Sussex Junior Chess

Gibraltar 2011 Five Sussex juniors travelled to Gibraltar to compete in the 1st Junior International Chess Festival: Sam Aggarwal, Jonny Burch, Josh Higgs, Daniel Sutton & Christopher Yates.

The Festival began with a Blitz Tournament, which saw Josh Higgs come 1= in the U12s and Christopher Yates 2nd in the U16s. As well as a sightseeing tour, there was also a programme of evening events by leading chess players such as GM Stuart Conquest and IM Jovanka Houska. Sussex held up very well in a simul given by Jovanka (assisted by Daniel Eskabar and Stephen Hogg) with Jonny and Chris winning and Daniel earning a draw. GM Stuart Conquest played a simul against the parents and a brave John Higgs managed to last an hour and a half.

The tournament proper consisted of six rounds over 3 days in two sections: U12 & U16.

Gibraltar Junior 2011 An exciting finish in the U12s - Josh needed to win his last match to share first place! In the event he drew, still earning himself 3rd place and 400 Euros!

U16 scores:

Sam: 2.5/6; 23/38
Jonny: 3/6; 16/38
Daniel: 3.5/6; 14/38
Christopher: 2.5/6; 29/38

20-21 August 2011 - UKCC Terafinal, Loughborough

Terafinal 2011 photo Unusually, Sussex had no 'ultimi' competing in the Terafinal this year - but we did have 9 children who qualified for the 'Challengers' events running alongside it. Of those 9, Callum Brewer, Cosima Keen and George Salimbeni all made the trip to Loughborough to compete.

Unlike the previous stages of the competition, contestants are no longer in age or gender limited sections. The Challengers were split into 3 parallel sections, each containing children aged 7 - 18. Callum and Cosima were both in Challengers A, where Cosima came 3rd with 13 points, and also scooped top girl. Callum, only U10, achieved a very creditable half score with 9 points.

The scoring system is unusual - 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. In Challengers C, George was squeezed into 4th place with 13 points, despite leading the section for the first 5 rounds.

2 -11 August 2011 - EU Youth Championships, Mureck, Austria

Mureck 2011 photo U8 Oli Howell was selected to join an England squad trip competing in the 9th European Union Youth Chess Championships in Mureck, Austria.

Mum Sue writes "Each day Oli has 45 mins of 1:1 coaching before the game and then a postmortem after. His attitude has been great for the most part and he is enjoying the chess more that the other activities but he is doing these to the fullest!"

Oli finished on 4.5/9 in his first International experience.

British Chess Championships 24 July - 6 Aug 2011

Highlights: Cosima wins both U13 Girls and U12 Girls titles; Josh Higgs runner up in U11s; Oli Howell 4th= in U9s

The 2011 Championships are being hosted by Sheffield, and the prestigious Open section sees one of the strongest fields for many years. As well as former Sussex juniors and now professional chess players GM David Howell and IM Thomas Rendle, this year we have Jude Lenier and George Salimbeni taking part.

An uphill struggle for black photo

Josh helps GM Ray Keene & Stewart Reuben

analyse a game....!

Alongside the Open are many age-group and grade-limited events, and as usual, several Sussex players are taking part.

Week 1 saw the Sussex interest focused on the 7-round U11 Championships. Josh, David & Brian were up with the leaders every step of the way and eventually Josh Brit Champs 2011 U11 runner up emerged unbeaten on 5.5 to claim second place and £120. Not far behind were both Brian & David with 4.5.

The Keen family was well represented with siblings Cosima and Charlie warming up for the second week in the U13 and U140 sections respectively; and Alexander and Freddie arriving at the weekend for the U9s and the rapidplay respectively. Cosima was our next winner, walking away with the U13 Girls title - congratulations!

The Howells also arrived in force for the weekend with Oli playing the U8s (scoring a very good 4 out of 6), and the U9s. Meanwhile father and son combo Chris and Matthew tackled the Atkins (Open) and Yates (U125) weekenders. Oli, still an U8, scooped joint 4th place in the U9s with 5/7. Matthew did very well in the Yates winning 2 matches against higher rated opponents.....we'll gloss over Chris' performance, he was clearly busy getting the drinks in for his children!

Meanwhile in the Championship a second round draw against IM Yang-Fan Zhou meant George was on 1.5 out of 2......which earned him the opportunity to play grandmasters in the next 2 rounds. Good also to see a return to form for Amy Hoare in the Major Open approaching the half way point.

Week 2 saw Cosima & Charlie in action again, this time in the U12 and U120 respectively. Cosima breezed to 4/7, enough to earn her second title - the U12 Girls. Billy Twigge-Molecey was also in the U12s and after a slow start stormed through to make 4 also. Bizarrely, Charlie had a better week in the U140 than he did in the U120!

Father & son Gary & Ollie Willson showed true grit by playing both morning and afternoon events - potentially 11 hours chess per day! Ollie had an excellent U160 event remaining unbeaten against higher rated opponents until the final round; and also scored 3/5 in the afternoon open.

The Grahams were out in force with Cassie in the U10s, Arthur in the U14s, Will in the U120, and Dave in the morning open. Cassie finished nicely mid table with 3.5/7, Arthur 3/7, and Will recovered well from a disappointing start to make 3.5/5 - just outside the places. Dave failed to follow his own coaching mantra and made an impulsive, and predicatably very bad, move in round 3 - but was lucky enough to still make 1st=.

The senior players were competing over 11 rounds in one of the strongest championships of recent years so well done to George (5), Jude (4), and Amy (4 in the Major Open).

Very well done to all our combatents and their parents - the standard and prestige of this event, and therefore the pressure, should not be underestimated. However, the opportunity for the juniors to rub shoulders with the great and the good of the chess world is an experience not to be missed.

Last updated Friday 5th August.

Robinson Cup - July 2011

Robinson Cup 2011 Each year, England compete against Scotland, Wales and Ireland for the Glorney (U18 boys) and Gilbert (formerly the Faber) Cups (U18 girls). There are also competitions for under 14s (The Robinson Cup) and U12s (The Stokes Cup). This years event was hosted by Ireland in Dublin. Congratulations to Sussex player Robert Fitzgerald (U14), selected for the second year running, who played for the winning England team.

02/07/2011 - National Girls Champs Final - Cosima wins U12s

NGCC 2011 U12 Winners Saturday 2nd July 2011 came the day when the National Girls’ Chess Championships came to end, but it went out with a bang. Fifty-seven girls came to St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith to take part in the final stage of this tournament. All of the girls taking part in the Championships had come in the top 3 places in their age group at one of the qualifiers. The Plate competitors came in places 4-6 in the qualifiers.

Both Sophia Martin and Cassie Graham had qualified for the final, but were unable to attend on the day - but Cosima Keen, Isabel Jones and Alienor Turanli all flew the Sussex Flag.

NGCC 2011 BS award winner The U12 section was very tough with several England players competing. In the end Cosima, along with Beatrice Steele and Naomi Wei, all tied on 4.5 points. The organisers decided against a playoff tournament that could take forever before a clear champion was found and so declared all three girls the U12 National Girls’ Chess Champion.

Meanwhile in the Plate event, Alienor Turanli was awarded a Best Sport award.

A full report appears on the Chevannes Chess Academy website.

18-19/06/2011 - England vs Holland

Sussex players NCJS trip to Holland June 2011 photo Billy Twigge-Molecey (board 1), David Liu (board 7) and Josh Higgs (board 12) travelled with the National Junior Chess Squad U11 trip to Amstelveen (Amsterdam) last weekend in a two game match versus Holland. The title of the match was ‘Match Zukertort – England’.

Fourteen members of the squad (13 boys and 1 girl) travelled from Liverpool and Stansted to play in 2 long play games and a number of friendly, mainly blitz, games. England played very well against tough competition and won the tournament 17:11. An extra bonus was that all three Sussex players took points off the opposition: Billy 2 draws; David 2 draws; and Josh 2 wins.

04/06/2011 - S.E. England vs Wales, Monmouth

SE Eng v Wales photo Joshua Higgs and David Liu, fresh from their recent England Squad qualification, were selected for the U12 team in this annual International team event.

A happy mishap in the organisation led to Sussex being asked at quite short notice to provide some players for the U14 team event running alongside. This gave a further 5 Sussex players the opportunity to play in their first International alongside pre-selected Cosima & Charlie Keen. In fact - Sussex provided 7 out of 11 players in the U14 team!

Travelling sibling Cassie Graham was lucky enough to pick up a place in the U12 team on the day as a last minute substitute.

U14 Team: Jonathan Finn, Arthur Graham, Matthew Howell, Charlie Keen, Cosima Keen, Ben Simpson, Hannah Watkinson.

U12 Team: Joshua Higgs, David Liu, Cassie Graham

	R1	R2	Total	Wales
SE Eng U12	8½	8	16½	7½
SE Eng U14	6½	9½	16	6

The event was played in very good spirit, with the friendly rivalry morphing into SE Eng vs. Wales football between rounds. At one point a heavy shower separated the men from the boys leaving the honour of SE England to the hardy Charlie Keen & Jonathan Finn.

There was a tricky moment during the team talk between rounds when the combined brain power of both teams wrestled with the maths - how many points needed to win each match. But eventually the teams departed for the playing hall secure in the knowledge of what was needed. In the event, both teams met Victor Cross's target of winning not just the event, but each individual round - well done.

Congratulations to Matthew Howell and Cosima Keen who both scored 2 out of 2. Matthew was the first to finish in both rounds and then provided the cabaret in the team room with his amusing and vocal post game analysis! Jonathan Finn and Hannah Watkinson emerged unbeaten on the day.

Finally, thanks to organisers Peter Purland and Victor Cross for a well-organised and very enjoyable event and to the Grange Prep School for a spacious venue.

SE Eng v Wales photo

15/05/2011 - National Girls Champs - Sophia, Cassie & Cosima in the medals

IM Jovanka Houska and WFM Sabrina Chevannes have recently revitalised the ECF National Girls Chess Championships, resulting in a series of 4 regional qualifiers culminating in a National Final scheduled for 2nd July at St. Pauls Girls School in London. The energy and generosity of Isabel and Matthew Keen meant that we in Sussex enjoyed a home venue at Ashdown House School in Forest Row.

The competition was organised into 4 sections - U18, U12, U10, and U8 - and attracted over 30 of the strongest girls in the South East.

In the U8s, Sophia Martin scored 4½ out of 6 to share second place with Kent's Isabelle Gilbert behind Wey Valley's Tess Weaver.

Cassie Graham scored 5 in the U10s to finish second behind Wey Valley's Anna Purvis. Isabel Jones played some very long, determined games in this strong section which will prepare her well for the Gigafinal to come. The Sussex presence in this section was also bolstered by Alienor Turanli, a rapidly improving pupil at the School.

Finally, Cosima Keen waved the Sussex flag in the U12s; sharing 2nd place with Surrey's Beatrice Steele, behind Wey Valley's Akshaya Kalaiyalahan (an U10 playing up a section!).

02/05/2011 - Cassie, Freya & Hannah play for winning team at All England Girls match

All England Girls 2011 photo On a sunny bank holiday monday, Cassie Graham, Freya Finnegan and Hannah Sutton all travelled to Edgware to play in the All England Girls match.

There were nearly 40 girls taking part who the organisers had split into two teams. Our Sussex trio found themselves playing for the snapily named "South of the Thames and East of the M1" team against the might of the "Rest of England".

The first round saw our girls all contributing points towards a 10.5 - 7.5 victory. Cassie won again in the second round but Freya suffered a heart breaking loss on time just 2 moves away from delivering checkmate - the very last match to finish. Nevertheless, the team went on to win the round by the same 10.5 - 7.5 margin.

Thanks to Glynis Purland and Victor Cross for an excellent event.

CrossTable

16-18/04/2011 - Squad Championships, Wolverhampton

Newly qualified Josh Higgs joined our more experienced campaigners Cosima Keen, Ollie Willson and Jonny Burch at the closed NCJS Championships over three days in Wolverhampton. All competitors are members of the england squad, so the standard is very high.

Cosima, who is enjoying an impressive run of form at the moment, came joint first in the U12s with 5/6, while Josh (U11) scored 3.5 in the same section. Ollie also made 3.5 in the U14s.

NCJS Wolverhampton 2011 photo

NCJS Championships 2011

20/04/2011 - Sussex winners at IAPS National Chess Championships

IAPS Champs 2011 The 39th IAPS National Chess Championships 2011 took place at Aldro School, outside of Godalming.

Sussex prep schools represented were: Copthorne, Great Walstead and Windlesham House.

The most experienced players play in the Championship section and everybody else plays in smaller sections catering for younger and less experienced players. 119 players (including 6 England squad members) from 17 schools took part.

Congratulations to our Sussex prize winners:

Otto Pyper, Windlesham House. 3rd = in the championship
Amalia Finnegan: 3rd in group A.
Copthorne Prep School Girls Team: 2nd Girls team in the overall championship.

10/04/2011 - Scott, Callum, Jim & Laura do well at Tonbridge GP

Tonbridge GP Photo Thanks to Shaun Brewer for this news from the Kent Grand Prix 6 at Somerhill, Tonbridge:

Eight-year old Scott Borland scored 6/6 winning the under 12’s event.

Callum Brewer scored 5/6 in the under 10’s event - joint 1st.

Siblings Jim and Laura Borland both competed in the Under 8s, with Laura (who isn't 5 until later this month) scooping the Top U8 Girl prize.

Well done all!

2-3/04/2011 - Brian, David and Josh all qualify for the England Squad

Eng Trial qualifiers 2011 Congratulations to our newest members of the England squad - David, Josh & Brian all qualified at the Trial in Liverpool. Well done also to Billy who qualified last year and came second in the Closed event.

Full Results

Josh features in the Crawley Observer here.

26-27/03/2011 - Amy, Cosima & Morgan have good weekend at 4NCL

The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) is a team tournament over three divisions, with over 850 players taking part and almost £10,000 in cash prizes on offer. Their website claims "it is the most prestigious team chess event held in the United Kingdom"!

Crowborough Chess Club members form the core of a Sussex-based team named "Sussex Smart Controls". There are often opportunities for SJC's older and more experienced juniors to compete, with George Salimbeni, David Grant and Matthew Payne appearing regularly. SJC Coaches Dave Graham and Chris Jones also participate.

This weekend saw SJC regulars Cosima Keen and Morgan Blake make their debuts along with Amy Hoare, fresh from her recent very successful training session with our Under 11 Girls. An in-form Amy won both her games, Morgan secured a very good win on Saturday, and Cosima a useful draw on Sunday - all against higher rated opponents.

ECF International Director Lawrence Cooper commented on the ECF Forum......"Amongst the many individual results over the weekend 14 year old Amy Hoare, playing on board 3 for Sussex Smart Controls, won both games. On the Saturday she won against a player 250+ points above her with black while on Sunday she beat a player 100+ above her. Her team are on 9 points so it is unlikely they will be able to get promoted this year but it is nice to see the team giving her (and other juniors) opportunities to play on higher boards. Cosima Keen also made her debut for the team."

08/03/2011 - Josh, Cosima, Scott & Otto win prizes at Cottesmore Congress

Cottesmore March 2011 The 34th Annual Cottesmore Chess Congress was hosted by Cottesmore School, Pease Pottage, with 36 of the best chess players at Prep Schools in the South East invited.

Amongst those 36 were SJC regulars Scott Borland, Ed Critchley, Freya Finnegan, Tom Haxby, Josh Higgs, Jamie Lear, Cosima Keen, Sophia Martin, Hamish Milne-Skillman, Otto Pyper, Hannah Sutton and Jamie Ward.

Congratulations to overall winner Josh Higgs; with Cosima Keen, Scott Borland and Otto Pyper sharing second place.

5-6th March 2011 - World Youth Trial

Congratulations to Cosima Keen who has been selected to represent England (U12 Girls) in the prestigious World Youth Championships in Brazil this Autumn. She is the first Sussex player to win selection since GM David Howell! Cosima will now be working very hard at her chess in preparation, and we look forward to hearing her report when she returns.

Cosima was interviewed by BBC Radio Sussex and challenged to a match by one of their presenters, listen here.....

Click to listen to Cosima's interview

The trials are very competitive with only the top placed player in each section being selected. David Liu, Brian Tarhon, Robert Fitzgerald and Rhys Cumming were also invited to the Trial, an achievement in itself.

Robert, along with Stephanie Barraclough and Amy Hoare, has previously represented England at the European Youth Championships.

27/02/2011 - SJC alumni do well at e2e4 Brighton Congress

Several SJC alumni competed in the e2e4 Brighton International Congress during half term. This tournament featured a gruelling 9 rounds of all-play-all in several sections.

In the Masters was Jude Lenier, 15, competing alongside 2 grandmasters. Jude finished an excellent 4th place with 5 out of 9 having won against both GM Alexander Cherniaev and IM Jack Rudd. This qualifies him for the British Championships in July.

Next, in the Challengers, was 13 year old Amy Hoare who finished on 4.5 out of 9, with a tournament performance rating well above her grade.

Matt Payne had a tough field in the Major E section, finishing with a very creditable 3 out of 8 (one player withdrew).

Finally, Morgan Blake and Daniel Sutton found themselves in the same section (Major G), and worse still, going into the final round to play each other both on 4 points! Daniel emerged the winner of that match but both had a great tournament and earned themselves a FIDE rating.

26/02/2011 - Matthew and Hannah collect honours at National Prep. Schools Rapidplay

The National Prep. Schoosl rapidplay championships took place on 26th February at Aldro School - rescheduled from the Autumn because of the snow.

Several SJC players took part, including a team from Copthorne Prep captained by Daniel Gooda. Congratulations to Matthew Howell, 2nd= in Under 12 section, (including beating the eventual winner!) and Hannah Sutton (4/5) - 2nd= in the Under 9's.

19/02/2011 - Scott Borland shares 1st place in Gravesend GP

Congratulations to Scott Borland; equal 1st in the U11 Kent GP in Gravesend with 5/6. Career earnings doubled!

29th-30th January 2011 - South of England Championships, Yateley Manor School

24 Sussex players made the journey to Yateley Manor School for the South of England Championships, a major event in the chess calendar. Many were competing at this level for the first time.

Yateley photo The star of the weekend was Cosima Keen who shared 4th place in the U12 closed, earning her 2nd half-norm and thus securing her place in the England Squad. Competing in the same section and co-sharing 4th place scoring 3 out of 5 was 11 year old Billy Twigge-Molecey.

Starting with our youngest competitors, Saturday saw Jim Borland in action in the one-day Under 7s scoring an excellent 3 out of 6 in his first foray outside Sussex.

Next up on Sunday were the Under 8s, featuring Ami & Yelena Finnegan. The twins bounced back from being paired against each other in round 2 to end the day unbeaten on 4.5 out of 6, sharing 2nd place, and taking the top girl(s) prize!

The U9s and U10s spanned both days and saw Alexander Keen, Oli Howell, William Allin and Cassie Graham in action. Cassie finished on 4.5, securing 2nd place in the U10s.

Joining regular campaigners Josh Higgs and David Liu in the U11s (England squad qualifier) were first timers Freya Finnegan, Joseph Allin and Scott Borland. Josh and David added yet another (their 4th?) half-norm to their tallys, but the shock was 8 year old Scott who would have earned a half-norm for his score of 3......had he been old enough! Freya and Joseph both stepped up to the plate and accredited themselves admirably, finishing on 2 in their first qualifying event.

Matthew Howell was our sole combatent in the U13s, performing above grading to finish on 50% with 2.5 out of 5.

The U15s and U18s had only 8 entries and were merged......which was a bit of an issue since 4 of the players (Freddie Keen, Arthur & Will Graham, and Morgan Blake) were from Sussex, and 2 were siblings! Things were further confused by the fact that Arthur was recorded as 'Andrew', and Morgan saw his grade (121) promoted overnight to 160! This obviously caused some interesting pairings to occur! Anyway - at the end of the day, Will finished 3rd in the U18s, winning a princely £10; while Morgan and Arthur scooped 1st and 2nd in the U15s respectively. Prizegiving was hilarious with the organisers getting Will and Arthur confused, and Morgan's cheque having to be corrected twice!

There was nowhere to hide in the closed England squad events. Brian Tarhon (U10), Otto Pyper (U12), Ollie Willson, Charlie Keen and Toby Harris (U14), and Jonny Burch (U16) fought long and hard but finished outside the prizes this time.

Coaches Dave Graham, Trevor Norton and Jonathan Tuck were also in attendance and experienced heavy demand for their services during the weekend.

Click here for cross tables.

December 2010 - London Junior Chess Championships

LJCC 2010 photo montage The LJCC are a prestigious event in the junior chess calendar and, as usual several Sussex stalwarts made the trek to Harrow - some twice!

The first weekend - 11th-12th December - saw action for the U10s and U14s.

Freya Finnegan led the charge in the U10 Minor, scoring 4.5/7, securing her the Leading Girl prize and qualification for the U12 minor event 28th - 30th December.

Brian Tarhon, Joseph Allin, Callum Brewer and Thomas Finn all competed in the U10 Major. Top Sussex players were Brian and Joseph, scoring 5 and 4 respectively.

U13 Robert Fitzgerald came 2nd= in the very tough U14 major with 4.5/6.

The U8 Championship took place on the 28th and 29th December. Sussex was well represented by Oli Howell and twins, Amalia & Yelena Finnegan. Congratulations to Oli who secured 2nd place with an impressive 6/7. Both girls accredited themselves well in their first taste of a long tournament; Ami in particular faced some very tough opposition.

Next up were the U12s, this time competing over 3 days (9 rounds). In the Minor Freya Finnegan did the double - scooping the Top Girl prize with 6/9 after her similar success in the U10s! Well done. Next top Sussex scorer was Matthew Howell with 5. Dan Manvell & Michael Stockham also accredited themselves well, gaining valuable experience at high level competition.

Meanwhile, in the majors, congratulations to Cosima Keen who earned the title of London Girls Champion with an impressive 6.5/9, securing a well-earned half-norm. Our three potential England squad muskateers - David, Josh & Brian - all finished on 5, adding another half norm to the 2 they already have.

24/11/2010 - Balcombe Junior Tournament

The Junior Chess tournament held at The Balcombe Social Club on Wednesday 24/11/10 attracted over 70 junior players from 19 different schools.
The object of the tournament was to encourage all levels of players, to play in & to increase their experience & enjoyment of tournament Chess.
Taking part in the tournament was a good cross section of players from County & International level to many who were playing in their first ever tournament outside of school.
The event was very well attended by SJC members many of whom went home with medals. Well done to all!

= 1st – Yelena Finnegan & Matthew Howell

Boys – Age group prizes – Gold Medals
7y – George Burke & Oliver Howell
10y – David Liu & Niroshan Ganeshan
11y – Sanmay Kanumakala & Sushir Kanumakala
13y – Robin Ferguson

Girls – Age Group Prizes – Gold Medals
7y – Amalia Finnegan
8y – Madeleine Liu
9y – Rosie Burke
10y – Freya Finnegan

20/11/2010 - Good news from the British Rapidplay, Halifax

GM David Howell with SJC juniors Nov 2010 photo Josh Higgs, David Liu and Brian Tarhon have all earned their second half-norms at the British Rapidplay, Halifax and will now be invited to the England trials in the Spring - well done!

Matt Payne got to play GM David Howell in Round 1 of the Open, and Ollie Willson wonthe U16 section with a convincing 6/6.

14/11/2010 - e2e4 Brighton Congress

Congratulations to Matt Payne who came 2nd=, scoring 4 out of 5 in the e2e4 Brighton Congress FIDE Major. Also, Morgan Blake scored an excellent 3.5 (3rd=) in the Minor section.

England U11 Champs 2010 photo 17/10/2010 - First England squad half-norms for Josh, David and Brian

Congratulations to Josh Higgs, David Liu and Brian Tarhon who all scored 3/5 at the England U11 Championships in Nottingham - each securing their first half-norms towards qualification for the England U11 squad.

9/10/2010 - Oli Howell wins CCF U8s

Sussex CCF qualifiers Congratulations to Oli Howell who won the CCF LJCC qualifier U8 section with a convincing 6 out of 6. Coming 2nd= and so joining him in London in December will be Amalia Finnegan. Matthew Finn was desperately unlucky to be "quadruple-upfloated" to play Oli in the final round and so missed qualification by a point, while twin brother Daniel won his last three games to miss out by just half a point.

The U12s was incredibly strong (average grade nearly 100) and was won by Daniel Muir who had already won the Winchester qualifier. Matthew Howell and Jonathan Finn from SJC both played well given their opposition but missed qualification this time.

The U10s was a bit more manageable and was won by the only player with an official grade over 100, Anantha Vijayakumar. SJC's Thomas Finn only lost to him and came an excellent third and qualified for the major final; Freya Finnegan scored 4 to qualify for the minor final and Daniel Gooda also qualified with 3.5/5, a clean sweep of Sussex qualifiers.

JH qualifies for LJCC photo 2 - 3/10/2010 - Sussex has more LJCC qualifiers

Quite a busy weekend - following in the wake of Brian and Scott, Callum Brewer travelled to Richmond and Josh Higgs to Winchester in search of LJCC qualifying places.

On Saturday Callum took part in the Richmond Junior CC, coming joint third with 4.5 out of 6; thus qualifying for the LJCC U10 major.

Sunday saw Joshua set sail for Winchester College for the 'Hampshire Junior Chess Congress 2010' competing in the U12 section. He scored 4.5/6 (placed 4th on progressives) and has qualified for the LJCC U12 majors.

Well done Callum & Josh!

26/09/2010 - Kent GP1, Colfe's School

Brian Tarhon & Scott Borland both travelled to Kent to compete in their first GP of the new season. Brian finished 2nd= in the U12s with 4.5/6 while Scott won the U10 section U10 with 5.5/6. Both were unbeaten, and both qualify for the respective Major sections of the London Junior Chess Championships.