e2 to E17 — Walthamstow Schools Chess Tournament
Over 150 children from 15 local primary schools came together for the inaugural Waltham Forest and Haringey Schools Chess Tournament — and Dartford Chess Club's head coach Miro Danov was proud to be part of the team making it happen.
The event was organised by Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) in partnership with Walthamstow Chess Club, and hosted at the Big Penny Social — an amazing venue generously provided free of charge by Big Penny Community CIC.
A Day of Chess
On arrival, the children received chess lessons and coaching from an impressive lineup of chess experts, including WFMs Emmanuelle and Eunice Hng (currently ranked #3 and #4 for Singapore women), CM Jacob Yoon from the UCL team that won the 2025 BUCA championship, CM Daniel Lindner (president of the City Chess Association), and several other generous contributors to the chess community.
The children then got to test their skills against the experts in a giant simultaneous display — and judging by the number of medals given away for outstanding performances, they certainly held their own!
The Tournament
After lunch, the competitive chess began as all the children took part in a tournament against their peers. At stake were trophies for the schools whose teams scored the most points and medals for the highest individual scores. A special mention goes to those attending Higham Hill Chess Club — their coaching was rewarded with two gold and two silver medals.
Nobody left empty-handed. Every child received chess goodies to encourage them to keep playing. For most, it was their first experience of competitive chess and, judging by their enthusiasm, it won't be their last.
Why We Got Involved
At Dartford Chess Club, we believe chess should be accessible to every child. Events like this — bringing chess into schools and communities that might not otherwise encounter it — are exactly what grassroots chess is about. Miro was delighted to volunteer and contribute to making the day a success.
Thank You
A huge thank you to all the volunteers and their employers (including the Bank of England, JP Morgan, Barclays Bank, and Amazon) for allowing staff to help out as part of their employee volunteering schemes. Thanks also to the ECF Grassroots Scheme, Andersen LLP, the Waltham Forest Community Funding Team, and several private donors for their financial support.
Congratulations to Alfie Heath and Cennydd Bowles from the Walthamstow chess community for their vision in organising what we hope will become an exciting annual event.
Read the original article on the Chess in Schools and Communities website.