The tournament in Brentwood was a wholesome experience, as it was my first tournament in the UK.
The event was very well executed at Brentwood School. They had a large playing hall. The event was planned well, providing breaks in between rounds and having refreshments. This helped the players to have a relaxing atmosphere.
As the last 3 rounds were approaching, I could feel the nervousness and pressure reaching out to me. But I managed to pitch in a perfect score of 6/6, which felt good personally. The prize giving ceremony was informative as well, showcasing various participants’ achievements across the chess arena.
Overall I think the tournament was amazing and I look forward playing many other tournaments. I also appreciate the help of Robin Slade (Head coach of chess in Brentwood School) and my friend Joseph, who persuaded me to join the tournament. I recommend everyone to join the upcoming tournaments, as it will be an amazing experience to participants.
Report by Vishnu (Year 9)
In stark contrast to the gloomy weather, spirits shone bright as children and adults alike gathered for a fun-packed day of chess. Six rounds, two sections, adults and children.
Come Round 1, everyone was raring to go, eager to begin. As the games finished, there were many faces, some delighted, some eager to win the next round. But Round 2 provided a new opportunity to win, get a point on the board, or to be fighting for 1st. For those who got unlucky, most picked up a point in Round 3, a scant reward for their determination.
For those who had not had an enjoyable first half, lunch provided a chance to reset, to start the tournament afresh. Round 4 came, and the fight for 1st was on. Still, people were on a perfect 4/4. Round 5, our chess brains were starting to get tired. Round 6, the last of the day, the tournament decider, everyone trying to hang on. But after prizegiving, winner or not, it was a day to remember.
Report by George (Year 6, Brentwood School)
Hi, my name is Anushka and I’m a student here at Brentwood School. I’ve been playing chess for 5 years now, and played in the 3rd Brentwood Bank Holiday Rapid Play on Saturday 24th August.
I played in the Open section, against both young talented juniors and experienced adult players We played 6 rounds, each player having 20 minutes and a 5 second increment per game. Honestly, I felt quite nervous at the beginning of this tournament, since I knew that there were very many strong players participating, some being from Brentwood School itself.
Over the course of the day, I ended up winning 4 games out of 6, a result I was very pleased with, as I wasn’t expecting such a good result. I ended up getting a trophy for achieving the rating prize, and was very proud of this achievement.
I do think that I still have more to learn, as it wasn’t a perfect result, but I look forward to playing more of these tournaments in the future and having more fun playing chess.
Report by Anushka (Year 10, Brentwood School)
