At the ECF Junior Team Challenge finals, held on Monday 16 April at Hertford College, Oxford, Chepstow School came equal fourth, just half a point behind third-placed Heathside. The team of Madeleine Smith, Neil Stevenson, Harrison Postans and Steffan Griffiths netted 8 game points in their four matches, all played with a time control of 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move.
The ECF Junior Team Challenge, which is for players in year 8 and below, attracted more 70 teams, whittled down to ten for the finals. Schools in and around London took the top three places in the finals: King’s College London won with 11.5 points, St Paul’s were second with 11 points, and Heathside third with 8.5 points.
The highlight of the day was a talk by Grandmaster John Nunn, who is a former British Champion, and winner the World Problem Solving Championships in 2004, 2007 and 2010. Nunn discussed a game between Fridrik Olafsson and Erich Eliskases, played in Argentina in 1960 (see, for example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVknnLo4_Tg) . While going through this game, which involves the sacrificing of a rook, Nunn offered insights into how a GM thinks. After this, Nunn went on to discuss of three chess problems, one of which ended with mate delivered by two knights, and another that finished with mate by a single knight against lone bishop.
Before the competition got underway, the players were given a tour of the college by a first year undergraduate.
Chepstow School: Madeleine Smith, Neil Stevenson, Harrison Postans and Steffan Griffiths