CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

Are you ready for an exciting series of online chess tournaments?!

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.

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

Trophies to be awarded in various categories (e.g. Top Girl, Rating prizes and Overall Champion). Your top 5 scores from the 7 Grand Prix events will count towards this.

Please note this a slight change from previous terms, as we are adding an additional tournament due to the longer term.

Chess Rising Stars students and coaches at the 2024 Mind Sports Olympiad

The online chess tournaments will take place on Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Autumn Term 2024.

    Tournament Schedule

      •  29th September = Grand Prix 1

      •  6th October = Grand Prix 2

      •  13th October = Grand Prix 3

      •  10th November = Grand Prix 4

      •  17th November = Grand Prix 5

      •  24th November = Grand Prix 6

      •  1st December = Grand Prix 7

    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.

    Related Post

    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 our student, Sheng, who won the title of U10 Girls Champion at the UK 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
    Sep 12, 2023

    Celebrating Chess Excellence!

    Terafinalists: Celebrating Chess Excellence!

    At Chess Rising Stars London Academy we are bursting with pride as we announce two of our brightest stars, Ashwin and Aden, have secured coveted qualification spots for the U10 Terafinal of the prestigious UK Chess Challenge!

    At the Northampton Challengers tournament, Aden scored an impressive 7.5/9 and finished 2nd, while Ashwin collected 7 points in 3rd.

     

    From Thousands to Sixty

    The UKCC is one of the largest junior chess tournaments in the world. An initial field of tens of thousands of children is now down to just 60.

    The road to chess mastery is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a journey filled with late-night endgame puzzles and a thirst for tactics that can outwit even the most seasoned opponents. Aden and Ashwin have just taken another step down this road.

    A Historic Venue Awaits

    Our dynamic duo, Ashwin and Aden, will now prepare for the grand finale at the illustrious Blenheim Palace. This historic venue, steeped in centuries of British heritage, is a fitting location for the Terafinal. Notably, several previous winners of this tournament have gone on to achieve the Grandmaster title.

    A Trio of Triumph

    Another shining star from our constellation, Sheng, will join Ashwin and Aden at the Terafinal. Sheng has earned the distinction of qualifying as the top U10 girl from the Online Gigafinal, a testament to her determination and skill on the virtual chessboard.

    Good luck to our Students

    We invite you to join us in wishing Ashwin, Aden, and Sheng the very best. Their dedication to chess improvement is a source of inspiration.

    Stay tuned for updates from the Terafinal in October.

     

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    CRS London Academy
    Jan 21, 2025

    Maria Manelidou Achieves Level 4 Coaching Tier

    We are delighted to announce that our founder, WFM Maria Manelidou, has achieved the maximum tier in the ECF Registered Coaches Scheme.

    The English Chess Federation updated its approach to coaching in 2021 and the Coaching Pathway was created to provide reliable information to those seeking chess lessons.

    Congratulations to Maria, who joins a select pool of just twenty coaches in England to meet the requirements necessary for Level 4.

    Maria’s proven track record of coaching national junior champions, at school team level and among individuals, plus Chess Rising Stars’ contribution to developing chess among young people were noted by IM Andrew Martin, the ECF Manager of Coaches.

    Maria’s student, Sheng, U10 Girls Terafinal Champion of the UK Chess Challenge in 2023

    As part of the registration process, the ECF reviews the coaches’ applications, including chess knowledge, skill level and previous experience. Coaches are then allocated to one of four tiers. Chess Rising Stars coaches Tom, Chris, Michael, Eric and Vinay are also registered coaches with the ECF.

    Contact us to discover how you can benefit from our international-level coaching.

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