Southern England vs. Northern France 1999Keen young south of England juniors created another first for junior chess in their recent visit to northern France. Forty-two children, predominantly from Sussex, traveled to Auberchicourt, near Lille, for the weekend and received commemorative medals from the Mayor. The event was arranged jointly by SJC and the Auberchicourt Chess Club Organiser Michel Soyez. The team received a superb welcome from their French hosts and all enjoyed the visit enormously. The friendly welcome received after a long and hot journey was appreciated by children and parents alike. The English group secured a convincing victory in the main longplay tournament, amassing 46 points against the French 17. Despite the score, many of the French team put up fierce resistance against the experienced English team, and they had some notable individual victories, particularly on the higher boards. |