For the third year in a row, Chris Dickinson has qualified for the Finals of the UK Chess Challenge. After local rounds at the Club and within Suffolk, Chris went to Manchester in July, where he qualified for the Challengers section of the Terafinal, taking place this coming weekend in Sheffield. From over 70,000 starters, Chris is one of an elite group of 300 who have reached this final stage of the competition. Due to family holidays, this is the first year that Chris has been able to attend the Terafinal.
Chris' grade has improved in leaps and bounds since he started playing chess seriously. In 2005, at the age of 10, his grade was just 14. In successive years he has improved by an average of over 30 points each year, a remarkable achievement: 2006 - 42; 2007 - 73; 2008 - 108. His target for 2009 is 130.
Last season Chris captained the Club's Suffolk League team in Division 3, and this coming season he will be captaining the 'C' team in the Bury Area League Division 2. Chris is enjoying these responsibilities and it is good to see one of our juniors taking on these roles at such an early age.