Remote Chess Tournament

King Edward's runs a very successful Chess Club which has grown in popularity over the past two years thanks, in part, to 'The Queen's Gambit' on television.

Grand Master Nick Pert has been a regular visitor to the Chess Club at King Edward's.  As interest in chess has grown rapidly at the School, it was decided to explore the interest externally and open up the availability through invitations to schools in the South East.

During lockdown, we orchestrated our first on-line 'Remote Chess Tournament' for schools in the local vicinity.

Aims

The aim of the Remote on-line Tournaments are to give pupils up to the age of 18 the opportunity to enjoy a game of chess remotely in the comfort of their own home.  

Resources

The games last for one hour and are through the site Lichess.  Our Head of Chess monitors the games taking place on the site and is able to answer any issues at the time through a dedicated email.

Impact

The Remote Chess Tournaments have been so popular that they now generate interest from 80 plus players.

Pupil Involvement

Due to the age range of the players signing up to take part, we now have two categories.  Category 1 is the Junior Game which is for children up to the age of 10.  The second category is for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.  There is a healthy mix of girls and boys.

Frequency

The Remote Chess Tournament always takes place on a Saturday morning between 10 and 11am.  We run three a year, one per term.