Chess Final

This week saw the grand final of our newly formed Chess Club, following group stages and a seeded tournament which have been underway since January. The two finalists, Ethan (Year 12) and Max (Year 7), differed in age quite a lot, with young Max playing very impressively for his age to earn his seat at the final table.

The match was held in our Theatre, with a group of eager spectators from within and outside the Chess Club. It was a friendly but tense contest, with Max playing much faster than Ethan, but ultimately Ethan taking the victory with less than thirty seconds left on his clock.

Headteacher, Mr Gillett, came along to the match, and not only presented Ethan with his trophy and both finalists with Amazon vouchers, he also gave all members of the Chess Club a chess medal for their participation this year. Afterwards, Ethan sat down with Mr Hare, leader of the club and Teacher of Physics, for a bonus game. It was well fought, but unfortunately Ethan lost by running out of time on his clock, though still came away with a smile.

"Ethan is a good player and played really well. I have really enjoyed Chess Club this year, and was really happy to make it to the final." -Max (Year 7)

"Max was a tough opponent and played very well and very fast. In a shorter game I might have lost. I got quite lucky that he made a few mistakes, but it was a great game. I really enjoy the club and am very happy that we now have one. I look forward to more games next year, and maybe playing some other schools." -Ethan (Year 12)

"Running Chess Club this year has been an absolute pleasure. The quality of the final between Max and Ethan showed the calibre of chess players that we have and next term I hope to build on the skills exhibited by running training sessions to improve our already high standard of play. We may even set up some matches against some other schools!" -Mr Hare