08-12-2014, 12:00 PM
Scotland were missing a few players, but as you can see it was all very close with the majority of the matches very tight. In the end the U12's finished 3rd, the U14's 2nd and the U16's 1st - that was probably a fair result, the U16's were the best team despite a rather major blip in round two.
I tended to be mainly focused on the older ones and they were an impressive group - a very serious and diligent bunch. There wasn't particularly an outstanding player, but as a group they worked hard and fought hard to achieve the win. I met Tariq and Joannis for the first time and they looked like potentially really strong players. Tariq rode his luck a lot, but Joannis looked a class act throughout. I think both could benefit from this experience, it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few years.
Very nice to see Jamie Underwood on top board too, leading his team to victory. He spoke very enthusiastic about his experiences with ChessScotland and the number of caps he has won. It was also interesting to hear him talk about volunteering in his other spheres of interest. I am sure there are lots of other factors but chess has certainly helped him develop into a very responsible young man.
Finally, a quick mention for Siddharth Berera - it isn't often you get U12 engaging you in conversation about 19th century players. Clearly someone who loves his chess and looks up a few interesting youtube videos to research some sneaky traps. Perhaps someone to look out for in future.
Well done to all the players.
I tended to be mainly focused on the older ones and they were an impressive group - a very serious and diligent bunch. There wasn't particularly an outstanding player, but as a group they worked hard and fought hard to achieve the win. I met Tariq and Joannis for the first time and they looked like potentially really strong players. Tariq rode his luck a lot, but Joannis looked a class act throughout. I think both could benefit from this experience, it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few years.
Very nice to see Jamie Underwood on top board too, leading his team to victory. He spoke very enthusiastic about his experiences with ChessScotland and the number of caps he has won. It was also interesting to hear him talk about volunteering in his other spheres of interest. I am sure there are lots of other factors but chess has certainly helped him develop into a very responsible young man.
Finally, a quick mention for Siddharth Berera - it isn't often you get U12 engaging you in conversation about 19th century players. Clearly someone who loves his chess and looks up a few interesting youtube videos to research some sneaky traps. Perhaps someone to look out for in future.
Well done to all the players.