November News - Chess Rising Stars

Chess Rising StarsNovember 7, 2023

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.

CRS London Academy, UK Chess News

Dec 19, 2023

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.

CRS London Academy, UK Chess News

Oct 20, 2026

UK Chess Challenge Terafinal 2026

The UK Chess Challenge Terafinal returned to Blenheim Palace for the 2026 edition. More than 10,000 children competed in the earlier rounds with just 60 finalists remaining: 12 in each of five age categories. Five current and two former Chess Rising Stars students qualified, which is a new record for us.

Yuk Hei secured his place in the U14s at the last minute, winning the Challengers in Peterborough on tie-break after scoring 7/9. Below, WFM Sarah Longson presents his trophy and invitation to the Terafinal.

Few junior tournaments can rival the setting of the Terafinal. Blenheim Palace provides a fittingly regal backdrop for the royal game! Coach Chris visited our students over the weekend to offer his encouragement. He soon realised that the parents and coaches were, if anything, more nervous than the children.

In an attempt to settle their nerves, Chris joined Aden’s dad for a walk across the palace grounds to the aptly named Column of Victory, a 41-metre monument to the Duke of Marlborough, completed in 1731. Suitably impressed, they managed to resist checking the live boards for nearly an hour!

The format was demanding, 11 rounds of rapid across the weekend in a round-robin. The high standard of preparation was evident from the first round, with many players trying a variety of fresh opening lines.

Aden finished a fantastic 2nd place in the U12 category with 9/11, matched by Martin who also finished 2nd with 9/11 in the U8s. Our other students also enjoyed notable victories and came close to further successes, gaining valuable experience to build on in future tournaments.

Many congratulations to our current students Yuk Hei, Aden, Jorge, Martin and Tristan. Reaching the Terafinal was outstanding and we are excited to see how they continue to develop as players.

CRS London Academy

Jan 21, 2025

Maria Manelidou Achieves Level 4 Coaching Tier

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.