Howell’s School retain U19 UK Schools Chess Title

The Finals of the ECF National Girls Schools Chess Championships took place this weekend (1st/2nd April) at St Catherine’s School in Bramley. Two teams from Howell’s School qualified for the U19 section and faced off against teams from Bartholomew School (Oxford), The Fernwood School (Nottingham), North London Collegiate, and St Pauls Girls’ School (London).

The tournament consisted of a 7 round all-play-all, 45 minutes per player with no add-ons. As a result, many games went down to the wire and games were won – or lost – during a frantic time scramble.The Howell’s A team (Alyssa, Shayanna, Venetia) were leading for most of the tournament until round 5 – early on Sunday morning – when they came unstuck against North London Collegiate. However, they came back strongly and won their last two rounds 3-0 to overtake their rivals and win the title by 1/2 point.

The Howell’s B team (Susie, Neya, Emily) played well throughout the tournament and finished with a 3-0 win in the final round to place 4th on tie-break.

Well done to both teams. It has been a pleasure watching these girls grow and develop over the years. They have also made firm friends with competitors from other schools and the atmosphere at this tournament is very special. Thanks to the sponsors and arbiters for their continued support.

Audrey Wang
Howell’s A team: Alyssa, Shayanna, Venetia
Howell’s B team: Susie, Neya, Emily