2007-2008 Season News
New term underway!
After a very successful Spring term, the Summer term sees new challenges for the chess team. Potential trips abroad, Cup finals,
the finale of the adult league and the Suffolk Megafinal are fast approaching. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest news.
U125 Cup News
2 matches in one day. After our sucess in the Under 16 county final we moved up a level to face Clacton in the semi-finals
of the Under 125 Suffolk Cup. A very close match saw us win on board count, thanks to Patrick's second win of the day.
1. E. Venmore-Rowland 1/2-1/2 P.Keffler (120)
2. A. Egorova 1/2-1/2 M. Steele (107)
3. P.Stevens 1-0 J. Lambert (107)
4. S. Bubenschikov 0-1 M Coughtrey (90)
We now face Bury Cannons in the final.
Woodbridge win Under 16 county championship
We beat Samuel Ward 4-0 in the final of this competition, held on Monday March 17. Team was:
1. Venmore-Rowland
2. Stevens
3. Gaffney
4. Clarke
Woodbridge 3 Saxmunham 1
An excellent win in the quarter final of the U125 cup on Monday 10 March. Next up Clacton.
1. E. Venmore-Rowland 1-0 D. Picton
2. A. Egorova 1-0 A. Paige
3. P. Stevens 1-0 A. McCormick
4. D.Such 0-1 H. Brown
Bury Cannons B 1.5 Woodbridge 2.5
On Thursday 6 March we defeated Bury Cannons away from home
1. S. Taylor(138) 0-1 A. Hunt (227)
2. M'LeVine (116) 1/2-1/2 P. Stevens (84)
3. C. Dickinson (76) 1-0 C.Bennell
4. G. Ellis (62) 0-1 D. Such
Woodbridge reach final of Suffolk Under 13 championships
We beat Orwell High (just!) on tie break after drawing the match 2-2. We now play Culford in the final. Team for the semi-final was:
C. Bennell (1) A. Liddell (0) T. O'Brien (1) T. Goddard (0).
Woodbridge win Suffolk Under 18 championship
We defeated Framlingham College 7-1 (over two legs) in the final of the Suffolk Under 18 schools competition.
Congratulations to Anna Egorova, Patrick Stevens, Sam Gaffney and Jack Sandford.
Woodbridge 3 Felixstowe 1
A good win in the adult league on Tuesday 26 February:
A. Egorova 1/2-1/2 G. Hemsworth (125)
P. Stevens 1-0 D. Robertson(73)
T. Clarke 1-0 J.Barty(52)
D.Such 1/2-1/2 M.Scallon (42)
Woodbridge 4 Framlingham 0
A good win in the first leg of the Under 18 county final on Tuesday 26 February.
Team: A. Egorova, P.Stevens, S. Gaffney, J. Sandford.
Norwich 6 Woodbridge 0
I know. It makes depressing reading! We lost in the final of the Eastern zone of the National Schools championships.
The plate competition awaits...
T.Robinson (168) 1-0 E. Venmore-Rowland
W. Boulton (138) 1-0 A. Egorova
G. Scott (88) 1-0 S. Bubenschikov
D. Molnar (111) 1-0 S. Gaffney
N. Franklin 1-0 J.Keable
X. Jeakings (98) 1-0 D.Such
We reach final of National schools championship zone 5
Otherwise known as the East region. We beat Colchester RGS 4-2 to reach the final, where we play Norwich away.
Team: 1. Venmore-Rowland 1 2. Egorova 1 3. Stevens 1 4. Bubenschikov 1 5. Keable 0 6. Davis 0
Suffolk Junior Open a success
Despite missing a lot of adult players to county matches, we had over 85 players at the SJO this year. Full results to follow shortly.
Abbey teams qualify for EPSCA semi-finals
Congratulations to both the Under 9 and Under 11 teams who qualified for the next stage of this event. The Under 9's finished 3rd out of 6 teams, the Under 11's equal 1st out of 6 at the event at St Teresa', Colchester.
Under 9
1. Chris Henry 2. William Read 3. Calum Andrews 4. Hugo Kelleway 5. James Meakin
Under 11
1. Hugo Davis 2. Laurence Porter 3. Jack Popay 4. Charles Mitchell-Thurston 5. Matthew Rickard 6. Luke Cerely
They will now play the semi-final at Pontins, Hemsby on June 14-15th.
Martlesham 2.5 Woodbridge 1.5
A disappointing result, despite a good win for Daniel Such on bottom board. Ed drew on board one but
Patrick and Stas lost on boards 2 and 3 respectively.
Mileham Shield final
Congratulations to
Alex Liddell who defeated Daniel Such to claim the Year 7 Mileham Shield at lunchtime on Tuesday 22 January.
Thanks to all those in Year 7 who came to watch.
Woodbridge 0.5 Ipswich D 3.5
A disappointing result on Tues 15 Jan in the league. A draw for Tom Clarke on bottom board, but losses for Anna, Patrick and Stas.
4NCL results
Anna and Mr Hunt both played in the most recent 4NCL weekend at Wokefield Park, Reading.
Anna plays for Anglian Avengers in Division 3, whilst Mr Hunt plays for Betsson.com in Division 1.
Click here to visit the 4NCL website and find out how they are getting on!
Suffolk County Under 100 results
Patrick represented the county in the first series of Under 100 county matches, losing both games. The team beat Cambridgeshire 8.5-3.5 but lost to Norfolk 7-5.
Complete results and a report can be found
here
Under 16 Semi-Final
Monday 14 January saw us take on Claydon in the Suffolks schools semi-finals. We won 4-0. Team 1. A Egorova
2. P Stevens 3. J.Keable 4. D Such
Woodbridge 6 Holbrook 0
We defeated Holbrook primary 6-0 in the National Schools championship on Thursday 10 January.
Credit must go to their board one, Sean Cuddihy who gave Anna a really tough game. Team:
1. A Egorova 2. P Stevens 3. L Simons 4. D Such 5. C Bennell 6. H Odam.
Best game was Callum Bennell's. It will be annotated here in due course.
Mileham shield finalists decided
Congratulations to
Daniel Such and
Alexander Liddell who have made it to the Mileham Shield final
to be held Tuesday 22 January.
National Schools championships starts
With a win too. 5.5-0.5 against Royal Hospital School. Team: 1. A Egorova 2. P.Stevens 3. S.Bubenschikov 4. S Gaffney 5. J.Keable 6. T.Clarke.
Second match tomorrow against Holbrook!
Annotated games!
I have (finally) worked out how to publish chessbase files on our site!.
Click here to see one of Patrick's games from Austria last year
London Junior Championships
Anna Egorova and Nathan Lloyd competed at this event over 27-30 December. Anna made a very creditable 2.5/6 in the Under 16 section, whilst Nathan gained good experience despite losing all his games
Visit the London Junior site for results
Suffolk Junior Open
Click here
for an entry form for this years Suffolk Junior Open!
Spring Term nearly upon us
And that means one thing. Lots of fixtures. National Schools championships in the week we return, Adult league, EPSCA qualifying for those at the Abbey. Keep your eyes glued here for team news and reports
Anna is competing in the Suffolk Ladies Championships
And you can find our how she is doing by clicking
here
Ed and Patrick visit the House of Commons!
Edward and Patrick, along with other children who have represented England this year spent a day with MPs at the House promoting chess.
Click here for a pictorial report
Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Apologies for the recent lack of updates on the site-normal service has now been resumed after some technical difficulties!
Woodbridge Junior Open nearly upon Us
The WJCO 2007 will start in less than one week. Make sure your entry is in by Tuesday please.
Woodbridge 1.5 Bury Cannons 2.5
The defence of our league cup title ended at the hands of Bury Cannons, though we put up a spirited fight. Patrick
had a good win over Bob Jones, but Ed unfortunately lost a long game on Board 1.
1. Venmore-Rowland 0-1 Del Castillo (e138) 2. Egorova 0.5 Taylor (137) 3. Stevens 1-0 Jones (133) 4. Bubenschikov 0-1 Dickinson (73)
Woodbridge 1 BT Adastral Park 3
A disappointing result in the league cup virtually ends our chances in the competition.
Team 1. Hunt 1-0 P.Smyth 2. Egorova 0-1 J.McAllister 3. Bubenschikov 0-1 C.Simons 4. Gaffney 0-1 D.Wild
Ipswich 2 Woodbridge 2
We drew again with Ipswich in the league cup!
Team 1. Hunt 1-0 T.Lunn 2. Egorova 0-1 3. Stevens 0-1 K.Lunn 4. Bubenschikov 1-0 A.Barroso
Ipswich Junior Championships, 13 October 2007
Congratulations to the 4 senior school boys and 4 Abbey boys who represented the school at this event. Patrick Stevens won the challengers section with a score of 6/6, followed closely by Callum Bennell (5/6)
Sam Gaffney (4/6) and Thomas Clarke (3/6). We won the team prize as a result. James Meakin won the Best Suffolk newcomer award, scoring 4.5/6in the Novices section.
Michaelmas Term
Welcome back to a new term! This season promises to be the most exciting ever for Woodbridge Chess, with a number of projects in place. The adult league season starts tomorrow night (25/9) with a Under 125 preliminary cup match versus Felixstowe. Team is: 1.Venmore-Rowland 2. Stevens 3. Bubenschikov 4. Efimov
New CXR Ratings system in place
Visit
the CXR chess site and click on Clubs and Rosters to see our new ratings system, for players both at the Abbey and the Senior School.
2006-2007 News
Summer Term
Academic year comes to a close
The 2006-2007 season saw some fantastic performances and results. Well done to everyone who participated and contributed to such an excellent season. Internal winners can be found on the internal club trophies page.
British Championships just round the corner!
The British championships will take place during the summer holidays in Great Yarmouth. A number of children from Woodbridge will be playing. Click
here to find out who is playing, and to download an entry form.
Suffolk Megafinal results available
Click here to see the results for the Suffolk Megafinal which took place on Sunday 13 May
Two to represent England shortly!
Best of luck to Edward and Patrick who fly off to Greece with Mr Hunt and the rest of the England Party for the World Schools championships on 26 April. Please note there will be no chess lessons or chess clubs until Mr Hunt returns on Tuesday 7 May
Spring Term
Fixtures for the coming fortnight
Forthcoming fixtures:
Monday 19 March: Under 15 championships v Martlesham (a) 4pm
1. Venmore-Rowland 2. Gaffney 3. Keable 4. Clarke
Tuesday 20 March: Adult league v Ipswich (a) 7pm
1. Venmore-Rowland 2. Stevens 3. Keable 4. Davis
Willard win house championships!
Congratulations to Willard who dominated this years house championships. Their team was:
1. Venmore-Rowland 2. Stevens 3. Clarke 4. Simons 5. Efimov 6. Hill
2nd were Annott, 3rd Burwell and 4th Seckford
Suffolk Junior Open results online
Follow this link
here to see the results. Thanks to Tim Stevens for posting them on his website. It was a hugely successful day, with a number of outstanding performances.
Woodbridge lose in National schools regional final
We lost 4.5-1.5 to Norwich School in the regional finals of the National schools championships.
1. Venmore-Rowland 0-1 Fry (177)
2. Stevens 0-1 Boulton (116)
3. Gaffney 1-0 Jeakings (98)
4. Keable 0.5 Barr (89)
5. Clarke 0-1 Scott (88)
6. Simons 0-1 Molnar (91 rapid)
We go on to play King Edwards School Birmingham in the plate quarter final on Wednesday 28 March
Mileham Shield results are in!
A record number of people came to watch this years Mileham shield final in the Science Lecture theatre on Thurs 14 December. A great final saw Callum Bennell crowned champion, defeating Laurence Bimson. Joe Gaffney and Jack Braithwaite were the two losing semi-finalists.
Happy Christmas and New Year!!
All at Woodbridge would like to wish our readers a very happy christmas and a prosperous 2007
For the observant
Click here for one of Patrick's games
Michaelmas Term
Woodbridge enter last four of the Suffolk League Cup
We have successfully negotiated the prelimerinary stage of the competition which we won last year. Consistent performances from Venmore-Rowland, Stevens and Keable over the past 3 weeks have taken care of Stowmarket (3.5-0.5), Sudbury (2-2), and Hadleigh (3-1). Next up is Clacton, a repeat of last years semi-final.
Woodbridge vs Orwell High
Tuesday 12 December sees us play Orwell High in the Suffolk Under 13 championships. The team is: 1.Stevens 2. Carter 3. Simons 4. Odam 5. Thomas 6. Dawson (reserve Strudwick).
Woodbridge Junior Open
This years WJO featured over 120 players from many different counties, and proved to be the strongest Open section we have ever had. David Spence took the title, following on from his fine performance at Bury. In the junior sections, 5 year old Gorak Rajesh was very impressive in the Under 8 section, coming equal first. Full results and photos to follow shortly.
Welcome back!
Welcome back to all who visit this site regularly. Another exciting year is in prospect, with the first major event being the Woodbridge Junior Open on
Sunday November 26th. An entry form shall be online shortly.
Also coming soon will be the year 7 Mileham shield, and with numbers in year 7 totalling over 100 this promises to be the biggest and best event ever!.
If you're in the area why not come to Woodbridge School's open day on
Saturday 23 September from 10am. All are welcome and you can check out the chess first hand, along with the other fantastic opportunities for our pupils.
England duo return from Austria
England internationals Edward Venmore-Rowland and Patrick Stevens returned from Austria where they played for their country in the European Union championships.
Edward was by his own admittance not on top form and scored 1.5/9 in a tough Under 14 section. Patrick on the other hand improved on his recent England debut in Greece to score 4/9 in the Under 12 section to finish 29th. You can find out more at
Click here to visit the site
Abbey Champion competes in Wales
Year 5 pupil Hugo Davis competed at the British Under 9 championships this summer, finishing 16th out of 32 participants and scoring 3.5/7. Hugo will be looking to retain the Abbey school title he won last year in the forthcoming season.
UK Chess Challenge Gigafinal
Well done to all those Woodbridge school pupils who made the trip to Sheffield for this years tournament.
Hugo Davis started with 3/3 but lost his last 3 games to finish on 3/6 in the Under 9's.
Daniel Such made the same score in the Boys Under 10 competition. From the senior school
Patrick Stevens made 4.5/6 in the Under 12 section, followed closely by
Thomas Clarke (3.5/6) and
Ben Carter (2/6)
2005-06 News
Summer Term
Woodbridge win Suffolk Under 13 title
On the evening of Tuesday 27 June Woodbridge defeated Debenham High School 4.5-1.5 to win the Suffolk Under 13 title
1. Patrick Stevens 1-0 Ryan Frost
2. Sam Gaffney 1-0 Alex Huband
3. Thomas Clarke 0.5 Julia Payne
4. Johnathan Keable 1-0 Chris Lawrence
5. Ben Carter 1-0 Jonty Carruthers
6. Owen Dawson 0-1 Finn Leadbetter (br)
The Abbey compete in EPSCA semi-finals, Pontins
Twelve representatives from the Abbey travelled to Pontins for the EPSCA semi-finals, held on the weekend of 17-18 June.
The Under 9 team finished =9th from 24 teams, and the Under 11's finished =20th from 36 teams. All players achieved some points
and represented the school with great credit.
Under 9 team: 1. Hugo Davis (c) 5/6 2. Max Darrington 2/6 3. Laurence Porter 4/6 4. Luke Cerely 1/6 5. Chloe Agar 3.5/6 6. Hamish Chesterman 2/6
Under 11 team 1. Callum Bennell (c) 2.5/6 2. Kit Day 2/6 3. Joe Lawrence 4/6 4. Oliver Thornton 3/6 5. Joe Gaffney 4/6 6. William Foskett 2/6
Abbey win latest schools match
Played 10 May, The Abbey beat Grundisburgh 7-1 in the Ipswich Primary Schools League
1. C.Bennell 1-0 M.Whitlock
2. H.Davis 1-0 J.Grimond
3. D.Such 1-0 R.Smith
4. J.Gaffney 1-0 T.Adams
5. T.O'Brien 1-0 W.Baxter
6. A.Liddell 1-0 C.Ward
7. L.Porter 1-0 C. Cloptol
8. C.Thurston 0-1 C.Vince
Woodbridge win Suffolk League Cup
Tuesday 9 May saw Woodbridge win the Suffolk League cup 3-1, beating BT Adastral Park in the final
1. E.Kirkham (131) 0-1 A.Hunt (223)
2. P.Smyth (129) 0-1 T.Huband (92)
3. J.McAllister (126) 0.5 E.Venmore-Rowland (65)
4. G.Brown (116) 0.5 S.Zhu
Suffolk Megafinal attracts a great crowd!
The Suffolk Megafinal took place last Sunday, with nearly 150 competitors from schools around the county. Full results and crosstables are online
here at the Ipswich Junior Club website. Winners (Supremos!) from Woodbridge were: Edward Venmore-Rowland (Under 14), Patrick Stevens (Under 12) and Hugo Davis (Under 9). Other qualifiers from Woodbridge were: Oliver Thornton and Daniel Such (Under 10), Callum Bennell (Under 11), Thomas Clarke, Luke Simons and Ben Carter (Under 12) and Sam Gaffney (Under 13) All these players qualify for the gigafinal, the next stage of the tournament to be held in Manchester. This will be on 8-9 July.
England internationals return!
Edward Venmore-Rowland and Patrick Stevens have just returned from Halkidiki, Greece. Representing England at the World Schools championships, Edward scored 4.5/9 in the Under 15 section whilst Patrick Scored 3/9 in the under 13's. Full round by round reports are available at the English Chess Federation website
here
Clacton 1.5 Woodbridge 2.5
Woodbridge reached the final of the Suffolk Adult Cup with a hard fought victory. Edward Venmore-Rowland's victory over a 128 was the only decisive result of the night.
Woodbridge 2-2 Stowmarket A
The latest adult league game finished 2-2 (16/3/06)
1. E.Venmore-Rowland 0.5 R.Hayhurst (121)
2. S.Zhu 0.5 C.Hargan
3. P.Stevens 1-0 G.Young
4. J.Keable 0-1 R. Firman
This fine result see us go second in Division 3.
Abbey youngsters represent Suffolk
Our congratulations go to
Hugo Davis, Max Darrington, Laurence Porter, Luke Cerely, Chloe Agar and Siobhan Pryke who all represented Suffolk magnificently at last weekends inter-association event in Leatherhead, Surrey. Suffolk finished 8th out of 9 teams, scoring 9.5 points.
Spring Term
Bury Junior Congress success
Woodbridge were represented well at the Bury St Edmunds tournament on 5th March. Edward Venmore-Rowland won the Under 14 section with 5.5/6, and thus winning the Suffolk Grand Prix. Patrick Stevens, Thomas Clarke and Callum Bennell finished 2nd= in the Under 12's. (A particularly fine result from Callum as he is still under 11). Hugo Davis finished 2nd in the Under 10 section with 5/6, a point behind champion Peter Andreev.
Woodbridge retain Under 15 Suffolk title
Woodbridge defeated Debenham High 6-0 to retain the Suffolk Under 15 title.
1. Edward Venmore-Rowland 1-0 Fin Lidbitter
2. Jack Sandford 1-0 James Coghill
3. Patrick Stevens 1-0 Simon Burfoot
4. Sam Gaffney 1-0 Alex Huband
5. Aiden Arnkels-Webb 1-0 Alistair Thomas
6. Johnathan Keable 1-0 Christopher Lawrence
7H win Inter-Form Chess trophy, Burwell win house championships (23/1)
7H are this years inter-form champions. Results: 1st 7H. 2nd 7M. 3rd 7K. 4th 7P.
The winning team was: 1. Patrick Stevens 2. Luke Simons 3. Jack Streat 4. Thomas Strudwick 5. Frances Cousins 6. Jessica Smith.
And congratulations to
Burwell who won the house trophy. the vicrious team was: 1. Jack Sandford 2. Thomas Flatman 3. George Chater 4. Yudan Chen 5. James Flatman 6. Oliver Picken. 2nd was Seckford whilst Willard finished 3rd.
Two Woodbridge pupils selected for World Schools championships
Congratulations to
Patrick Stevens and
Edward Venmore-Rowland who will represent England at the 2nd World Schools championship in Halkidiki, Greece at the end of April.
Enter the Suffolk Junior Open!!
The Suffolk Junior Open entry form is now available:
Click here to download it . This top event features coaching from Britains top female player, International master Harriet Hunt. Can the Open section top last Novembers Woodbridge junior in terms of strength and numbers?.
Abbey pupil competes over christmas
Well done to Hugo Davis, who despite being an Under 9 still competed in the London Under 12 majors over the christmas period. Against such a high calibre of field, a score of 2/9 was quite satisfactory.
Merry Christmas!
A very happy christmas to all Woodbridgechess.com visitors. Here's hoping 2006 will be even more successful.
Michaelmas Term
Patrick Stevens wins the Mileham shield!
Patrick Stevens defeated Thomas Clarke in the first individual Woodbridge competition to be held this year. A packed SLT agreed this was the best and closest Mileham final in history. Alfie Butt wins the raffle for the free chocolates!.
Woodbridge 2.5 Hadleigh 1.5
In the final group match of the Suffolk adult cup Woodbridge secured their passage with a great win. Team: 1. Hunt 1-0 Sanderson 2. Huband 0.5-Abbott 3. Venmore-Rowland 1-0 Avis 4. Stevens 0-1 Ling
London Junior Championships: Under 10 and Under 14 results
Daniel Such scored 2.5/7, and Oliver Thornton 3/7 in the London Under 10 major last weekend. Hugo Davis scored an impressive 6/7 in the Under 10 minor, finishing 2nd and qualifying for the Under 12 major to be held later this month.
Edward Venmore-Rowland, who was in contention for most of the tournament lost his last two games to finish on 3/6 in the Under 14 minor.
Team wins again in National schools championship
Woodbridge defeated Bishop's Stortford 6-0 in their second match in the league stages of the national schools championship. Team: 1. Venmore-Rowland, 2.Sandford 3. Stevens 4. Flatman 5. Gaffney 6. Keable.
National Schools competition gets underway
Woodbridge defeated RHS Ipswich 4.5-1.5 in the first round of the national schools championships.
Team: 1. Edward Venmore-Rowland 2. Jack Sandford 3. Scott Zhu 4. Patrick Stevens 5. Michael Wang 6. Johnathan Keable.
Next up Bishop Stortford High school.
Woodbridge juniors takes honours at Ipswich congress
Congratulations to all those who participated at the Ipswich Junior tournament at the weekend. Winners were Johnathan Keable (5/6) in the novices. Oliver Thornton (Abbey) 5/6 in the Under 10's. Patrick Stevens (5/6) in the Under 12's. Edward Venmore-Rowland (5.5/6) in the challengers.
Abbey pupil finishes 2nd= at Norfolk tournament
Congratulations to Callum Bennell on an outstanding result over the weekend in Norwich. He finished on 5/6 coming 2nd in the Under 11 section.
Felixstowe 3 Woodbridge 1
A rather disappointing outcome to a very evenly balanced match last Tuesday. Patrick Stevens gave Woodbridge the lead with a fine win on board 3. Edward Venmore-Rowland on board 1 was winning for most of the game but let it slip towards the end. Scott Zhu came unstuck on board 2 before Thomas Clarke got tricked in a game he deserved to win on board 4. Next up Stowmarket A at home on Tuesday night.
Woodbridge start adult league season well
Woodbridge beat Martlesham Heath 4-0 in the first fixture of the Suffolk Adult league cup. The team was: 1. Hunt 2. Huband 3. Venmore-Rowland 4. Flatman, T. All the results can be found at
The Suffolk league web page
Woodbridge Junior Entry form now online
This years Woodbridge Open will take place on Sunday 27th November. The tournament will feature free coaching from International Master Harriet Hunt. You can download the form
here
Woodbridge to host county coaching sessions
Woodbridge will host the top players in the county to coaching sessions as the school continues to support the development of Suffolk chess. These sessions are scheduled to take place on the first Saturday of every month from 10 am to Midday. If you are interested in attending please contact Mr Hunt.
2005-06 Season gets off to a flying start!
The new academic year is now in full swing, with chess at Woodbridge reaching new heights. This term will see the Ipswich Junior congress, the Woodbridge Junior Open, the start of the Adult and primary school leagues, as well as the National schools championships. Get involved!.
Woodbridge juniors have an excellent summer!
Congratulations to
Thomas Clarke,
Patrick Stevens,
Edward Venmore-Rowland and
Hugo Davis who performed outstandingly at the national stages of the UK Chess challenge. Full results can be found online at www.ukchesschallenge.com.
2004-05 News
Suffolk win East Anglian cup!!
Last Saturday (25/6) The 2nd East Anglian cup was held at Sir Robert Hitcham school, Debenham. The event was expertly organised by Tim Huband, and this year included Cambridgeshire. I am delighted to report that Suffolk won the trophy after a nailbiting last round in which they defeated last years winners Norfolk by 8.5-3.5.
Click here for Individual results.
And here for a photo of the winning team.
Bury tournament a huge success!
The Bury tournament this weekend was wonderfully organised by Bob Jones, and the children from Woodbridge did the school proud. Full crosstables
here
Woodbridge announce Chess Scholarships
Bursaries/Scholarships are now available to talented pupils entering the school. Please contact Mr Hunt for more details.
Year championships being decided
The Woodbridge school end of year championships are in full swing. Already decided are years 3, 4 and 5 at the Abbey, and years 9, 12 and 13 at the Senior school.
Click here to find out more
Bury Junior congress nearly upon us
This Sunday (19/5) sees the Bury junior tournament take place. 8 children from the Abbey and the senior school will be competing, and their fortunes will be available for you to see next week
Suffolk Megafinal results online!
Full results from the Suffolk Megafinal held on May 8th are now available online.
Click here to download them (Please be patient as this may take a little time).
Woodbridge pupil to compete at National Squad championships
Edward Venmore-Rowland is participating at the National Squad championships in Nottingham, from 1-3 April in the Under 14's. This is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the country and competition will be tough. Best of luck Ed!
Abbey pupils selected for Suffolk Under 9 team
Hugo Davis, Oliver Warrender, Max Darrington, Alexander Liddell and Lawrence Porter all competed for Suffolk in the Under 9 south east zonal tournament held at Edgware Junior School. The team finished 7th out of 9 teams, and thus qualified for the final stages, to be held in Nottingham on April 23rd.
Woodbridge retain all 3 county titles!.
The school retained the Under 13 Championships on Wednesday night, after a nailbiting 3-3 draw with Debenham High School. Edward Venmore-Rowland, Thomas Flatman and Daniel Barnes produced superb wins on boards 1,2 and 3 respectively to win on board count.
Woodbridge also won the Under 15 title, defeating St.Albans, Ipswich 3.5-2.5 in another thriller. Edward Venmore-Rowland secured the win to add to wins from Charlotte Morbey and Henry Kay and a draw by George Chater.
Woodbridge Chess Scholarships announced!
Woodbridge now becomes one of the few schools in the country to offer chess scholarships to talented pupils. More details to follow shortly.
Woodbridge Advance in the Norfolk-Suffolk Cup!
Woodbridge advanced to the semi-finals of the Norfolk-Suffolk adult cup, helped in part by a season's debut to Mr Hunt. The rest of the boys performed excellently to defeat Felixstowe 3.5-2.5.
Suffolk Junior Open 2005 attracts almost 100 participants!
The Suffolk Junior Open, held on January 30 attracted competitors from all over the county, plus a very strong contingent from Norfolk. Woodbridge successes included Edward Venmore-Rowland (5/6, Joint winner of U13 event and Suffolk U13 champion), Jack Streat (3.5/6, Suffolk U11 Champion) and Hugo Davis (4/6, Suffolk U8 Runner Up)
Suffolk Juniors at London Junior Championships
Many Suffolk juniors participated at the London Junior championships this weekend. Visit www.ljcc.co.uk for full details.
Woodbridge Junior Open a huge success!
Another successful WJCO, with almost 100 participants and coverage both on Anglia TV and in the East Anglian daily news. Please look at our tournaments page for a list of prize winners.
Draw for National schools championship announced
Woodbridge A receive a bye in the first round. Woodbridge B play Norwich High away on Monday 22nd November
Woodbridge Player performs outstandingly for England!
Congratulations to
Edward Venmore-Rowland who produced an outstanding result at the European Union Community championships in Mureck, Austria. Edward made 4.5/9 in the Boys Under 12 section and as a result he has been invited to the prestigious Ampleforth Young Masters at the end of october.
BCF Grading list 2004 Available
Congratulations to two of our players, who have achieved official BCF grades this season.
Chris Roche is graded 101, and
Edward Venmore-Rowland is 54. This season should see many more woodbridge players achieving BCF grades. In order to do this you must play at least 10 rated games over the course of the season.
British Championships results
Friday 6th August, British Under 8's.
Hugo Davis 2/6, Jason Mitchell 2.5/6
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th, British Under 9's.
Tom Huband 4/7, Jason Mitchell 3/7.
A good few days. Both events were tough, but the under 8 boys were let down slightly by the speed of their play. I was particularly encouraged to see Jason writing his games down in the Under 9's over the weekend, and this showed as his results and play improved dramatically.
This is something I cannot emphasise enough-writing your games down will massively improve your game. Anyone selected to play for Suffolk or Woodbridge next season will be required to do this.
British Championships Starts!
The British Championships is the highlight of the national chess calender. This year it is taking place in Scarborough. In the junior championships Suffolk is being represented by Hugo Davis and Jason Mitchell (both U8)and Tom Huband (U9). You can follow how they get on, as well as watch live games from the main championships at the Official Site
Training Manual Added
This training paper was written by me recently, and contains quite a lot of general advice for the improving player.
Click here to download it
Arrangements for next season being made
Please note next year will see a change in the schedule of chess at the school. Abbey children will have the opportunity to play more, with an extra session being added, the day of which is still to be confirmed. Also, pupils at the Abbey can take private chess lessons with Mr Hunt for the first time!.
There has also been a huge amount of interest in this.
Please note only pupils not taking music lessons are eligible at the moment for private tuition.
Season over, with success all round!
Please check out our internal club trophies page for a list of winners from the school year
Woodbridge chess exchange a massive hit!
The english leg of the Chess for Juniors exchagne was a roaring success, with the children having the opportunity to meet Gary Kasparov as the highlight.
30/5/04 Abbey School children ready for the challenge!
Next month 12 pupils from the Abbey School will represent Woodbridge at the English Primary Schools Semi-Final. You can find out more on our Tournament page!.
Chess Exchange nearly upon us!
Everybody is looking forward to the visit of the Chess for Juniors academy from Fort Collins, Colorado on the 25th June for 10 days!. We hope to make them feel as welcome as possible!.
20/5/04 Suffolk Chess Megafinal is a sizzling success!
Last Sunday the Suffolk megafinal of the British land UK Chess Challenge attracted over 120 participants. It was a beautiful day, and the tournament was a big success. Full results and crosstables can be found in our tournaments section
Woodbridge Chess Exchange now rises to 8!
The Chess for Juniors academy from Colorado now has an 8th member. So do we, in our Under 16 captain from Turkey, Graeme Warden.
Woodbridge Pupils success in Turkey!!!!!
A wonderful trip to Turkey for the 3rd European Festival Chess At School was had by all. A full report can be read
here
Woodbridge 6 are now 7!
Charlotte Morbey is the 7th lucky pupil signed up for our chess exchange with Chess for Juniors, Colorado.
Woodbridge win Under 15 title
Woodbridge U15 defeated Royal Hospital School 4.5-1.5 to retain the U15 trophy. Full team is up on the tournaments page.
Sudbury Junior Tournament coming up soon!
The Sudbury Junior championships will be held on Sunday 28th March. Please see the Sudbury Website (in our links section) or contact Mr Hunt for an entry form.
Woodbridge 6 for Colorado exchange announced!!!
Our congratulations go to Edward Venmore-Rowland, Thomas Flatman, James Flatman, Daniel Barnes, Gareth Davies and Alistair Gilles who are exclusively announced as the lucky six participating in the chess exchange with Chess for Juniors in Colorado. A 7th person will be announced very shortly.
17/3/04 Two big finals before the end of term...
Tonight sees Woodbridge defend the U15 Suffolk Final trophy it won last year against Royal Hospital School, whilst next Wednesday we will contest the Under 13 final with Great Cornard School.The teams due to play are up on the tournaments page.
Woodbridge teams for Turkey announced!
Congratulations to our U12 team: Edward Venmore-Rowland, Thomas and James Flatman and Charlotte Morbey. And to our U16 team: Graeme Warden, Alex Gibson, Alistair Gilles and Audrey Ngowi on their selection. Good luck to all!
Woodbridge A defeated in National Schools Championship
Woodbridge A were defeated 5-1 by a strong Southend High School team. Individual results on tournaments page.
Last 16 draw for National Schools championships made
Woodbridge 'A' have a very tricky away trip to Southend High School in the next round of the BCF national schools championships. Southend are far and away the best team in Essex, and came third in the competition last year.
Our boys and girls will have to be at the top of their game to win through to the quarter finals!.
Suffolk Adult League Results added
Check out our tournaments page for the latest news on Woodbridge's success in Division 2.
10/2/04 Suffolk Junior Open a huge success!
Nearly 150 players braved the elements (outside and in!) to take part in this years Suffolk Junior Open. The day was a great success. Please visit our tournaments page, where a full report and scores will be up very soon!.
Harriet Hunt to coach at SJO 2004
Back by popular demand, English Women's number 1 Harriet Hunt will be offering free tuition at the Suffolk Junior Open this year. Those of you who came to the Woodbridge Open in December will be able to testify that this is an opportunity not to be missed out on!.
Woodbridge exchange set to be announced
Very shortly the Woodbridge website will reveal who the lucky few are to be chosen for our exchange programme with Chess for Juniors. There are still 2 places left to be filled, so please get those applications in to Mr Hunt before it is too late. This is an opportunity too good to be missed!.
31/1/04 Woodbridge qualify in EPSCA championships
A hugely encouraging first month of the new year was brought to a fitting conclusion yesterday, in the qualifying round for the English Primary Schools Chess Championships.
Mr Hunt and Dr Wharam set off at the crack of dawn with 12 players from the Abbey and Queens House. In a very exciting competition, our Under 9 team qualified for the Semi-Finals of the Schools championship, whilst our Under 11's finished an agonising half point away from qualification. A full report will follow shortly.
31/1/04 Woodbridge reach National Schools Final Knockout stages
On Friday evening Woodbridge 'A' cruised to a 5.5-0.5 victory over Phillip Morant School, Essex in the Final of the East Anglia/Essex national schools zone.
The victorious team included 3(!) year 7's. 1. Sun Ding Qing. 2 Max Hoole. 3. Graeme Warden. 4. Edward Venmore-Rowland. 5. Charlotte Morbey. 6.James Flatman.
Keep your eyes peeled for details of our next round opponents.
Combinations training online
Visit our Tutorials and Puzzles section for advice on developing your combinational ability
New Link added
Read an interesting article about Chess in Education by
Clicking here.
22/1/04 Woodbridge into Suffolk Cup Semi-Final
Woodbridge defeated Clacton last night 2.5-1.5 in the Adult Suffolk Knockout Cup. The victorious team was: 1. Sin Ding-Qing-1. 2. Chris Roche-1 3. Max Hoole-0.5 4. Graeme Warden-0. We face Saxmundham in the Semi-Finals.
19/1/04 Ed V-R wins Mileham Shield!
Congratulations to Edward Venmore-Rowland for a superb win in the final of the Mileham shield on Monday. In a tense game he kept his cool to defeat Daniel Barnes in front of an enthralled crowd in the Science Lecture Theatre.
19/1/04 New Chess Puzzles Online
Click here for our latest chess quiz!.
14/1/04 Woodbridge 'A' march on
Woodbridge 'A' have progressed to the finals of the Essex/East Anglia region of the National Schools Championships.
We defeated Royal Grammar School, Colchester 3-3(!?), due to our younger team, but for much of the match it seemed like it would be a 5-1 victory. Our two players at the end seemed to relax when they knew the match was safe.
The final will be played before January 30th, but our opponents remain unknown as yet. The victorious team was (in board order):
1. Sun Ding Qing: 0
2. Chris Roche: 1
3. Max Hoole: 1
4. Graeme Warden: 0
5. Edward Venmore-Rowland: 0
6. Charlotte Morbey: 1
Thankyou very much to RGS Colchester for their generous hospitality, and to Dr W for giving up his time to get us there safely.
14/1/04 Suffolk Junior Entry Form goes online
The entry form for the Suffolk Junior Open on the 8th February is now available
Click here for the inner page, and
here for the outer page.
WOODBRIDGE TO REPRESENT ENGLAND!!
Woodbridge have been chosen by the British Chess Federation to represent England at the European School Chess Festival in Turkey, from 18th-25th April 2004. An Under 16 and Under 12 team will be selected. Look out for further details.
Start of the New Term
The spring term has started, and entries are already flooding in for the Suffolk Junior Open on February 8th. Entry forms are available by request.
01/01/04-HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
30/12/03-London Junior Chess Championships
Mr Hunt has spent the last two days at the London Junior Chess Championships in Harrow, encouraging our Suffolk players at the event. Particularly impressive were Hugo Davis and Jason Mitchell's 5/7 (=5th) in the Under 8's with Hugo winning the best under 7 trophy. Tom Huband and Edward Venmore-Rowland also turned in good performances in the U12 Major and Minor respectively, and only illness prevented Charles Law and Simon Crowe from achieving creditable performances in the U12's.
Click here for full details.
17/12/03- Woodbridge Chess Exchange
We can announce that a chess exchange has been finalised with the Chess For Children Academy in Denver, Colorado. The american students will come to us for 2 weeks, from 24/06/04 until 04/07/04. We will go over there the following summer. This is an exceptional opportunity and is open to everyone. For more info please contact Mr Hunt. You can find out more about the organisation by
Clicking here
07/12/03- Woodbridge Junior Open 2003
The Woodbridge Junior Chess Open 2003 attracted a record field of nearly 150 participants. A super day was had by all, with the opportunity of free coaching from Womens Grandmaster Harriet Hunt a real hit. A full list of winners will follow shortly
01/12/03- Woodbridge win U18 county title
Congratulations to the U18 team who disposed of St Albans 9.5-2.5 in the final. The successful team was: 1.Sun Ding-Qing 2. Chris Roche 3. Max Hoole 4.Francis Longhurst 5. Ian Ackerley 6. Neil Thomas 7.Charlotte Morbey 8.Henry Kay 9.Daniel Barnes 10. Simon Hill 11. Alistair Gilles 12.Nick Boxall
Ipswich Junior Chess Championships
During half term, at Copleston High School, Ipswich a number of our pupils participated
at the Ipswich Junior Chess Championships. Edward Venmore Rowland's 6/6 score in the Novices section
was the highlight, and he carried home (only just!) 4 trophies. Chris Roche, our co-captain also won the best junior
performance in the Open section. Congratulations to all those who participated, including this year members of the Abbey and Queens House.
Suffolk Adult League Division 2
The league season has got underway, and after a 3.5-0.5 defeat by a very strong Saxmundham side in the opening
match, We bounced back with a superb 3-1 victory over Clacton 'B'. For full results go to
Suffolk Chess League , and visit the 'tournaments' section for forthcoming fixtures.
World Junior Chess Championships
Mr Hunt has just come back from the World Junior Championships in Halkidiki, Greece. Visit the British Chess Federation website at www.bcf.org.uk for
full details and reports, and to see just what standard our players have to achieve to be selected for international tournaments.
Forthcoming competitions
After half term there will an avalanche of fixtures for our teams. The Ipswich primary schools league (for players from the Abbey and Queens House)
will be contested over 6 boards, as will the Under 13 county championship. As well as this the Under 18 county title will be contested. Keep an eye out for forthcoming fixtures.
Woodbridge Open
As you will all know by know the big tournament of the term is the Woodbridge Junior Open on the 7th December. We are pleased to announce that
coaching at the event will be provided by Britain's top female player, Womens Grandmaster and International Master Harriet Hunt.
Please get your entry forms in as soon as possible, as space is limited and entries are coming in fast. If you require entry forms please contact Mr Hunt.
BCF Schools championship
In the first round of this knockout tournament our B team faces a tough trip to RGS, Colchester, whilst our A team has received a bye into the next round.
Saturday 5th
July 2003: Norwich one day rapidplay
Dr
Wharam will pay your entry fee and the sections are by ability rather
than age so it's the ideal way to end the season.
Probable dates for
tournaments at Woodbridge in the 03-04 season are:
Sunday 7th December 2003: Woodbridge
Junior Open
Sunday 8th February 2004: Suffolk
Junior Open
Sunday 2nd May 2004: Suffolk
Megafinal
Saturday 19th June 2004: Chess
Marathon
LATEST NEWS
Appointment
of IM Adam Hunt
Adam Hunt is 22 and
recently finished his finals at Sussex University. He is the coach to
the British Junior Teams and is presently an International Master although
he is likely to achieve Grandmaster status very shortly. He is very energetic,
full of ideas and looking forward to the challenge of being our full time
chess teacher. If you are not already receiving chess lessons get a form
from Dr W as demand is soaring.
First 24 Hour
Charity Chess Marathon
This took place from
10 a.m. on Saturday 21st June taking advantage of the Solstice which saw
us out playing on the giant board from 3.30 a.m. on the Sunday! Forty
people took part with Kate Sudell, Fiona Billings, Jamie Holloway, Ed
Holdcroft and Dr W the only ones to make what proved to be a difficult
challenge. Looks like well over £500 will have been raised. The event
was well covered in the East Anglian newspaper (24th June).
Carola Rotermund
wins Woodbridge Championship
Congratulations
to Carola who over powered Chris Roche in the final to win 2-0. Carola
follows in the footsteps of Andrew Shepherd and Jackson Fan who have all
captained Woodbridge to the Ipswich League title and won the School Shield.
Congratulations also to Sam Gaffney who won the Abbey Championship. For
further details use the following link: Internal
Club Trophies
Ipswich Chess
Club
At their AGM on 22nd
May the post of Junior Liaison Officer was created and Tim Lunn voted
in unanimously. He is extremely keen to help our players improve and is
already giving Nick Westlake free individual coaching. Next season it
is hoped that WSCC members will start attending the adult club on Tuesday
or Thursday evenings and play in the adult Suffolk League. With this season
over there will be free tuition at Churches Cafe Bar near Tower Street
in Ipswich on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 till 11 p.m. starting from
4th June. Whilst a great location for the older members they are quite
happy for youngsters to be there.
Team of the
Year?
With exceptional
tournament results, the newly resurrected U15 and U18 Suffolk titles and
winning the Ipswich League for a third successive season the chess team
can certainly lay a fair claim. By pupil choice, the 15 players involved
in those trophy wins will be treated to a trip to McDonalds by Dr W.
Ipswich League
Winners
The 15 players listed
below easily won the league final with Jackson Fan leading the way with
a 4 minute win on board one and the final score being 13-2. Congratulations
to: Jackson Fan, Carola Rotermund, Chris Roche, Sun Ding Qing, Max Hoole,
Neil Thomas, Francis Longhurst, Lee Farthing, Ian Ackerley, Cantlin Ashrowan,
Simon Hill, Graeme Warden, Laurence Carter, Alex Gibson and James Cunningham.
Max Hoole and Chris Roche came equal first in the Blitz tournament.
Suffolk U15
Champions
As with the U18 competition
the trophy had last been competed for in 1994 and Lee Farthing, Simon
Hill, Graeme Warden and Laurence Carter cruised to a comfortable win to
claim the Rev Weir trophy. In the 2003/04 season both the U15 and U18
competitions move to a 12 board format.
Suffolk U18
Champions
Woodbridge
beat St Albans 3-1 on Monday 24th March to take the U18 Suffolk
title and the Sir Henry Warner Shield. Congratulations to Captain Carola
Rotermund, Jackson Fan, Max Hoole and Chris Roche. This competition was
last held in 1994 and its reestablishment is a sign of the increasing
health of Suffolk Junior Chess. Here is the match report written for the
Suffolk Chess Journal by Mr Stephen Donaghy:
"Woodbridge
won the Suffolk schools’ under –18 final with, in the end, a comfortable
victory after it had looked at one stage that the match would go to a
tiebreak. Jackson Fan took first blood for Woodbridge with a win over
Tim Raine on board three. Max Hoole followed that up, checkmating Kabir
Kayembe on board four to put Woodbridge into a 2-0 lead. David Donaghy
then pulled one back for St Alban’s with a win over Chris Roche on board
one. Woodbridge’s Carola Rotermund was ahead on board two but looked to
be in time trouble. With two minutes left on her clock, while St Alban’s
Michael Donaghy had about 15, Carola offered a draw. Michael turned down
the offer, as that would result in Woodbridge winning the shield by 2.5
to 1.5. In spite of her time constraints Carola pulled further ahead and
checkmated Michael with about a minute to spare."
Easter Term
Game Prize
If you want to quickly
improve your chess you must write down your games and then analyse them
with a coach. Sun Ding Qing had already won the Michaelmas Term Prize
for the best recorded game and made it two terms in a row with the submission
of a splendid victory against club captain Carola Rotermund to win the
Easter Term Game Prize.
Analysis Prize
Since analysing games
is one of the key ingredients needed for cooking up quick improvements
it has been decided to introduce this new competition to run alongside
the Best Recorded Game Prize. Simply analyse one game of chess and make
your submission to Dr Wharam by no later than 20th June.
School Championship
Congratulations to
all those pupils who fought their way through the 7 round swiss stage
to qualify for the Anglian Chess Megafinal.
We now have trophies
for each year champion and the matches for these titles will be played
at the start of the Summer Term. The year winners then play each other,
as detailed below, to eventually determine the Abbey and Woodbridge School
Chess Champions.
Abbey:
Year 3 Final:
Kit Day
beat Josh Fitzgerald
Year 4 Final:
Paige
Condon beat Richard Thurlow
Year 5 Final:
Sam Gaffney
beat Ben McPherson
Year 6 Final:
Emily
Wyke beat Simon Crowe
The year 6 champion
will then play the year 3 champion whilst the year 5 champion will play
the year 4 champion. The winners of these matches will then contest the
overall school title.
Woodbridge
School: Year
7 Final:
Alex
Gibson beat Josef Wrobbel
Year 8 Final:
Nick
Westlake beat Ben Bell
Year 9 Final:
Graeme
Warden beat Simon Hill
Year 10 Final:
Edward
Payne beat Lee Farthing
Year 11 Final:
Chris
Roche beat Sun Ding Qing
Year 12 Final:
Carola
Rotermund beat Jamie Holloway
Year 13 Final:
Jackson
Fan beat Huw Semkin
The year 7 and year
8 champions will play each other for the Junior Trophy. The year 11 champion
will play the year 9 winner and the year 11 runner up play the year 10
champion and the winners of these matches then play for the Intermediate
Trophy. The year 12 champion will play the year 13 champion for the Sixth
Form Trophy.
The Sixth Form Champion
will then play the Junior Champion and the Sixth Form runner up play the
Intermediate champion and the winners of these matches will then play
each other for the School Chess Trophy.
Colours are decided
using a coin toss with the exception of the Abbey or Woodbridge School
Chess Championship final where the games are played in batches of two
(so that the players each have a game with the White and Black pieces)
until there is a winner or the finalists agree to share the trophy.
