Worcestershire Junior Chess Academy

Worcestershire Junior Chess Academy
PO Box 4733
Brierley Hill
DY5 2WU

An ECF Centre Of Excellence

Organiser: Andrew Moore BA(Hons)
English Chess Federation Accredited Coach and Worcestershire Junior Chess Co-ordinator
CRB checked
email: info@wjca.org.uk

WJCA aims to provide chess coaching for boys and girls from beginner to national level and beyond. We meet every Saturday morning 10:00-12:00 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Hall, 10 Bransford Road, Worcester. Club fees are £2.00 per session. New members are always welcome.

News

WJCA Club Championship 2008

The WJCA held their annual Club Championships on the weekend which like last year was another very successful event. The Under 18's title was successfully defended by the WJCA's top player Ashley. His unbeaten run included beating last year's runner-up, Alaric, and Nick. This year's runner up was Harvey: Peter B fought to win 3rd place, beating the WJCA Captain, Ben, in the play-off.

In the Under 12's section, two brothers had to play each other in the final round for the Title. Joseph, the younger of the two, won the exchange and forced checkmate to win the title. James took second place and Vice Captain William came third. Steve won the fastest finisher, losing the first two rounds but then winning the next 3 out of 4.

This is the second year the Championships has been run, and it was another huge success. There were other notable performances from Adam F, Kuran and Adam L. The Championships was also a UK Chess Challenge Qualifier for which everyone above qualified for as did Gareth, Peter O and Matthew.

2008 Results Round-up

Malvern College 7.5-2.5 WJCA

On February 23rd, Malvern College fought brilliantly to level the 2nd two match series against the WJCA with a lovely 7.5-2.5 victory on home soil. Malvern college deservedly took an early lead taking out the top order and eventually winning 4 out of the top 5 boards. This victory has lifted confidence ahead of the Midlands Junior Chess League Finals day on Sunday 16th March. The WJCA, despite this setback are still on target as they train hard to prepare themselves for the tough test of Malvern College and Magdalen College School in an up-coming tournament. Captain Ben had this to say 'Despite the loss, we have won 3 out of the 4 matches in preparation for this tournament so we are in good form. All the players know we had a bad day in the office and are working hard to make sure we learn from our mistakes, forget about them and concentrate on bringing back the silverware in a couple of weeks' time.' A full listing of the results from the Midlands Junior Chess League will be available during late March.

WJCA 6 - 2 Malvern College

Malvern college on this occasion did not capitulate as they did 2 months ago and fielded their strongest side. The WJCA who fielded some newcomers to the inter county friendly matches in Adam L. and Elizabeth took the lead 2-1 in the early stages thanks to great combinations from Adam and Matt. At this stage, it was looking like it might go either way and even when Nick made it 3-1 before the half way stage of the match, the top two boards especially looked as if they may be drawn or even winnable for either side. As it was, Alaric and Adam made it 5-1 and hence Ben and Ashley agreed two draws on the top boards after the deadlock remained unbroken despite 75% of match having being played.

This win puts the WJCA 1-0 up in the two match series with the return leg expected in February.

2007 Results Round Up

WJCA 3.5 - 2.5 Malvern College
Malvern College 0 - 8 WJCA

In the return leg of the 2 match series between WJCA and Malvern College, the WJCA again showed their strength in depth by crushing the home side to an 8-0 whitewash to win the series 2-0. (1st leg - WJCA 3.5 Malvern College 2.5)

Adam F. stole the show playing a wonderful game, gaining an early advantage by winning the rook and the bishop and then slowly grinding out his opponent to resign in the later stages of the game. Adam won Man of the Series after 1.5 points playing top board for both matches.

The other players who also shone throughout the match were Harvey, Peter B. and Ben, the new WJCA Captain who had this to say about the team's victory "It was a good match and Malvern's top order played well but in the end our experience and team spirit provided us with the extra edge."

The other WJCA players were Alaric, Nick, Ashley and Matthew R. who also put in a good performance and all won their games inside 20 minutes.

WJCA and Malvern College are planning another two match series in February/March followed by the Midlands Junior Chess League Finals in Early April. Anybody who wishes to join the MJCL should contact Andrew Moore.

Should any schools wish to take part in the Midlands Junior Chess League Finals day, they should also contact Andrew Moore before the closing date of February 20th 2008.

Bonus Ball Lottery

Please e-mail me if you are interested in signing up for the Bonus Ball Lottery talked about by Mike at the 2007 Awards Ceremony. It costs £13 per quarter and will help to raise funds for the WJCA, especially our planned trip to the National Junior Counties Championships.

Awards Ceremony

The WJCA held its Awards Ceremony in September this year. Yet again it was well attended with Alaric taking the shield for Worcestershire Junior Player of the Year, Adam F. taking Most Improved Player of the Year and Ashley winning the A.P. Moore Player of the Year for many fabulous performances including the play-off win against Alaric!

Play Chess on the Web Site

William found this chess game on the net, and it has now been seamlessly integrated into the web site. See if you can beat it!.

Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to be Secretary of the WJCA and to assist with the day to day running. The current set of parents are absolutely great but if you know anybody that would be willing to give up their time on a more permanent basis (degree student looking for works exp.), then give them my contact details

New Discussion Forum Goes Live

We now have a discussion forum where you can discuss online matters relating to WJCA, no matter how trivial. Visit the link in the menu and register a username. You will have to wait for your account to be approved by the administrator as it's members only (parents included).

Invitational Membership

The WJCA is able to offer juniors who don't live close to the venue the opportunity to join the Academy, to have the opportunity to meet other juniors who play chess, be coached by an English Chess Federation Coach and play in junior chess tournaments through the new Invitational Membership Scheme. It costs £5 membership per year plus £2 per child per visit. There is no requirement to attend any set number of sessions throughout the chess season and we will keep you regularly updated with the WJCA seasonal newsletter.
Besides coaching and tournaments, the WJCA puts on social events for juniors such as fancy dress chess tournaments and quizzes meaning we believe this is the best Academy in the World!
E-mail Andrew Moore BA at info@wjca.org.uk and join today!