Chess Masterclass with Senior Players

This week saw the exciting launch of a new initiative bringing together keen chess players from both Caterham Prep and the senior school. As part of an experimental Chess Masterclass, a group of scholars and enthusiastic players from the first and second year at the senior school visited the Prep to meet and play against our own talented pupils. 

The aim of the session was to provide a meaningful challenge for Prep players while also building confidence and creating connections across year groups around a shared love of chess. Organised through collaboration between Mr Evans at the senior school and Mr Snow and Mr Lang at the Prep, the initial session took place during Wednesday lunchtime and was a great success. 

The standard of play impressed everyone involved. One senior school pupil commented, “These guys are really good… like really good!” Matches were competitive and closely fought, with a far more even spread of wins and losses than might have been expected with a broad range of age and experience. 

Children across Years 3-6 were asked during the week if they would be interested in joining a session, with many pupils from Years 3 to 6 keen to take part. To accommodate this enthusiasm, a rotation system has been introduced so that as many children as possible can experience the Masterclass over the coming weeks. 

Although still in its early stages, this initiative shows great promise. We look forward to developing it further and, in time, hopefully establishing a regular format that continues to challenge and inspire our young chess players with opportunities for competitive play.