EJCOA Zonal Wimbledon 2026 - Chess Rising Stars

Chess Rising StarsDecember 19, 2025December 18, 2025

Chess Rising Stars are hosting our first ever OTB tournament, the EJCOA Zonal Wimbledon, on Saturday 21st February 2026 at the Everyday Church, Wimbledon, SW19 8LR.

We have been preparing throughout 2025: in the Spring three of our coaches completed their ECF Arbiter qualifications. During the Summer, coach Chris achieved his first FIDE International Arbiter norm. Then in the Autumn Term, we introduced ECF rated games at our Chelsea and Wimbledon Clubs and secured our venue for the Zonal next February.

We are looking forward to welcoming children who are keen to qualify for the English Junior Coaches and Organisers Association (EJCOA) National Youth Championships Finals at Nottingham High School in July which is a rare opportunity for UK juniors to compete in a high-level FIDE rated standardplay tournament.

CRS student, Noah, with his U12 Boys trophy at the 2024 EJCOA Finals

EJCOA Champions

Chess Rising Stars students have already achieved EJCOA success on the national stage with Noah winning the U12 Boys category in 2024 and Silk becoming the U10 Girls champion in 2025. We are excited to see what 2026 will bring!

Register Now

Our website has further information about the EJCOA Zonal Wimbledon, plus the Entry Form, or you can fire us a quick email to london@chessacademy.uk and we would be happy to help.

CRS London Academy

Jan 06, 2025

4th Chess Rising Stars Grand Prix

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.

The tournaments will alternate between five rounds of 10+5 and seven rounds of 5+3.

Prizes

Trophies to be awarded in various categories (e.g. Top Girl, Rating prizes and Overall Champion). Your top 5 scores from the 6 Grand Prix events will count towards this.

A selection from the Chess Rising Stars library

Schedule

The online chess tournaments will take place on Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Spring Term 2025:

26^th January = Warm-Up

2^nd February = Grand Prix 1

9^th February = Grand Prix 2

16^th February = Grand Prix 3

2^nd March = Grand Prix 4

9^th March = Grand Prix 5

16^th March = Grand Prix 6

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.

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.