CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

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.

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.

Related Post

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
May 03, 2025

5th 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 four rounds of 10+5 and three rounds of 5+3. 

Prizes

Trophies to be awarded in various categories (e.g. Top Girl, Rating prizes and Overall Champion). Your top 6 scores from the 7 Grand Prix events will count towards this.

Noah representing the National Chess Junior Squad in Czechia

Schedule

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

  • 18th May = Grand Prix 2
  • 25th May = Grand Prix 3
  • 8th June = Grand Prix 4
  • 15th June = Grand Prix 5
  • 22nd June = Grand Prix 6
  • 29th June = 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.

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CRS London Academy
Oct 07, 2023

CRS Academy’s work recognised by the English Chess Federation

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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