CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

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
Nov 26, 2025

Christmas Online Tournament 2025

It’s a Chess Rising Stars Christmas tradition to host a December online tournament on our lichess team page. We are offering the opportunity to play in a fun private tournament with players of all chess levels.

Open to all CRS students, parents and including a special welcome to our friends from the Chess To School initiative in Nigeria, fresh off their Division 3 runners-up finish at the J4NCLO.

We will award prizes for age and rating categories including books trophies and private lessons with our experienced coaches. In previous years, we have received over 30 entrants to this event.

Schedule

The Christmas Online Tournament will take place on Sunday 14th December at 4 pm (GMT).

There will be 9 rounds of 5+3 blitz and we’re expecting to finish between 6 and 7 pm.

Warm-Up

Many of our junior students have qualified for the LJCC Finals later in December and this would be an ideal warm-up tournament for them to compete against other strong, experienced juniors.

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 in this exciting and competitive chance to test your blitz skills.

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Nov 23, 2021

CRS London Academy Chess Camp in October was a Success

We are glad to announce that our 19th Chess Camp in October was successful and very much enjoyed by our students.

We offered a mixture of Chess Lessons, Friendly Games and an Internal Tournament with plenty of Prizes for the Winners!

Prizes were awarded at the end of the camp for the tournament winners, as well as those who showed particular improvement and enthusiasm.


The sessions were delivered by WFM Maria Manelidou, CM Thomas Villiers and Chris Russell.


You are welcome to join our Chess Club which is also held at the same venue of Marlborough Primary School, SW3 3AP.

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Apr 13, 2025

Junior 4NCL Online – Season 11

Our first ever Chess Rising Stars team didn’t exactly get off to a flying start in 2022. We missed the registration deadline for the J4NCLO and defaulted in Round 1. But the squad bounced back in style, winning six straight matches and the Division!

Over the next six seasons, the CRS squad has expanded from 8 to 26 players, claimed four Divisional titles and built on that momentum by entering five teams in January.

Clean-sweep

Season 11 turned out to be our most successful yet, featuring tight tie-break victories and dominant finals:

Our two Division 3 teams won 11 out of 14 matches between them and CRS4 were champions by just two game points on tie-break over Ojays E.

In Division 2, both CRS2 and CRS3 qualified for the Semi-Finals. CRS3 were able to avenge the loss of CRS2 to win 7-1 against Hilsmark Juniors 1 in the Final.

Clinching the Division 1 title was an especially pleasing result for CRS1, as we recovered from finishing as runners-up behind Rogue Rooks in Season 10!

In other team news, our new 4NCL Online squad (a mix of CRS juniors, parents and coaches) has reached the Division 4 Semi-Finals. This league uses a classical time control and promotion to Division 3 in September promises an even more competitive experience.

If you’re interested in joining a Chess Rising Stars team, do reach out to find out more.

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