Chess Fest - pawn storm takes Trafalgar Square
So lovely for Gabriel and I to see many of you from our Library club at ChessFest at Trafalgar Square – even if Finn, one of our rising stars, didn’t recognise me on stage immediately! 😉
Beautiful setting, beautiful day!
From teaming up with some of the UK’s top grandmasters for simultaneous exhibitions,* to defending the honour of my National Master title in the Masters tent, to meeting old and new faces, it was simply the best event. As ChessFest always is!
Sam staying hydrated in the Masters tent. In the foreground, you can see GM Matthew Wadsworth, 6th highest rated player in England, and special guest at our second CheckMate Retreat weekend.
For those of you wondering, ChessFest is s day of fun, family-friendly, free chess activities – and this was the sixth year that Chess in Schools and Communities have out it on. It’s a celebration chess and a wonderful social gathering too.
Chess of all sizes!
As well as being tremendously fun, it’s also a reminder to me of how much potential kids have – I won’t name names, but I saw more than a few upsets with some younger players surprising more experienced opponents…!
Casual play open to everyone.
*I personally enjoyed playing alongside GM Nikita Vitiugov – two of our opponents were enthusiastic young gentlemen who requested that we call them Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham!
