Wakefield junior chess championships

Junior Schools' Chess Championship

Photograph: Peter Gallivan, president of Wakefield Rotary Club, presents the Stanley Grundy Memorial Trophy to the winning under-11s chess team from Lofthouse Gate School

THE second annual Wakefield junior schools chess competition for the Stanley Grundy Memorial Trophy took place on the 8th March 2008. It was a great success with teams from Lofthouse Gate taking the top awards on their home ground.

The award, presented by Wakefield Rotary Club to be competed for by local schools, honours the memory of a Rotarian from Teddington who set up the Chess Initiative, a charity providing funds to promote the game to young people throughout the world.

The under-11s trophy went to Lofthouse Gate A team, with the school's B team taking the runners-up prize. The same school's under-9s, the only team to take part in that section, received a cup. Because they had no opposition, they played one another, individual awards going to two of the team. Medals for meritorious play went to four other youngsters who had performed well throughout the competition.

The event was organised by Andy Colley, secretary of Wakefield Primary Schools Chess Association. John Newsome, well known for his contribution to junior schools chess, acted as adjudicator and the prizes were presented by Peter Gallivan, president of Wakefield Rotary Club.

Roland Mold, chairman of the club's vocational committee and a chess player himself, said: "This has been a great day and all the youngsters have shown incredible enthusiasm. "The competition is held each March, which is the month in which Stanley Grundy died in 2006. His Chess Initiative charity gave us the money to run this event and provide the chess sets as well as the cups and medals. We have also been able to give chess sets to the Wensleydale and Elland clubs, who are already involved in promoting chess in their local junior schools." In addition, the Wakefield club has given chess sets to a number of schools in its area.

District Governor Ken Robertshaw's visit to the Wakefield club on the 17th January 2008 was used as an opportunity to hand over chess sets and T-shirts to two Elland past-presidents who are heavily involved with chess at a couple of schools in their area. Now that scheme may be expanded.

The material came through the Chess Education Initiative, a charitable trust set up by the late Stanley Grundy, of Teddington Rotary Club. The trust has provided Wakefield Rotary with materials to distribute to other clubs in the hope of encouraging schools chess projects in the district. Last year 60 youngsters took part in the first Rotary-initiated Wakefield area primary schools chess competition. The next tournament is scheduled for March 8.

Items presented to the Elland club also included a book on how to teach the game to young children.

Pictured are (front row) DG Ken, Wakefield president Peter Gallivan and his vocational committee chairman, Roland Mold. Standing behind them are Edward Walker and Tony Chadwick from the Elland club.