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After what felt like an hour of refreshing our phones, the round 9 pairings were finally published and confirmed our expectations. Aden will have the black pieces against Advait on top board and only a win will be sufficient to share the U12 Major title.

The pair had played to an exciting repetition before Christmas with the same colours, after Aden had sacrificed a Rook to open up Advait’s king. So what will we get this time?

The fearless Rxh3+!!

How Did We Get Here?

We can all agree that any five-year-old who can play chess is undoubtedly impressive! In October 2021, we shared a profile with Aden’s chess journey since joining Chess Rising Stars while he was still in Year 1. Aden has grown up a lot and his chess certainly hasn’t stopped improving.

In the centenary edition of the London Junior Chess Championships (LJCC), the Finals were split over two weekends. Over twenty Chess Rising Stars students attended the U10/U14 weekend in Marylebone. It was a pleasure to visit them all on Saturday and soak up some of the atmosphere.

Aden was playing up 3 age categories in the U14 Major and stormed to 5.5/6 beating four higher rated opponents along the way, for his first national title. A remarkable achievement for the 22nd seed in the tournament.

U14 Major Champion

Round 9

After Christmas it was the U8/U12 weekend in Harrow, which brings us back to Advait v Aden. If Aden felt nervous, he didn’t show it – that was left to the parents and coaches! The opening followed their previous game but mass-exchanges led quickly into an endgame.

A long positional battle ensued but this time Aden came out on top after 88 moves. A well-deserved victory for the new double LJCC champion.

U12 Major Champion

Aden will return to the Elite Club in the Spring Term to resume his training. We are very much looking forward to continuing to work on chess with him!

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UK Chess News
Jan 23, 2017

UK Chess Tournaments 2017: English Chess Challenge Qualifier

THE ENGLISH CHESS CHALLENGE SEMI-FINALS (ECC)
This is tournament was set up in 2001 to provide a tournament of its own type where ALL of CCF’s trainees (plus others who wish to enter) can take part with a properly accountable structure and where no legitimate qualifiers would be excluded from semi-finals and finals they had qualified for. Click the above link to go to the English Chess Challenge home page.

In most cases, pupils will qualify through a competition held in their school during the Spring Term. In addition, the CCF Junior Club runs a qualification event and these 2 open events are there for those at other schools who want the chance to qualify plus anyone that wants a 2nd or 3rd chance. Anyone qualifying twice provides another entry for others (usually players from their own school).

The finals are in age groups with boys and girls split:

UNDER 18 BOYS……..UNDER 18 GIRLS (Years 11-13)
UNDER 15 BOYS……..UNDER 15 GIRLS (Years 9-10)
UNDER 13 BOYS……..UNDER 13 GIRLS (Years 7-8)
UNDER 11 BOYS……..UNDER 11 GIRLS (Year 6)
UNDER 10 BOYS……..UNDER 10 GIRLS (Year 5)
UNDER 09 BOYS……..UNDER 09 GIRLS (Year 4)
UNDER 08 BOYS……..UNDER 08 GIRLS (Year 3)
UNDER 07 BOYS……..UNDER 07 GIRLS (Year 2)
UNDER 06 BOYS……..UNDER 06 GIRLS (Year 1 & below)

* School years are listed as a guide. Those who are not in the year their date of birth should put them in will be adjusted accordingly for the purposes of the competition.

Following the semi-finals in early June, we move onto the finals on the August Bank Holiday Monday.

A 7 round competition open to anyone under 18 on 31 August 2016. Everyone plays in one big section and the leaders boys and girls from each age group will qualify for the semi-finals.
English Chess Challenge Qualifier @ 84-90 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon
Jan 29 @ 10:45 am – 6:00 pm
Contact: CCF Email: chess@ccfworld.com
Website

UK FIDE Tournaments Registered for 2017

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Nov 28, 2023

Where to Find Chess Rising Stars Online

Chess Rising Stars London Academy has been buzzing with activity! To help you stay up-to-date with our new projects, we wanted to share where you can find the latest Chess Rising Stars news and views.

Chelsea Chess Club, 2023

5) Twitter (X)

@LondonCRS Get your daily dose of updates from the chess world through our Twitter account. Celebrate student achievements as we showcase their victories and milestones. Challenge yourself with our engaging chess puzzles for all levels.

4) LinkedIn

Chess Rising Stars London Academy Stay informed about our latest chess courses by following us on LinkedIn. Learn about our career opportunities as we regularly advertise vacancies within the company. Keep track of upcoming Chess Rising Stars events with our handy event calendar.

3) Instagram

@crslondon Explore the artistic side of Chess Rising Stars with our Instagram account. Discover the latest addition to our social media line-up and be among the first to follow our new account.

Oxon LJCC U12 Qualifier 2023, 1st Noah B (5/6)

2) Lichess

Chess Rising Stars – London Academy Our global community of chess learners has reached over 300 members on lichess. We schedule tournaments for our weekly clubs, plus regular events for all Chess Rising Stars students, coaches and friends.

1) Our Website

Don’t forget our website! This website remains the Chess Rising Stars hub with its dedicated news section. Explore the comprehensive course information library – right at your fingertips. Immerse yourself in the world of chess through our captivating photo gallery.

Chelsea Chess Club, 2023

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CRS London Academy, UK Chess News
Aug 11, 2026

Double British Champion

For most children, the summer holidays are a chance to relax and take it easy. Aden chose a rather more demanding agenda: 30 competitive games of chess in just 9 days!

Aden has returned from the 2026 British Chess Championships as a double British Champion, taking first place in both the Under 12 Standard and Under 12 Rapid tournaments at the University of Warwick.

Aden began by scoring 6.5/7 in the rapidplay section, taking a final round draw to secure the victory outright. He then produced an even more remarkable 7/7 in the standardplay, winning every game to claim a second British title in the same week.

There was plenty more chess to enjoy as Aden also scored 5.5/9 in the Major Open, competing against a much wider and stronger field, and finished 4th in the Under 12 Blitz with 5.5/7. Across his four events, that gave him a mightily impressive 24.5 points from 30 games.

Perhaps fittingly for such an extraordinary week, Aden’s dad told us that it hasn’t quite sunk in for either of them yet. An understandable reaction after finally achieving a goal Aden’s been working towards for years.

The British Chess Championships are one of the highlights of the summer chess calendar, bringing together players of all ages and abilities. This year’s event proved particularly memorable for the Chess Rising Stars community, with Aden becoming the first Chess Rising Stars student to become a British Champion and doing so twice in the same week.

There was also success for one of Aden’s Elite Club coaches, CM Tom Villiers, who finished second in the Major Open with 7.5/9. His tournament included plenty of fine attacking wins alongside some resilient defensive performances. Tom narrowly missed repeating his 2018 Major Open victory, but his performance added another impressive result to an already memorable week.

Aden’s season is not over yet. His next major target is the Terafinal in October, following his victory at the Northern Gigafinal, where he produced another perfect 7/7 score.

For now, though, there is the small matter of taking in what has just happened: two British titles, four tournaments, 24.5/30 overall and a summer holiday that will be difficult to forget. Once it finally sinks in, that is!

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