Chess Kings and Queens!

Chess kings and queens crowned at Megafinal

Congratulations to Sciennes' pupils Aidan, Angus, Matilda Robert Davis, Joseph Bartlett, Sergi MacKinlay-Vich, Jingzhong Fan for their Chess Success!

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Children & Families

Councillor Cathy Fullerton was delighted to attend the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Edinburgh Megafinal recently and present prizes to winners and participants. The UK Chess Challenge is one of the largest chess tournaments in the world and 140 children took part in the second stage Megafinal at Wester Hailes Education Centre in April.
All the children taking part had qualified for the event, mainly through school chess clubs. The structure of the tournament is simple, allowing the most inexperienced players to compete in the early stages, yet testing the mettle of the finest at the end.

Ollie in his youth!
Photo courtesy of lothianschoolchess.org.uk

The tournament, which begins every spring term, continues over four stages and eight months. In the first stage children compete week by week in schools all over the UK (currently the number of schools taking part is over 2,000). Every child is able to win prizes, whether badges, fluffy mascots, trophies and even baseball caps, so every child has something to play for. The impact has been pronounced and you can see both the children’s enjoyment and the enthusiasm at a Megafinal.
Junior chess clubs are springing up all over the country, both in schools and outside; numbers in existing clubs continue to grow. All this shows that chess is one of the most enjoyable and exciting ways for children to learn how to think independently. For information on local Edinburgh school chess visit www.lothianschoolchess.org.uk.
The following pupils from City of Edinburgh schools were Supremos and Supremas (boy and girl champions for their age):

• Aidan Davis (Sciennes PS)
• Angus Holme (Sciennes PS)
• Matilda Ball Torokoff (Sciennes PS)
• Siddharth Berera (South Morningside PS) 1st =
• Anjali Jayanty (Currie CHS)
• John Morrison (Bruntsfield PS)
• Dietah Connolly Sams (Flora Stevenson PS)

The following Edinburgh pupils scored 4 or more and therefore qualify for the Northern Gigafinal in Derby in July:

• Robert Davis, Joseph Bartlett, Sergi MacKinlay-Vich, Jingzhong Fan (Sciennes PS)
•  Matthew Lewis, Danny Sinclair, Robert Pirrie, Rory Moran (South Morningside PS)
• James Hartman (Nether Currie PS)
• Nick Findlay, Patrick Bellett, Joel Chambers (Bonaly PS)
• Archie Kemp (Bruntsfield PS)
• Angus Matthews (St. Peter’s PS)

Well done and many congratulations to all!