Celebrating Chess Excellence! - Chess Rising Stars

Chess Rising StarsSeptember 12, 2023April 11, 2025

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.

CRS London Academy

Aug 17, 2023

CRS London Academy to announce its participation in the Junior 4 Nations Chess League

Chess Rising Stars London Academy are thrilled to announce its participation in Season 8 of the Junior 4 Nations Chess League Online with not one, but three talented teams!

The 4NCL is a prestigious team chess event in the UK with £10,000 in cash prizes.

As J4NCLO veterans, we secured the Division 3 title in Season 7 and were Division 4 champions in both Seasons 5 and 6.

Discover how our top students have consistently achieved impressive results at local, county, and national levels, and watch your child’s chess skills soar to new heights with exemplary team spirit and competitive camaraderie.

J4NCLO serves as an ideal gateway to tournament chess, and our experienced students have successfully progressed to compete over the board. All competing juniors are required to become members of the English Chess Federation.

We can provide an introduction to the world of team chess competitions for your child.

Chess Articles, CRS London Academy, UK Chess News

Feb 27, 2024

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.

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