very closely-contested match ensued but eventually we went down by 2½ – 3½. This meant that we finished 7th in the 32-strong league, our best finish to date. As we were only the 6th lowest graded team in the league, this and reaching the last day of the season with a chance of promotion, reflects superbly on the players.
Pride of place over the final weekend goes to William Jones and Victor Jones, who both remained unbeaten but congratulations must go to all for giving their all against the odds. If the team had shown the form displayed in the last 3 weekends in the first 2 weekends, promotion would have been earned this season. They now know that they can compete against any opposition in this division next season.
The full team over the weekend, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss, was varied as follows: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC) on Saturday and Sunday, Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School) on Monday; 2) Lyall Bayliss on Saturday, Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC) on Sunday, William Jones on Monday; 3) Victor Jones on Saturday and Monday, Lyall Bayliss on Sunday; 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
EPSCA Under 9 National Final 2008-9;
Northampton; Saturday 25 April 2009
The Kent Under 9 team were on the road to Northampton from around 8 o’clock. The 12 players plus 4 reserves were accompanied by Des Tan FM, who commenced the day’s coaching at 10.30. Each player had to play 3 rounds in the jamboree draw with 40 minutes on each player’s clock in each game.
The team made a good start scoring 9/12 in the 1st round to lead by 1 point from Berkshire. The reserves also started well with 2½/4 points to stand in fourth place, just ½ of a point behind the three joint leaders. In the 2nd round, the team had Black on 11 boards but still managed a solid 8½ points to drop back to second place, just ½ of a point behind Wey Valley. The reserves scored a further 2 points to move up to second place as well, still ½ of a points behind Nottinghamshire. Every player now had a lot to play for and went in for the third round very focussed and determined. We finished with an excellent 10 points for an aggregate of 27½ points, including a win on board 3 in the head-to-head match with Wey Valley. This was sufficient to take victory in this event for the first time since 1998, 3 points ahead of Nottinghamshire. The reserves clocked up another 2 points to retain second place in the reserves competition with an aggregate of 6½ points, just ½ of a point behind Hertfordshire. The team spirit and application throughout the day by all the players was excellent and their last round when a big performance was needed was exceptional. The best performances of the day came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alex Selway (Eltham College Junior School), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Daniel Carstairs (Southborough Primary, Bromley and Petts Wood & Orpington CC), Harry Chathli (Dulwich College) and Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), all of whom won all their games.
The full team (photo attached), coached by Des Tan FM and managed by Krishna Shiatis and Peter Bayliss, in board order, was as follows: Rohan Shiatis, James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Alex Selway, John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Datta (Fosse Bank, Hildenborough), Zara Hussain, Adam Fidler (Amherst School, Riverhead), Daniel Carstairs, Sachin Balaji (Eltham College Junior School), Harry Chathli, Hasan Rahij (Harenc School, Footscray), Alfie Shankland (Rose Hill, Tunbridge Wells), Francesco Bernardini (Bishop Challoner School, Shortlands), James Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Zakary Warsop (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Angharad Jones.
The full official result was as follows: 1) Kent 27½; 2) Nottinghamshire 24½; 3) Wey Valley 23½ (on tie-break); 4) Barnet 23½; 5) Hertfordshire 21; 6) Berkshire 20½; 7) Sussex 18; 8) Staffordshire 17½; 9) Yorkshire 15½; 10) Cheshire and North Wales 14; 11) Essex 13½; 12) Lincolnshire 13; 13) Hampshire 11½; 14) Richmond 8½.
The full official result of the Reserves competition was as follows: 1) Hertfordshire 7; 2) Kent 6½; 3=) Barnet 6; 3=) Wey Valley 6; 5) Nottinghamshire 5; 6) Berkshire 3½; 7) Sussex 3; 8=) Lincolnshire 2; 8=) Staffordshire 2.
SCCU Under 18 Regional Final 2008-9;
Wallington; Sunday 29 March 2009.
This Championship was played over 2 rounds with 65 minutes on the clocks. It was good to see that the entry had doubled to 4 teams (of 8 players) from last season.
In the first round, we scored 3/8 to stand in 3rd place 3½ points behind Surrey. In the second round, the team improved to 4½ points to finish in 3rd place still 3½ points behind the winners, Surrey. John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) won both his matches while Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington and Beckenham & Bromley CC) were unbeaten in their two matches.
The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order was: Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Dunstan Rodrigues, Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul, Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC), Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), John Holden and Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
The final official Championship scores were: 1) Surrey 11; 2) Sussex 10; 3) Kent 7½; 4) Buckinghamshire 3½.
SCCU Under 18/Under 90/Over 11 Regional Final 2008-9;
Wallington; Sunday 29 March 2009.
There were 6 teams of 6 players competing over 2 rounds with 65 minutes on the clocks.
In the first round, we scored 1½ points to stand in equal fifth place, 4½ points behind the leaders, Surrey. The team improved to 2½ points in the second round to finish in joint fourth place on 4 points, a long way behind Surrey A, who scored a maximum 12 points. Alastair Thomas (Borden Grammar, Sittingbourne) and Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) were both unbeaten on the day.
The full team, managed by Sue Maguire, in board order, was: Sunil Parthiban (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alastair Thomas, Benedict Rodrigues, Aravind Parthiban (Trinity School, Croydon), Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC) and James Maguire (Shirley High School).
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Surrey A 12; 2) Coulsdon A 7½; 3) Surrey B 6; 4=) Kent 4; 4=) Sussex 4; 6) Coulsdon B 2½.
EPSCA Under 11 Girls’ National Final 2008-9; Bolton; Saturday 28 March 2009.
The Kent Under 11 Girls’ team of 12 plus 4 reserves travelled to Bolton on Saturday March 28th 2009, most of whom braved the early start from London at 7.30am, with a group of parents in tow. This was perhaps the strongest team for many years, with most girls having played in a number of home and other tournaments over the past 2 years. There were 12 teams competing this year and each player had 50 minutes on their clock in a jamboree draw. The group was accompanied by WFM Ros Kieran, who provided valuable coaching during the day.
There was a disappointing start in the first round, with the team scoring 6/12, being 2½ points behind the joint leaders (Manchester, Wey Valley and Oxfordshire). The second round was a monumental reversal of fortune, with a perfect score of 12/12 and a nail-biting last match from Elizabeth Elgar, which put us in second position, only ½ of a point behind Wey Valley. It was therefore all to play for in the last round, with the Team Captain (Yasmin Giles) providing valuable moral support to all the players. Another excellent performance in the third round produced a score of 10/12, putting us a clear 1½ points ahead of second place (Wey Valley). The victory meant that we won back the EPSCA U11 Girls’ shield after 18 years, with much jubilation all round. Best performances of 3/3 wins came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary School, Lewisham and Lewisham CC), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary School, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s C of E Primary School, Tunbridge Wells), Helen Jones (Bromley High School, Bickley) and Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep School, Lambeth).
The full team, managed by Tony Rao and coached by Ros Kieran WFM, with photo attached, in board order, was: Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary School, Lewisham and Lewisham CC), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary School), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary School, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Ella Seagrove (Amherst School, Sevenoaks), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks), Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s C of E Primary School, Tunbridge Wells), Rachel Smith (Amherst School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Priya Wasu (Bromley High School, Bickley), Helen Jones (Bromley High School, Bickley), Raveena Rao (Bromley High School, Bickley), Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep School, Lambeth), Alannah Atherton (Rosemead Prep School, Lambeth), Sabrina Sinha (Blackheath High School), Anu Shankar (Amherst School, Sevenoaks) and Bhavana Pasupathy (Heronsgate Primary School, Thamesmead).
The full official Zonal result was as follows:
1) Kent 28; 2) Wey Valley 26½; 3) Manchester 22½; 4) Nottinghamshire 21½; 5) Liverpool 20½; 6) Sussex 20; 7) Oxfordshire 19; 8) Oldham 16; 9) Barnet 15½; 10) Berkshire 13½; 11) Yorkshire 9; 12) Lincolnshire 4.
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Hinckley.
Round 7 v The Full Ponty; Saturday 21 March 2009;
Round 8 v FCA Solutions 2; Sunday 22 March 2009.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against The Full Ponty. Although we were outgraded by an average of just over 85 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 17 points), we expected the match to be close. The games were hard-fought but we always retained a slight edge and finally got home by a margin of 4 – 2.
The following day, our reward was a match against FCA Solutions 2. We were again outgraded by an average of just under 80 points per board (ECF equivalent: 16 points) but felt beforehand that it was likely to be a close-run affair. All the matches were closely contested but we just managed to squeeze home for a 3½ – 2½ win.
This represented a fantastic weekend with the team extending its winning streak to 4 matches to give us a good chance of promotion going into the final 3-day weekend, just 1 point off the fourth promotion place. However, we are drawn against the top of the table AMCA Dragons side on the first day, so the team will need to play at its best over the last weekend to secure promotion. On the other hand, this gives us the chance to have a direct effect on the promotion picture. Pride of place over this weekend goes to William Jones and Victor Jones, who won both their games.
The full team, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
EPSCA Under 11 Zonal 2008-9;
Chingford; Saturday 21 March 2009.
Kent’s team of 20 plus 4 reserves plus many supporting parents made the short journey to Chingford for this season’s Under 11 Zonal. A total of 8 teams were competing for 5 places available in the National Final. Everybody had to play 3 games in the jamboree draw with 50 minutes on each clock. Des Tan FM attended to coach the players during the day.
We made an excellent start scoring 15½/20 in the 1st round, putting us in 1st place where we remained all day, 1½ points ahead of Essex. We scored a further 16½ points in the 2nd round to lead Barnet by 3½ points. The final round produced a further 15 points to give us overall victory by 4 points over Barnet. This sent us forward into the final with confidence high but needing to guard against over-confidence. The reserves also won the Reserves competition with 10½/12. Best performances came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raunak Rao (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School, Riverhead and Sevenoaks CC), Owen Messere (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Robert Wang (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Mary Scott (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells), Alexander Selway (Eltham College Junior School) and Joe Saddler (Platt Primary and Snodland CC), all of whom won all their 3 games. Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep), Conor Murphy (Eltham College Junior School and Charlton CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Rohan Rao (Eltham College Junior School) were all unbeaten on the day.
The full team, managed by Targino Kalid and coached by Des Tan FM, in board order, was: Alexei Davis (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Raphael Kalid, Rohan Shiatis, Conor Murphy, Patrick Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Simon Leung, Yasmin Giles, Hector Huser, Oliver Petrick, Owen Messere, Robert Wang, Rohan Bansal, Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary and Beckenham & Bromley CC), James Wagstaff-Hall (Harenc School, Footscray), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Rohan Rao, Thomas Morton (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Daniel Reidy (Barming Primary), Mary Scott, Alexander Selway, John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Joe Saddler.
The full official Zonal result was as follows:
Qualifiers for the National Final in High Wycombe on Saturday 9 May: 1) Kent 47; 2) Barnet 43; 3) Hertfordshire 38; 4) Richmond 35; 5) Essex 29.
Non-qualifiers: 6) Northamptonshire 21½; 7) Cambridgeshire 14; 8) Norfolk 12½.
SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Sussex 2008-9;
Amherst School, Riverhead; Sunday 15 March 2009.
We played the last qualifier in our U14/U90 group home to Sussex, having already qualified for the Final. This proved to be a tight affair, as had been our away fixture against the same opposition. After the first round, in which Sussex had White, we were in a narrow lead by 6½ – 5½. The second round, in which we had White, was even closer resulting in a 6 – 6 draw to give us an aggregate victory of 12½ – 11½. This gave us a 100% record in the qualifying group.
The best performances came from Abigail Sathyamurthy (Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar, Canterbury and Herne Bay CC), Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) and Aravind Parthiban (Trinity School, Croydon), all of whom were unbeaten on the day.
The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Alexei Davis (Eltham College and Lewisham CC), Abigail Sathyamurthy, Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Patrick Smith, Sam Andrew, Aravind Parthiban, Hugh Saunders (Oxted School and Westerham CC), James Selway (Eltham College), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC), Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Harry O’Connor (Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar) and Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC).
EPSCA Under 9 Zonal 2008-9;
Northampton; Saturday 14 March 2009.
The Kent team of 12 plus 3 reserves made the trip to Northampton for the EPSCA Under 9 Zonal. A total of 7 teams were competing for 5 places in the National Final at the same venue 6 weeks hence. There was a jamboree draw over 3 rounds with 40 minutes on the clocks. Chris Ward GM accompanied the team as Coach.
The day started badly with a second late withdrawal reducing the team to 14 players. This has not occurred for about 5 years. However, young Kiran Shiatis, an ever-cheerful Under 5, stepped forward to fill one of these gaps and permission for this substitution was granted by the Arbiter, Neville Belinfante. Ten members of the team were playing competitive inter-County chess for the first time but they got off to a great start with 10½/12 in the first round to lead by 1½ points from Barnet. A second round score of 8 saw us retain the lead but with a reduced margin of 1 point over Barnet. We faded further in the last round to score 7 points, which saw us finish on 25½/36 in 2nd place, 1½ points behind Barnet, who finished strongly. The old feature of scores falling away as the day progresses has been eliminated over the last couple of years, so some stamina training is clearly in order before the Final! We were obviously one player short in the reserves tournament but a good performance of 5/9 put us in 3rd place behind Barnet with 9/12. Michael Petrick (Amherst School, Riverhead) was the winner of the reserves competition as the only player to score 3/3. This was a good performance overall and the players can go into the Final confident about their chances. The best performances of the day came from Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Sachin Balaji (Eltham College), Alfie Shankland (Rose Hill Prep, Tunbridge Wells) and Michael Petrick, all of whom won all their 3 games.
The full team, managed by Julian Petrick, Krishna Shiatis and Peter Bayliss and coached by Chris Ward GM, in board order, was as follows: Rohan Shiatis, James Meredith (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), John-James Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Alexander Selway (Eltham College), Rohan Datta (Fosse Bank School, Hildenborough), Zara Hussain, Daniel Carstairs (Southborough Primary, Bromley and Petts Wood & Orpington CC), Adam Fidler (Amherst School), Hasan Rahij (Harenc School, Footscray), Francesco Bernardini (Bishop Challoner School, Shortlands), Sachin Balaji, Alfie Shankland, Michael Petrick, Angharad Jones (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) and Kiran Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead). Team photo is attached.
The full official Zonal result was as follows:
Qualifiers for the National Final at Northampton on Saturday 25 April: 1) Barnet 27; 2) Kent 25½; 3) Hertfordshire 19½; 4) Essex 17; 5) Richmond 15½.
Non-qualifiers: 6) Cambridgeshire 12½; 7) Northamptonshire 9.
Reserves Competition: 1) Barnet 9; 2) Hertfordshire 7; 3) Kent 5; 4) Northamptonshire 3; 5) Cambridgeshire 2; 6) Richmond 1.
ECF Under 18 National Final 2008-9; Heanor; Saturday 28 February 2009.
The Kent Under 18 team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45 to defend its title for the third year in a row. This is the premier team event in junior chess in the UK. 6 teams of 12 players had entered for the Final. Each player had to play 2 matches with 75 minutes each on the clocks.
We made a strong start and at the end of the first round had achieved 7 wins and 3 draws to share the lead on 8½ points with a strong Nottinghamshire team with Surrey only ½ of a point behind in third place. This was an excellent performance by the team.
In the second round, Nottinghamshire fell back a little but the position between ourselves and Surrey remained very close until we had only 3 games remaining, two of which were between the 2 counties. However, William Jones completed an excellent win on top board over his Surrey opponent to win the first of these. When Yari Voropayev turned a slight advantage into a win on board 3, Dunstan Rodrigues’ Surrey opponent on board 6 had to overcome pressure on the clock and on the board to tie the Championship. This was never really in prospect and a draw was agreed, leaving us 1 point clear. The team had responded splendidly to the pressure scoring another 8½ points in the second round. This is Kent’s 8th win in the event, moving us ahead of Surrey overall and only trailing Middlesex with 16 wins and Warwickshire with 11. It was our third successive win, matching Lancashire’s record set from 1972-4, and our fourth win in 5 years, a new record. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18 Girls, Under 13s and Under 13 Girls win their national titles at the same venue.
William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC), Yari Voropayev (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC) and Constantine Philippou (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) won both their games while Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC), Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC), Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC) were unbeaten on the day.
The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, with photograph above, was as follows: William Jones, Victor Jones, Yari Voropayev, Lyall Bayliss, Anthony Gregory (Judd School, Tonbridge and Maidstone CC), Dunstan Rodrigues, Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), Duncan Bell, John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar), Constantine Philippou, Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC) and Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 17; 2) Surrey 16; 3) Nottinghamshire 15; 4=) Norfolk and Sussex 10½; 6) Northamptonshire 3.
ECF Under 18 Minor National Final 2008-9; Heanor;
Saturday 28 February 2009.
The 2 Kent Under 18 Minor teams set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. Each player had to play 2 matches with 75 minutes each on the clocks. One of our teams was the Kent Under 18 Girls team that had won the ECF Under 18 Girls title by default. This was the first time we had held this title since 1995. Nevertheless, it was a pity that no one else had entered.
The Kent team made a good start scoring 5/6 in the first round but this was only good enough for second place behind a strong Staffordshire side who scored a 6/6 maximum. We fell away a little in the second round scoring a further 3½ points, which saw us finish in third place.
The Kent Girls team found the going very tough but, after a disastrous first round, fought back well to score 3/6 to finish equal seventh.
Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC) and Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar) won both their games.
The full Kent team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, was as follows: Alexei Davis (Eltham College Junior School and Lewisham CC), Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Benedict Rodrigues, Udit Gadkary (St. Olave’s Grammar), Mano Sathyamurthy (Swalecliffe Primary, Whitstable and Herne Bay CC) and Samuel Wahts.
The full Kent Girls team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: Georgiana Philippou (Langley Park Girls School, Beckenham), Abigail Sathyamurthy (Simon Langton Girls Grammar, Canterbury and Herne Bay CC), Sheila Subbiah (City of London Girls School), Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), Raveena Rao (Bromley High) and Helen Jones (Bromley High).
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Staffordshire 11; 2) Surrey 10; 3) Kent 8½; 4) Lincolnshire 8; 5) Leicestershire 6½; 6) Nottinghamshire 4½; 7=) Kent Girls and Norfolk 3; 9) Derbyshire 1½.
ECF Under 13 National Final 2008-9; Heanor; Saturday 28 February 2009.
The Kent Under 13 team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. 10 teams of 6 players had entered for the Final. Each player had to play 4 matches with 30 minutes each on the clocks.
We made a strong start and at the end of the first round had achieved 5 wins and a draw to lead on 5½ points with a strong Sussex team only ½ of a point behind. This was an excellent performance by the team. A further 5 points followed in the second round to maintain our lead. From here though, the team took total control achieving a magnificent maximum of 6 points in both round three and in the last round. This left us having only conceded 1½ points all day and with a clear 3½ points margin over Sussex. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18s, Under 18 Girls and Under 13 Girls win their national titles at the same venue.
Peter Andreev (Henry Cavendish Primary, Dulwich), Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC) and Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) won all their games.
The full team, managed by Sally Paul, in board order, was as follows: Peter Andreev, Nicholas Clanchy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Baven Balendran, Rohan Shiatis and Raphael Kalid.
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 22½; 2) Sussex 19; 3) Berkshire 16½; 4) Hertfordshire 13½; 5) Nottinghamshire 13; 6) Cheshire North Wales A 12; 7) Cheshire North Wales B 8½; 8=) Leicestershire, Norfolk and Northamptonshire 5.
ECF Under 13 Girls National Final 2008-9; Heanor;
Saturday 28 February 2009.
The Kent Under 13 Girls team set off (with 4 other teams) by coach from Eltham College to Derbyshire at 7.45. Disappointingly, only one other team – Sussex had entered for the Final, so it would be a head-to-head between the two teams. Each player had to play 4 matches with 30 minutes each on the clocks.
The first round resulted in a 3 – 3 draw. From this point though, the team gradually took control. We won the second round 4 – 2 and repeated the same score line in round three. This left us needing only 1½ points in the last round for victory. However, our slight edge continued in the last round with a 3½ – 2½ score to leave us victors by 5 points. Our win capped a splendid day which saw our Under 18s, Under 18 Girls and Under 13s win their national titles at the same venue.
The best performances came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC) and Ella Seagrove (Amherst School, Riverhead), both of whom scored 3/4.
The full team, managed by Tony Rao, in board order, was as follows: Yasmin Giles, Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Vishal Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Ella Seagrove and Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells).
The full official Championship result was as follows: 1) Kent 14½; 2) Sussex 9½.
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Staverton, Northamptonshire.
Round 5 v SCS: Saturday 7 February 2009;
Round 6 v Guildford ADC5: Sunday 8 February 2009.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against SCS. After the previous disastrous weekend, we found ourselves in the rare position of outgrading the opposition by an average of 65 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 13 points). SCS defaulted the bottom board and we eventually ran out with a 4 – 2 win.
The following day, we were drawn against Guildford ADC5, a team with a similar average grade to us. Again the opposition defaulted the bottom board and that was just the start of one of those rare days on which absolutely everything goes in your favour. For the first time, the team scored a 6 – 0 victory. The two victories over the weekend put us back in with a chance of making a late run for promotion, just 3 points outside the fourth promotion place with 5 matches to play.
Pride of place over the weekend goes to William Jones, who won both his matches.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC); 6) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC). Jasdeep and Robert swapped boards on the Sunday.
SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Essex 2008-9;
Wanstead; Sunday 18 January 2009.
We resumed the defence of our U14/U90 title with a trip away to Essex in our third fixture in the qualifying group knowing that a win would mean that we had won the group and qualified for the Final. This was almost certain after the first round, in which we had White, and had moved into a commanding 10 – 2 lead. The second round, in which Essex had White, was slightly closer resulting in a 9 – 3 win for us to give us aggregate victory by 19 – 5.
The best performances came from Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), James Selway (Eltham College) and Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), all of whom won both their matches.
The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid, Raunak Rao, Benedict Rodrigues, Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College Junior School), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Sam Andrew, Orlando Devoy, Hugh Saunders (Oxted School and Westerham CC), Christopher Stern, James Selway, Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Nikhil Math and Timur Basaran (St. Olave’s Grammar).
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Hinckley.
Round 3 v Metropolitan: Saturday 6 December 2008;
Round 4 v Braille Chess Association: Sunday 7 December 2008.
The KJCA Kings team continued its 4NCL campaign with a fixture against Metropolitan, who finished third in the division last season and would have been promoted were it not for the re-organisation of the league. We were outgraded by an average of 162 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 32 points). The match turned into a tight struggle but we never really looked like achieving better than a draw. The team eventually lost by the narrowest margin, 2½ – 3½.
The following day, the team’s reward was possibly an even more difficult fixture against the Braille Chess Association, who had finished fifth in the division last season. We were heavily outgraded by an average of 229 points per board (ECF equivalent: 46 points). At the outset, it was felt that this would be tough even if everyone could play well. However, it turned into a closely-contested match in which we looked as if we might achieve a result for a while. However, their strength on their top 3 boards eventually told and the team went down by 2 – 4.
Pride of place over the weekend must go to Matt Lunn and Laurence Jones, who were both unbeaten. This was, however, perhaps our most disappointing weekend since the first weekend of last season.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Laurence Jones (Lewisham CC).
SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Essex 2008-9
Dulwich College; Saturday 15 November 2008.
We faced Essex at Dulwich College in our second qualifying match in the group. The match turned out to be an emphatic victory. In the first round, Essex had White but we only conceded a lone draw to establish an overwhelming 11½ – ½ lead. We added a 9½ – 2½ score with White in the second round for a 21 – 3 overall win to maintain our 100% record in the group.
The best performances came from Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Alexei Davis (Eltham College), Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Patrick Smith (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sam Andrew (St. Olave’s Grammar), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), all of whom won both their matches and from Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), who were both unbeaten on the day.
The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown, Raphael Kalid, Alexei Davis, Raunak Rao, Rohan Bansal, Patrick Smith, Sam Andrew, Aravind Parthiban (Trinity, Croydon), Orlando Devoy, Christopher Stern, Arthur Stern, Nikhil Math, Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC) and Rachel Smith (Amherst School and Westerham CC)
SCCU Under 14/Under 90 Zonal v Sussex 2008-9;
Lindfield; Saturday 8 November 2008
We took the first step towards the defence of our U14/U90 title with a tough trip away to Sussex in our first of 4 fixtures in the qualifying group. This proved to be a tight affair. After the first round, in which Sussex had White, we were in a narrow lead by 7 – 5. The second round, in which we had White, was even closer resulting in a 6 – 6 draw to give us an aggregate victory of 13 – 11.
The best performances came from Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Crystal Palace & Croydon CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Orlando Devoy (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Harry O’Connor (Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar), all of whom won both their matches and from Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Nikhil Math (St. Olave’s Grammar), and Billy Sargent (Hayes School and Westerham CC), all of whom were unbeaten on the day.
The full squad, managed by David Stern and Melville Rodrigues, in board order, was as follows: Justin Brown (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Raunak Rao, Benedict Rodrigues, Rohan Bansal, Simon Leung, Orlando Devoy, Christopher Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Nikhil Math, Arthur Stern (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar), Billy Sargent and Harry O’Connor
ECGCF Under 11 Girls National Final 2008-9;
Oxford; Saturday 15 November 2008.
A team of 6 girls and 2 reserves travelled to Oxford for this season’s Whitehead Cup. Tony Rao, Under 11 Girls Team Manager, accompanied the team on the day. The girls had to play 3 rounds in a jamboree draw with 35 minutes on each player’s clock in each game. Although only 3 other teams had entered, these were known to be the 3 strongest teams at national level.
All the girls were seasoned Rapidplay players and this became evident as they racked up 4½/6 in the first round. This consistency was maintained over round 2 (4½) and round 3 (5), taking the team a clear 5 points ahead of their nearest competitor by the end of the tournament, finishing on an astounding 14/18. This was a most dramatic improvement on last year’s score of 7, with a mostly unchanged team. It was Kent’s first victory in the Whitehead Cup since 2003.
The best performances of the day came from Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary) and Zara Hussain (The Granville School, Sevenoaks and Westerham CC), all of whom won all their 3 matches. Raveena Rao (Bromley High) and Helen Jones (Bromley High) finished a commendable first and second in the Reserves Tournament, which was also won by Kent with 5/6.
The full squad, managed by Tony Rao and coached by WFM Ros Kieran, in board order, was as follows: Yasmin Giles, Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School, Riverhead and Westerham CC), Sophie Wahts, Ella Seagrove (Amherst School), Lucy Ayliffe (St. John’s Primary, Tunbridge Wells) and Zara Hussain.
The full official result was as follows: 1) Kent 14; 2) Surrey 9; 3=) Oxford and Sussex 6½.
NYCA Under 16 National Final 2008-9;
Birmingham; Saturday 1 November 2008
A convoy of cars carried the team (and the Under 12s) to Birmingham. As last season, 8 teams had entered.
The first round saw us make a strong start on 6½/8 to lead the field. The second round was our best with 7 points to put us into a commanding lead. From this point, the team started to flag somewhat but would the lead be large enough to hold on? The third round was our worst with 4½ points but we still lead Berkshire by 2 points and Sussex by 3 points with the others too far behind to catch us.
Although we lost both the head-to-heads against our nearest rivals in the last round, we still scored 5½ points to total 23½. Berkshire also scored 5½ to win, 2 points behind us in second place with Sussex 3 points behind us in third.
The best performances came from Victor Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC) and Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), who were both unbeaten on the day.
The full team, managed by Sue Maguire, in board order, was as follows:
William Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC), Victor Jones, Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Peter Andreev (Henry Cavendish Primary, Dulwich), Michael Turner, Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift, Croydon and Lewisham CC), John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) and Raunak Rao (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
The full official Championship result was as follows:
1) Kent 23½; 2) Berkshire 21½; 3) Sussex 20½; 4) Warwickshire 18; 5) Cheshire & North Wales 16; 6) Lancashire 13; 7) South Wales 11½; 8) Devon 4
NYCA Under 12 National Final 2008-9;
Birmingham; Saturday 1 November 2008
A convoy of cars transported the team to Birmingham (along with the Under 16s). The team did well to finish second out of the 8 entrants, albeit a long way behind Sussex.
In the first round, we scored 6/12. The second round was our best scoring 7½ points. In the third round, we again scored 6 points. This left us level in second place with Lancashire with Berkshire and Warwickshire both 1½ points behind us going into the final round. We had slightly the better of the head-to-head battles against these 3 counties in the last round to score 7 points and finish in second place ½ of a point ahead of Lancashire with Berkshire another ½ of a point further back.
The best performances of the day came from Conor Murphy (Eltham College and Charlton CC) and Ella Seagrove (Amherst School, Riverhead), who both won all their games. Special mention must also be made of 7-year old, Michael Petrick (Amherst School), who came in as an emergency replacement owing to another player falling ill.
The full team, managed by Targino Kalid and Julian Petrick, both standing in as late replacements for Kandy Reddiar, in board order, was: Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich), Rohan Bansal (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Simon Leung (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich), Yasmin Giles (Gordonbrock Primary, Brockley and Lewisham CC), Conor Murphy, Hector Huser (Rosemead Prep), Oliver Petrick (Amherst School and Sevenoaks CC), Samuel Wahts (Maidstone Grammar), Sophie Wahts (Barming Primary), Elizabeth Elgar (Amherst School and Westerham CC), Ella Seagrove and Michael Petrick.
The full official result was as follows: 1) Sussex 41; 2) Kent 26½; 3) Lancashire 26; 4) Berkshire 25½; 5) Warwickshire 24; 6) South Wales 22; 7) Cheshire & North Wales 17; 8) Devon 10
KJCA Kings: 4NCL Division 3 2008-9; Sunningdale.
Round 1 v White Rose 2: Saturday 18 October 2008;
Round 2 v Halesowen: Sunday 19 October 2008
The KJCA Kings team opened its 4NCL campaign with a difficult fixture against White Rose 2. We were outgraded by an average of 221 points per board (FIDE) (ECF equivalent: 44 points). For a while in the middle game stage, it looked as if the team might pull off a narrow win against the odds. However, our opponents managed to turn most of the games round completely and in the end, the team lost by a heavy margin, 1 – 5. This wasn’t a fair reflection of the overall contest and was really just a bad day at the office. Still, this was the sort of defeat that we had avoided all last season and would need to avoid happening again if the season was to be successful.
The following day, the team had an easier fixture against Halesowen whom we outgraded by 64 points per board (ECF equivalent: 13 points). At the outset, it was felt that this was an opportunity to get the previous day’s debacle out of our system, especially as we had beaten the same opposition narrowly last season. The match resulted in our best ever win in the league by 5½ – 0½, although this was perhaps a bit harsh on our opponents who had contested the top 3 boards particularly fiercely. However, it got us off the mark for the season.
It was pleasing that everyone contributed to the score over the weekend. Pride of place must go to Robert Maguire and Jasdeep Gahir, who were both unbeaten.
The full team on both days, in board order, managed by Peter Bayliss was: 1) William Jones (Beths Grammar, Bexley and Lewisham CC); 2) Victor Jones (Beths Grammar and Lewisham CC); 3) Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Crowborough CC); 4) Matt Lunn (Southampton University); 5) Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC); 6) Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC)
NYCA Under 18 National Final 2008-9; Birmingham; Saturday 4 October 2008.
The team travelled in convoy, arriving at about 10.40. Many thanks to the drivers – Sue Maguire, Stuart Bell and Bala Balendran. The team of 8 would have to play 4 matches each with 45 minutes each per match. 10 teams had entered – a welcome improvement on last season.
We made a slow start scoring 3 out of 8 in the 1st round to lie in sixth place. The 2nd round was our best, scoring 4½ points to rise to fifth but well behind the leaders. Anything better than fourth on the day was already looking difficult and from this point on, results deteriorated. The 3rd round was our worst, scoring only 2 points, which dropped us to eighth. 3 points in the last round was not enough to alter this and we finished in eighth place a long way behind the winners, Warwickshire, who retained their title. The best performance of the day came from John Holden (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington) with 3 points out of 4.
The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order, was: Anthony Gregory (The Judd School, Tonbridge and Maidstone CC), Robert Maguire (Wallington County Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Michael Turner (Oakwood Park Grammar, Maidstone and Maidstone CC), Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Siddhu Viswanath (St. Olave’s Grammar), John Holden, Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar and Beckenham & Bromley CC) and Nick Nicheperovich (Dulwich College).
The full official result was as follows: 1) Warwickshire 24; 2) Berkshire 23; 3) Surrey 19; 4) Oldham 18; 5) Cheshire and North Wales 15; 6=) Lancashire and South Wales 14½; 8) Kent 12½; 9) Hampshire 12; 10) Sussex 7.
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Kent Under 18s v KCCA Adults; Barming; Sunday 22 June 2008.
The Kent Under 18 team played their annual friendly fixture against the Kent Adults at Barming this year. The adults outgraded us by an average of 32 points this year, so even allowing for the improvement in junior grades each year, we had a tough match on our hands. Each player had one game with a time limit for each player of 90 minutes for 36 moves plus 30 minutes to finish. This season’s fixture was tinged with sadness following the recent death of Ivor Smith of Petts Wood & Orpington CC, who was the prime original instigator of this annual fixture from the Adults’ side in 2003. Ivor was also the captain of the Kent Under 125 team and will be much missed by all who knew him. In his honour, the teams will in future play this fixture for the Ivor Smith Memorial Trophy and play commenced after a minute’s silence in his memory.
This year the Adults managed to draw level 2-2 lead in the series with a 6½-5½ win. All the games were closely contested and there were wins for Tim Weaver (Maidstone Grammar and Maidstone CC), Barnaby Paul (Windlesham House, Washington), Duncan Bell (St. Olave’s Grammar, Orpington and Beckenham & Bromley CC), Eugene Daley (Dulwich College Prep, Dulwich) and Baven Balendran (Dulwich College Prep and Beckenham & Bromley CC).
The full team, managed by Peter Bayliss, in board order was as follows: Lyall Bayliss (Caterham School and Westerham CC), Dunstan Rodrigues (Dulwich College and Lewisham CC), Matt Bunn (North-West Kent College, Dartford and Snodland CC), Tim Weaver, Jasdeep Gahir (Whitgift School, Croydon and Lewisham CC), Barnaby Paul, Duncan Bell, Eugene Daley, Baven Balendran, Rohan Shiatis (Estcots Primary, East Grinstead and Coulsdon CC), Raphael Kalid (Rosemead Prep, Dulwich) and Benedict Rodrigues (Dulwich)