CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

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 kept the successful Autumn Term format so there will be a warm-up in January, followed by weekly Grand Prix events held on Sundays. The tournaments will be 1-hour Arenas at the 5+3 time control. 

Aden with his LJCC Finals U14 Major category trophies

Schedule

The online chess tournaments will take place on Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Spring Term 2026:

  • 25th January = Warm-up
  • February and March = 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.

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CRS London Academy
Oct 30, 2025

Mapping Your Chess Progress

How to Use Chess Rising Stars Courses to Improve Your Chess

Whether you’re a junior or an adult improver, a beginner or a master, our expert chess coaches are here to guide you with the knowledge and support you will need.

This is an updated version of the article that we posted back in 2023, as we have improved our chess course options to better support our students.

The Chess Rising Stars squad at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships

Juniors – In-person

Chess Rising Stars London Academy now offer in-person junior chess clubs at two venues in London:

Chelsea

We have created the ideal environment to help introduce the game to younger children, the Chelsea Chess Club for 5 to 7 year olds at Marlborough Primary School. Your child will discover the joys of learning chess in an interactive and enjoyable setting. We will work together on chess strategy and tactics plus associated skills such as sportsmanship, planning and focus.

Our main junior chess club, the Chelsea Chess Club, is staffed by 4 expert coaches and is suitable for more experienced children. The Chess Rising Stars team will ensure that children are grouped with those of a similar age and chess level. Our ECF rated tournament games will help prepare those who intend to compete in chess tournaments and team matches.

Wimbledon

Launched in 2025, our Wimbledon Chess Rising Stars Club is held on Sunday afternoons at William Morris House. Each week, we will offer a mixture of chess lessons, friendly games, and an internal tournament with plenty of prizes for the winners! For those seeking an extra challenge, our weekly tournament games will be ECF rated from November.

CM Tom Villiers coaching at our new Wimbledon Chess Rising Stars Club

Juniors – Online

Our online community on lichess now has over 500 members. The Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Online Clubs each offer groups for children of all levels. We would recommend being familiar with how the pieces move, check and checkmate but no further knowledge is required.

On Fridays we have a club exclusively for secondary school chess players aged 11-16. Chess is gaining popularity in this age range, with students even using it for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award activity.

Our new Chess Rising Stars Online Club acts as a feeder for the ever-popular Elite Club. It is designed for juniors who are already competing in local and regional tournaments, to support their preparation and help them to take their next steps. We can better match students to a group at their current level.

In our invitational Elite Online Club, we work together on areas of strategy, tactics and mindset to build the confidence and skills necessary to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars at national and international tournaments. Our new lead coach, GM Martin Petrov, will be supported by Elite Club founder Chris Russell this term.

Our Online Grand Prix has become a termly event since 2024. Chess Rising Stars students, parents, and friends are all welcome to take part. We have altered the format for the Autumn Term with a warm-up back in September, followed by weekly Grand Prix events held every Sunday. The tournaments are 1-hour Arenas at the 5+3 time control to help prepare our students to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars.

Callum representing the National Chess Junior Squad at the Glorney Cup

Adult Improvers

We offer interactive and engaging private chess lessons for adults online, delivered by our team of experienced coaches. The Chess Rising Stars teachers have been carefully selected and trained by WFM Maria Manelidou and are passionate about sharing their extensive chess knowledge and experience.

If you are keen to compete in OTB or online tournaments, our coaches have supported adult students in their local leagues, tournaments and even internationally. We have helped students to exceed their rating goals by following our individual training plans. Since 2024, Chess Rising Stars has competed in the 4NCLO team competition and were promoted in both our first and second seasons.

What next?

Get in touch with us by email to london@chessacademy.uk, WhatsApp to +447858563332 or via the website to register for one of our Chess Rising Stars courses.

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CRS London Academy
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!

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Feb 25, 2026

Strong Turnout at EJCOA Zonal Wimbledon

The EJCOA Zonal Tournament brought together 74 children aged 6 to 13 for a highly competitive day of chess at the Everyday Church in Wimbledon.

The tournament reached full capacity three weeks in advance (soothing the nerves of the organisers for our first tournament!). The length of the waiting list was clear evidence of the growing enthusiasm for junior competitive chess in London.

For many of the participants it was to be their first experience of an in-person chess tournament. Remarkably, the appeal of the EJCOA National Finals places on offer meant several families travelled more than two hours to attend.

Qualification Pathway

The event served as a qualifying tournament for the English Junior Coaches and Organisers Association (EJCOA) National Youth Championships Finals, to be held at Nottingham High School in July. The EJCOA Finals provide a valuable opportunity for the top young players across the UK to compete in a FIDE-rated standardplay environment.

Experienced Arbiters

On the day, our ECF-qualified team helping the children were:

The additional support of venue helpers Sara and Emilia, ensured a welcoming environment for players and their families.

Sportsmanship

Across the playing hall, concentration was intense and both the standard of play and level of focus were impressive. The section arbiters noted the excellent attitude of the participants throughout the whole day.

Every player received a commemorative Chess Rising Stars pen and a multi-coloured chess piece to keep as a souvenir.

Results

Congratulations to the EJCOA National Finals Qualifiers:

U8 Boy = Ezra C (5/5)
U8 Girl = Aakruthi R (3/5)

U10 Boys = Liantai L & Dias N (4.5/5)
U10 Girl = Lara M (4/5)

U12 Boys = Theodore T & Reidan M (4.5/5)
U12 Girl = Ellene A Z (3/5)

U14 Boy = Fedor B (3/5)

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