Brentwood School Hosts Record-Breaking 9th Brentwood Junior Chess Tournament

Published by Brentwood School on Thursday 13th of March 2025

Brentwood School proudly hosted and co-organised the 9th Brentwood Junior Chess Tournament on Sunday, 2nd March 2025, in partnership with the Essex Junior Chess Association (EJCA) and British Chess.

The event, the largest junior chess tournament in Essex, welcomed over 130 players who competed across five sections based on age and chess rating. With eight rounds of rapid play, more than 500 games were played throughout the day.

The tournament attracted a diverse field, ranging from National Champions to young players just starting their chess journey. The 5 sections ranged from the Under 11 Minor (mainly for those in their first tournament) to the Elite Section (for an invited selection of the top Essex adult and junior players).

As well as being part of the EJCA Grand Prix, the tournament also served as the Brentwood Senior School and Brentwood Prep School Championships.

A strong contingent of 25 Brentwood students participated, ranging from Year 2 (Maansi) to Year 13 (Oleksii) and competing across all 5 sections. The tournament’s outstanding organisation and excellent venue continue to attract players from across the country. This year, the youngest participant, aged 4, traveled from Coventry after the event was recommended to his parents.

Congratulations to Max P who retained his Senior School Championship after a play-off against fellow Year 10 student Markos M. Meanwhile, Nikith V, in Year 6, was crowned the new Prep School Champion.

Brentwood School Head of Chess, Robin Slade, said: “Well done to all the competitors who played in such great spirit. Particular congratulations to all our trophy, medal and book prize winners.

Thank you to everyone who helped the day run so smoothly and all the parents who gave up their Sunday so their children could have fun playing chess. Thank you as well to Headmaster Michael Bond for opening the tournament and Mr Greg Justham, Deputy Head (Staffing, Co-Curricular & Operations) for presenting the prizes. We look forward to welcoming even more players to next year’s tournament!”