Launching in January 2025, our new junior chess club will be open to children of all chess levels, ages 7+, with a mixture of chess lessons, friendly games and an internal tournament with plenty of prizes for the winners!

Lessons will be taught by our expert coaches, including FIDE Instructor CM Tom Villiers, who are passionate about developing young talent. We will also support more experienced children who intend to compete in chess tournaments and team matches.

It is exciting to expand our chess club provision and offer an in-person club at a new venue. William Morris House is an 8-minute-walk from South Wimbledon underground station and a 14-minute-walk from Wimbledon station.

Our new junior chess club has limited availability and we will allocate spaces on a first-come, first-served basis via our online form below. Booking is open now and your child can be among the first to join us. Once this club reaches capacity, we will open a waiting list to add a second group.

Register today to secure your child’s spot at Wimbledon Chess Rising Stars.

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.

Contact us to discover how you can benefit from our international-level coaching.

Jul 08, 2024

Gold at the EJCOA National Youth Finals 2024

Nottingham High School hosted the English Junior Coaches and Organisers Association (EJCOA) National Youth Finals 2024. This FIDE rated 3-day standardplay event required children to qualify, either by rating or through Zonal tournaments.

Chess Rising Stars London Academy was well-represented in the Finals. We had students competing in the U8, U10 and U12 categories.

Noah with his EJCOA U12 Boys trophy

Our outstanding result came from Noah, who achieved 4.5/5 to share 1st place in the U12s with WCM Ruqayyah Rida. His only draw was against a fellow Chess Rising Stars student, Callum, in round 3.

Noah won the U12 Boys category and continued his outstanding 2024 season in style. This national title is particularly impressive given that he has only been competing in chess tournaments since January 2023.

 

We are excited to follow Noah’s progress and will be looking out for all of our students in their Summer Holiday chess tournaments.

CRS London Academy Chess Camp in October was a Success

We are glad to announce that our 19th Chess Camp in October was successful and very much enjoyed by our students.

We offered a mixture of Chess Lessons, Friendly Games and an Internal Tournament with plenty of Prizes for the Winners!

Prizes were awarded at the end of the camp for the tournament winners, as well as those who showed particular improvement and enthusiasm.


The sessions were delivered by WFM Maria Manelidou, CM Thomas Villiers and Chris Russell.


You are welcome to join our Chess Club which is also held at the same venue of Marlborough Primary School, SW3 3AP.