JUNIOR CHESS NEWS

Junior Congress results and all the recent tournaments

SHREWSBURY JUNIOR CHESS CLUB Organised by two experienced Shrewsbury chess players, Francis Best and Steve Rooney, the newly launched Shrewsbury Junior Chess Club welcomes primary school-age players of all standards. To help the organisers plan the event, please call or email in advance to register .WHEN? Friday 20 May Friday 17 June Friday 15 July 6.30pm to 7.45pm	WHERE? Wenlock Rooms Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Welshpool Road Shrewsbury HOW MUCH? £1 per child CONTACT Steve Rooney 01743 241568 Francis Best 01743 821220 Email: steve.rooney@busandcoach.com
Junior Chess Club. - Just to let you know of developments on the junior chess front. Francis Best and Steve Rooney have agreed to take on the co-ordination of junior chess for the county trials and county matches. The next trials will be in the autumn. In addition we are setting up a junior chess club at Shrewsbury's regular venue at the Wenlock Rooms, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Welshpool Road. Initially it will run one Friday a month in the summer - confirmed dates 20 May, 17 June and 15 July from 6.30pm to 7.45pm. We will be advertising it to schools around the county and aiming to invite the regular players from county U-9 and U11 teams. We would be delighted to receive any offers of help from players from other clubs. Alan Shaw has done a marvellous job over many years in building Shropshire junior chess, not just in helping to develop some of our now well-known junior stars, but also for giving an opportunity to so many children to learn about the game. It is up to all of us to continue that legacy to help enthuse and support the junior stars of the future. If you can help or want more information please email steve.rooney@busandcoach.com - Steve Rooney 29/04/05
Dothill Junior Chess Club - Dothill Chess Club is no more. I decided to stop last year when I had my heart surgery, and then thought that I might as well stop permanently. Sorry about not informing many people. - Alan Shaw 24 March 2005 Junior Chess - The Shropshire Chess Community owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Alan Shaw for the tremendous work he has put in for junior chess in the county over more than two decades. However we cannot abandon the next generation of up and coming juniors. Unless we take urgent action the legacy of Alan's great contribution will be wasted. Ideas please. Keith Tabner 24 March 2005
Grammar school host UK international Talented youngsters from across the Midlands descended on a Newport school weekend commencing 15th January 2005 when it hosted a prestigious chess tournament. A field of 37 players from 16 schools across the region were at Adams' Grammar School when it hosted the area final of the UK Chess International. And there was home support for five of the players, who are pupils at the school. Chris Lewis and Alex Taylor made it into the under 14 competition while Max Baulf went through from the earlier rounds in the under 13 competition. Joe Pym, under 18, and Huw Davenport, under 12, also got through from round one, which took place over half term in October. The young chess champs were competing for a place in the international final to be be held at Easter.	Adams Grammar School pupils Chris Lewis, 14, left, Alex Taylor, 14, top right, and Max Baulf, 13, with maths teacher and former National Chess Champion of Jamaica Ryan Palmer, preparing for the tournament Shropshire Star 13/01/2005
Shropshire Junior Chess Congress - 2004 A Shropshire Junior Chess Congress was held at Dothill Junior School on Saturday 11th December. It was run by Alan Shaw, with help from Steve Rooney, Francis Best and parents. There were 70 players ranging from Under 8 to Under 18 and the results were: Under 8 Winner Liam Middleton – St. George’s School, Shrewsbury Under 8 Runner-up Matthew Mellor – Ladygrove School Under 9 Winner Liam Middleton – St. Lucia’s School, Upton Magna Under 9 Runners-up Hedley Baulf – Tibberton School Matthew Best – Trinity School, Ford Under 10 Winner Jonathan Newey – Oxon School Under 10 Runner-up Curtis Wakeman – Randlay School Under 11 Winner Peter Mellor – Ladygrove School Under 11 Runner-up Masahiro Kuroda – Old Hall School Under 13 Winner Christopher Lovejoy – Adams Under 13 Runners-up Maxwell Baulf – Adams Sam Eardley – Adams Under 15 Joint Winners Christopher Lewis – Adams Alex Taylor – Adams Under 18 Winner Richard Lovejoy – Church Stretton Alan Shaw
The 2004 British Under 16 Championship Keith Fowler reports The British Under 16 Championship, incorporating the Under 15 Championship, took place in the first week of the British Championships in Scarborough. The event was over seven rounds of four hour games. The games were played at the rate of one a day except for a single day when there was a double round. There were 25 contestants with Shropshire's Simon Fowler fifth seed on grade. The first two rounds went more or less to form with four of the top five seeds winning both their games. The first crunch game for Simon arrived in round three when he was paired against the second seed William Bennet. As an aside William attends Oakham School and will be joined by Louis Graham this year. Unfortunately William proved too sharp on the day and was the victor. Simon now had to play catch up by winning his games and hope that the leaders took points off each other to bring them back to him. This duly happened and after the penultimate round, Round 6, Simon found himself sharing the lead with William Bennet and David Eggleston, the first seed. Simon's final game, which he needed to win, was against David Eggleston (195). If he won he was guaranteed at least a share in the Under 16 Championship and the Under 15 outright. The game was fairly even throughout but Simon had the more playable position. As with a lot of Simon's games it came down to a time scramble to meet the first time control. Simon emerged from this in a bit of trouble but David did not capitalise and allowed Simon to take the win and the Championships. William Bennet won his last game to share the Under 16 title with Simon. (1) Fowler,S - Eggleston,D [C01] British U16 Scarborough (7), 07.08.2004 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6 6.Qf3 Nf6 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.Qxg4 Nxg4 9.Bxd8 Nxd8 10.h3 Nf6 11.Nd2 0–0 12.Ne2 Ne6 13.0–0 Rfe8 14.Rfe1 Re7 15.Kf1 b6 16.Ng1 c5 17.Ngf3 Rc8 18.Rac1 g6 19.g3 Kg7 20.Kg2 Rcc7 21.Nf1 Bf4 22.Rcd1 Bh6 23.Re5 cxd4 24.Nxd4 Nxd4 25.Rxe7 Rxe7 (draw) 26.cxd4 Ne8 27.Kf3 Nd6 28.Ne3 Bxe3 29.fxe3 Rc7 30.Rd2 Rc1 31.Rc2 Rd1 32.Be2 Ra1 33.a3 Rg1 34.Bd3 Kf6 35.Rc7 Rd1 36.Be2 Rd2 37.b4 Ne4 38.Rxa7 Ng5+ 39.Kf2 Nxh3+ 40.Ke1 Ra2 41.Ra6 Ke7 42.a4 h5 43.Bb5 Ng5 44.Rxb6 Ne4 45.a5 Nxg3 46.a6 h4 47.Rb7+ Kf6 48.a7 h3 49.Bc6 Ke6 50.Bd7+ Kf6 51.Bxh3 Ne4 52.b5 Ra1+ 53.Ke2 Ra2+ 54.Kf1 Ra1+ 55.Kg2 Ra2+ 56.Kg1 Ra1+ 57.Kh2 Ra2+ 58.Bg2 g5 59.Rb6+ Kg7 60.Ra6 1–0 The Under 16 presentation. Simon Fowler and William Bennett, the joint winners, share the platform with Selina Khoo who won the Under 15 and 16 Girls Championships
Thomas Pym in Austria - Aug Sept 2004 To follow the progress of the European Youth Championships click here
Shropshire Borders Cubs Chess Tournament
Cogratualations to the 23rd Cheetahs of Shrewsbury - not only on hosting a successful tournament - but also on winning the team prize.This annual chess tournament open to cubs in the Shropshire Borders region was held on Sunday 25th January 2004 at Copthorne, Shrewsbury. Organisor Leslie Fardoe (Assistant District Commisioner Shropshire Cubs) has been running the event for about 7 years. The region, one of three in Shropshire, covers Church Stretton, Ellesmere, Oswestry, and Shrewsbury. For further details email adc@23rdcheetahs.co.uk or visit the website www.23rdcheetahs.co.uk.

	RESULTS
Under 7s - Winner	Matthew Mellor	Ladygrove School	Telford
Under 7s - Runner Up	George Gibb	Trinity School	Shrewsbury
Under 8s - Winner	Ryan Law	St Lucia's School	Upton Magna
Under 8s - Runner Up	Rhydian Windsor	Kingsland Grange	Shrewsbury
Under 9s - Winner	Henry Graham	Kingsland Grange	Shrewsbury
Under 9s - Runner Up	Curtis Wakeman	Randlay School	Telford
Under 10s - Winner	Peter Mellor	Ladygrove School	Telford
Under 10s - Runner Up	Cameron Law	St Lucia's School	Upton Magna
Under 11s - Winner	Huw Davenport	Moorfield School	Newport
Under 11s - Runner Up	Joseph Mellor	Ladygrove School	Telford
Under 13s - Winner	Ieuan Fenton	Corbet School	Baschurch
Under 13s - Runner Up	Christopher Fraser-Shaw	Wakeman	Shrewsbury
Under 15s - Winner	Christopher Lewis	Adams	Newport
Under 15s - Runner Up	Jonathon Reid	Community College	Bishops Castle
Under 18s - Winner	Thomas Roe	Adams	Newport
Under 18s - Runner Up	William Duncan	Wakeman	Shrewsbury

NEW CHESS JUNIOR MASTER WINS AMPLEFORTH SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE

On Sunday 2nd November 2003 the biggest prize in British chess was won at Ampleforth College by a 13-year-old boy from Shropshire. After six rounds of play over four days in the Ampleforth Junior Masters tournament, four boys were on the same score, forcing an unprecedented four-way blitz play off. After two extra rounds, each limited to ten minutes, Thomas Pym, of Boughey Road, Newport, Shropshire, emerged victorious over Josiah Lutton, 15, of Whitmore Way, Basildon, Essex, to claim the Ampleforth Trophy and £1000 prize money. He qualifies for a two-year scholarship to the school’s sixth form and an automatic place in the British Chess Championship next summer

An entry of 90 of the UK’s best young chess players of both sexes were drawn to North Yorkshire for the Ampleforth Junior Masters, proving in its fourth year to have become established as the effective British junior championship. First prize is worth more than £20,000 including a two-year scholarship to attend Ampleforth College’s mixed sixth form as a boarder. Success is no stranger to Thomas Pym, a student at Adams Grammar School, Newport. In July he won the Under 13 British Championship, which he has won twice before for his age group and once come second. This year he has represented England in the Czech Republic and in two weeks’ time he will be playing in the European Community Championship in Graz, Austria. Peter Turner, Director of Junior Chess at the British Chess Federation, said: "The Ampleforth Junior Masters has rapidly become the major championship for British juniors. It brings together the very best young players, so the incentive to win is as much about players’ reputations as about the generous and imaginative support from Ampleforth College. It is a tournament which like no other creates all the conditions of top level competition, and is thus invaluable experience for promising youngsters." BCF

Girl Power

Shrewsbury High School now has its own chess club. Mr Cooper, the teacher who is running the club, says that although it is early days the girls are keen to learn more about the game. As far as I know this is the first time that Shropshire has had a chess club for girls. With so few femail players in the county this is welcome news. Here's wishing you every success - I hope that it won't be too long before some of you join one of the senior chess clubs.

Can You Help?

Shropshire Junior Chess Organiser Alan Shaw expects to be out of action for a couple of months early in the new year following a hospital operation. Unless cover can be found the Saturday morning club at Dothill will have to be suspended. Any volunteer will of course need approval from the school head teacher and the appropriate police check (which I understand takes at least 6 weeks) so the matter is urgent.

Meanwhile we wish Alan a successful operation and a speedy recovery.

The Good News and the Bad News

First the good news - In September a brand new chess club opened at Oxon Primary School in Shrewsbury. Mrs Andrews already has about 35 keen young chess players, is running a chess ladder, and has taken a group to visit Shropshire's Saturday morning chess club at Dothill Junior School in Wellington. Well done to all of you!!

Now the bad news - St. Georges Primary School, Copthorne, Shrewsbury has lost its chess club. Mr Farnborough, the teacher who organised the club, left at the end of the 2003 summer term. There are lots of disappointed young players now looking for their next move.
I suggest a trip to Dothill on Saturday mornings - or you'll find a welcome at one of the senior clubs - try Telepost Club on Tuesday evening or Shrewsbury Club on Friday evening.
Click here for details of Shropshire Chess Clubs