81 young chess players for Junior International
81 chess players between the ages of 12 and 15 will be competing in the second edition of the Gibraltar Junior International Chess Festival. There are 37 Under 12’s and 37 Under 16’s from Gibraltar, England, Spain, Portugal and Hungary.
Ahead of participating in the competition which opens tomorrow at the Caleta Hotel, young local champion Stephen Whatley has won the Adult British U160 Rapid Play Chess Championships in Newcastle. The tournament was a six round Swiss tournament with Stephen scoring 5 wins and a draw in his last round to secure an outright win. He later went on to play in the Adult U180 Long play 5 round Swiss tournament.
Stephen won his first 3 rounds, lost his fourth and won his fifth giving him a score of 4 out of 5 and ending his time at the British with only 1 loss in 11 rounds. This is considered a remarkable achievement as it was his first attempt in both disciplines.
Stephen has also participated in the European Union Youth Chess Championships this summer and is grateful to the sponsors including the Tradewise Chess Festival and The GSLA. Meanwhile the participants of the Gibraltar Junior International Chess Festival will be arriving today for the four day tournament which will be officially opened by Minister Steven Linares.
There are two main age categories in this tournament: Under 16 and Under 12. The Junior Festival is partnered by Kusuma Trust and the Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority, in affiliation with the Calpe Chess Club. Competition continues throughout the weekend and ends on Monday.
Nice.