Old Wilsonian Chess Match Report

Earlier this month, we once again enjoyed the annual Old Wilsonian’s (OW) Chess Match in the John Jenkins Hall. On paper it is a two-round match-up between the past and present chess players of Wilson’s, but it also serves as a reunion for OWs to reconnect with former classmates and teachers, and share where life has taken them since leaving Wilson’s.

This year we welcomed back 37 OWs and fielded 35 pupils for the games. This year had a particularly impressive turnout, with alumni who more recently graduated from Wilson’s last year, all the way to those who graduated in the 1950’s (and thus still familiarising themselves with the Wallington campus!).

Games were played at 20 minutes each with a 5 second increment for every move. It is fair to say that after the first round, trailing 22 - 13 with the black pieces, the majority of the OWs were still trying to remember their way around the chess board!

The lunch break before Round 2 offered a good mix of conversations between old and current Wilsonians. Whether it was the chance to gain insights into university/work life or to learn more about alumni experiences that date back further than the memories of current staff, it was great to see such animated conversations.

Round 2 showed the OW side restoring their former edge, this time leading 20 – 15 with the white pieces. This made the overall score 37 – 33 to the current Wilsonians.

Adam Ali (Old Wilsonian, Chess Prefect 2021-2022)

Wilson's Inter-Form Chess Competition

140 pupils from 34 forms played in last Friday’s competition. The school found just enough chess sets and clocks for all the players!

Wilson’s is full of good chess players so this is a very tough competition, with no easy fixtures. Just five forms won their first match by 4 – 0, with Brecon taking an early lead in the inter-house competition. After the second round no team was on 100%; 9D were in the lead, with 10H and 9B just behind. Camberwell had taken over the lead in the inter-house competition.

As round 3 was coming to an end it looked like 10H and 9D were joint winners, but then 10C, with a 4-0 win over 10B, beat them by half a point. This also helped Camberwell win the inter-house competition by 4.5 points from Datchelor.

Congratulations to Camberwell’s team of Limo, Sanjiv, Meikum and Tito!