Sachith (U18 Minor winner and report author) facing the camera.
Report by Sachith – Year 8
For me, this was the best tournament I had ever played in, and I had a truly incredible experience: I was able to win 7 out of 8 games and win first place.
In my first few games I was able to get 3 wins out of 3, where I even played some close friends from my school. Then I came to play my hardest but most enjoyable in my 4th game. I was able to defend my king in the beginning for a while; however, unfortunately I lost. The player gave me an outstanding tussle and deserved the win.
I was quite down from my first loss but after lunch and being refuelled, I came back with high hopes for the last 4 games, but did not expect to win them all. I played against some great opponents and had a close call on my last match, where my opponent played very well. I had a really fantastic day, and winning my first trophy will forever be etched in my heart.
Anushka and Chiza
Joshua and Ava fought it out for the Brentwood Prep trophy.
Report by Kabir – Year 2
This was my first ever tournament. The experience was amazing, just when you stepped into the tournament hall. There were 8 matches and I won 6 points. When you started the round, a list told you who you were playing against in that round.
We were playing 10+5 rapid through the tournament. The coaches helped us throughout the day. There were lots of prizes at the end and all the kids cheered for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I look forward to many more such tournaments.
Digby (U11 Open winner and report author).
Report by Digby – Year 6
My experience on March 8 was very enjoyable. The setup was quite different to other over the board tournaments I have been to, as this had 10 minutes and 5 seconds of increment instead of the normal 20+10, 15+10, or 20+5. This timing allowed the opportunity to flag your opponents on time, making the endgames with low time tense but exciting.
Even though there were around 150 players overall in the tournament (and 56 players in my section – the U11 Open), the tournament went very smoothly and the organisation was great.
As the day went on, I continued winning my games, and I finished the day with 7.5 out of 8 because I drew my last game in a tight time battle against the top seed in the section, and so I won the tournament. In fact, I had actually won the tournament before the last round started, as I was 1 point ahead of everyone at the end of the 7th round. I had beaten both my possible competitors, meaning I would beat them in a tie break if I lost and they won.
Although some games were tricky, I came home with a cool trophy after a great day.
The tournament was brilliant.
Report by Aryav – Year 8
I had a wonderful experience at the tournament, with helpful arbiters and rooms with chessboards to practice and play. The tournament had 8 rounds with 10 minutes per player, and 5 seconds added every time you made a move.
I played in the Under 18 open section and was pitted against much stronger players. In the first half I managed to get 2 wins and a draw from 4 games. Between the games I managed to rest.
In the second half all our chess brains were getting tired, but we enjoyed every game we played with our fellow chess players due to the positive mood everybody had. After 8 rounds all of us were tired.
Nevertheless, I was happy because I won 4 games and had two draws with a final score 5/8. I got a special prize during prizegiving because even though I did not finish in the top three, I had performed really well.
I really enjoyed playing in this tournament and look forward to playing in similar tournaments, especially more tournaments at Brentwood.
Ani was our youngest player.
The Prizewinners!