Chess Rising Stars Online Shop
Chess Rising Stars Online Shop
We are delighted to announce that the Chess Rising Stars online shop is now open! You can find a superb selection of 21 new and unique designs on t-shirts, hoodies and hats available in both children’s and adults’ sizes.
Our shop is the latest addition to the Chess Rising Stars London Academy website, following the full update in March. We have worked hard to create a range of merchandise that reflects the fun and vibrant side of our chess community.
Since we started the Chelsea Chess Club back in 2019, our coaches have sported Chess Rising Stars shirts and now it’s finally time to extend this opportunity to our students as well.
Noah is our first happy customer, proudly showing off his new ‘Eat. Sleep. Chess. Repeat.’ t-shirt alongside his well-deserved trophy from the EPSCA U11 Team Finals.
Do have a browse and see what catches your eye.
One Weekend Four Trophies
The Chess Rising Stars students had a busy weekend! We competed in rapidplay tournaments in Maidenhead and Oxford plus at the St Albans standardplay.
At the Maidenhead Junior Congress two of our players played in the U11 section. They met in round 4 with and despite a win for Noah T, he finished 2nd overall with (5.5/7) and Aden came 1st, winning all of his other 6 games.
The English Junior Coaches and Organisers Association (EJCOA) National Youth Championships is a popular competition this year thanks to hard work of organisers across the UK. In the EJCOA Oxford Zonal, Noah B drew his first game but recovered to win the U12 section with 5.5/6.
A successful weekend for our Elite Club members as the Noahs each won a trophy and Aden picked up two!
What’s Next?
The UK Chess Challenge starts this term with Megafinal tournaments taking place during May and June. In July it’s the EJCOA final in Nottingham, where we aim to continue our streak of success and make our mark on the national stage.
Chess Rising Stars Summer 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 on our chess team page. Chess Rising Stars students, parents, and friends are all welcome to take part.
Each tournament will have five rounds of 10+5. We have chosen this time control to mimic the playing conditions in the Junior Four Nations Chess League Online (J4NCLO).
Prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries and will be confirmed later. Your top 5 scores from the 6 Grand Prix events will count towards this.
The online chess tournaments will take place on the following Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Summer Term 2024:
- 5th May = Warm-Up
- 12th May = Grand Prix 1
- 19th May = Grand Prix 2
- 26th May = Grand Prix 3
- 9th June = Grand Prix 4
- 16th June = Grand Prix 5
- 23th June = Grand Prix 6
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.
The Chess Rising Stars London Academy team hopes to see many of you there.
Grandmasters are now achieving their Titles at an earlier age than ever
The game of chess is witnessing a fascinating trend. New research by Chess.com shows that grandmasters are now achieving their titles at an earlier age than ever. Will the chess world see 10- or 11-year-olds becoming grandmasters in the next few years?
In the past year, we’ve seen a surge in children scoring extraordinary results. Records that would’ve seemed unbreakable only five to 10 years ago aren’t as shatterproof as we once thought, and it’s just a matter of time until they are broken again. “Child’s play” as some say.
Here are some examples:
- FM Faustino Oro (Argentina). Became the youngest ever 2300-rated player, at nine years and three months last year, and is the youngest ever to score an IM norm.
- WCM Bodhana Sivananandan (England). Won the World Youth Championship Girls under 8 in classical, blitz and rapid scoring 33/33, becoming England’s first youth chess champion in 25 years. She’s currently the world’s highest-ranked player under 9 years.
- Ashwath Kaushik (Singapore). Broke the record for youngest player to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess, one month after Leonid Ivanovic broke the previous record from 2012.
- Roman Shogdzhiev (Russia). Beat five grandmasters in the 2023 World Rapid & Blitz Championship.
The results appear to be a part of a new trend as shown by Chess.com research that looks at the age of players who secure the grandmaster title.
While the average age for players achieving the most prestigious title in chess was 30 between 1975-1979, it dropped to 22.8 between 2020 and 2024. The highest age for a new GM was 32.8 in 1977. More then four decades later, in 2021, the average age is down to a record low of 20.9.
10 players are currently pending approval for the GM title in 2024. The average age is down to 21.4, the second lowest to date.
Article source chess.com
Easter & Summer Chess Courses
After a busy and productive Spring Term at our academy, Chess Rising Stars are now accepting bookings for the below courses taking place over the Easter Holiday and Summer Term:
Easter Holiday Chess Camp
Our Online Chess Camp will take place during the Easter Holiday. The camp will have a mixture of chess lessons, friendly games and an internal tournament with trophies posted to the winners. Lessons will take place from 9:00 – 11:30 am on 8th, 9th and 10th April.
Summer Chess Club Dates
The Summer Term Chess Club dates have been published for our Online Clubs, Chelsea Chess Club and Chelsea Chess Club for 5-7 year olds. All of our clubs will run for 10 weeks, with a break for half-term.
Chess Rising Stars Grand Prix
The final round of the Chess Rising Stars Online Grand Prix will take place this Sunday at 4 pm on lichess. There is free entry for all Chess Rising Stars students, parents and friends. Our popular online tournament series is coming to an end (for now) but we are already planning for its return!
Grandmaster Coaching
There will be a new guest coach for our Elite Chess Club lesson on Sunday 24th March. We have booked GM Martin Petrov (not to be confused with Marian!) to demonstrate his best games to the class. Martin will become the 3rd Grandmaster to have coached at the club since its creation in 2021.
Please do get in touch if you would like to register your child.
Breaking Barriers: Growing The Game
The Chess Rising Stars Girls’ Online Chess Club is now into its second term. Supported by lead coach WFM Maria Manelidou, our active community of girls taking part in chess lessons continues to grow.
In its 2019 publication ‘Development of Women’s Chess – Progress Plan’, the English Chess Federation identified that “there will need to be cultural change at all levels of chess in England which will require engagement from clubs, counties, unions, schools and individual members”.
In support of this aim our club is free to enter for girls who already have chess lessons with us.
“Chess has played an important role in my life and I am keen to share that. I moved to Greece when I was a young girl but I didn’t speak any Greek. Joining the local chess club changed my life because chess has its own language. It helped me to make friends and become more confident.”
WFM Maria Manelidou – Founder at Chess Rising Stars London Academy
We are keen to promote and create opportunities for girls to play chess with us. Our Girls’ Chess Club Online is another step in this direction.
Chess Rising Stars Online Grand Prix
To help prepare our students to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars, we are delighted to announce our first Online Grand Prix.
You can find our free Grand Prix tournaments on our lichess team page this term. Chess Rising Stars students, parents and friends are all welcome to take part.
Each tournament will have 5 rounds of 10+5 and points will be tallied across the 6 Grand Prix events. We have chosen this time control to mimic the playing conditions in the Junior Four Nations Chess League Online (J4NCLO).
Prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries and will be confirmed at a later date. Your top 5 scores from the 6 Grand Prix events will count towards this.
The online chess tournaments will take place on the following Sundays at 4 pm (GMT) in the Spring Term 2024:
17th Mar = GP 6
To ensure the integrity of the Chess Rising Stars Online Grand Prix tournaments are maintained, we will use the lichess cheat detection system alongside the observation and judgement of our experienced coaching team.
The Chess Rising Stars London Academy team hope to see many of you there.
Chess Calendar 2024
Brace yourselves for an exciting year on the chessboard (and online).
2024 will be the year of the Chess Olympiad, Candidates and Women Candidates, amongst other top level events! Whom are you rooting for?
January
Roquetas Chess Festival | January 2nd – 7th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Roquetas de Mar, Spain.
Featuring GMs Karen H. Grigoryan, Li Min Peng and Vitaliy Bernadskiy among others.
European Women’s Blitz Championship 2023 | January 12th
13-round Swiss blitz tournament held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Featuring GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk, Bella Khotenashvili and Antoaneta Stefanova among others.
European Women’s Rapid Championship 2023 | January 13th – 14th
11-round Swiss rapid tournament held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Featuring GMs Pia Cramling, Alexandra Kosteniuk and Bella Khotenashvili among others.
Charlotte Open | January 13th – 15th
6-round Swiss classical tournament held in Charlotte, USA.
Featuring GMs Emilio Cordova, Jianchao Zhou and Julio Catalino Sadorra among others.
Tata Steel Masters | January 13th – 28th
14-player round-robin rapid tournament held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
Featuring GMs Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alireza Firouzja among others.
Tata Steel Challengers | January 13th – 28th
14-player round-robin rapid tournament held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
Featuring GMs Hans Moke Niemann, Mustafa Yilmaz and Anton Korobov among others.
Floripa Chess Festival | January 20th – 28th
10-round Swiss classical tournament held in Florianópolis, Brazil.
Featuring GMs Aryan Tari, Alexandr Fier and Jose Fernando Cuenca Jimenez among others.
Hit Open | January 26th – February 2nd
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
Featuring GMs Ferenc Berkes, Matej Sebenik and Pier Luigi Basso among others.
February
International Chess960 Festival | February 9th – 11th
9-round Swiss rapid tournament held in Berlin, Germany.
Featuring GMs Matthias Bluebaum, Erik Van den Doel and Dmitrij Kollars among others.
Portimão Chess Festival | February 11th – 18th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Portimão, Portugal.
Featuring GMs Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli, Ivan Ivanisevic and Kevin Spraggett among others.
Chess Open Graz | February 17th – 23rd
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Graz, Austria.
Featuring GMs Abhijeet Gupta, Jergus Pechac and Bartosz Socko among others.
Cambridge International Open | February 19th – 24th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Featuring GMs Michael Adams, Francesco Sonis and Sergei Tiviakov among others.
FIDE World Fischer Random Championship | February 19th – 25th
8-player Group & Knockout stages rapid tournament.
Cannes Festival International des Jeux | February 19th – 25th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Cannes, France.
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games | February 24th – March 6th
TBD
Prague Chess Festival Masters | February 27th – March 7th
10-player round-robin classical tournament held in Prague, Czech Republic.
Featuring GMs Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa R and Vidit Gujrathi among others.
Prague Chess Festival Challengers | February 27th – March 7th
10-player round-robin classical tournament held in Prague, Czech Republic.
Featuring GMs Abhijeet Gupta, Jergus Pechac and Bartosz Socko among others.
March
Cappelle la Grande Open | March 2nd – 8th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Cappelle-la-Grande, France.
Featuring GMs Maxime Lagarde, Krishnan Sasikiran and Emre Can among others.
Reykjavik Open | March 15th – 21st
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Featuring GMs Abhimanyu Puranik, Xiangyu Xu and Matthieu Cornette among others.
La Roda Open | March 27th – 31st
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in La Roda, Spain.
Featuring GMs Xiangyu Xu, Karthik Venkataraman and Carlos Daniel Albornoz Cabrera among others.
Semana Santa San Vicente del Raspeig Open | March 27th – April 1st
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in San Vicente, Spain.
Featuring GMs Jules Moussard, Maksim Chigaev and Leon Luke Mendonca among others.
April
Menorca Open | April 2nd – 7th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain.
Featuring GMs Chithambaram Aravindh, Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Aryan Chopra among others.
Candidates Tournament | April 3rd – 25th
8-player double round-robin classical tournament held in Toronto, Canada.
Featuring GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura among others.
Women’s Candidates Tournament | April 3rd – 25th
8-player double round-robin classical tournament held in Toronto, Canada.
Featuring GMs Humpy Koneru, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Tingjie Lei among others.
European Women’s Chess Championship | April 19th – 29th
11-round Swiss classical tournament held in Rhodes, Greece.
World Cadet Rapid Championships | April 26th – 27th
11-round Swiss rapid tournaments held in Durrës, Albania.
World Cadet Blitz Championships | April 28th
11-round Swiss blitz tournaments held in Durrës, Albania.
May
European Senior Team Chess Championships | May 7th – 15th
9-round Swiss classical tournaments held in Brežice, Slovenia.
Norway Chess | May 26th – June 7th
10-player round-robin classical tournament held in Stavanger, Norway.
Featuring GM Magnus Carlsen among others.
June
World Junior U20 Championships | June 1st – 14th
TBD
Teplice Open | June 15th – 23rd
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Teplice, Czech Republic.
Featuring GMs Karthik Venkataraman, Evgeny Postny and Jiri Stocek among others.
FISU World University Championship Mind Sports | June 25th – 30th
9-round Swiss tournaments held in Entebbe, Uganda.
European Individual Chess Championship | June 30th – July 13th
TBD
July
Biel International Chess Festival | July 13th – 26th
TBD
August
Lewis Chess Legends | August 6th – 14th
9-round Swiss classical tournament held in Trondheim, Norway.
European Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship | August 15th – 20th
TBD
European Youth Chess Championship | August 21st
TBD
European Amateur Chess Championship | August 24th – September 1st
September
45th Chess Olympiad | September 10th – 23rd
TBD
October
World Youth Chess Championships | October 22nd – November 2nd
TBD
November
Amsterdam Chess Open | November 1st – 3rd
TBD
December
Shenzhen Longgang Chess Masters | December 4th – 10th
TBD
Bronze Medals at the LJCC Finals
This year’s prestigious London Junior Chess Championships (LJCC) Finals were a successful one for Chess Rising Stars. Our students, Sachin and Ashwin, shared 3rd in the U10 Major with an admirable 5.5/7.
The first weekend of the 2023 LJCC Finals were held at the University of Westminster, Marylebone Hall. Hundreds of chess players of all ages took part, making for an inspiring atmosphere for our young students.
L to R: Chris, Arnav, Sachin and Maria
Sachin and Ashwin are both active members of our Elite Chess Club. We work together on areas of strategy, tactics and mindset to build the confidence and skills necessary to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars.
We are proud to add to our series of individual tournament accomplishments this year, building on the successes the Elite Club students achieved at the UK Chess Challenge Terafinal earlier in the year.
We had 12 current Chess Rising Stars students who met the high standard necessary to qualify for the LJCC Finals. This illustrious tournament has been running for nearly 100 years and provides a first-rate competitive experience for junior chess players.
On Saturday our coaches, Maria and Chris, paid a visit to offer their support and guidance plus drop off some prizes to take home as souvenirs! Tom also set a fine example, competing in the Open tournament and scoring 3.5/4.
The Chess Rising Stars team are looking forward to the upcoming U8 and U12 LJCC Finals later this month. The achievements of Sachin and Ashwin are a shining example of what can be accomplished with the knowledge and support of our experienced coaches.
Mapping your Chess Progress: A Guide to Chess Rising Stars Courses
How to Use Chess Rising Stars Courses to Improve Your Chess
Our comprehensive chess courses serve as the roadmap to chess mastery. Whether you’re a junior or adult improver, our expert coaches are here to guide you with the knowledge and support you will need.
Juniors – In-person
Chess Rising Stars London Academy is creating the ideal environment to help introduce the game to younger children, the Chelsea Chess Club for 5 to 7 year olds. Your child will discover the joys of learning chess in an interactive and enjoyable setting. We will work together on chess strategy and tactics plus associated skills such as sportsmanship, planning and focus.
Moving forward, our main junior chess club, the Chelsea Chess Club is staffed by 4 expert coaches. The Chess Rising Stars team will ensure that children are grouped with those of a similar age and chess level. We also offer support to more experienced children who are intending to compete in chess tournaments and team matches.
WGM Andreea Navrotescu, Guest coach at the Chelsea Chess Club
Juniors – Online
The Wednesday Online Club is perfectly suited as an introduction to small-group chess lessons for less experienced children. We would recommend that children are already familiar with how the pieces move, check and checkmate but no further knowledge is required.
The Friday and Sunday Online Clubs offer groups at Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced level. There is a new group exclusively for secondary school chess players aged 11-16 at the Friday Online Club. Chess is gaining popularity in this age range, with students even using it for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award activity.
In our invitational Elite Online Club, we work together on areas of strategy, tactics and mindset to build the confidence and skills necessary to compete beyond Chess Rising Stars. To support this development, there are regular guest coaching appearances from Grandmasters.
Registration is open for the CRS Christmas Online Tournament 2023
Adult Improvers
Our Adult Improvers Online Group Classes would be ideal for adult beginners or parents whose children are learning the game. We will work together on the fundamentals of chess strategy and tactics. You will have the chance to try out what you have learned in our private, friendly tournaments.
We offer interactive and engaging private chess lessons online, delivered by our team of experienced coaches. The Chess Rising Stars teachers have been carefully selected and trained by WFM Maria Manelidou and are passionate about sharing their extensive chess knowledge and experience.
If you are keen to compete in OTB or online tournaments, our coaches have supported adult students in their local leagues, tournaments and even internationally. We have helped students to exceed their rating goals by following our individual training plans.
What Next?
If you are embarking on a journey to enhance your chess skills, look no further than Chess Rising Stars courses, meticulously designed to cater to players of all ages and levels.
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
Learn Chess in London
Chess Rising Stars London Academy is creating the ideal new environment to help to introduce chess to younger children. We are delighted to announce that the Chelsea Chess Club for 5 to 7 year olds will start in January 2024.
Benefits abound as your child discovers the joys of learning chess in an interactive and enjoyable setting. No knowledge of chess is required, although we would suggest that without any chess background it would be best to join the club by week 3 of term.
Lessons are shorter than at our original Chelsea Chess Club and will be held in a smaller teaching group. The venue remains at Marlborough Primary School in Chelsea, where we have been based since 2019.
In 2023 the Chelsea Chess Club was recognised at Level 2 within the English Chess Federation’s Junior Development Pathway initiative. We are one of only eleven junior chess clubs across the country to achieve this status.
Once children have mastered the fundamentals of the game, and are feeling more confident about chess, then the Chelsea Chess Club would be the natural next step in their development.
Registration is now open for the Spring Term at the Chelsea Chess Club for 5 to 7 year olds
