CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Chess Rising Stars

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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UK Chess News
Oct 12, 2024

Global Chess League – London

Magnus Carlsen summed up the mood of many chess fans when he posted, “We’re not a serious sport unfortunately,” after a chaotic moment in the Global Chess League. The game between Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Vidit Gujrathi turned farcical when reaching a K+R v K ending without increment, as pieces were frequently knocked over in the frantic time scramble. To make matters worse, FIDE shared the “dramatic draw” video on social media, unaware that this mess could overshadow the event for the wrong reasons.

Magnus Carlsen post-match interview

Despite this misstep, drawing inspiration from the eSports community, chess clearly can host modern events that appeal to a broader audience with a focus on online streaming, fan engagement and fast-paced games. The Chess Rising Stars students and coaches who attended were made to feel welcome. Fresh off her win for Alpine SG Pipers in a fiercely competitive match, the legendary Hou Yifan was kind enough to take a photo with Chess Rising Stars founder, Coach Maria. Putting women centre stage, events like this are paving the way for the next generation, showing girls everywhere that they belong in this game.

Maria Manelidou and Hou Yifan

Behind the scenes, GMs Gawain Jones, David Howell, and Shreyas Royal contributed in supporting roles, but it was a disappointment for English chess that no local players were invited to compete. We hope the recently announced London Chess Classic, starting in November, won’t replicate this mistake and will stick to its tradition of including and promoting English GMs.

Hosting back-to-back major events, London is busy staking a claim as a global chess hub and we’re here for it!

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CRS London Academy
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.

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UK Chess News, World Chess News
Jun 20, 2025

FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2025

It’s not every day that after shaking hands at the end of a blitz game, you stand up from the board and nearly faceplant into the two-time World Championship runner-up Ian Nepomniachtchi!

Chess Rising Stars had a unique opportunity to compete in the World Team Championship this month, as it was held at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith.

This was the first time we had competed as ‘Chess Rising Stars’ in an OTB event, having previously only entered online competitions. Our captain, Maria, drew on her experience as a former World School Team Champion and coaches Andreea and Chris were also in the squad. A special thanks to Joel Bird for supporting us with the team entry.

Individual highlights included: Li Wu beating the two-time European Champion Matthias Blübaum (Germany’s #3) with black, FM Zisis Tsaknakis winning against a GM and two IMs in the blitz pool and Chess Rising Stars coach Tom becoming U2200 champion with his Hammersmith team!

Congratulations to the MGD1 team for winning the rapid (especially to Stavroula Tsolakidou, Greek Olympiad board one and former World Junior Champion and coached by CRS’s Savvas as a kid!) and to WR Chess who were the blitz champions.

As we wrapped up the tournament with a celebratory team dinner, we wondered – would we ever get to play in another World Championship? We felt that our best chance lies with our youngest team member, Aden, and we’re committed to doing everything we can to support him in that goal. Aden had an impressive event, even beating the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich in the rapid portion!

If you’re interested in helping your child take the next step in their chess journey, we’d love to welcome you to Chess Rising Stars. Whether your child is brand new to chess or already competing, our coaches are here to help them improve.

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