CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

This October marked a significant milestone for our Chelsea Chess Club. We established it as our first independent junior chess club back in 2019 and have since grown to welcome over 30 children aged 5-12 each week.

Today the Chelsea Chess Club is one of only eleven junior clubs in the country to be recognised by the ECF Junior Development Pathway initiative.

We are proud to have attained Level 2 Status within the English Chess Federation’s Junior Development Pathway scheme. The recent competitive successes of our students, both individually and in team competitions, and the high quality of our website were highlighted by the ECF as contributing towards our successful application.

            “The English Chess Federation’s Junior Development Pathway is a new initiative by the ECF to create a structured and formal progression plan for junior chess players which incorporates existing coaches, junior clubs, associations and programmes”

ECF Juniors Website, Autumn 2022

This acknowledgment is a testament to the dedication of our coaches, the enthusiasm of our young chess players, and the support of parents within our community.

We are confident that the club’s journey doesn’t end here. We aspire to earn ‘Centre of Excellence’ status and are already working towards it.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

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Aug 08, 2024

Regency Chess Company Sponsorship

Chess Rising Stars are delighted to announce that The Regency Chess Company have generously offered to donate us a beautiful wooden chess set from their extensive range.

We are planning to award the set to our ‘2024 Chess Rising Star’. Students will be invited to write a summary of their chess achievements during the year. Then there will be an online vote to decide the winner.

The Regency Chess Company, a specialist chess retailer based in Frome, Somerset also sponsors the annual Frome Chess Congress. Established in 2008, their impressive selection of chess sets includes over three hundred different designs and a multitude of different materials. In addition to chess sets, they offer a range of Backgammon and Mahjong sets.

It is exciting to award such an exquisite prize and we anticipate contributions from many of our students, regardless of their chess level. We will contact parents to advise of this new award. Please do apply, even if you just started learning chess this year! Students will be encouraged to vote for those they feel have made outstanding progress.

Thank you to The Regency Chess Company for their support.

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Oct 20, 2023

Chess Rising Stars at the Terafinal

The 2023 Terafinal was held in Blenheim Palace and three Chess Rising Stars students met the high standard necessary to qualify to compete. We are now delighted to report on their successes in this distinguished tournament.

Sheng, Ashwin and Aden are all members of our Elite Online Chess Club. We established this club back in 2021 to support those children who were looking to compete in tournaments and team matches beyond Chess Rising Stars. Their hard work over several years has culminated in this triple achievement.

After a gruelling weekend of 11 rapidplay games, Sheng was crowned the U10 Girls Champion, Ashwin finished in 3rd place overall at U10 and Aden in 7th. We are proud of their efforts and are confident this is just the beginning of their junior chess success.


Our students with their prizes

From an original pool of over 10,000 children across the UK, just 60 had achieved the results necessary to reach the Terafinal. October 2023 marked the first time that Chess Rising Stars students had managed to reach this last stage of the UK Chess Challenge. Good things come in threes!

You can read more about our U10 Girls Terafinal Champion here.

2023 Terafinal Qualifiers – Three Chess Rising Stars in the U10s

Our chess calendar remains busy with the next major tournament already in our sights – the London Junior Chess Championship in December. LJCC Qualification tournaments are being held across the UK and registration is now open. We are confident of building on our Terafinal experience and putting in another strong showing.

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Jul 10, 2026

LJCC Qualifier in Wimbledon

For many young chess players, qualifying for the London Junior Chess Championships (LJCC) Finals is one of the first major milestones in their chess journey. This November, Chess Rising Stars is delighted to host an official LJCC Finals Qualifier in Wimbledon, giving local players the opportunity to compete for a place at one of the most prestigious junior chess events in the country.

What is an LJCC Qualifier?

Founded in 1924, the LJCC has been part of the junior chess calendar for over a century. The event has helped provide a pathway for generations of young players to improve, including some past winners who have even gone on to achieve the Grandmaster title.

Each year the London Junior Chess Championships brings together talented young players across different age categories, with qualifying events held during the Autumn Term for the Finals in December.

For many children, an LJCC qualifier is an exciting introduction to rated tournament chess. It provides the opportunity to meet other young chess players and test their skills in a formal tournament environment.

Chess Rising Stars and the LJCC

Chess Rising Stars has already organised two over-the-board junior tournaments in 2026, both were qualifying events for the EJCOA National Finals.

“It’s a great pleasure for Chess Rising Stars to be selected to organise an LJCC Qualifier and become a small part of such a famous tournament.”
WFM Maria Manelidou

Chess Rising Stars students have achieved many LJCC successes over the years. For example, Aden joined Chess Rising Stars as a 5-year-old back in 2020 and has since progressed through the academy, becoming a member of our Elite Club, where he continues to develop his understanding alongside other ambitious junior players.

Aden has now won the U12 LJCC title once and the U14 LJCC title twice, with his first Under 14 victory coming when he was just 10 years old! We are excited to see whether he can defend his title again in 2026.

Aden with his U14 LJCC Finals trophy in 2024

Tournament Information

Date: Saturday 7th November
Venue: Everyday Church, Wimbledon, SW19 8LR

The tournament will be overseen by International Arbiter Lance Leslie-Smith, ensuring that games are conducted in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess and ECF tournament regulations.

For families who are new to rated chess, our guides to ECF Membership and ECF Ratings help to explain how tournaments work and what players need to do before entering.

“We attend a great many tournaments and I say this without any hesitation: this was by far the best organised we have ever experienced. The care and thought that went into every element was evident and I wanted to make sure that was acknowledged.”
Email feedback from a parent after our 2nd EJCOA Zonal

Please do check out our full tournament guide if you would like register or just find out more.

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