Essex Junior Chess took another step forward on Saturday 1st March as our Under-11 Girls took on the best in the country at Headington School in Oxford.
A fine team performance, illuminated by some exceptional individual contributions and some very dogged play, resulted in a 6th place finish from the 14 teams
competing. A points haul of 21½ from 36 almost doubled their 2007 total which had seen them finish in a lowly 11th place. It also placed them above neighbours
Kent in the finishing order and only 2½ points behind Barnet.
The team was drawn from all over the county, but featured a core of 5 players from the burgeoning Chingford ChessSet club. All the girls played well, all contributed
points, and Essex games were among the last left in the hall in all 3 rounds. However, particular mention should be made of the way that Charlotte Gordon managed to
extricate herself from a seemingly impossible situation against Bekshire and go on to win in Round 3, and also of the searing concentration and refusal to be beaten
shown by Bethany Frost against Barnet in Round 2.
A major difference from the last 2 years, and despite the loss of Selina Johnson from the team (now U-12), was the points gained on the top 3 boards.
7½ out of 9 from Charlotte Gordon at 3, Rebecca Swestun at 2, and newcomer Nathasha Bogoda at no.1 was a terrific contribution. Nathasha showed some excellent
middle-game play in beating Kent in Round 2 and drawing with Wey Valley in Round 3. Rebecca played with the ruthlessness we are now becoming used to, but
nevertheless rare in an under-8.
Overall a very pleasing display by Essex girls, and a large step on the way as we seek to take Essex back to a dominant position in the country.
Dave Hawkins
Team Manager
| Board | Name |
Rd 1
|
Rd 2
|
Rd 3
|
Tot
|
| 1 | Nathasha Bogoda | 1 (Manchester) |
1 (Kent) |
½ (Wey Valley) |
2½ |
| 2 | Rebecca Swestun | 1 (Oldham) |
1 (Liverpool) |
1 (Norhhants) Def |
3 |
| 3 | Charlotte Gordon | 0 (Oxford) |
1 (Sussex) |
1 (Berks) |
2 |
| 4 | Kirsty Binstead | 1 (Hampshire) |
½ (Herts) |
0 (Notts) |
1½ |
| 5 | Ruqayyah Anwar | 0 (Barnet) |
1 (Manchester) |
0 (Kent) |
1 |
| 6 | Jeyda Tahir | 0 (Wey Valley) |
1 (Oldham) |
1 (Liverpool) |
2 |
| 7 | Sinthuya Kathirgamathamby | 1 (Northants) |
0 (Oxford) |
0 (Sussex) |
1 |
| 8 | Claudia Sheridan | 0 (Berks) |
1 (Hampshire) |
1 (Herts) |
2 |
| 9 | Bethany Frost | 0 (Notts) |
1 (Barnet) |
1 (Manchester) |
2 |
| 10 | Ruth Brown | 0 (Kent) |
0 (Wey Valley) |
1 (Oldham) |
1 |
| 11 | Luxiga Mahendran | 1 (Liverpool) |
0 (Northants) |
0 (Oxford) |
1 |
| 12 | Anais Anderson | 1 (Sussex) |
1 (Berks) |
½ (Hampshire) |
2½ |
|
Totals
|
6
|
8½
|
7
|
21½
|
| 1 | Oxfordshire | 28 |
| 2 | Sussex | 27½ |
| 3 | Wey Valley | 26½ |
| 4 | Notts | 25½ |
| 5 | Barnet | 24 |
| 6 | Essex | 21½ |
| 7 | Kent | 21 |
| 8 | Oldham | 16 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 12 |
| 10 | Northants | 11½ |
| 11 | Manchester | 11½ |
| 12 | Berks | 11½ |
| 13 | Herts | 11 |
| 14 | Hants | 4½ |