The annual Primary School’ Chess Congress took place at Rushen Primary School on Saturday.

Eleven schools – Arbory, Ashley Hill, Buchan, Cronk-y-Berry, Fairfield, Foxdale, Laxey, Peel, Phurt le Moirrey, Rushen and Victoria Road – took part, each entering a team of six, with their players ranked in order, and they took part in three hours’ challenging chess.

The winning school, awarded the Bob Kermeen Trophy, was Scoill Phurt le Moirrey, which beat Buchan School by just half a point in a last-game finale.

The individual Chess Champion, Louis Scott, from the Buchan School, was presented with the Tom Karen Trophy. 

The youngest players in each team also played each other to see who was the best young player. The winner receives the Henry Krebs Memorial Cup, sponsored by Ruth Coombes in memory of her dad, who was a keen player. Adam Roberts, from Scoill Phurt le Moirrey, claimed the cup this year.

The congress was the 41st. The event has been held at Rushen Primary School for the past 13 years (prior to that it was run at Onchan School).

For the last 19 years the competition has been organised by Tom Thomson, Headteacher at Rushen, and adult Island chess players act as adjudicators led by Harry Minor, Congress Controller, who is one of the top chess players in the British Isles.

Many of the adjudicators played in the congress when they were at primary school.

Caaden Lunn, from Victoria Road Primary, won a reserves competition organised by Simon Jones, Headteacher at Peel Clothworkers’ Primary.

The Rotary Club of Onchan has generously sponsored the event for many years, Arthur Taggart  (a retired headteacher) representing it on the day and presenting the prizes along with Juan Watterson, Rushen MHK and a keen chess player.

Mr Thomson said: ‘It was a great morning and all the children did themselves proud. Many thanks to the Island chess club players who adjudicated, Harry Minor for being the controller, the team managers and the children’s parents.’

-ENDS-