Dunottar School Chess Club Kicks Off with Record Numbers and International Success!
3rd October 24
The Dunottar School Chess Club is back in action and stronger than ever! With record numbers of students signing up, we’re especially excited about the promising crop of new Year 7 players joining the ranks. It’s also good to see staff regularly helping Mr McClure run this growing activity – with a special thanks for Mr Cooper and Mrs Longstaff for contributing their time and enthusiasm.
Over the holidays, Year 11’s Rafi made waves by winning the U16 section of a local tournament while holidaying in Portugal, making him our very own international chess champion—congratulations, Rafi! His ECF ranking has shot upwards as a result of this performance – and he is now the highest ranked player in the history of the school.
The season began with the Russell Trophy, our traditional season opener hosted at RGS Guildford. Dunottar faced strong competition from players from Hampton, Kingston, and Emmanuel, finishing mid-table in their division: a solid start. A special shoutout to Year 9’s Reece, who remained unbeaten throughout the event—an outstanding performance!
Looking ahead, this half-term is packed with exciting fixtures, including league matches against Trinity and Reigate Grammar. Plus, mark your calendars for Sunday, October 13th, when the team heads to Eton for the prestigious annual invitational championship.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting season for Dunottar chess—watch this space for more thrilling updates!
