In the U19 National School Chess Competition, our Under 19 Chess Team, after a remarkable 16th-place finish last year, faced Westminster School once again. Led by William, the team captain, they showcased resilience and strategic brilliance in a fiercely contested regional clash.

William writes:

This year’s U19 National School Competition started for us on Thursday 18th January. Once again, we were paired up again against one of the Westminster School teams. Excitement built as the WUS Chess Team headed up to the school, having previously defeated their teams in earlier years and hoping to replicate this success.

The games themselves lasted up to 1½ hours, with each player having 50 minutes for all their moves with a 10 seconds increment per move. It started off well for the WUS team with the first win being in our favour; however, this was soon equalised with a win from the opposition. Another win in our favour was countered with two more losses. A final win for us equalised the score to 3-3, where unfortunately, WUS ended up being defeated on tiebreak on the smallest of margins. Still, it was a commendable effort.

Looking ahead, the team remains determined. The repechage event offers a second chance to secure a path into the final, and the team is optimistic about future opportunities.

Congratulates to the team, George, Ethan, Felix, William, Brian, and Torrey, on their efforts and we wish them the best of luck in the upcoming repechage event.