Facing Britain’s most successful sports team, a moneybags chess club dubbed the game’s Manchester City, would be a daunting prospect for anyone.
But when this great club took on the kings of league chess Wood Green in a 10-a-side David and Goliath battle, we decided to take an entirely different approach.
Instead of fielding our usual line-up of experienced players ranked some way below Wood Green’s star-studded team of paid professionals, we sent in the young guns.
For one night only this 134-year-old club assembled a team of Britain’s hottest chess prospects to take on the grandmasters at their own game in the London Chess League. Their average age was just 12, and they were all England junior internationals.
Among them was 10-year-old Shreyas Royal, England’s top prodigy whose family were spared having to leave the UK last year over a visa issue because of his special talent.
Shreyas, Denis Dupuis, Shlok Verma and Sohum Lohia, were all born in 2009 and make up four of the top five English players born since then.
And incredibly, this team of juniors did rather well.
Granted, the final score was 9-1, but while the Wood Green galacticos are used to trampling all over their opponents, two members of our young squad walked off with draws having perhaps embarrassed their big-name opponents.
Seventeen-year-old Jacob Watson, from Kent, held Grandmaster John Emms, a hugely-respected 52-year-old former England captain:
Jacob Watson Vs GM John Emms
And 11-year-old Luca Buanne also drew in a marathon 89 moves with the current Essex champion International Master Richard Pert.
IM Richard Pert Vs Luca Buanne
All 10 games at the Citadines Hotel in central London lasted between two and three hours – a small indication the grandmasters didn’t have it all their own way.
Mid-way through the match, Brian Smith, Wood Green’s benefactor and
Wood Green has reigned supreme for two decades. The last time the north Londoners lost a match was in the 2001/2002 season and winning 10-0 is not unusual.
The side is bankrolled by
On Wednesday, Wood Green fielded GM Luke McShane on top board, an English Super Grandmaster known as the world’s top amateur because – unusually for an elite player – he also has a job in City.
Seven other grandmasters took to the board for the match, along with International Master Pert and Fide Master David Haydon on the bottom board.
Wood Green have won the London Chess League’s 12-team division 1 title 16 years in a row and are nailed on to win it again this year which will set a new record of 25 title wins.
Before Wednesday’s match, Battersea had been the only other unbeaten side in the division capable of challenging them.
Battersea’s Central London League captain Chris Beckett said: “Just to say again many thanks to everyone who turned out last night to play and support as Battersea’s team of young all-stars gave the might of Wood Green’s galacticos the fight of their lives.”
Battersea secretary Leon Watson said: “We’re delighted and so proud of the youngsters to have got two half-point draws against Wood Green who were inevitably going to batter us.
“Against a team like that you just can’t compete but we gave the kids a great experience against a team packed with grandmasters that hopefully, they’ll never forget.”
The match even made GM David Howell’s chess column:
In the result card posted on the league’s website afterward, Mr Smith wrote: “It indeed was a true honour to play England’s top four players under 10 years of age.
“Magnus [Carlsen – the world champion] had better watch out. Best wishes to you all for your growing future in chess.”
GM Stephen Gordon Vs CM Shreyas Royal
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