Chess stars of the future to face off at UK Chess Challenge event in Shropshire

The 2022 Shropshire Megafinal of the UK Chess Challenge will take place at Charlton School in Wellington this June, with trophies up for grabs for the age group winners and medals for other high-scoring competitors.

Players will compete for places at a regional gigafinals later in the year, which in turn could lead to a spot in the national terafinal at Blenheim Palace in October.

The UK Chess Challenge is one of the biggest junior competitions in the sport in the world and has seen more than 1 million youngsters compete since it was launched in 1996.

There will be sections for under eights, under 10s, under 12s, under 14s and under 18s and the aim is to give youngsters from beginners to strong players a taste of tournament chess.

Those who progress from the Wellington event on June 25 will have the chance to compete at one of the gigafinals in Manchester and Harrow in July or online on the Lichess chess-playing website in September.

A Challengers event will also take place in September to determine the top 60 players – 12 in each category – to gain places at the 11-round terafinal on October 15 and 16.

Shropshire has a growing junior chess club that meets on Saturdays at the Nerdy Café in Shrewsbury, while several juniors also compete for clubs in the Shropshire Chess League.

Many players who started out as juniors locally have now become some of the county’s strongest players, including Athar Ansari of the Oakengates-based Maddocks club and Newport duo Daniel Hilditch-Love and Thalia Holmes.

Christopher Lewis, organiser of the UK Chess Challenge Shropshire Megafinal, has written to schools across the county urging any which run chess clubs to enter players.

He added he was also on the lookout for volunteers to help make sure the event runs smoothly.

He said: “We are now looking for volunteers to help run the event on the day and also setting up the evening before. Those on the day will likely act as an arbiter for one of the sections.

“You just need an enthusiasm for junior chess. Take it from me that volunteering at a junior tournament is a surprising amount of fun and an incredibly fulfilling day.”

Entries are open until June 24 and the cost is £25 per player. For more details or to enter online visit delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com/product/2022-shropshire-megafinal.

To learn more or to inquire about volunteering at the event, contact Mr Lewis on 07508 487092 or email christopher.d.lewis44@gmail.com