Brentwood School Teams Achieve Outstanding Results at National Chess Tournament

Brentwood School’s chess aficionados took part in the prestigious English Chess Federation Under 19 Rapid Play tournament at Eton College, competing against 68 school chess teams from England, Ireland and Wales.

Two six-player teams from Brentwood entered the tournament – one in the Open section and the other in the Major section, designed for teams with an average English Chess Federation (ECF) rating below 1400.

Brentwood’s A team, managed by International Master Richard Pert, Director of Chess at Brentwood School, delivered an exceptional performance in the Open section. The team consisted of Max (Year 10), Nina (Year 12), Anushka (Year 10), Rosti (Year 11), Aryan (Year 9) and Chiza (Year 9).

Despite facing stiff competition, including matches against the top two seeds—eventual winners Magdalen College School and Wilson’s – the team achieved a remarkable 4th place finish after the five rounds. This result marks Brentwood School’s best-ever showing in this national tournament.

In the Major section, Brentwood B competed in the historic setting of one of the older parts of Eton College, adding to the event’s unique atmosphere. The team of Shay (Year 13), Maadesh (Year 9), Connor (Year 13), Akaash (Year 9), Dilsher (Year 10), Pranav (Year 8) and Joe (Year 8) finished 13th out of 32 teams after their 5 rounds.

Mr Robin Slade, Brentwood School’s Head of Chess, expressed his gratitude to the staff and students:

“A big thank you to Mr Pert, Mr Bowley and Mrs Felton for coming with us on the trip and giving up their Sunday to help us take part. Thank you also to the students for the perfect spirit they displayed on and off the board.”