The Welsh Junior Chess Squad, including six girls from Howell’s, competed in the World Youth Chess Championships that were held over a fortnight in Halkidiki in Greece in late October and early November.
Two of the girls were the highest scorers for Wales: Venetia S. and Nayana K., both scoring six points in the U10 section. Venetia was an early leader, scoring 4 points in the first five rounds and recording notable victories over Peru, South Africa and the USA. Nayana had a terrific finish, scoring 3 ½ in the last four rounds and recording wins against Chile, Moldova and Zimbabwe. In the U12 event the top Welsh performers were Susanna F. and Neya G. with 4½ points. Susie’s tournament saw significant victories over Uzbekistan, Germany and Montenegro, while Neya defeated another Welsh player in round 1, going on to achieve draws against two Norwegians and - incredibly – a Women International Master from Colombia in the last round. Emily W. also represented Wales with distinction in the U12s, defeating opponents from Taiwan and Kyrgyzstan, and achieving a draw against Greece in the last round. Another to score 4½ was Shayanna S. in the U14s, competing an excellent fortnight that included wins against Greece, Mexico and Armenia, and draws against the USA, Estonia and Lebanon.
The girls supported each other during the event, and also enjoyed the swimming pool and the social programme. They were a credit both to their school and their country. Howell’s chess teacher Kevin Thomas said: “These performances were absolutely brilliant – to play in the rarefied atmosphere of the World Championships can be daunting to many, but not our girls. They will be celebrating these victories for a long time to come. It all bodes well for the Howell’s chess teams that have important competitions in the coming months. Hearty congratulations to all.”
