Schools’ Blitz Chess Tournament
Harrow School, Middlesex Sunday 19 Jan 2025
Following the success of last year’s inaugural tournament, the Schools’ Blitz tournament returns for 2024-25.
- Venue: Harrow School, Middlesex HA1 3HP
- Time: Registration from 10am, play starts 11am, finish by 5pm
- Format: 12-round individual Swiss tournament with a team element (see below)
- Time control: Players have 3 minutes for all their moves, with a 2-second increment from move 1
- Teams: Teams consist of 6-8 players, with the top six scores combining to make a team’s overall total
- Pairings between players from the same school will be blocked for some early and late rounds. There are prizes for the top three individual players and the winning school
- Cost: £10 per school (1 team only). If space permits, schools with entries may be given the opportunity to bring a B team (at no extra charge) on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Entries: Entries online at https://forms.office.com/e/UUqDDNDqVU. For more information, contact James Hall – jpbh@harrowschool.org.uk
Eton Rapidplay – Major
It was great to return to Eton College with Brentwood School in October for the Eton Rapid Play. It is always a popular event with the students and a nice day out for everyone. Even the sun was shining. True to form, I fielded two familiar questions when we walked down on arrival for an obligatory photo by the cannon – “What is the WiFi code?” and “Can we go to the sweet shop?”. We then got lost looking for the Open venue with the students less than impressed with my idea of a constitutional walk being the perfect way to start the day.
This year the tournament had the welcome addition of a Major Section. This made life fairer for less experienced schools and for B teams. I managed Brentwood B for the day and helped with a bit of arbiting (mostly deciphering unfamiliar clocks).
The tournament was split between the upper floors of the maths department and a beautiful room in Upper School, right next to the Chapel. Even the students were impressed when they entered School Yard through the archway and saw the setting for the first time. Only the appearance of Domino’s pizzas at lunchtime impressed them more.
One thing that surprised me in the Major was the length of the games. We spent rounds 2 to 5 in Upper School where not many games finished in the first 10 minutes. Did the historic surrounding helped create a calm atmosphere conducive to thoughtful chess?
This is the tournament where I got the most steps. Backwards and forwards to Athens (the Open venue, not the Greek city). Up and down the stairs in the maths department. Backwards and forwards to Upper School. Who says chess isn’t good for physical fitness?
There was a lovely atmosphere among the players. They were relaxed and happy, enjoying their chess and the time with their friends. Adult chess competitions rarely generate this feeling of joie de vivre.
The actual competition always looked destined for a tight finish and so it proved. In the end, Henrietta Barnett’s 4-2 last round victory over Harris Westminster Sixth Form proved decisive and gave them victory by half a board point over Merchant Taylors. They were the only team to win all 5 of their matches so thoroughly deserved their victory.
https://chess-results.com/tnr1032095.aspx?lan=1&art=63
— Robin Slade, Head of Chess, Brentwood School
Eton Rapidplay – Open
An impressive number of teams from all over UK, plus an especial shout-out to the team who flew in from Gonzala School, Dublin, to bring a fun and fast-paced day of five rounds of Rapidplay chess to Eton College. Over 200 players, coaches, teachers and supporters were involved in the event, which was only one part of a multi-venue tournament, taking place across Eton College.
The slight disappointment that the venue, Athens, denoted an enviably well-equipped sports centre at Eton College, rather than a more classical and exotic setting in the Mediterranean, was soon dispelled with the prompt start to Round 1. The geographical distance of Athens from other venues meant that the Open section very much felt like a free-standing tournament, and the rapid tempo of the day, the earnestness with which matches were played, and the generally very good use made of the time control of 20 minutes with a 5 second increment from move 1; ensured that no-one had much downtime from play between rounds, and that the Arbiter team stayed trim, with scant time for lunch or respite, and plenty of need to get our steps in, among the hundred or so matches per Round.
The Open section also managed to run to time pretty much across the five Rounds, although challenges for teams, teachers and Arbiters included understanding the workings of four different types of chess clock, some pre-set to time controls other than the tournament’s 20 minutes plus 5 seconds, teams who sat in the order Board 6 to 1 opposite teams who sat from Board 1 and 6, and teams whose names seemed to change at short notice. No-one seemed phased by any of these issues, and the play and its enjoyment seemed undimmed throughout.
The geography of the venues meant that schools fielding two teams, but accompanied by only one staff member, sometimes chose to enter a single section different from the section which their playing strength would more immediately indicate, so that both teams were in the same venue, Open in Athens, for example. However, this did not seem to impair the enjoyment of the day. All teams recorded some wins, and a number of players were encouraged with wins or draws against opponents who might theoretically overcome them easily, and thus there were a number of tight Rounds. In the end, very few points separated the top teams, with the top ten of the 36 teams all scoring 18.5 points or more. The final team positions were only confirmed after some very close results in the final Round, where the top five team pairing all resulted in 2-4 scorelines or closer, as the results show: Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com – ECF Eton Schools Open
Congratulations go to Magdalen College School, who edged into first position, with a Round 5 4-2 victory over the runners-up, King’s College School. Brentwood School came a very creditable fourth, sandwiched between Wilson’s A and B, who therefore deserve a particular mention for having both of their teams placed so highly, in third and fifth position respectively. The tournament was a huge undertaking, with great logistical considerations and numbers. Great credit goes to Neill Cooper, Manager of Secondary School Chess, and Justin Moston, in charge of Chess and our host at Eton College.
— FA John Bowley
ECF Secondary School Rapidplay Chess Tournament
Sunday 13th October 2024 at Eton College, Berks
Venue: Eton College, Windsor SL4 6DW
Time: Registration from 10am, play starts 11am, finish about 5pm
Event Format: Five round Swiss rapid play tournament. Digital chess clocks: all moves in 20 minutes + five seconds/move. All games will be ECF rated.
Teams: Teams will consist of six players in school years 7 to 13. Schools can enter one or two teams.
Sections: This year there will be two sections: Open and Major (team average rating under 1400). Teams will be allocated their section based on the September 2024 ECF rating list.
Reserves: Teams can bring a maximum of one reserve who can play instead of a team player in any round. There will not be the provision of games for reserves.
Cost: £40.00 per team – reduced to £30.00 if paid by credit/debit card when completing the entry form. You are recommended to delay completing the entry form until you can pay the entry fee at the same time. This will save the ECF time and effort as well as saving £10.00 on the entry fee.
Player details: By entering this tournament schools agree to provide the names and dates of birth of all their team players. Also, schools should inform the ECF if they have any players whose photographs cannot be used by the ECF in promoting chess.
Chess equipment: It is appreciated when those schools who have suitable chess equipment – sets (with kings over three inches high), boards and digital clocks (that can do increments) bring them to this event. See details on the entry form.
ENTRIES CLOSED
If you need more information please email Neill Cooper manager.secondary@englishchess.org.uk
ECF Schools’ Blitz Tournament
On Sunday 21 January, Harrow School hosted a new-format ECF Schools’ Blitz tournament. Thirteen teams from 11 schools brought teams to compete in a hybrid individual Swiss tournament with a team component – from each school, the top six players’ scores would add to give the team’s total. As well as adding an extra dimension to the day’s play, this also has the advantage that last-minute dropouts or illnesses don’t matter!
96 players were involved, playing twelve rounds of 3 min + 2sec chess. The final results can be found online on the Chess Results webpage here and the ECF ratings file here. Congratulations to the individual medallists for their very impressive performances, finishing as an outright top 3:
1st: Shivam Agrawal (Wilson’s School) (10½/12)
2nd: Liam Clery-Luta (St Paul’s School) (10/12)
3rd: Alex Richards (Stowe School) (9½/12)
The Schools’ competition was very close. At the half-way point, Wilson’s held a narrow lead, with St Paul’s in second place and a very tight chasing pack a few points further back. After all twelve rounds, however, it was St Paul’s who secured the title by a tiny margin of only 2 game points ahead of Wilson’s School, with Merchant Taylors’ School just pipping the hosts into the bronze medal position.
| 1 | St Paul’s School | 50½ |
| 2 | Wilson’s School | 48½ |
| 3 | Merchant Taylors’ School | 43½ |
| 4 | Harrow School ‘A’ | 43 |
| 5 | Stowe School | 42 |
| 6 | Highgate School ‘A’ | 39 |
| 7 | KEGS Chelmsford | 38 |
| 8 | Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School | 37 |
| 9 | Harrow School ‘B’ | 36 |
| 10 | Highgate School ‘B’ | 33½ |
| 11 | The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School | 30 |
| 12 | Michaela Community School | 27 |
| 13 | Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls | 21 |
A big thank you to Neill Cooper for his support getting the event set up and to our arbiters for running the day so smoothly. The planning is already underway for 2025!
ECF Secondary School Rapidplay Chess Tournament
Sunday 1st October 2023 at Eton College, Berks.
Report from Neill Cooper, ECF Manager of Secondary School Chess
After a break of four years due to Covid and then building works, the ECF Secondary Schools Team Chess Tournament hosted by Eton College took place on Sunday 1st October. Teams came from far (Dublin, Liverpool, Torquay) and near (Eton, Holyport, Reading).
Demand was high and all the original 50 places were taken by the end of June. With the availability of an overflow room entry was raised to 56 teams each of six players, some with reserves. In total over 350 players took part. The highest rated were Yichen Han (2540) and Rajjat Makar (2387), whilst over 100 were playing their ever first ECF rated games of chess. The highest rated teams were Wilson’s School (average rating 1991), National Chess Champions Hampton School (1934) and past winners Habs (Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, 1846), whilst there were six teams which had no rated players.
With such a wide range of experience and ability, results in the first round were mainly one sided, with some teams winning 6 – 0. Since the tournament was scored by game points rather than match points such comprehensive victories were valuable to the teams.
Round 2 saw closer fixtures, though still four of the teams who had lost 0 – 6 in round 1 won by a similar margin in round 2. No team won both matches 6 – 0 so in round 3 the two leading teams, Latymer A and St. Paul’s Girls School, both on 11½ points met on the top match. A convincing 5 – 1 win by Hampton against Highgate resulted in them leading the tournament on 16pts, ahead of Latymer 15½ and Habs (15).
By round 4 many of the matches were closely fought by teams of similar abilities. Hampton beat Latymer A 4 – 2 whilst Habs beat Gonzaga College (Dublin) 4½ – 1½, Magdalen College School (MCS) beat Reading School 4 -2 whilst Wilson’s beat St Paul’s Girls 5 – 1.
This set up a very close final round with Hampton on 20 points playing Habs on 19½, whilst Wilson’s (pictured below) on 19 played Latymer A (17½). Whilst Hampton and Habs played out a 3 – 3 draw, Wilson’s beat Latymer 4½ – 1½ to win the tournament by a mere ½ point from Hampton, who were ½ a point ahead of Habs who in turn were ½ point ahead of MCS.
Some players deserve praise for winning all 5 games: Yichen Han (MCS), Rajjat Makar (Hampton), Magnus Borissow (RGS Guildford), Rock Yu (Dame Alice Owens) and Hao Ran Leung (Bishop Douglas) all on board 1 (and somehow never played each other); Rahul Babu (Wilson’s) on board 2; Kian Shah (Habs) and Ryan Moore (King Edward School, Birmingham) on board 3; Ryan Martin (The Judd School) on board 4 and Yueyue Sui (MCS) on board 6.
All the results can be found at https://chess-results.com/tnr825935.aspx?
The whole event was played in great spirit and the arbiting team of Chris Howell, Phillip Beckett, Rejean Dupuis and Daniel Young were kept busy and ensured that fair results were obtained with any queries quickly resolved.
Eton College yet again were great hosts, and many accompanying staff and parents enjoyed the tour of the college by our host Justin Moston. He had also worked tirelessly to get the hall ready for play and then ensured it was cleared afterwards.
We are already starting to plan next year’s tournament and hope to have space for even more teams!
Play will be in the spacious Whiteley Hall; team rooms will be shared and in the math’s department.
Time: Registration from 10.15am, play starts 11.00am, finish about 5.00pm
Event Format: 5 round Swiss rapid play tournament. Digital chess clocks: all moves in 20 minutes + 5 sec/move. All games will be ECF rated.
Teams: Teams will consist of 6 players in school years 7 to 13. Schools can enter one or two teams.
Chess Supplies: Tim Onions will be running a chess equipment and books stall – www.onionschess.co.uk
Reserve games: We may need to include a team of reserves in the tournament. We will also be able to arrange reserve games which may be rated.
Cost: £25.00 per team
It is appreciated when those schools who have suitable chess equipment (sets, boards and digital clocks) bring it to this event.
More information from Neill Cooper Email: manager.secondary@englishchess.org.uk
ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay Chess Tournament 2019
Sunday 15th September 2019
Venue – Eton College, Windsor SL4 6DW
Time – registration from 10.15am, play starts 11.00am, finish about 5.00pm
Event format – 5 round Swiss rapid play tournament. Digital chess clocks, all moves in 20 minutes + 5 sec/move. All games will be ECF graded
Teams – teams will consist of 6 players in school years 7 to 13. Schools can enter one or two teams. Squads can have up to 8 players with 6 playing in any match. Schools which have no pupils beyond year 8 are allowed up to 2 players from years 5 and 6.
Chess supplies – Tim Onions will be running a chess and bookstall – www.onionschess.co.uk
Reserve games – we may need to include a team of reserves in the tournament. We will also be able to play reserve games and arrange for these games to be graded.
Cost – £25.00 per team [state schools entering the Eton event for the first time can enter one team for free]
Closing date for entries – Sunday 8th September
More information from Neill Cooper – manager.secondary@englishchess.org.uk
36 schools (51 teams) entered as at 20th August —
Abingdon School; Brentwood School; Brighton College; Bristol Grammar School; Chepstow; Churchill Academy & Sixth Form; City of London School; Eton College; Gonzaga College SJ; Greensward Academy; Hampton School; Harrow School; Heathside Preparatory School; Hereward House; King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford; King Edward’s School; Magdalen College School; Mill Hill County High School; Nonsuch; Norwich School; Queen Elizabeth School Barnet; Reigate Grammar School; RGS Guildford; St John College; St Paul’s Girls’ School; St Paul’s School; St. John’s Senior; The Abbey School; The Judd School; The King’s School Gloucester; The Latymer School; The Skinners’ School; Tiffin School; Westminster Under School; Wetherby; Wilson’s School
ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay Chess Tournament 2018
Sunday 23rd September 2018 at Eton College, Berkshire
Winners – RGS Guildford A
2nd – Gonzaga College, Dublin A
3rd – Hampton School A
Plate winners – Heathside Prep School
It’s a day out at Eton College – with a tour included for adults. It’s 48 teams of six from 37 schools from right across the country (and even an international element) – dozens of games of chess all going on at once. And somehow, it all comes together with such amazing speed. Volunteer schools bring sets, boards and DGT1000 clocks and the whole thing gets set up in minutes and then we’re off, always slightly late but never mind, and five rounds later everything disappears even faster than it was set out. Of course, it’s not mysterious and is a result of much organisation from Neill Cooper, a man who makes the Duracell bunny seem lethargic.
2018 was my fifth visit to the Eton Rapidplay. The first time we came, my school had only five rated players and only two who played regularly. Forever our board three has been known as the ‘death spot’ – they are usually playing against someone much stronger and get crushed even when the team wins.
A great feature of the tournament is that you have some of the strongest junior chess players at one end of the room and some who have never played with clocks at the other end. The first couple of rounds can be very one-sided; the team returns beaming from turning one school over, not realising perhaps that it means their next match may pit them against a team who will do the same to them. Before long it has evened out and rounds three to five see some very competitive chess played – at all levels.
Team chess can be a great leveller. Before a round starts, a team of older teenagers can be seen grinning with the anticipation of victory as their nine and ten-year-old opponents sit down in front of them. Then they discover that there are some very strong nine and ten-year-olds and, crushed 6-0, they retreat to the team room with bruised egos. Well, it gets them used to it when they are adult players I suppose.
It’s never easy being the team manager at Eton. My A team revel in telling me which opening they are going to play in advance – it usually involves an early g4 – displaying such levels of hubris that I know I’m going to be saying “I told you so” in 20 minutes time. On a couple of occasions, the final match has been critical and I have to stress out quietly while a player breezily plays through an endgame a pawn down.
Now we have more than twenty rated players and I have to play a careful political game of who to leave out. Everyone loves the Eton Rapidplay. The atmosphere is very friendly and it is the most laid-back tournament I have been to. The chess is competitive but, being rapidplay, the top players aren’t too worried about their rating and aren’t afraid to experiment. Parents chat with teachers, teachers chat with other teachers (probably about education) and the children get on famously. It signals the start of the chess ‘season’ and a chance to introduce your new players to school chess. Everyone keeps coming back – I see a lot of the same faces each year – and they bring more and more players. That has to be good.
Many congratulations must go to the winners for the second year in a row, RGS Guildford, who have built a formidable chess team, Gonzaga College – the ‘international’ element from Dublin and Hampton, both recent winners, who came second and third respectively. KEGS were just half a point behind them – if only James hadn’t played the Grob …
Report by Tim Worrall
| No | Grade | Grade | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 1 | RGS Guildford A | 1105 | 24.5 | 16:06.0 | 20:05.5 | 03:04.0 | 09:04.5 | 02:04.5 |
| 2 | Gonzaga College SJ A | 984 | 21.5 | 24:06.0 | 19:05.0 | 06:05.0 | 04:04.0 | 01:01.5 |
| 3 | Hampton A | 1032 | 21.5 | 42:06.0 | 14:06.0 | 01:02.0 | 05:04.5 | 04:03.0 |
| 4 | Haberdashers A | 926 | 21 | 32:04.5 | 31:05.5 | 12:06.0 | 02:02.0 | 03:03.0 |
| 5 | KEGS A | 880 | 21 | 35:06.0 | 26:04.5 | 08:04.0 | 03:01.5 | 18:05.0 |
| 6 | Millfield | 872 | 20.5 | 23:06.0 | 22:05.0 | 02:01.0 | 11:05.0 | 07:03.5 |
| 7 | St Paul’s School London | 877 | 20.5 | 21:05.5 | 17:05.0 | 09:02.5 | 22:05.0 | 06:02.5 |
| 8 | Wilson’s School A | 853 | 20 | 29:06.0 | 27:05.0 | 05:02.0 | 18:03.0 | 14:04.0 |
| 9 | Brighton College A | 860 | 18.5 | 28:06.0 | 11:04.5 | 07:03.5 | 01:01.5 | 10:03.0 |
| 10 | Gonzaga College SJ B | 813 | 18 | 30:03.5 | 13:03.0 | 20:03.5 | 29:05.0 | 09:03.0 |
| 11 | Hampton B | 693 | 18 | 37:06.0 | 09:01.5 | 19:04.5 | 06:01.0 | 28:05.0 |
| 12 | Eton College | 832 | 18 | 38:05.0 | 18:04.0 | 04:00.0 | 35:05.5 | 17:03.5 |
| 13 | St John College Cardiff | 776 | 17.5 | 34:04.5 | 10:03.0 | 15:03.0 | 26:04.0 | 16:03.0 |
| 14 | The Judd school | 734 | 17.5 | 36:06.0 | 03:00.0 | 24:04.5 | 25:05.0 | 08:02.0 |
| 15 | North London Collegiate A | 640 | 17.5 | 41:05.0 | 25:03.5 | 13:03.0 | 17:02.5 | 22:03.5 |
| 16 | Heathside Prep School | 609 | 17.5 | 01:00.0 | 33:05.0 | 28:04.0 | 27:05.5 | 13:03.0 |
| 17 | King Edward’s School A | 660 | 17 | 40:05.5 | 07:01.0 | 27:04.5 | 15:03.5 | 12:02.5 |
| 18 | Abingdon | 685 | 17 | 46:05.0 | 12:02.0 | 41:06.0 | 08:03.0 | 05:01.0 |
| 19 | Westminster Under A | 721 | 17 | 44:06.0 | 02:01.0 | 11:01.5 | 31:04.0 | 30:04.5 |
| 20 | City of London School | 823 | 16.5 | 33:06.0 | 1:.5 | 10:02.5 | 30:04.0 | 26:03.5 |
| 21 | Brentwood School | 558 | 16.5 | 7:.5 | 40:03.0 | 32:04.5 | 34:05.5 | 23:03.0 |
| 22 | Haberdashers B | 704 | 16.5 | 45:06.0 | 06:01.0 | 46:06.0 | 07:01.0 | 15:02.5 |
| 23 | Bristol Grammar School | 557 | 16 | 06:00.0 | 45:06.0 | 30:01.5 | 42:05.5 | 21:03.0 |
| 24 | Wilson’s School B | 570 | 16 | 02:00.0 | 44:06.0 | 14:01.5 | 38:04.0 | 41:04.5 |
| 25 | RGS Guildford B | 691 | 15 | 39:05.0 | 15:02.5 | 26:03.0 | 14:01.0 | 29:03.5 |
| 26 | Chepstow Comprehensive | 709 | 15 | 43:06.0 | 05:01.5 | 25:03.0 | 13:02.0 | 20:02.5 |
| 27 | KEGS B | 625 | 15 | 47:06.0 | 08:01.0 | 17:01.5 | 16:.5 | 44:06.0 |
| 28 | The Skinners’ School | 554 | 14 | 09:00.0 | 37:05.0 | 16:02.0 | 46:06.0 | 11:01.0 |
| 29 | Brighton College B | 522 | 14 | 08:00.0 | 47:06.0 | 42:04.5 | 10:01.0 | 25:02.5 |
| 30 | St. Paul’s Girls’ School | 526 | 13.5 | 10:02.5 | 32:03.0 | 23:04.5 | 20:02.0 | 19:01.5 |
| 31 | The Latymer School | 620 | 13.5 | 48:05.0 | 4:.5 | 38:03.0 | 19:02.0 | 35:03.0 |
| 32 | Churchill Academy | 563 | 13 | 04:01.5 | 30:03.0 | 21:01.5 | 44:03.0 | 38:04.0 |
| 33 | Hereford Cathedral School | 504 | 13 | 20:00.0 | 16:01.0 | 48:06.0 | 41:04.0 | 34:02.0 |
| 34 | Nonsuch High School for G | 441 | 12.5 | 13:01.5 | 38:01.5 | 43:05.0 | 21:.5 | 33:04.0 |
| 35 | Harrow School | 563 | 12.5 | 05:00.0 | 43:03.0 | 40:06.0 | 12:.5 | 31:03.0 |
| 36 | St Peter’s Guildford | 422 | 12.5 | 14:00.0 | 42:00.0 | 45:06.0 | 37:03.0 | 39:03.5 |
| 37 | Norwich School B | 303 | 12 | 11:00.0 | 28:01.0 | 39:04.0 | 36:03.0 | 46:04.0 |
| 38 | Westminster Under B | 512 | 11.5 | 12:01.0 | 34:04.5 | 31:02.0 | 24:02.0 | 32:02.0 |
| 39 | King’s School Gloucester | 272 | 11.5 | 25:01.0 | 41:00.0 | 37:02.0 | 48:06.0 | 36:02.5 |
| 40 | Hinchley Wood School | 259 | 11 | 17:.5 | 21:03.0 | 35:00.0 | 43:03.5 | 42:04.0 |
| 41 | St Thomas More High School | 210 | 10.5 | 15:01.0 | 39:06.0 | 18:00.0 | 33:02.0 | 24:01.5 |
| 42 | Norwich School A | 603 | 10 | 03:00.0 | 36:06.0 | 29:01.5 | 23:.5 | 40:02.0 |
| 43 | Bishop Luffa C of E School | 370 | 9.5 | 26:00.0 | 35:03.0 | 34:01.0 | 40:02.5 | 45:03.0 |
| 44 | North London Collegiate B | 380 | 9.0 | 19:00.0 | 24:00.0 | 47:06.0 | 32:03.0 | 27:00.0 |
| 45 | The Abbey | 338 | 9.0 | 22:00.0 | 23:00.0 | 36:00.0 | 47:06.0 | 43:03.0 |
| 46 | King Edward’s School B | 263 | 9.0 | 18:01.0 | 48:06.0 | 22:00.0 | 28:00.0 | 37:02.0 |
| 47 | Lenham School A | 2 | 5.0 | 27:00.0 | 29:00.0 | 44:00.0 | 45:00.0 | 48:05.0 |
| 48 | Lenham School B | 1 | 2.0 | 31:01.0 | 46:00.0 | 33:00.0 | 39:00.0 | 47:01.0 |
ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay Chess Tournament 2017
ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay Chess Tournament 2016
September 18, 2016 at Eton College – 5 rounds for teams of 6 players.
Pictures by John Upham can be found here – https://johnupham.smugmug.com/Chess/ECF/ECF-Secondary-Schools/
Congratulations to Gonzaga College, Dublin on winning this exciting tournament by the narrowest of margins.
Position / Name / Total game points
1 / Gonzaga College A / 24
2 / Hampton School A / 24
3 / Millfield / 23
4 / RGS Guildford A / 22
5 / Haberdashers Omega / 21
—–
6 / Wilson’s School A / 19.5
7= / City of London Boys School, KEGS A, Winchester College A, Haberdashers Alpha, QE Barnet, Eton College / 18
13 / Sevenoaks School / 17.5
14= / King Edwards School A, Chepstow School, Simon Langton GSB A, Wilson’s School B / 17
18= / Abingdon School, Sir Thomas Rich’s, Brighton College / 16.5
21= / Gonzaga College B, Mill Hill CHS / 16
23 / North London Collegiate / 15.5
24= / Reigate GS, Horris Hill / 14.5
26= / Hampton School B, Dame Alice Owen’s School, Westminster Under School, King’s School Grantham, King’s School Canterbury, The Hall, Bristol Grammar School / 14
33= / Winchester College B, Heathside Prep School, St Paul’s Girls’ School / 13.5
36= / RGS Guildford B, ACS Egham, King Edwards School B / 13
39= / Nonsuch, Churchill Academy / 12.5
41= / KEGS B, Simon Langton GSB B, Guildford County School / 11.5
44= / Sir William Borlase, Bishop Luffa School / 10.5
46 / The Abbey School / 9.5; 47 / Hereford Cathedral School / 9; 48 / Basildon Upper Academy / 8; 49 / Reserves / 7.5; 50 / St Francis College / 3
ECF Secondary School Rapidplay Chess Tournament
Sunday 20th September 2015
Eton College hosted the fourth annual Secondary School Rapidplay Chess Tournament in their magnificent school hall. 250 players made up 40 teams representing 33 schools from fourteen counties, from Lincolnshire to Somerset, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire to Kent. Over 600 rapid play games were played across the five rounds.
Schools featured included National School Chess Champions Haberdashers’ Askes and past winners Hampton School. As well as some very strong teams, there were many others of a range of strengths seeking to do their best. Whilst the top players were graded over 200, the median grade was closer to 100.
The event was opened with a short address from Phil Ehr, Chief Executive of the English Chess Federation. Play went remarkably smoothly with any issues being quickly resolved by arbiters Chris and Matthew Howell. The draw for each round and scores were clear for all to see on an enormous screen at the end of the hall.
The scoring system was based on games points (so every game counted towards the total) rather than match points. This proved popular with the weaker teams who found that their scores were increasing even when they were losing matches. Also the Swiss system lead to many close matches – half the results being 4 – 2 or closer, even though the first round matches were all more one sided than this.
However, a downside of this scoring system was shown this year. Whilst Hampton won all 5 matches, including beating Habs, they scored a lower game point total. So whilst Hampton were match point champions, the game point (and therefore event) champions were Haberdashers’ Askes by half a point. Third, a further half point back, were QE Barnet with RGS Guildford a further half point behind. Fifth place was taken by King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford in their best ever chess result. Sixth place were North London Collegiate, the best result that I have seen by a girls school team in an open tournament. Seventh were City of London Boys School, making an impact as they return to school chess, whilst our hosts, Eton College, came eighth.
Prizes were presented by Dr John Nunn, world class GM and twice World Champion in Problem Solving.
| Place | Name | County | Av. Grade | Score |
| 1 | Haberdashers Askes School | Herts | 173 | 23.5 |
| 2 | Hampton School A | Surrey | 161 | 23 |
| 3 | QE Barnet | Middx | 138 | 22.5 |
| 4 | RGS Guildford A | Surrey | 155 | 22 |
| 5 | KEGS A | Essex | 122 | 20 |
| 6 | North London Collegiate | Middx | 116 | 19.5 |
| 7 | City of London Boys School | Middx | 130 | 19 |
| 8 | Eton College | Berks | 132 | 18 |
| 9-11 | Westminster Under School | Middx | 113 | 17.5 |
| Wilson’s School B | Surrey | 113 | 17.5 | |
| Winchester College | Hants | 121 | 17.5 | |
| 12 | Dulwich College | Kent | 112 | 17 |
| 13-14 | RGS Guildford B | Surrey | 114 | 16.5 |
| Simon Langton GSB A | Kent | 101 | 16.5 | |
| 15 | Wilson’s School A | Surrey | 140 | 16 |
| Hampton School B | Surrey | 91 | 15.5 | |
| Reigate GS | Surrey | 117 | 15.5 | |
| Sevenoaks School | Kent | 104 | 15.5 | |
| 16-19 | Sir Thomas Rich’s | Gloucs | 123 | 15.5 |
| 20-21 | Dame Alice Owen’s School | Herts | 84 | 15 |
| Mill Hill CHS A | Middx | 130 | 15 | |
| 22-23 | Bristol Grammar School | Avon | 81 | 14.5 |
| Simon Langton GSB B | Kent | 55 | 14.5 | |
| 24-25 | Heathside Preparatory Sch | Middx | 62 | 14 |
| King’s Grantham | Lincs | 88 | 14 | |
| Homefield | Surrey | 67 | 13.5 | |
| 26-28 | Oundle School | Northants | 91 | 13.5 |
| St Paul’s Girls’ School | Middx | 90 | 13.5 | |
| 29-31 | The Abbey School | Berks | 94 | 13 |
| The King’s School Canterbury | Kent | 95 | 13 | |
| Witham Hall School | Lincs | 37 | 13 | |
| 32 | KEGS B | Essex | 77 | 12.5 |
| 33 | Nonsuch | Surrey | 62 | 11.5 |
| 34 | Churchill Academy | Somerset | 45 | 11 |
| 35 | Bedales School | Hants | 62 | 10.5 |
| 36 | King Edwards School | Warks | 80 | 10 |
| 37 | Laxton Junior School | Northants | 39 | 9 |
| 38 | Mill Hill CHS B | Middx | 65 | 8 |
| 39 | Reserves | 7.5 | ||
| 40 | St Francis College | Herts | 30 | 3.5 |
Below is some feedback I received from teams shortly after the event. I hope that the knowledge that even teams who came near the bottom still greatly enjoyed the event will encourage more schools to take part next year.
“Thank you for an excellent tournament. The girls had a really good time and are inspired to improve for another year.”
“Just wanted to say thank you so much for a well organised event at a fabulous venue. I know a lot of work goes into making these events run well and to ensure that all the schools, children and parents have a good day. The team and parents certainly had a great day!
Many thanks also to Eton College and Mr Moston – in particular for the hot drinks and the tour. Tea and coffee on tap was very welcome. The tour was an amazing insight into the history and workings of the college.”
“Once again, many thanks for your hospitality yesterday. In amongst all of the demands of such a tournament both you and Justin made us feel extremely welcome.”
“Many thanks Neill for yesterday. A super organised day well done to you and your team.”
“On behalf of the teams thank you very much for all you did to make Sunday’s event so much fun. The players enjoyed their chess and socialising and their families enjoyed their day out in Eton and Windsor. The friendly atmosphere generated by Eton as a venue and the relaxed competitiveness of the chess made it a great day for everybody.”
“It was nice to spend time with the reserves as well who were not great players and didn’t win many games but were able to play a real part in the tournament and have fun. Next year I want to also bring a team from a local comprehensive as watching the chess at the bottom end confirmed a weak team would still have a good day.”
“All my boys came away with at least one win and they all had a very positive experience of the day. It has become a firm fixture in the school diary.”
“My boys had a great time and I was really pleased with their performance despite them narrowly missing out on qualification.”
Finally thanks to Eton College for providing fantastic facilities that is a draw for many schools.
Neill Cooper, ECF Manager of School Chess Email: manager.secondary@englishchess.org.uk
ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay
– from Neill Cooper
The inaugural ECF Secondary School Rapidplay Chess Tournament was a great success. 15 schools took part, some travelling over 2 hours each way, and fielded a total of 17 teams with 6 players in each team. There were lots of reserves so and 18th team was formed so that all teams played in all 6 rounds. A total of 112 players played 330 games of chess, which have all been rapidplay graded.
It cannot be said to have been a close contest for first place – a strong Haberdasher’s Askes first team won all 6 matches and scored a total of 30½ points. Two of their players, Ravi Haria and Roman Mitra, were the only players to win all their 6 games. In contrast second place was a 3 way tie between Wilson’s School 1st team, RGS Guildford and Winchester College, all of whom scored 22 games points.
The scoring system was based on games points (so every game counted towards the total) rather than match points. This proved popular with the weaker teams who found that their scores were increasing even when they were losing matches. Also the Swiss system lead to many close matches – almost half the results being 4 – 2 or closer, and 9 fixtures ended in 3 – 3 draws.
Feedback from schools who took part has been very positive, including:
“I just wanted to thank you for an excellent competition today. My boys thoroughly enjoyed the whole day and the whole experience generally. I’m in agreement with the other teachers that this kind of competition is much better for my school. Meeting lots of teams in one day is much better from an economies of scale perspective and it would certainly be appreciated in other competitions.”
“A belated thanks for Sunday! The boys really enjoyed it and are keen for the next event, we have a series of quick plays across our county during the year. These are all individual, but team events are so much better! “
“Thank you again for organising what was a most enjoyable day of chess.”
“Many many thanks for organising such an excellent day. Our team really appreciated it.”
“Many thanks for a fantastic tournament; very well organised and a great venue”
“Thank you so much for yesterday’s event. My team (despite being relatively weak), had a great day and learnt a lot.” “This sort of event is great for us: Several graded games and meeting lots of schools and their chess teams and managers”
Most teams thought the time for each round (1 hour) was about right, though slightly longer should have been allowed for the whole event. Everyone preferred playing in one large section rather than being split into smaller all-play-all sections. Some schools would have preferred the scoring to be done by match points not game points. Most teams would like to play in a similar event within the next sixth months, preferring Sunday to Saturday (to avoid clashes with other school events). Many schools felt that they may be able to host a similar event in the future.
We are very grateful to Eton College for providing their facilities free of charge. One unique feature of the event was to hear the fantastic organ music at the end of their morning chapel service.
Final results table:
| School | County | Points | |
| 1 | Haberdashers’ A | Herts | 30.5 |
| 2= | Wilson’s School A | Surrey | 22 |
| 2= | RGS Guildford | Middx | 22 |
| 2= | Winchester College | Hants | 22 |
| 5 | Haberdashers’ B | Herts | 21 |
| 6 | Hampton School | Surrey | 20.5 |
| 7 | Eton College | Berks | 20 |
| 8 | Dame Alice Owen’s | Herts | 18 |
| 9= | KE Camp Hill | Warks | 17.5 |
| 9= | Wilson’s School B | Surrey | 17.5 |
| 11 | The Abbey School | Berks | 17 |
| 12= | Bristol GS | Avon | 16.5 |
| 12= | King’s Grantham | Lincs | 16.5 |
| 14 | All Sorts [Reserves] | 16 | |
| 15 | King’s Canterbury | Kent | 14 |
| 16 | Radley College | Oxon | 12 |
| 17= | Vandyke Upper | Beds | 10.5 |
| 17= | St Paul’s Girls’ School | Middx | 10.5 |