Record numbers check out St George’s Hall annual Merseyside Junior Chess Tournament

A record number of children from across the region took part in the fifth CSC Merseyside Junior Chess Tournament last week.

The annual event saw over 400 children descend on Liverpool’s iconic St George’s Hall to compete for prizes in four different age categories. U8s, U9s, U10s and U11s Children from 29 schools across Merseyside each played five competitive games in teams of five players.

Two schools reigned supreme, each claiming first prize in two of the age categories. Dawpool CE Primary School team was victorious in the U8s and U9s competitions, while St Bridget's C of E Primary School won the U10s and U11s gold medals. Both schools also scooped an additional second place. Merchant Taylors’ School and Our Lady of Pity RC Primary School also excelled, each claiming a silver and bronze medal, while Ladymount Catholic Primary School and New Brighton Primary School claimed bronze medals.

Special awards were given to individual children for demonstrating sportsmanship and individual skill shown in games. Steve Reddy, Director of Children and Young People Services at Liverpool City Council, attended the tournament to present the prizes.

As well as the competitive element, the children benefitted from masterclasses conducted by CSC tutors and by Malcolm Pein, Chief Executive of CSC and an International Chess Master. Pein said, “Chess in Merseyside continues to go from strength to strength from the point of view of both participation and standard of play. There were some fiercely contested matches in this year’s event, the children showing a deep understanding of chess and its tactics, whilst also demonstrating the sportsmanship that is so fundamental to the game.”

Steve Reddy commented, “I was impressed by the talents of the children from across Merseyside and would be surprised if there weren’t some future champions taking part. Furthermore, seeing 400 children totally focussed and concentrating in silence is something you don't see every day. It was heart-warming to see the respectful manner in which the children behaved towards each other, opponents and teammates alike. Chess is a marvellous medium for instilling social etiquette in young people, and skills for later life.”

The tournament follows the highly successful Empower Girls Tournament, hosted in Birkenhead two weeks ago, which saw 40 girls from eight schools around Merseyside take to the chess board as part of an initiative to attract more girls to the game and give them confidence to enter what is traditionally a male domain.

The full list of parrticipating schools is detailed below.

U8

1) St Bridget's C of E Primary School 2) Dawpool CE Aided Primary School 3) Merchant Taylors’ School

U9

1) St Bridget's C of E Primary School 2) Merchant Taylors’ School 3) Ladymount Catholic Primary School

U10

1) Dawpool CE Aided Primary School 2) Our Lady Of Pity RC Primary School 3) New Brighton Primary School

U11

1) Dawpool CE Aided Primary School 2) St Bridget's C of E Primary School 3) Our Lady Of Pity RC Primary School

The winners of special prizes were:

Ava Lamin – Evelyn Street Primary School

Christopher Bailey – Bishop Martin CE Primary School

Jasmin Marshall – Lander Road Primary School

Isobel Boyd – St William of York Catholic Primary School

Josh Ford – Our Lady and St Edward’s Catholic Primary School

Maya Abanawer – Phoenix Primary School

Jeffrey Lai – Phoenix Primary School

Said Ali – Greenbank Primary School

Marla Wilkes – Greenbank Primary School

A big well done to all the schools that participated, we hope to see you again next year.