ChessFest will be back on Sunday 7th July in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square. Now in its fourth year, this fantastic free event sponsored by XTX Markets brings together chess lovers from across the UK for a fun-filled day.
Activities include chess lessons for beginners from our charity tutors, casual and competitive games, Challenge the Master, giant chess, simultaneous displays from some of the country’s top players, and live performances on our living chess set – where famous games are reenacted by The Provibers.
There will also be a ChessFest on July 21st in Liverpool at Chavasse Park. Further information will appear on the ChessFest website, as well as in the next issue of our newsletter.
The week before, CSC will run two ChessFest school days in Manchester Square Gardens, London, for children from 30 of the charity’s schools from across the UK.
Google DeepMind Chess Pioneers meet Rachel Reeves and Demis Hassabis
In September 2023, CSC instituted a unique programme with Google DeepMind and UCL Academy, a non-selective state secondary school in north London. Google DeepMind Chess Pioneers aims to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing AI-related subjects in higher education.
UCL Academy students enrolled in the programme have studied a bespoke 30-week course in AI and chess that includes academic study, and practical exercises on subjects from machine learning to AI ethics and creative applications. Click here for more information.
On Thursday, 21st March, the UCL Academy cohort enjoyed a unique opportunity to visit the DeepMind offices and hear from founder Demis Hassabis and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP as well as AI researchers who illustrated career opportunities.
Schools’ Tournaments Round-Up
While most of CSC’s work takes place in the classroom, we also run tournaments around the country to give our pupils the chance to put their newly learned chess skills into practice. For the majority, these are their first-ever tournaments and serve as a great introduction to the world of competitive chess. They also provide local authorities and multi-academy trusts with the opportunity to bring children together in a shared activity.
In the past term, CSC has organised events for the City of London Corporation (pictured above), Bellevue Place Education Trust in London and Reading, the Stepney Partnership, a cluster of schools in Wrexham, and schools in Liverpool and Brent. In the summer term we have scheduled tournaments in the London borough of Newham and at St George’s Hall, Liverpool.
CSC Tutor stars in BBC’s Traitors
We were both surprised and delighted to find our tutor, Anthony Mathurin, appearing on the recent series of the BBC hit show, Traitors. The show involves 22 strangers who have to identify and “banish” the traitors among the group before the end of the game, giving them a chance to win up to £120,000. Unfortunately, Anthony was eliminated about halfway through the series so is back to his day job of teaching chess in schools across Birmingham.
The CSC Junior Chess Grand Prix
The CSC Junior Chess Grand Prix had its first event of 2024 in March with a bumper entry of over 150 players. The series of tournaments for children aged 6 to 18 is completely free of charge and offers prizes of one-to-one coaching from Chess in Schools tutors for those finishing in the top three in their age section.
The next event, scheduled for Saturday 25th May 2024, will be held at South Hampstead High School (London, NW3 5SS). Entries for this event are open now and can be made via this page.
Tutor and Staff Training Courses
To keep up with the growing demand, the charity has expanded its tutor training courses with 13 staged so far this academic year in areas such as Sheffield, Salford, London, Portishead, Norfolk, as well as via Zoom. More are scheduled in Belfast, Liverpool, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, York, Halifax, Lincolnshire, and online, before the end of this academic year.
The charity recently launched CPD sessions for school staff on how to run a successful chess club. These are held online and last two hours, after school.
For details of our next tutor and staff training courses see our website.
University of Bath Students Raise £720
A huge thank you to the students from the chess society at the University of Bath who took part in the Bath Half Marathon on 16th March raising funds for the work of our charity. Five of the students also attended our recent tutor training day in Portishead with a view to teaching chess in schools in the local area.
How to Donate
YOUR SUPPORT is key to ensuring the work of the charity continues, and that we keep bringing the benefits of chess to our schools and communities. Please do pass on this newsletter to your contacts and help to spread the good word! If you, your organisation, friends or acquaintances wish to make a donation to help the charity then please read more and remember to Gift Aid the donation, if possible.
Thank you!
