tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50989317756824548502024-03-14T09:40:25.647-07:00Shropshire Junior Chess blogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-79183598866755797432013-04-28T07:23:00.001-07:002013-04-28T07:23:20.544-07:00Junior League Gives Rise to Fighting ChessShropshire junior chess players from across the County came together to do battle over the board on Saturday 27th April at Trinity School, Ford. Lots of hard fought games took place, with the teams representing Thomas Telford School (2 teams), Idsall School, Condover Primary School and the Shropshire Junior Chess Academy (2 teams).<br />
<br />
It was clear that the battle for first place was going to be between Idsall and Shropshire Chess Academy A team, as both teams had won all their matches leading up to the lunch break. In the head to head clash after lunch, experience prevailed, with Shropshire juniors winning on all four boards. Both teams won their final remaining match to finish clear first and second overall.<br />
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All the participating teams deserve credit and some gutsy performances were achieved by many players, including some who were considerably younger than the rest. So well done and keep working at the chess!<br />
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Thank you too, for parents, teachers and organisers who make school and other clubs possible by their hard work and dedication.<br />
<br />
The event also doubled up as a UK Chess Challenge qualifier and a number of players will be travelling down to Hereford next weekend to take part in the Megafinal competition, competing against junior players from other areas who have qualified in similar events.<br />
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<b>Final Table of Results</b><br />
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<b>Position<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Team<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Match
Points<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Game
Points<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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1<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shropshire Junior Chess Academy A<o:p></o:p></div>
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10<o:p></o:p></div>
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58<o:p></o:p></div>
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2<o:p></o:p></div>
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Idsall School<o:p></o:p></div>
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8<o:p></o:p></div>
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48<o:p></o:p></div>
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3<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thomas Telford A<o:p></o:p></div>
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6<o:p></o:p></div>
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41<o:p></o:p></div>
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4<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shropshire Junior Chess Academy B<o:p></o:p></div>
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3<o:p></o:p></div>
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38<o:p></o:p></div>
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5<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thomas Telford B<o:p></o:p></div>
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3<o:p></o:p></div>
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34<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Francis Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03599119464646060085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-45345895271552817872013-04-26T07:39:00.001-07:002013-04-26T07:39:49.076-07:00Junior chess league - Sat 27 AprilLook forward to seeing you all at the junior chess league event on Sat 27 April.<br />
<br />
We will also combine the event with a qualifier for the UK Chess Challenge. Registration at 9.30am, first round at 10am and should be complete before 1.30pm.<br />
<br />
See you there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-71967439006885820602013-03-23T12:10:00.000-07:002013-03-23T02:20:58.595-07:00CANCELLED: UK Chess Challenge 23 March 2013<b>TODAY'S CHESS HAS BEEN CALLED OFF BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS - NEW DATE FOR UK CHESS CHALLENGE TO BE ADVISED SOON</b><br />
<br />
This Saturday’s junior chess session will be a competition, which is a qualifier for the “Megafinal” of the UK Chess Challenge.<br />
<br />
We have run these for a number of years now and they always prove popular with the players.
Registration is 9:30-10:00, with the play starting at 10:00, or shortly after. There will be at least six rounds and prizes are awarded for success (badges, gonks and gold dots, primarily!) We should be finished by around 1:00pm.<br />
<br />
Please spread the word around friends and schools and hope to see you on Saturday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-56926500161205371962013-02-19T02:25:00.001-08:002013-02-19T02:41:47.594-08:00Shropshire Junior Chess League Confirmed<br />
<div class="p1">
Thanks to all the schools who have already registered an interest in the new junior chess league we are launching. The date for the first league day has now been set - Saturday 27<sup>th</sup> April 2013.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
How will it operate? Teams of 4 players will compete against each other on a league basis. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<a href="http://www.shropshirechess.org/Tournaments/Junior_Chess_League_2013_flyer.pdf">Download the flyer here for full details and register your team now!</a><br />
<br />
And check out the calendar for details of other Shropshire Junior chess events.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-84572466441673061402013-01-23T02:24:00.000-08:002013-01-23T02:24:12.080-08:00Junior chess Sat 26 JanThe next junior chess session takes place this Saturday 26 Jan at Trinity School, Ford, 10am-12pm.<br />
<br />
All welcome!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-76017858434745491842012-11-26T23:09:00.001-08:002012-11-26T23:09:12.355-08:00New Junior Chess League to be Launched
<br />
<div class="p1">
The Shropshire Junior Chess Academy is planning to launch a junior chess league in 2013. This is an exciting opportunity for schools and junior chess players to compete as members of a junior team against other similarly-minded chess enthusiasts.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>How will it operate?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Teams of 4 players will compete against each other on a league basis. Matches against other teams will be scheduled to take place once a term, on a Saturday. The exact nature of the league will reflect the composition of teams entered but it will generally be based around year groupings / age.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Our school doesn’t have a chess club but would still like to enter a team</b></div>
<div class="p1">
That’s fine. If the school has a number of keen young chess players, they may wish to form their own team(s). Alternatively, you may like help in setting up a school club, in which case, please get in touch to discuss; we may be able to help.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Is there a cost?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
As this is the first year of operation, we are not making any charge at all to enter teams. We do ask that you supply us with contact details of a single team captain / organiser, who will need to be an adult. Also, you will have to arrange your team’s own transport to and from the venue (currently, we have access to venues in Telford and Shrewsbury and it is anticipated that we will alternate between these two centres). The Junior Chess Academy also has its own equipment, so that’s also taken care of.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Are there prizes?</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Definitely! Our experience of running junior chess is that the participants appreciate small tokens of their achievements (rosettes, badges etc) and we will award a trophy to the winning team(s) at the end of the year. The intention is also to reward individual achievement with special prizes, which will be decided as the league develops.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
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<b>I want to register an interest – what do I do now? </b></div>
<div class="p1">
Email us now stating: </div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">School name</li>
<li class="li1">School contact details (address, telephone number, email)</li>
<li class="li1">Team captain / organiser contact name</li>
<li class="li1">Team captain / organiser contact details, if different from 2</li>
<li class="li1">Likely numbers of junior players (grouped by ages / year group)\</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div class="p1">
<b>francis.best@gmx.com</b></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<b>steve.rooney@busandcoach.com</b></div>
</div>
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-77543000033918624432012-06-23T03:55:00.000-07:002012-06-23T03:56:17.602-07:00Good luck to the GigafinalistsWell done to all those Shr<span style="background-color: white;">opshire juniors who qualified for the UK Chess Challenge gigafinal and best of luck to all of you for the next stage on 7-8 July.</span><br />
<br />
U10 Boys<br />
Chris Coull, St Giles Primary, Shrewsbury<br />
Luca Evola, St George's Primary, Shrewsbury<br />
Jonathon McMahon, Castle House, Newport<br />
<br />
U11 Boys<br />
Heath Pearson, Oxon School, Shrewsbury - Won his section with 6/6!<br />
<br />
U12 Boys<br />
Lewis Clarke, Castle House, Newport<br />
<br />
U13 Boys<br />
David Forster, Bridgnorth Endowed<br />
<br />
U14 Boys<br />
Gareth Gower, Abraham Darby, Telford<br />
<br />
U15 Boys<br />
Athar Mehmood, Wrekin College<br />
<br />
U16 girls<br />
Rebecca Davis, Abraham Darby, Telford<br />
<br />
U18 Boys<br />
James Sloan, Idsall School, ShifnalUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-23432685417104212082012-03-09T07:29:00.005-08:002012-03-09T07:37:26.395-08:00Gearing up for the MegafinalOur next session will take place on Sat 28 April 2012 at Trinity School, Ford and will be an invaluable "warm-up" for those who qualified for the UK Chess Challenge megafinal as well as a great fun coaching session for everyone.<br />
<br />
We will cover some basic checkmates (without stalemating), how to avoid Scholar's mate as well as tips on winning more games and how to bounce back after losing!<br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Hope to see lots of your there!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-74782355339511283752012-02-09T03:02:00.000-08:002012-02-23T06:55:07.276-08:00UK Chess Challenge 2012<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">A Shropshire qualifying event for the UK Chess Challenge takes place on Sat 3 March 2012</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span></div>
<div 'palatino="" 1.5;="" 14px;="" 568px;"="" class="post-body entry-content" font-size:="" georgia,="" id="post-body-6682573186294039407" line-height:="" linotype',="" palatino,="" position:="" relative;="" serif;="" utopia,="" width:="">
Shropshire juniors have a chance to compete once again in this fantastic UK-wide competition that involves around 70,000 children from 5-18.<br />
<br />
The UK Chess Challenge gives everyone a chance to win a prize and the chance to qualify for regional and even national levels of the competition as it progresses towards identifying the best UK junior chess players of each age group.<br />
<br />
The Shropshire qualifying event is open to chess players of all abilities and takes place at Trinity School, Butts Lane, Ford, nr Shrewsbury on Sat 3 March from 9.30am - 1.00pm.<br />
<br />
No-one goes away empty-handed with lots of fun prizes on offer!<br />
<br />
The entry fee is £3, payable on the day. For more information call Steve Rooney on 01694 723724 or Francis Best on 01743 821220.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-38102531870690120652012-01-19T03:40:00.001-08:002012-01-19T03:41:08.856-08:00Next junior event 4 FebruarySaturday 4 February is our first meeting for 2012. It will be at the usual venue, Trinity School, Ford from 10am to 12.00pm.<br />
<br />
See you there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-8699488841969099782011-11-14T09:02:00.001-08:002011-11-14T09:11:29.374-08:00UK Chess ChallengeEnter now for this year's UK Chess Challenge. This fantastic tournament involves more than 65,000 children each year and claims to be the largest chess tournament in the world. The first stage begins in the spring term held in schools or local junior clubs.<br />
<br />
We will be running a qualifying event at the Junior Chess Academy in February/March 2012, but schools can get involved directly by holding their own events. There are lots of fun prizes supplied as part of the entry pack and children can qualify for a Regional Megafinal and National Gigafinal and Terrafinal where there are some serious csh prizes!<br />
<br />
For more information see the new UK Chess Challenge website - http://www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com.<br />
<br />
If your school in Shropshire needs any assistance with equipment, or advice from local chess coaches please get in contact us on 01694 723724.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-65680669632028327572011-09-13T05:35:00.000-07:002011-11-04T06:34:38.309-07:00Junior chess club gets underwayThe first junior chess club session of the season starts on Saturday 17 September - 10am -12.00pm at Trinity School, Butts Lane, Ford.<br />
<br />
All abilities welcome for some fun games, puzzles and 'light' chess coaching.<br />
<br />
Cost £3, just turn up and pay on the day.<br />
<br />
further dates for the autumn term -<br />
Sat 5 November <br />
Sat 3 December<br />
<br />
See you there ...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-30114892342940306992011-05-08T09:30:00.000-07:002011-05-08T10:30:33.922-07:00Four trophies at Megafinal!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq1uUTCmFMU68hyP_p0-8j3l-T2CxLPk554tzw5pZeXPkRtvVYynECfKDsx9DOcLH69sSWcSRNE5fZRviYoxDgQvXoy2gDeC7K8eO89jgrgtiQGvtqMm2CcE4SIXhrSmXjBvo4Mljybpm/s1600/four_trophies_600.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq1uUTCmFMU68hyP_p0-8j3l-T2CxLPk554tzw5pZeXPkRtvVYynECfKDsx9DOcLH69sSWcSRNE5fZRviYoxDgQvXoy2gDeC7K8eO89jgrgtiQGvtqMm2CcE4SIXhrSmXjBvo4Mljybpm/s320/four_trophies_600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604391812902682962" border="0" /></a>
A trip down the A49 to the Megafinal in Hereford saw Shropshire juniors return with four trophies and a number of qualifiers for the next stage of the UK Chess Challenge.
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Six Shropshire juniors won their sections to be declared Supremos and qualify for the Northern Gigafinal that takes place in July. Two Shropshire junior academy members - Heath Pearson and Francis Rooney - won all their games at the Megafinal. Ten-year old Heath swept aside all opposition in his section to take the Supremo slot, and Francis Rooney won all six of his games in the tough combined section for 14-18 year-olds and was under 16 Supremo.
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<span style="font-style:italic;">Photo - back L-R: James Sloan, U17B Supremo; Matthew Best, U15B Supremo; Francis Rooney, U16B Supremo; and front: Heath Pearson, U10B Supremo.</span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shropshire winners at 2011 Megafinal:</span>
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Under 7 boys supremo Billy Hudson, Castle House School
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Under 9 boys runner-up Luca Ebola, St George's School
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Under 10 Supremo - Heath Pearson, Oxon School who scored 6/6
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Under 10 girls runner-up Rhiannon Wilson, Radbrook School
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Under 13 boys runner up Morgan Warcroft, Abraham Darby
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Under 15 Supremo - Matthew Best, Mary Webb School - 4/6
Under 15 boys runner-up Ben Spicer, Bridgnorth Endowed
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Under 16 Supremo - Francis Rooney, Church Stretton School - 6/6
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Under 17 Supremo - James Sloan, Idsall School - 5/6
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Under 18 girls Supremo - Jade Bonner, Abraham Darby School
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Under 18 boys Supremo - Ben Treadwell, Abraham Darby School</p><p>
</p><p>Winners of rosettes for those who scored at least 3.5 points from their 6 matches were: Ella Mates, St Lawrences U11G; Alfie Deal and Ben Sutton, Castle House U10B; Oscar Stone and Duncan Parry, St Georges U11B; Darren Ward, Abraham Darby U12B; Matthew Taylor, Idsall School U13B.
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Shropshire schools represented at the Megafinal were: Abraham Darby, Bridgnorth Endowed, Castle House, Church Stretton, Idsall, Mary Webb, Radbrook, St George's, St Lawrences.
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(Apologies if I have missed any of the Shropshire juniors from the results or got any names wrong, just leave a comment with corrections and I'll edit.)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-13370260086155889672011-05-04T06:01:00.000-07:002011-05-06T06:03:45.920-07:00Megafinal this SaturdayJust a reminder that the UK Chess Challenge megafinal takes place this Saturday 7 May. As a result we have cancelled our normal monthly session and will meet again in June.
Results from the megafinal will be posted when available.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-55614247610660799482011-04-21T07:28:00.000-07:002011-04-21T07:30:41.186-07:00Shropshire juniors to take part in MegafinalThe Megafinal stage of the UK Chess Challenge takes place on Sat 7 May at Thruxtone School, Hereford. those that have qualified for this stage of the event should have received entry forms, if you haven't sent yours in, then do so without delay!
Look forward to seeing lots of you there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-66825731862940394072011-01-28T07:59:00.000-08:002011-01-30T09:16:48.209-08:00UK Chess Challenge 2011It's UK Chess Challenge time once again!
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Shropshire juniors have a chance to compete once again in this fantastic UK-wide competition that involves around 70,000 children from 5-18.
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The UK Chess Challenge gives everyone a chance to win a prize and the chance to qualify for regional and even national levels of the competition as it progresses towards identifying the best UK junior chess players of each age group.
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The Shropshire qualifying event is open to chess players of all abilities and takes place at Trinity School, Butts Lane, Ford, nr Shrewsbury on Sat 5 Feb from 9.30am - 1.30pm. There are lots of prizes and no-one goes away empty-handed!
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The entry fee is £3, payable on the day. For more information call Steve Rooney on 01694 723724 or Francis Best on 01743 821220.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-50905978557786764772011-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:002011-01-10T13:32:35.121-08:00Wrekin congress success<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcusRwX_WCh8X2ClPRpA0gYc0I-e6u_D_vXZ5IlbPrnz9vlu3PcRW80lpGwuibo8pWu4xaPKNdt2gcJyBjGsCNU5N1fZ4Gf1ii9g-ik5S7gyGZoSdxsYhhJkKhe4I4GPUgCxy0oRlQsy5/s1600/finalposition_heath01.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcusRwX_WCh8X2ClPRpA0gYc0I-e6u_D_vXZ5IlbPrnz9vlu3PcRW80lpGwuibo8pWu4xaPKNdt2gcJyBjGsCNU5N1fZ4Gf1ii9g-ik5S7gyGZoSdxsYhhJkKhe4I4GPUgCxy0oRlQsy5/s320/finalposition_heath01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560669937919871794" /></a>
Four Shropshire juniors took part in the Wrekin Chess Congress last weekend in Telford and all four ended on the same points and shared the junior prize for the tournament.<p>
Heath Pearson (9) was the youngest competitor in the tournament and following a win in his very first competitive game he finished on 2.5 points along with Matthew Best, Peter Mellor and Francis Rooney.
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Congratulations to all of them. Heath's first win is shown below.<p>
<span style="font-style:italic;">The diagram above shoes the final position after 24 ...Kxf7.</span>
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Graham Toone (109) - Heath Pearson [ug]
Wrekin Minor, 08.01.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 c6 Heath has learnt the Scandanavian Defence ... 5.Nf3 Qc7 6.Be2 Nf6 7.Bg5 Bf5 8.Ne5 e6 9.g4 h6 An aggressive response, but that's the way he likes to play! 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Qb6 A little too aggressive, leaves the Bishop on f5 en prise. 12.Nc4 Qd8 13.gxf5 exf5 14.Be5 Bb4 15.Qd3 f4 16.Qf5 Nbd7 17.Nd6+ It's looking a bit tough for black here, but don't panic ...
17...Kf8 18.Bh5 Qa5 19.0-0 Bxd6 20.Bxd6+ Kg7 21.Rfe1 Both players have missed the unprotected queens, so ... 21...Qxf5 ... and now white has lost the leader of his attack.
22.Re7 Rae8 23.Rxf7+ Kg8 24.Be2 The final error, the bishop is heading for c4 where for a discovered check, but white has forgotten that the rook on f7 is now unprotected. 24...Kxf7 Heath gets a win against a 109-graded player in his first competitive game! 0-1
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittIaVTHDvg1p7bwka6Fal0GjHQUNezSagDFAA4k-CXybrwLWjBRvvKB-F4EmV0JObKXwY-7MC0A0XzCFsF2HuDiiZErNJzqt-pmfz0BNhSiJKG0YH_ImENEXIVHmd_YkHT2P1yK7jEnsT/s1600/juniors_photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittIaVTHDvg1p7bwka6Fal0GjHQUNezSagDFAA4k-CXybrwLWjBRvvKB-F4EmV0JObKXwY-7MC0A0XzCFsF2HuDiiZErNJzqt-pmfz0BNhSiJKG0YH_ImENEXIVHmd_YkHT2P1yK7jEnsT/s320/juniors_photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560672809636907170" /></a>
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<span style="font-style:italic;">Left to right: Francis Rooney, Heath Pearson and Matthew Best (Peter Mellor had to leave before the prizegiving.)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-54499209796511700772010-09-16T09:14:00.001-07:002010-09-20T07:18:20.596-07:00New monthly chess Grand Prix<p>A series of monthly Grand Prix chess events kicks off on Sat 2 October at Trinity School, Ford.</p><p>The event is open to chess players of all abilities and will involve a monthly tournament with prizes for each event and end of season series prizes.</p><p>It takes place on first Saturday of each month from October to December 2010 and then February to July 2011.</p><p><a href="http://www.plumpublishing.co.uk/chess/juniorgrandprix_2.pdf">A poster is attached, please feel free to distribute this and display it in school etc.</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-73069175745686227682010-06-17T01:21:00.001-07:002010-06-17T01:25:39.158-07:00Puzzle time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBcF705iO_JP6HgB3KK5uVpTLDuJkHpFBLDS1mdINxC3oVJhBxCXw-79mWAZyemYyaT3Lpq6rCcu13XbS2SiXMkC2ONHhZxhKHKN1WzXvRQAtOo2EETr4LTR5_JVz8hnFwjf6bxphbMkn/s1600/puzzle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBcF705iO_JP6HgB3KK5uVpTLDuJkHpFBLDS1mdINxC3oVJhBxCXw-79mWAZyemYyaT3Lpq6rCcu13XbS2SiXMkC2ONHhZxhKHKN1WzXvRQAtOo2EETr4LTR5_JVz8hnFwjf6bxphbMkn/s320/puzzle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483655756870748834" /></a>Here's a challenging puzzle for you all.<p>It was set by Andrew Martin IM at the recent coaching session. White is about to queen its c-pawn but has to be careful about that black bishop!</p><p>White has the move, how can he force a draw? It's a very tricky solution but very beautiful. If you can find it, leave your answer as a comment here.</p><p>
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</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-73704937855016224192010-06-13T10:56:00.000-07:002010-06-14T01:21:00.532-07:00Star coach for Shropshire juniors<p>International Master Andrew Martin conducted a fantastic coaching session for Shropshire juniors on Saturday 12 June. The event was organised by Shropshire Junior Chess Academy.</p><p>Local juniors worked through a tough series of challenges set for them by Andrew and in the prixze competition Sam Eardley and Laura Newey won special prizes of Andrew's chess DVDs.</p><p>The session was a great success and we look forward to all the juniors putting what they have learnt into practice in the forthcoming season.
</p><p>Following the coaching session there was a simultaneous match involving Andrew playing 19 opponents at the same time. The juniors did very well at this as well with Matthew Best getting into a winning position only to be squeezed out by a mating attack and Heath Pearson being one of the last to finish.</p><p>The final result of the simul was Andrew Martin 17.5 Shropshire 1.5 with Peter Kitchen, Shrewsbury getting a striking win and Andy Tunks getting a well-deserved draw.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-76918028965010782422010-05-17T09:20:00.000-07:002010-05-17T09:29:20.229-07:00International master to run Shropshire coaching session<p>Junior chess players in the county have an opportunity to attend a coaching masterclass next month with International Chess Master Andrew Martin in an event organised by Shropshire Junior Chess Academy.
</p>As well as running a coaching sessions for some of the county’s budding chess players, the chess master will also take on all-comers in a simultaneous display involving 30 of the county’s top players.
<p>The event takes place at Trinity Primary School, Ford on 12 June with the junior coaching session in the morning and the simultaneous chess display after lunch.
</p><p>The morning coaching session costs just £6 and it is the same price for the afternoon simultaneous display. Juniors attending the whole day costs £10.
Players need to register for the event in advance.</p><p><a href="http://www.plumpublishing.co.uk/chess/andrewmartincoaching2010.pdf">DOWNLOAD the form to register here ...</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-66047570233237380342010-05-07T07:18:00.000-07:002010-05-14T07:29:17.138-07:00Juniors head for gigafinal<p>Six Shropshire Juniors have qualified for the Gigafinal stage of the UK Chess Challenge competition after competing in a regional qualifying tournament held in Herefordshire.</p><p>The next stage takes place in Cheshire in July and includes top juniors from across the midlands and the north.</p><p>To qualify for the gigafinal the juniors had to achieve a score of 4 out of 6 games. The top boy and girl in each group also gets the title Supremo/Suprema.</p><p><strong>UK Chess Chalenge 2010 Gigafinal qualiers</strong></p><p>Ieuan Fenton U18 Supremo</p><p>Francis Rooney U15 Supremo</p><p>Jonathan Newey U15 runner up</p><p>Matthew Best U14 Supremo</p><p>Athar mehmood U13 Supremo</p><p>Laura Newey U11 qualifier</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-36752576803966872502010-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:002010-04-15T08:05:09.438-07:00Jamie Allan is star performer in league seasonThe Shropshire league season is now complete and Shrewsbury Juniors ended in 4th position in the 3rd division, while Newport Juniors unfortunately finished in the bottom slot, although captain Jamie Allan scored a very impressive 7/9 despite having played most of the season on board 1.
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Shrewsbury Juniors were bolstered by the addition of an adult for much of the season after they lost their fifth player Angelica Dean early on. The team got six wins and one draw from 12 matches and ended up only just behind the promotion slots. Notable performances for them included Matthew Best 5.5/10, Chris Lovejoy 5/9 and Henry Graham 5/8.
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Both teams have a further chance to take some adult scalps in the forthcoming summer cups.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-71750126399238669272010-03-22T05:47:00.000-07:002010-03-22T05:53:15.686-07:00Shropshire juniors qualify for MegafinalSeven juniors qualified for the Megafinal stage of the UK Chess Challenge in an event held by Shropshire Junior Chess Academy on Saturday (20 March).
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The qualifying tournament resulted in a tie for first place between Ieuan Fenton and Athar Mehmood, with Athar getting the trophy on the tie break from sum of progressive scores, while Francis Rooney came in third place.
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The qualifiers, who will take part in the Megafinal to be held in Herefordshire on 1 May, are:
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Ieaun Fenton U18<br>
Sam Eardley U17<br>
Jonathan Newey U15<br>
Francis Rooney U15<br>
Matthew Best U14<br>
Athar Mehmood U14<br>
Heath Pearson U9<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098931775682454850.post-57367170824232393912010-03-04T08:54:00.000-08:002010-03-04T12:13:16.867-08:00UK Chess challenge event - 20 March<p>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Take part in the UK’s largest chess competition!</span>
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Shropshire Junior Chess Academy is holding a qualifying event for the UK Chess Challenge on Sat 20 March at Trinity School, Butts Lane, Ford, Shropshire, with the kind permission of the head teacher.
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The event is a major national competition that attracts around 70,000 children each year. Those who take part in the Shropshire event on 20 March have the chance to qualify for a regional Megafinal in Herefordshire in May. And beyond that there is a Gigafinal and even a Terrafinal to find the champion of champions!
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Entry fee £3.
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<a href="http://www.plumpublishing.co.uk/chess/ukchesschallenge.pdf">To enter, simply complete the details on the attached document and send by email or post or if you’ve left it to the last minute, you can even telephone.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1