This year’s prestigious London Junior Chess Championships (LJCC) Finals were a successful one for Chess Rising Stars. Our students, Sachin and Ashwin, shared 3rd in the U10 Major with an admirable 5.5/7.

The first weekend of the 2023 LJCC Finals were held at the University of Westminster, Marylebone Hall. Hundreds of chess players of all ages took part, making for an inspiring atmosphere for our young students.

L to R: Chris, Arnav, Sachin and Maria

Sachin and Ashwin are both active members of our Elite Chess Club. We work together on areas of strategy, tactics and mindset to build the confidence and skills necessary to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars.

We are proud to add to our series of individual tournament accomplishments this year, building on the successes the Elite Club students achieved at the UK Chess Challenge Terafinal earlier in the year.

We had 12 current Chess Rising Stars students who met the high standard necessary to qualify for the LJCC Finals. This illustrious tournament has been running for nearly 100 years and provides a first-rate competitive experience for junior chess players.

On Saturday our coaches, Maria and Chris, paid a visit to offer their support and guidance plus drop off some prizes to take home as souvenirs! Tom also set a fine example, competing in the Open tournament and scoring 3.5/4.


The Chess Rising Stars team are looking forward to the upcoming U8 and U12 LJCC Finals later this month. The achievements of Sachin and Ashwin are a shining example of what can be accomplished with the knowledge and support of our experienced coaches.

Jun 25, 2024

Summer Holiday Online Chess Club

Summer feels like it’s finally arrived here in London. 28℃ today and forecast to be even hotter tomorrow!

With the school holidays around the corner the Chess Rising Stars Summer Holiday Online Club is returning for its 3rd year.

The club is open to children aged between 6 and 14 of all chess levels. It’s an ideal companion course to our school and online clubs in term-time.

Lessons will have a mixture of small-group tuition, friendly games and an internal tournament. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the term for the tournament winners, as well as those who have shown particular improvement and enthusiasm.

Details for Parents:

Day: Sundays
Time: 10:30-12:00pm
Group Size: 6-12
Age: 6+
Coaches: Savvas Manelidis and WFM Maria Manelidou
Cost: £24 per single lesson
7-Lesson Discount: £18 per lesson

Confirmed Dates

July: 14, 21, 28
August: 4, 11, 18, 25

Sep 04, 2024

Four Nations Chess League Online

Chess Rising Stars has entered our first team in the Four Nations Chess League Online (4NCLO) for Season 10, starting on 10th September.

We’re excited to expand our team chess provision by entering a second online competition, aiming to build experience and squad depth for future over-the-board events.

Matches will take place on lichess on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm

As veterans of the junior league (J4NCLO) since 2022, we’ve claimed four divisional titles and two runner-up finishes. Now, Chess Rising Stars is ready to compete in the main league against adult teams. This will provide an extra challenge for our Elite Club and Adult Improvers students.

Don’t miss out. Join our squad this week to be part of this exciting opportunity! You can also follow our progress on the 4NCL website.

Chess Rising Stars London Academy Begins to Showcase our Rising Stars

This is the start of a new feature where we will introduce our Rising Stars.

Student Profile – Aden K.

Aden was still in Year 1 when he joined the Chess Rising Stars London Academy in April 2020. Since then he has been on a mission to prove that age doesn’t matter one bit in chess. Aden continues to impress us with his enthusiasm and desire to improve. He loves to get involved during group lessons and is quick to share his ideas with the class.

For now, tournament chess has moved online and Aden has enjoyed many successes. Perhaps the highlight so far was a 5th place finish in the London Junior Chess Championship Finals U8 section, whilst still U7. We are looking forward to seeing his continued progress when over the board chess returns.

Kent Junior Chess Association have benefited from Aden’s services in the National Association finals at both U9 and U11. Of particular note was the gold medal Aden won for a 5/5 performance on board 12 in the U11s. A formidable achievement given he can continue to play in this age category for another 4 years!

Aden has taken part in our online clubs, camps and the in-person Chelsea Chess Club. He quickly built a reputation as a sharp tactician who loves opening traps. Plenty of our students have fallen victim to Aden’s sneaky Stafford Gambit! We think this is partly why his EvenSturdyAlmond account on ChessKid has become widely feared with its 70% win rate.

Together with his coach, Maria, Aden has been building a collection of his best games. We hope that one day they will make for an excellent opening chapter to his first chess book! Here is one of our favourites:

White: Aden (1768)
Black: AdiMit (1948)

Aden’s Best Game

Selected Achievements:
2021

Barnet Junior Individual Championships U7, 4.5/6, 3rd
ChessKid UK Championships U8, 5.5/7, 9th=
Delancey UKCC, U8 Blitz Final 6.5/11, 3rd placed U7
Junior Masters Summer Cup U7 Finals, Bronze medal
Junior Masters Holiday Cup U7 Finals, Bronze medal
NATC, Representing Kent, U11 Finals 5/5, Board 12 Gold medal
Reached a lichess rapid rating of 1900

2020

LJCC U8 Finals, 5/7, 5th out of 79
Reached a lichess rapid rating of 1800

We look forward to more achievements to come from Aden!