JUNIOR CLUB NEWS, APRIL 2024:
Hillingdon League: (18 April) Harrow Juniors A 2-3 Watford Juniors B, (22 April) Watford Juniors A 2-3 Uxbridge Juniors A, Watford Juniors B 1-4 Uxbridge Juniors B, (2 May) Harrow Juniors B 0-5 Watford Juniors B.
Easter rapidplay won by Akshaj (5/5) ahead of Aashna (4). 12 took part.
Club nights are from 6.0 until 10.45 (but no obligation to stay late!) on Monday evenings at Herts Bowling Club in West Watford, a comfortable and spacious venue. As well as the playing area, there's normally an overflow lounge area where parents can sit and relax while their progeny checkmate one another. The bar isn't usually staffed but there are three admirable vending machines (cash only) respectively dispensing coffee, cold drinks and nibbles.
Most Monday evening sessions start with group coaching (6.0 to 6.40) following which training games take place. The length of playing sessions means that we can stage classical games (typically 45' + 15") as well as rapidplay. Some evenings instead have matches against other clubs. We aim to ensure that all rated training games at the club, whether rapidplay or classical, count towards juniors' ratings by the ECF within 7 days of being played.
14 August (see above) saw a departure from normal club nights with WIM Natasha Regan and NI Matt Ball giving a presentation of "Zwischenzug - a comprehensive guide to intermediate moves" based on their Chessable course. Go to https://www.chessable.com/zwischenzug-a-comprehensive-guide-to-intermediate-moves/course/139623/ for an 18-minute preview video. The session was targeted at players in the 1200-1600 bracket as those below/above that range might find it too advanced/basic
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Ramsey Dairi (below) becomes joint British u-12 champion (and sole English u-12 champion) with 6/7 at Leicester in July
4 NATIONS CHESS LEAGUE
See opposite.
JUNIOR 4 NATIONS CHESS LEAGUE
Due to difficulties booking hotels, the 2022-23 J4NCL season was cancelled and the2023-24 season looks set to suffer the same fate. Watford Juniors played in the final 2021-22 weekend when results were as follows:
| J4NCL DIVISION ONE | P | W | D | L | MP | GP | ||
| 1 | Oxfordshire A | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 15 | |
| 2 | JHJ 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 14½ | |
| 3 | Staffordshire Spitfires | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 13 | |
| 4 | Welsh Dragons A | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
| 5 | Leicestershire Juniors | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9½ | |
| 6 | Watford Juniors A | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | |
| 7 | Fantastic Six | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | |
| 8 | 3Cs Charmanders | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10½ | |
| 9 | Warwickshire Bears A | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | |
| 10 | JHJ 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
| 11 | Harrow Juniors A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5½ | |
| 12 | Manchester A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
If and when J4NCL restarts, the intention is that Watford Juniors will compete again. Each J4NCL weekend consists of 5 rounds [3 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday], at either an 80' + 10" [Division 1] or 50' + 10" [Division 2] rate of play, between teams of four following a Swiss-paired system.
Below - Advait Keerthi Kumar, London u-10 champion (+6 =1 -0, December 2022) 
HILLINGDON & DISTRICT LEAGUE - JUNIOR DIVISION
There will be two Watford teams in this competition for 2023-24, the second team aiming to give match experience to our newer and younger juniors. After playing all eight matches in 2022-23, Watford Juniors finished as runners-up with five wins, one draw and two losses. Format is teams of five juniors playing 45' + 15" sessions, on home and away basis, against teams from Harrow and Uxbridge.
The object of WLCA is to act as a bridge between club-level and national-level coaching with a view to enabling juniors, if they have the necessary drive and ability, to progress to approximately candidate master (CM) level. It is not intended, certainly at this point, as a substitute for good-quality club-level coaching. Participation is open to members of the six junior chess organisations mentioned above.
