On Saturday, 1 March, the Final and Plate of the Warwickshire Primary Schools' Team Championship took place at Solihull School. A unified Warwick squad consisting of six boys from Warwick Junior School and two girls from Warwick Prep was formed for the event. The A team that had qualified for the Final by winning their zonal last year consisted of Ilyas, James, Bani and Sammy. The B team playing in the Plate consisted of Leon, Alex, Cian and Libby. Both competitions were strong events, with many of the county's best junior chess players representing schools spanning Warwickshire, Solihull and Birmingham. The Warwick team was led by Mr Lam, with Mr Thomas, chess coach at Warwick Prep, also present to offer his support.

In the Plate, the B team had a magnificent result, finishing in second place for silver medals behind a very strong Blue Coat team, surpassing last year's third-place finish. The team lost only one match to Blue Coat and won all of the rest. All four players were outstanding and every single one of them won board medals for their individual performances, with Alex finishing as the team's 'big hitter' with 6/7. He also found one of the moves of the competition, playing a beautiful forced sequence which led to the opponent's king being skewered to its rook for a decisive gain of material.

In the Final, the A team were simply fantastic and also finished in second place for silver medals, also bettering their third-place finish last year, and finishing just behind the overwhelming favourites, Hallfield School, against whom they lost by the narrowest of margins in their individual encounter. Although Hallfield scored one more match point, it's worth noting that Warwick scored 3.5 more board points overall! All four players were brilliant on the day and, once again, every single one of them also won board medals for their individual performances. It's worth noting that no other school achieved this feat in both competitions. The team's big hitter was Sammy who scored an unbelievable 7/7. The game of the competition was played by Ilyas. Facing the very talented Solihull board 1, who outrated him by nearly 200 points, Ilyas attacked the enemy king with great energy, hounding it across the board and finishing with a lovely tactical operation which gained material and simultaneously liquidated to a winning endgame.

The event was well-organised which ran very smoothly and all the Warwick players thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The credit for this must go to the tournament officials, particularly Warwick Junior School alumnus, Gregory! Gregory, who is currently in Warwick Senior School, is one of the youngest qualified chess arbiters in the country and ran a whole section independently. He was unfailingly professional, polite and helpful and his presence was a great source of assurance for the Warwick players. The Warwick players were fabulous representatives of the school; their conduct and respect for the rules and spirit of the game were impeccable!

Thank you to all the parents who provided invaluable support throughout a long, tiring but ultimately rewarding day. 

A huge well done to the Warwick teams!