“I am so excited to see the participants getting stuck in at the online megafinals and curious to see who will be one of the final 64. The final at Blenheim Palace will be the first major junior event over the board since covid-19 caused stalemate for chess events!”

Sarah Longson
CEO
Delancey UK Schools’ Chess Challenge

The 26th season of the Delancey UK Schools’ Chess Challenge is underway with the first stages of the event taking place online. The competition supported by its longstanding partner Delancey, will see children pitting their wits against other juniors across the UK hoping to secure a place at the prestigious Terafinal taking place at Blenheim Palace in October. This will be a difficult feat as there is only one place for each square on the chess board.

The competition has a range of prizes on offer this year including cash, trophies, medals and school prizes for the top achieving schools in the competition. As well as the main competition, there are additional events for those wishing to play fast chess, variant chess or challenge a chess master!

There are over 2,000 excited children participating this year from those new to the game, to many of England’s top junior players. 

Many participants have used their time effectively over lockdown to sharpen their chess skills as they strive to achieve their goals. Previous champions including Denis Dupuis, Jude Shearsby and Yichen Han will be hoping to repeat their success again this year. For those wishing to watch the event, it will be streamed on the official twitch channel – https://www.twitch.tv/ukchesschallenge64 where children can relax between rounds, answer quiz questions, get master analysis of their games, hear from special guests and learn some extra tips to sharpen up their game.

This year we are emphasising to the players the benefit of slowing down and analysing options. The best players are able to do this consistently which helps them avoid mistakes and see possibilities others might miss. These skills are very useful at the chessboard – and away from it!

Sarah Longson CEO of the Delancey UK Schools’ Chess Challenge said: “I am so excited to see the participants getting stuck in at the online megafinals and curious to see who will be one of the final 64. The final at Blenheim Palace will be the first major junior event over the board since covid-19 caused stalemate for chess events!”

Jamie Ritblat, Founder and Chairman of Delancey commented: “We are delighted to continue our support for the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge this year. Not only does this competition unite young people across the country, chess is a fantastic way for children to develop their logistical, analytical and decision-making skills. It is also great to see that the final will be taking place in person after the events of the past year. Good luck to all those taking part in the competition!”

For More Info Contact:

Sarah Longson
Chief Executive Officer
UK Schools’ Chess Challenge
Tel: +(0) 7786 260 301
sarah@ukchess.co.uk

Francesca Granato
Marketing Assistant
Delancey
Tel: +(0) 7510 931 292
francesca.granato@delancey.com

Notes to Editors

About Delancey UK Schools’ Chess Challenge

The Delancey UK Schools’ Chess Challenge has run every year since 1996 and is now considered the world’s largest junior chess competition with over 1,000 schools and 40,000 children taking part every year. The ethos of the competition allows every child to enjoy playing and learning in the early stages yet testing the mettle of the finest players towards the end. The top English players from the Terafinal will be selected to represent England in an international event.

Chess is a fantastic tool for children to develop their problem solving skills, creativity and imagination, as well as the ability to plan ahead and emotional resilience. It also teaches us that hard work and perseverance pay off and to have respect for the ideas of other people. Teachers and parents comment on the enormous enthusiasm amongst the children for their badges, gold spots and mascots. Junior chess clubs are springing up all over the country, both in schools and outside; numbers in existing clubs have mushroomed. All this shows that chess is one of the most enjoyable and exciting ways for children to learn how to think critically and to plan ahead.

www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com

About Delancey

Delancey is a specialist real estate investment, development, and advisory company whose activities encompass retail, residential, logistics and commercial real estate across London and the UK. Collaborating on a wide range of assets, partners and clients, Delancey is recognised for its innovative and diverse approach to creating long term value from real estate. Delancey also advises clients on appropriate capital structures, financing and provides asset management and development services. Delancey has a diverse portfolio of retail, residential, office and corporate assets across London and the UK, including the Alpha Plus schools group and the Elephant & Castle Town Centre Regeneration in Southwark. Delancey is also a pioneer in the private rented sector and has spent much of the last few years bringing the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics to life; it is delivering over 3,000 homes for rent at the multi-award winning neighbourhood East Village, the former London 2012 Athletes Village in Newham, and it transformed the 2012 press and media broadcast centre into world-leading digital campus Here East. More recently, the joint venture acquisition of the Earls Court development site was completed in December 2019. This iconic landmark, which sits within the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham comprises London’s largest cleared Zone 1 development site. Delancey, alongside its newly formed platform business The Earls Court Development Company, will lead the regeneration of this critically important London location, which has the potential to be a world class scheme, showcasing the best in sustainable, community focussed and environmentally enhanced design.