To help prepare our students to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars, we are delighted to announce the return of our Online Grand Prix.

This term, our free Grand Prix tournaments are to be held on our lichess team page. Chess Rising Stars students, parents, and friends are all welcome to take part.

We have altered the format so there will now be a warm-up in September, followed by weekly Grand Prix events held on Sundays. The tournaments will be 1-hour Arenas at the 5+3 time control. 

Callum representing the National Chess Junior Squad at the Glorney Cup

Schedule

The online chess tournaments will take place on Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Autumn Term 2025:

  • 28th September = Warm-up
  • October, November and December = Weekly Grand Prix Arenas

Fair Play

To ensure the integrity of the Chess Rising Stars Online Grand Prix tournaments, we will use the lichess cheat detection system alongside the observation and judgment of our experienced coaching team.

Register Now

Drop us a message on the Chess Rising Stars lichess team page or an email to london@chessacademy.uk to get involved.

Oct 22, 2023

Announcing a Special Online Chess Club for Girls

At Chess Rising Stars, we are thrilled to unveil another exciting course. Starting in November 2023, WFM Maria Manelidou, the Founder and Director of Chess Rising Stars, will teach our new Girls’ Online Chess Club.

Empowering girls in the world of chess has been a central focus for us since Chess Rising Stars was established in 2017. We are dedicated to creating opportunities for girls to not only play but excel in chess, and our new club is a part of this commitment.

We are pleased to announce that our Girls’ Online Chess Club will be free to enter for girls who already have chess lessons with us. For those who are new to Chess Rising Stars, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discover the best way to become a club member.

Since the initial lockdown, we have organised regular Girls’ Online Tournaments, providing girls with valuable competitive experience. The photos displayed on this page capture the prize winners from one of our memorable early events in 2021. These tournaments have steadily gained in popularity and now stand as an integral part of our chess calendar.

The Academy’s new Girls’ Online Club will help students to get ready for their upcoming tournaments. Maria will share her extensive understanding of high stakes chess, as an 8-time Greek National Junior Champion, to ensure the club members are well-prepared both tactically and strategically. 

Our comprehensive Chess Rising Stars teaching programs have consistently delivered the knowledge and support needed to help girls improve their chess. The recent achievement of one of our students, who won the title of U10 Girls Champion at the Chess Challenge 2023 Terafinal, serves as a shining example of the success that our students can achieve under the guidance of the Academy’s experienced team of coaches.

We look forward to welcoming more girls to the world of chess!

Mar 26, 2024

Chess Rising Stars Summer Grand Prix

To help prepare our students to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars, we are delighted to announce the return of our Online Grand Prix.

This term, our free Grand Prix tournaments are on our chess team page. Chess Rising Stars students, parents, and friends are all welcome to take part.

Each tournament will have five rounds of 10+5. We have chosen this time control to mimic the playing conditions in the Junior Four Nations Chess League Online (J4NCLO).

Prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries and will be confirmed later. Your top 5 scores from the 6 Grand Prix events will count towards this.

The online chess tournaments will take place on the following Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Summer Term 2024:

To ensure the integrity of the Chess Rising Stars Online Grand Prix tournaments, we will use the lichess cheat detection system alongside the observation and judgment of our experienced coaching team.

The Chess Rising Stars London Academy team hopes to see many of you there.

November News

We are keen to share Chess Rising Stars London Academy’s upcoming Christmas and New Year chess courses with you.

Online Chess Camp

The 24th Chess Rising Stars Camp will be held online between Monday 18th and Wednesday 20th December, 9am – 12 noon. Beginners, intermediate and advanced players are all welcome. Our online holiday camp returns by popular request after the success of our Summer Holiday Online Club. Secure your spot with our Early Bird registration discount.

Christmas Tournament

Embrace the festive spirit with our Christmas Online Chess Tournament on Saturday 9th December from 10:00-12:30 using lichess.org! The tournament will also incorporate our 9th Girls’ Online Chess Tournament. Entry is open to all Chess Rising Stars students, parents, coaches and friends.

Spring Term

Be the first to mark your calendars with the Spring Term dates for all of the Online Chess Clubs and our prestigious Chelsea Chess Club. Chess Rising Stars clubs will have 9 weeks of lessons across the term and a week off for half-term. As usual, spaces are limited across our chess clubs and allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Chess Rising Stars teacher GM Marian Petrov was selected to coach the Bulgarian team at the FIDE World Youth Olympiad tournament in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Registration is now open for all of these fantastic courses. If you’d like more details, please don’t hesitate to contact us.