CRS London Academy
Chess Rising Stars

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.

Good luck to our Students

We invite you to join us in wishing Ashwin, Aden, and Sheng the very best. Their dedication to chess improvement is a source of inspiration.

Stay tuned for updates from the Terafinal in October.

 

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CRS London Academy
Oct 22, 2023

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!

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CRS London Academy
Apr 19, 2025

ECF Rating Milestones

We’re careful when it comes to chess ratings. It’s easy to lose sight of improvement, focus on the number and forget what’s important: study, study, study (and have fun)!

With that said, we felt that two students crossing the 2000 rating barrier in the same month is worth celebrating. It’s a first for Chess Rising Stars and it happened twice in one month.

Entering the 2000s

Noah and James both achieved personal best standard ratings in the English Chess Federation’s April Rating List. Their new 2000+ ratings put them both comfortably into the top thousand ECF ranked players, including adults.

It was a great month across the board for Chess Rising Stars, as we now have five students ranked in the Top 20 in their age category on the ECF Rating Database.

Noah at the ‘Chess Talents Tournament’ in Frydek-Mistek

Near Misses

The alcohol-free champagne is on ice for Ashwin and Aden! They’ve both been making excellent progress and, with ratings in the 1900s, will surely join the 2000 club soon.

We’re proud of what our students have achieved and look forward to seeing what the May list brings.

Learn More

Track Chess Rising Stars progress on our ratings page

Check our comprehensive chess ratings guide for parents

Noah and James are both members of our Elite Online Chess Club

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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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