Farlington Sixth Former Amy Hoare brought in her chess championship cup to school last week. Currently she holds three titles: Under-18 British Girl Champion, British and English Women’s Champion.
Amy, 18, began playing chess in Farlington Prep School at a lunchtime club in Prep 3 and now represents England at international competitions. She was part of the England team at the European Youth Championship in Montenegro and achieved a top 20 placing in the prestigious Guernsey International Chess Festival.
During the summer of 2014 Amy Hoare took part in the British Chess Championships in Aberystwyth. In all she has played in seven British Championships, four as a Junior and three in the main championship section. With around 1,000 entrants each year, it’s an opportunity for the chess community to get together and compete for a range of national titles. The strongest chess players in Britain compete in the main Championship section – entrants have to pre-qualify e.g. by having a title such as GM (Grand Master), winning specific tournaments or achieving a certain performance or grading. After 11 rounds played over 12 days British and English Champion prizes are awarded to highest scoring players within this section. Amy was absolutely delighted to win 3 titles as a result of her performance in Aberystwyth: British and English Women’s Champion and Under 18 British Girl Champion. A definite highlight of her chess year!
Louise Higson, Farlington’s Headmistress, says, “We are very proud of Amy’s achievements and are delighted to have a champion in our midst. She has worked exceptionally hard to reach such high standards, and is an outstanding ambassador for Farlington and an excellent role model for the younger girls.”