Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame is a new project (as of 2020) to celebrate the successes of our competitors (and supporters) both past and present.

Koby Kalavannan v Jonah Willow (2019 U18 Final Match)

Yichen Han v Rajjat Makkar, 2019 U12 Final

YearName
1998Adam Hunt
1999Thomas Rendle
2000Lorin D'Costa
2001Lorin D'Costa
2002Lorin D'Costa
2003Lorin D'Costa
2004Ben Purton
2005Stephen Gordon
2006James Hanley
2007Peter Poobalasingam
2008Peter Poobalasingam
2009Felix Ynojosa 
2010Felix Ynojosa 
2011Yang-Fan Zhou
2012Brandon Clarke
2013Marcus Harvey
2014Marcus Harvey
2015Matthew Wadsworth
2016Joseph McPhillips
2017Harry Grieve
2018Koby Kalavannan
2019Koby Kalavannan
2020Max Turner
Emily Maton

Emily Maton

UKCC U18 Girls Blitz Champion, 2018 & 2020 Terafinalist

Age Group: U13

ECF grade (Jan 20): 130

School: Beaumont School

Favourite Opening: English

Favourite Player: Judit Polgar

Hobbies: Rugby, reading

Other chess achievements: Top girl Northern U12, Top girl LJCC U12, Hertfordshire champion. Played in the 2019 Rapid and Blitz World Cadets in Belarus

Lion Lebdev

Lion Lebdev

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 86

School: Highgate

Favourite Opening: For black, French defense because I started to play chess in France 🙂

Favourite Player: Zhigalko Sergei

Hobbies: Tennis, Netball, Football

Other Comments: Chess helps me never give up!

Billy Fellowes

Billy Fellowes

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 119

School: Warwick School

Favourite Opening: Caro-Kann

Favourite Player: Bobby Fischer

Hobbies: Reading books, playing any sport and playing the drums.

Soham Kumar

Soham Kumar

UKCC 1st U12 Blitz, 2019 Terafinal - 2nd U8

Age Group: U9

ECF grade (Jan 20): 139

School: Maidenhead Junior

Favourite Opening: Ruy Lopez, Najdorf and Benko Gambit

Favourite Player: Bobby Fischer, Mikhail Tal and Magnus Carlsen

Hobbies: Playing Tennis, Maths, Reading books, History and Geography

Aryan Munshi

Aryan Munshi

Age Group: U12

ECF grade (Jan 20): 71

School: Phones Chess Club

Favourite Opening: Queen’s Gambit declined

Favourite Player: Hikaru Nakamura

Hobbies: Football, trekking, reading books

Other Comments: I like chess

Connor Clarke

Connor Clarke

Age Group: U15

ECF grade (Jan 20): 170

School: Breckenbrough

Favourite Opening: Alekhine Defence

Favourite Player: Magnus Carlsen

Hobbies: Climbing, Badminton and Golf

Other Comments: I enjoy chess because there is an endless capacity for a player to improve.

Avyana Singh

Avyana Singh

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 51

School: Sussex Junior Chess

Favourite Opening: Scotch Game

Favourite Player: Magnus Carlsen

Hobbies: Reading & Piano

Other Comments: I like chess because there are so many possibilities that can happen. I also like it because of all the strategies that can occur in a single game. This makes chess seem amazing to me. I also love how there are different ways to play it.

Manmay Chopra

Manmay Chopra

Age Group: U13

ECF grade (Jan 20): 153

School: Harrow Chess Club

Favourite Opening: Sicillian, Chekhover variation

Favourite Player: Mikhail Tal

Hobbies: Reading, Football

Elis Denele Dicen

Elis Denele Dicen

Age Group: U9

ECF grade (Jan 20): 133

Club: Coventry Chess Academy

Favourite Opening: London System

Favourite Player: Paul Morphy, Judith Polgar

Hobbies: Reading, Singing, Drawing, Playing Piano and Ukelele

Other chess achievements:  England delegate in 2019 European youth rapid and blitz in Tallinn, Estonia Double girl’s champion in 2019 British chess championships in Torquay (U9 and U10, 3rd place overall in the U10), Double girl’s champion in 2018 British chess championships in Hull (U8 and U9)

Krrish Patel

Krrish Patel

Age Group: U12

ECF grade (Jan 20): 86

School: Harrow chess Club

Favourite Opening: London System

Favourite Player: Magnus Carslen

Hobbies: Cricket and Maths

Other chess achievements: I have played in the UKCC for 4 years now and my top 3 moments are Winning the Megafinal 2 years in a row U10 and U11. Then the Variants Championship this year coming 2nd. Finally the best moment is when I beat a 168 to qualify in Terafinal this year with a score of 6/7 and coming 3rd on tiebreaks.

Alex Leslie

Alex Leslie

Age Group: U14

ECF grade (Jan 20): 182

School: Habs Boys

Favourite Opening: Nakhmanson gambit

Favourite Player: Peter Leko

Other Comments: All the possibilities in any given position would take hours to analyse fully!

Oleg Verbytski

Oleg Verbytski

Age Group: U7

ECF grade (Jan 20): 67

School: St Johns Catholic Primary School

Favourite Opening: Various

Favourite Player: Vasyl Ivanchuk, Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov

Hobbies: Football, Tennis, Swimming, Maths

Other Comments: I love playing chess and enjoy it so much.

Edward Jackson

Edward Jackson

Age Group: U14

ECF grade (Jan 20): 147

School: 3Cs

Favourite Opening: Caro-Kann

Favourite Player: Magnus Carslen

Hobbies: Hiking, table-tennis and reading

Other Comments: My favourite thing about chess is the stimulation it provides. There is always an incentive to improve and as every chess player knows, the elation after winning a well-played game is simply a one of the best feelings you will ever have

Harry Bryant

Harry Bryant

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 60

School: Devonshire House School

Favourite Opening: Variations

Favourite Player: Jonathan Hawkins, Hikaru Nakamura, Eric Rosen

Hobbies: Swimming, watching comedy movies and martial arts

Other Comments: I play chess for fun and really enjoy playing and competing

Kenneth Hobson

Kenneth Hobson

UKCC 2020 Variant Championship 1st U12, Terafinal 2nd U12

Age Group: U11

ECF grade (Jan 20): 150

School: Windmill Primary School

Favourite Opening: The Jerome gambit

Favourite Player: Mikhaïl Tal

Hobbies: Football, cricket, French horn

Other Comments: I love playing variant chess and also playing for Ojays in the fortnightly team battles online.

Rishi Vijayakumar

Rishi Vijayakumar

UKCC 1st U8 Variant Championship, 2020 Terafinal - 2nd U8

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 89

School: Castlehill Chess Club Dundee Scotland

Favourite Opening: Reti Variations

Favourite Player: GM Andrew Tang, GM Magnus Carlsen, Declan Shafi

Hobbies: Football

Other Comments: I like chess because it is fun and it makes you think. I have represented Scotland U12 international squad for Glorney cup and played against European nations.

Beni Sisupalan

Beni Sisupalan

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 61

School: Bounds Green

Favourite Opening: Italian game

Favourite Player: Mike Klein, Tihon Chernayev

Hobbies: Football, Clash Royale, reading.

Dimitrios Levon Zakarian

Dimitrios Levon Zakarian

Age Group: U9

School: Christ Church Cathedral School

Favourite Opening: All the winning ones

Favourite Player: Vasily Smyslov and Levon Aronian

Hobbies: Football and Yu-Gi-Oh!

Samiksha Yerabati

Samiksha Yerabati

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - Top U8 Girl

Age Group: U8

ECF grade (Jan 20): 64

School: Leeds Junior Chess Club

Favourite Opening: Jobava London System

Favourite Player: Vishwanath Anand, Mikhail Tal

Hobbies: Dance , Music and Martial Arts

Other Comments: My favourite piece is the pawn, because once the pawn gets to the final square it can become anything.
2019 : Northern challengers winner, LJCC Runner up, Delancey Suprema, Giga Runner-up, English Girls Championship U8, Leeds Junior Congress runner up Yorkshire Junior Grand Prix Winner, York chess day winner.
2020 : Wakefield girls chess day runner up.

Savas Stoica

Savas Stoica

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - 2nd U18

Age Group: U15

ECF grade (Jan 20): 169

School: The Latymer School

Favourite Opening: Sicilian Defense

Favourite Player: Eric Hansen

Hobbies: Martial Arts

Other Comments: Somehow in division 4 of the J4NCL.

Ethan Li

Ethan Li

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - 1st U10

Age Group: U10

ECF grade (Jan 20): 139

School: Westminster Under School

Favourite Opening: Scotch, London, Sveshnikov, Taimanov, King’s Indian

Favourite Player: Fischer, Tal

Hobbies: Fencing, Football, Piano

Other Comments: Terafinal 2020 U10 1st place, British Championship 2018 U9 2nd place

Rajat Makkar

Rajat Makkar

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - 1st U14

Age Group: U14

ECF grade (Jan 20): 208

School: Hampton

Favourite Opening: Catalan

Favourite Player: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave(MVL)

Hobbies: Cricket and Football

Other Comments: 2020- U14 UKCC Terafinal champion
2019- U12 UKCC Terafinal runner-up
2018- U12 UKCC Terafinal runner-up
2018- U12 French Rapid chess champion
2017- London Junior U16 champion
2017- London Junior U14 champion
2015- U8 European Union chess champion
2014- U7 European Schools chess champion
2014- U8 French chess champion (at age 6)

Hiya Ray

Hiya Ray

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - U14 Top Girl

Age Group: U14

ECF grade (Jan 20): 154

School: St John’s College, Cardiff

Favourite Opening: Catalan

Favourite Player: Viswanathan Anand

Hobbies: Piano and Violin

 

Aron Saunders

Aron Saunders

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - 6th U14, U18 960 Final 2nd place

Age Group: U14

ECF grade (Jan 20): 153

School: Downend Fishponds CC

Favourite Opening: Caro-Kann

Favourite Player: Magnus Carlsen, Mikhail Tal

Hobbies: Chess, variant chess, ultrabullet chess, yet more chess, golf

Other Comments: Tournament Successes: 2nd in U18 Chess960, 3rd in Variants Championship, 6th in U14 Terafinal 2020, U14 Terafinalist in 2019, 2.5/5 with a 180 performance in the 88th Bristol Congress Open

Maya Owladi

Maya Owladi

U8's 960 Final 1st U8 Girl

Age Group: U7

ECF grade (Jan 20): 19

School: Early Knights

Favourite Opening: Four Knights

Favourite Player: Magnus Carlsen

Hobbies: Reading, football, dreaming

Other Comments: My favourite variant is anti-chess. I don’t know why. It just is. I’ve had a great success in the variants and 960.

Livio Cancedda-Dupuis

Livio Cancedda-Dupuis

Age Group: U10

ECF grade (Jan 20): 61

School: Brandlehow Primary

Favourite Opening: French Defence

Favourite Player: Alexander Grischuk

Hobbies: Trumpet, football, tennis, table tennis and volleyball.

Other Comments: Chess is fun and beautiful!

Eugenia Karas

Eugenia Karas

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - Top U12 girl

Age Group: U11

ECF grade (Jan 20): 154

School: St Paul’s Girls’ School

Favourite Opening: The Karas attack

Favourite Player: Mikhail Tal

Hobbies: Contortion, gymnastics, skiing and diving

Other Comments:  Played in the European Online Youth Individual and Team Chess Championship 2020, the World School Chess Championship 2019 in Turkey, the European School Chess Championship 2019 in Romania; 3rd place in U12 Terafinal 2020, a top girl in Terafinal 2020 and 2019; double girl’s champion in the London Junior Chess Championships 2019 in U11 and U12.

Max Turner

Max Turner

UKCC 2020 Terafinal - 1st U18

Age Group: U18

ECF grade (Jan 20): 219

School: Longridge Towers School & Forest Hall Chess club

Favourite Opening: Taimanov Sicilian

Favourite Player: Akiba Rubinstein

Hobbies: Tennis and Running

Other Comments: Joint 2nd in British Chess Championships Major Open 2019
Joint 2nd 24th 4NCL Congress Open