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
November News
We are keen to share Chess Rising Stars London Academy’s upcoming Christmas and New Year chess courses with you.
Online Chess Camp
The 24th Chess Rising Stars Camp will be held online between Monday 18th and Wednesday 20th December, 9am – 12 noon. Beginners, intermediate and advanced players are all welcome. Our online holiday camp returns by popular request after the success of our Summer Holiday Online Club. Secure your spot with our Early Bird registration discount.
Christmas Tournament
Embrace the festive spirit with our Christmas Online Chess Tournament on Saturday 9th December from 10:00-12:30 using lichess.org! The tournament will also incorporate our 9th Girls’ Online Chess Tournament. Entry is open to all Chess Rising Stars students, parents, coaches and friends.
Spring Term
Be the first to mark your calendars with the Spring Term dates for all of the Online Chess Clubs and our prestigious Chelsea Chess Club. Chess Rising Stars clubs will have 9 weeks of lessons across the term and a week off for half-term. As usual, spaces are limited across our chess clubs and allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Chess Rising Stars teacher GM Marian Petrov was selected to coach the Bulgarian team at the FIDE World Youth Olympiad tournament in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Registration is now open for all of these fantastic courses. If you’d like more details, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Announcing a Special Online Chess Club for Girls
At Chess Rising Stars, we are thrilled to unveil another exciting course. Starting in November 2023, WFM Maria Manelidou, the Founder and Director of Chess Rising Stars, will teach our new Girls’ Online Chess Club.
Empowering girls in the world of chess has been a central focus for us since Chess Rising Stars was established in 2017. We are dedicated to creating opportunities for girls to not only play but excel in chess, and our new club is a part of this commitment.
We are pleased to announce that our Girls’ Online Chess Club will be free to enter for girls who already have chess lessons with us. For those who are new to Chess Rising Stars, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discover the best way to become a club member.
Since the initial lockdown, we have organised regular Girls’ Online Tournaments, providing girls with valuable competitive experience. The photos displayed on this page capture the prize winners from one of our memorable early events in 2021. These tournaments have steadily gained in popularity and now stand as an integral part of our chess calendar.
The Academy’s new Girls’ Online Club will help students to get ready for their upcoming tournaments. Maria will share her extensive understanding of high stakes chess, as an 8-time Greek National Junior Champion, to ensure the club members are well-prepared both tactically and strategically.
Our comprehensive Chess Rising Stars teaching programs have consistently delivered the knowledge and support needed to help girls improve their chess. The recent achievement of one of our students, who won the title of U10 Girls Champion at the Chess Challenge 2023 Terafinal, serves as a shining example of the success that our students can achieve under the guidance of the Academy’s experienced team of coaches.
We look forward to welcoming more girls to the world of chess!
Chess Rising Stars at the Terafinal
The 2023 Terafinal was held in Blenheim Palace and three Chess Rising Stars students met the high standard necessary to qualify to compete. We are now delighted to report on their successes in this distinguished tournament.
Ashwin and Aden are members of our Elite Online Chess Club. We established this club back in 2021 to support those children who were looking to compete in tournaments and team matches beyond Chess Rising Stars. Their hard work over several years has culminated in this triple achievement.
After a gruelling weekend of 11 rapidplay games, Ashwin finished in 3rd place overall at U10 and Aden in 7th. We are proud of their efforts and are confident this is just the beginning of their junior chess success.
Our students with their prizes
From an original pool of over 10,000 children across the UK, just 60 had achieved the results necessary to reach the Terafinal. October 2023 marked the first time that Chess Rising Stars students had managed to reach this last stage of the UK Chess Challenge.
2023 Terafinal Qualifiers – Three Chess Rising Stars in the U10s
Our chess calendar remains busy with the next major tournament already in our sights – the London Junior Chess Championship in December. LJCC Qualification tournaments are being held across the UK and registration is now open. We are confident of building on our Terafinal experience and putting in another strong showing.
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.
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.
Good luck to our Students
We invite you to join us in wishing Ashwin and Aden the very best. Their dedication to chess improvement is a source of inspiration.
Stay tuned for updates from the Terafinal in October.
CRS London Academy hosted its first cross-continental chess teaching collaboration
Chess Rising Stars London Academy had the great pleasure to host its first ever cross-continental chess teaching collaboration on Saturday 26th August. This online event brought us together with the Chess To School initiative for an exciting afternoon of chess.
Chess To School is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to harnessing the power of chess to educate children in the slums and schools of Lagos, Nigeria. Their commitment to equipping underprivileged children with valuable life skills through chess is inspiring to witness and we recommend following their progress.
Photo by @Chesstoschool
WFM Maria Manelidou opened the event by demonstrating one of her own games. The depth of understanding exhibited by the children during the ensuing analysis demonstrated their obvious chess potential.
Following her lesson, the competition came alive in a tightly contested 3v3 match. Excellent sportsmanship was displayed throughout and, despite some unsteady internet connections, we were able to complete a 6-game match.
We are grateful to the Chess To School team for sharing this experience with us. Their enthusiastic participation and shared vision for a better future through chess resonated with us. This event would not have been the success it was without their involvement.
Our gratitude goes out to Chess To School for their enthusiastic involvement. We eagerly await our next encounter!
