Hertfordshire Open Junior Chess Championships 2019
Sunday, 3rd February 2019
Fleetville Junior School, 228 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW
Championships (u9, u11, u13, u18 minor, u18 major)
6-round ECF graded Swiss
Registration from 9.15am. Play starts at 10.00am.
Stars Barred Tournament (for less experienced players)
6-round ECF graded Swiss
Registration from 12:15pm. Play starts at 1.00pm.
After an absence of two of years, HSCA are delighted to announce the return of the Hertfordshire Junior Chess Championships together with a Stars Barred Tournament in the afternoon for less experienced players.
There is some car parking available at the venue. Morrisons and other local shops are a five-minute walk away from the venue.
Full details and Online Entry are on the Eventbrite Booking website via the link: Hertfordshire Open Junior Chess Champs 2019
Please, contact events@hsca-chess.com for any queries.
Training Tournament
posted: 9 Nov 2018
The first Training Tournament at our new venue, Cunningham Hill Infants school, took place on Sunday 4th November.
Players who attended had a range of experiences with some being new to competitive chess and others having grades of up to 100 ECF.
During the session players had the opportunity to play two graded games against opponents of a similar standard to themselves.
These games provided the basis of the analysis and discussion led by ECF registered coach, IM Ravi Kumar.
One of common themes that arose from the games was how best to conduct a mating attack on a castled king.
Players also received advice on how best to develop the pieces in the opening phase of the game and investigated some interesting positions aimed at developing tactical awareness and endgame skills.
The next session will take place at the same venue on Sunday 25th November, 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
South West Herts Primary Schools League
posted: 27 Oct 2018
The South-West Herts Chess Tournament enters its 41st year.
For full details of this season’s competition, please, download: SW Herts League Invitation Letter
Each school will play 6 rounds over 3 sessions, all to be played at Cunningham Hill Junior School on the following dates:-
- Friday 18th January 2019
- Friday 8th February 2019
- Friday 15th March 2019.
Matches to start at 3.45 pm (or as soon after as possible).
A team will be 6 players ranked as accurately as possible in chess playing ability from 1 to 6.
Entries accepted up to 10th January 2019, provided there is sufficient space.
Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge: Terrafinal
posted: 17 Sept 2018
The Terrafinal took place at at Holiday Inn Hotel, Peterborough, on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th September.
Congratulations to all the Hertfordshire players who qualified and played in the national final.
Below are links to the results chess.results.com and the scores of Hertfordshire players.
- under-8: Judith Tomy (2/6))
- under-10: Maanav Nagda (3/6)
- under-12: Jeff Tomy (4.5/6), Emily Maton (1.5/6)
- under-14: Nadia Jaufarally (3.5/6), Connor Clarke (2.5/6)
- under-18: Taran Jina (3/6)
Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge: Southern Challengers
posted: 17 Sept 2018
The Southern Challengers took place at Tormead School, Guildford, on Sunday 9th September.
Congratulations to all the Hertfordshire players who qualified and played.
Below are links to the results chess.results.com and the scores of Hertfordshire players.
- under-7: Dara Owladi (3.5/6)
- under-8: Charlie Ball (4/6), Robert Shaporenkov (3/6), Avyukt Dasgupta (2.5/6)
- under-9: Nichiforos Petcov (4.5/6), Vanshika Reddy Tummala (3.5/6)
- under-10: Alex Sorica (3/6). Imara Popat (2.5/6), Rory Lynn (2/6)
- under-11:
- under-18: Niall Clarke (4/6)
Hertfordshire Primary School League 2019
posted: 14 Sept 2018
The dates have been updated. The match in October 2018 has been moved back to March 2019.
- Day 1: Tuesday 27th November 2018
- Day 2: Tuesday 5th February 2019
- Day 3: Tuesday 5th March 2019
EPSCA Inter-Association Championships 2019
updated: 30 Sept 2018
Some dates for your diary:
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29th September 2018 | EPSCA Annual General Meeting | Birmingham |
| 9th March 2019 | under-11 Zonals | East Zone: Newham |
| 16th March 2019 | under-9 Zonals | East Zone: Barnet |
| 23rd March 2019 | under-11 Girls Final | Birmingham |
| 30th March 2019 | under-11 Final | Birmingham |
| 27th April 2019 | under-9 Final | Nottingham |
Notes:
- Teams play in one of three Zonals (North, South and East) from which they qualify to the Final.
- In the U11 Girls competition there are no Zonals and all teams play in the Final.
- The East Zonal comprises Barnet, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Newham, Northamptonshire, Richmond, and Suffolk.
- All matches comprise three rounds of Jamboree pairings.
- Team size:
- U11: 20 players, plus 4 reserves
- U11 girls: 12 players, plus 4 reserves
- U9: 12 players, plus 4 reserves
London Junior Chess Championships
Posted: 30th August 2018
The HSCA qualifying event scheduled for Saturday 8th September has unfortunately had to be cancelled due to not having a suitable venue available.
There are, however, many other opportunities to qualify for the Championships as can be seen from the LJCC website: LJCC Qualifying Events
Players in the higher age categories (i.e. under-14, under-16 and under-18/21) are able to enter the Finals directly without having to play in a qualifying event.
The LJCC finals will be held at University of Westminster, Harrow Campus, Northwick Park, Harrow HA1 3TP, as follows:
| Age Group | London Junior Chess Championship Dates |
|---|---|
| Under 8 | Sat 29th & Sun 30th December 2018 |
| Under 10 | Sat 15th & Sun 16th December 2018 |
| Under 12 | Fri 28th, Sat 29th & Sun 30th December 2018 |
| Under 14 | Sat 15th & Sun 16th December 2018 |
| Under 16 | Fri 28th, Sat 29th & Sun 30th December 2018 |
| Under 18/21 | Fri 28th, Sat 29th & Sun 30th December 2018 |
EPSCA Inter-Association U9, U11, U11 Girls – Results
Posted: 28th May 2018.
Here are the results of the EPSCA competitions in which Hertfordshire competed this year. Apologies for the late posting.
U9 Final, Birmingham (28th April)
Congratulation to the team managed by Sam for achieving a creditable tenth place (out of sixteen teams) in the national final.
Our top scorers were Kyal (bd 2), Robert (bd 9) and Charles (bd 10) each of whom won two of their three games.
U11 Girls Final, Oxford (24th March)
This year we were fortunate to have Ursula step-in as this year’s team manager.
Starting from the difficult position of having virtually no returning players and with only a few months to prepare for the competition, it is a tremendous achievement to have gained ninth place (out of twelve teams) in the national final.
In the limited number of training sessions available which were run by husband, Matt, players developed a genuine camaraderie and team spirit; the cakes might have helped!
Well done to top scorers Vanshika (3/3) and Imara (2/3).
U11 Zone East, Bromley, Kent (17th March)
The team’s lowly position (tenth out of ten teams) can be explained by a number of factors which affected the team this year: firstly, a number of our stronger U11 players weren’t available; secondly, the snow in Hertfordshire on the day of the match caused six players to withdraw at late notice.
Credit must be given to the players that did turn out for the team and who individually met tougher opponents than they might normally have expected; the competition rules stipulate that players have to move up the order so that the defaulted games are on the lowest boards.
Well done to our highest scorers, Emily (bd 7) and Karan (bd 14), who both won two of their three games.
U9 Zone East, Twickenham (10th March)
Under the leadership of experienced U9 manager, Sam, our team comfortably qualified to the national final by taking fourth place, only one point behind local rivals, Barnet. Six of the nine teams progressed to the final.
Congratulations to the team. Our top scorers were Maanav (3/3), Ruwan (3/3), Robert (2.5/3) and Sohum (3/3).
Hertfordshire MegaFinal 2018 – Results
Posted: 7th May 2018.
This year the Hertfordshire Megafinal was held at St George’s School, Harpenden. on the Saturday 5th May during Early May Bank Holiday weekend. The weather was good.
After accounting for late withdrawals (almost balanced by the number of unexpected entries on the day) we had a confirmed entry of 180 players which is a slightly fewer than last year.
All tournaments took place in the main hall and a selection of hot and cold refreshments were available in the adjacent Green Room.
Photo: Gigafinal 2015. © John Upham
Although we didn’t have use of the school canteen as home base for parents, we managed to accommodate everyone in the classrooms.
The players had use of the large playground to get some fresh air and chill out between rounds.
All players who gained Supremo/Suprema titles or 3.5 points have qualified to the Gigafinals.
A list of qualifiers from this event will be submitted to the National Organiser following a final review of results.
- Hertfordshire Megafinal Results – UTU Swiss Results website
- All Megafinal Results – Delancey website
- Online Entry to Gigafinals – Delancey website
New Date: St Albans Last Chance Saloon – Tuesday 10th April
Posted: 21 March 2018
A Last Chance Saloon, replacing the one cancelled due to adverse weather, has now been scheduled to take place at Skyswood Primary school during the school Easter Holidays.
The tournament provides an opportunity for players who have not already qualifed for the MegaFinals through their own school or club to do so in an OPEN competition.
Boys and Girls in each age group from u7 to u11 will compete to qualify to play in the MegaFinals.
The Hertfordshire Megafinal will be held at St George’s School, Harpenden, on Saturday 5th May where qualification places in the Southern GigaFinal will be awarded alonside the Hertfordshire Supremo and Suprema titles.
St Albans Last Chance Saloon: CANCELLED
Posted: 18 March 2018
Due to the adverse weather today’s Last Chance Saloon at Skyswood School, St Albans is CANCELLED.
We will try and find another date.
ECF U18 County Championship
Posted: 5 March 2018
Hertfordshire entered teams in both the Open and Minor sections of the U18 County Championships which took place at King’s School, Grantham, on Sunday 25th February.
U18 OPEN
| Position | Team | Score | Average ECF Grade of Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kent | 16.5 | 151 |
| 2nd | Sussex | 16 | 161 |
| 3rd | Surrey | 15 | 154 |
| 4th | Hertfordshire | 9.5 | 131 |
| 5th= | Leicestershire | 7.5 | 118 |
| 5th= | Suffolk | 7.5 | 122 |
U18 MINOR (under 130 ECF)
| Position | Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Norfolk | 9 | |
| 2nd | Yorkshire | 8.5 | |
| 3rd | Kent | 7 | |
| 4th | Nottinghamshire | 5 | |
| 5th | Surrey | 2 | |
| 6th | Hertfordshire | 1.5 |
In the Open we faced rather strong opposition and experienced a rather a shaky start, but we performed considerably better in the second round.
Our top board, Taran Jina, had the satisfaction of winning both his games as did Alan Wang on board 10. Other players who scored well were Asha Jina (bd 5), Harjivan Singh (bd 6) and Aman Gogna (bd 7), each achieving a win and draw in their two games.
The School’s Trophy, for a team of 4 players from the same school, was won by our players from Haberdashers’ Aske’s school with 5.5 points. The winning Habs team comprised Harjivan, Aman, Param, Alan.
In the Minor section, we were handicapped by only being able to field a team of four, instead of six players.
A report of the event can be found on the ECF website through the link: U18 County Championships 2018
U110 and Stars Barred Tournaments
Posted: 12 February 2018
This event took place at Aboyne Lodge School on Sunday 11th February.
The U110 is a tournament for experienced junior players who have an ECF grade (or estimated grade) below 110, whereas the Stars Barred is designed as a friendly introduction to tournament play for beginners and less experienced players.
U110 (12 players)
1st Emily Maton (5/5)
2nd Dara Owladi (4/5)
3rd= Rohan Tathare, Tia Patel, Utkarsh B Bhamidimarri (3/5)
Stars Barred (27 players)
1st Jai Jha (4/4)
2nd Vincent Lee (3.5/4)
3rd= Aarav Chavan, Arya Fazeli, Isabelle Lee, Joel Skeet (3/4)
The cross-tables and full results are available on the UTU Swiss Results website through the following links.
All games played in these tournaments will count towards players’ rapid play grades in the ECF July 2018 grading list.
Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge
Posted: 6 February 2018
The 2018 Chess Challenge is underway with many schools and junior chess clubs running competitions which allow players to qualify to play in the ever popular Megafinals.
Players also have the opportunity to qualify from the one day events, details of which are now published on the UKSCC website: Last Chance Saloons
Please note: Only players in the under-11 and lower age groups are required to participate in the first round qualifying events. Under-12 and older age groups do not need to qualify and can enter the Megafinals directly.
The Hertfordshire Megafinal will held on Saturday 5th May (Bank holiday weekend) at St George’s School, Harpenden. Our maximum capacity is 200 players.
Further information can be found on the UKSCC website: Enter The Challenge
Maidenhead Junior Chess Club – Results of U11 and U9 Team Events
Posted: 20 January 2018
The results of the recent Jamborees in which Hertfordshire U11 and U9 teams participated are now available on the Oxford Fusion Chess Results website:
These events provide new and existing players the opportunity to play chess and represent Hertfordshire in preparation for the EPSCA Inter-Association Zonals and Finals that take place in March and April.
We also run an U11 Girls Team and would be pleased to hear from players wishing to play in any of our teams.
Annual General Meeting starting at 12.00 noon on Sunday 29th October 2017
The AGM of Hertfordshire Schools Chess Association will take place at Aboyne Lodge School, Etna Road, St Albans AL3 5NL.
It will be held in combination with junior tournament comprising two sections:
- Players graded below 110 ECF,
- Stars Barred. Players graded below 40 ECF or ungraded.
The meeting is open to all chess parents and volunteers. It is opportunity to meet the committee, ask questions or make suggestions regarding the work of the Association.
If you wish to attend, please, email so that we can arrange sufficient refreshments.
LJCC Qualifier: Hertfordshire
Posted: 23 October 2017
The Hertfordshire qualifying tournament for the London Junior Chess Championships took place on Sunday 15th October at Aboyne Lodge Junior School.
Qualifiers to the LJCC final in December are:
- U12 Major: Rohan Olsen (5/6), Oliver Robbins (5/6), Adiveer Baweja (5/6)
- U10 Major: Vikas Kalaria (6/6), Deniz Ozdenoren (5/6)
- U10 Minor: Siddhartha Rathke (4/6), Adhritt Seth (3.5/6)
- U8 Final: Robert Shaporenkov (5/6), Rudra Debnath (5/6), Dara Owladi (5/6)
Full results of the three sections are available on the UTU Swiss Results website, as follows:
British Chess Championship, Llandudno 2017
Posted: 08 August 2017
The British Championship has now concluded and it is pleasing to report some excellent performances from Hertfordshire Junior (under-18) players.
The British Championship (103 players)
6th= FM Ravi Haria (Haberdashers), 6/9 – U21 Champion
31st= Taran Jina (Harpenden), 5/9 – performance rating FIDE 2222
Under 14 Tournament (39 players)
6th= Nadia Jaufarally (St Albans), 4.5/7 – Girls Champion
Under 12 Tournament (44 players)
3rd= Adithya Pramod Paleri (Watford), 5/7
Under 11 Tournament (52 players)
7th= Kian Shah (Watford), 4/7
Under 9 Tournament (74 players)
22nd= Kaveer Mehta (Watford), 3.5/6
Under 8 Tournament (56 players)
6th= Siena Gurjar (Watford), 4.5/6 – Girls Champion (joint)
8th= Ruwan Dias (Radlett), 4/6
Yates Weekend Under 120 Tournament (63 players)
3rd= Roshan Gurjar (Watford), 4/5
The full list of Prizewinners and Results are available on the British Championship website
South-West Herts League
Winners in 2017: Roundwood Primary School
New Website
Posted: 19 May 2017
This is the new website of HSCA. It has a shorter and more user-friendly name, and its look and performance on mobile devices is improved by adopting a modern responsive template.
Our most recent event is the Hertfordshire Megafinal.