Round 4 of the Sussex junior chess Grand Prix season came to Hastings on the 2nd January. Due to a late let down from the usual hosting venue, the juniors were very kindly hosted up at Horntye sports complex as part of the ongoing Hastings congress.
It was a great start to the year for all our juniors but especially those new to tournament chess.
10 year old Samuel Merchant was competing in the very tough Under 18 major section. It’s a big jump up from the under 11s that often takes players a few seasons to adjust to. Samuel is doing himself proud, keeping his chin up and fighting hard and learning rapidly. He proudly came home with 2 points from 6.
In the under 18 minor section, Sebastian had a tough day, but still managed to bring home 3 points. Luke Chapman had a fantastic day. With only one loss, and a draw against the eventual second place winner, he finished on 4.5 and won third place! Well done, Luke!
Rose was competing in the under 11 major section and also had a good day. She finished on three points, only losing to the eventual first, second and third place winners and finished in 5th place.
In the under 11 minor section, Samuel (Devine) was competing in his first tournament! He played incredibly well and scored an incredible 3 out of 6! In his FIRST tournament! That put him in 12th place, a wonderful achievement! Well done, Samuel!
In the same section, Harry was back for his second tournament looking to build on his first great performance at Eastbourne last year. Harry finished on 3.5 points and just narrowly missed out on a trophy, finishing in 7th place. Well done, Harry!
Well done to all our juniors who continue to play fantastic chess and do themselves and their club proud!