E&C Chess Fighters

♟️ CHESS WORD OF THE WEEK ♟️

Every Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chess term to help our young players grow their chess knowledge! 🧠♟️

🍴 THIS WEEK’S WORD: FORK! 🍴

⚡ ONE PIECE. TWO ATTACKS. BIG TROUBLE! ⚡

A FORK is a powerful chess tactic where one piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time!

And remember — any chess piece can create a fork, not just a pawn! ♟️

👀 Learn it. Spot it. Use it!

Follow E&C Chess Fighters and come back next Sunday for another Chess Word of the Week! 💛♟️

♟️✨ A NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS ALMOST HERE! ✨♟️

Why not make CHESS the new skill your child learns this year? ♟️

🏆 E&C CHESS FIGHTERS
♟️ Junior Chess Coaching in Crawley

📩 MESSAGE US TO FIND OUT MORE!

🥈🇬🇧 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗝𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗨 🇬🇧🥈

🏆 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥-𝗨𝗣 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦! 🏆

What an incredible tournament for 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 at the 2026 British Chess Championships – Under 8 Standardplay! ♟️

𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 entered the tournament as 20th seed out of 40 players, and his championship couldn't have started much harder — a loss in Round 1, playing on the last board.

But what followed was an incredible comeback. ❤️‍🔥

From Round 2 onwards, 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 went on an amazing run of SIX consecutive victories, climbing through the field round after round and defeating increasingly strong opposition along the way.

Seven days after starting on the last board, 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 finished with an outstanding 6/7 points, just half a point behind the winner, to become:

🥈 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥-𝗨𝗣 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦! 🇬🇧

And he certainly finished the tournament in style, with TWO brilliant moves in the final round! 💎💎
-game link in the comments.

Starting rank: 20 → Final rank: 2
🔥 6 consecutive wins
♟️ 6/7 points

A big thank you to English Chess Federation for a fantastic tournament and such a memorable championship. 🇬🇧♟️

And a special thank you to Jonathan Blackburn for all the help analysing Cosmin's games with us throughout the tournament, and to Mihai Venețeanu for all the help and support with Cosmin's training. It is very much appreciated! ❤️♟️

We also want to thank our E&C Chess Fighters sponsors, CC Golf Academy, Casa Varvara and La Moviliță for their continued support. 🙏

From a Round 1 defeat on the last board… to six straight wins and British Championship Runner-Up.

What a comeback. What a result!

Congratulations, 𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗡 🥈🇬🇧♟️
We couldn't be prouder! ❤️

♟️ We've arrived at the 2026 UK Chess Challenge Southern Gigafinal! 🇬🇧

Emma and Cosmin are ready, and Round 1 is now underway! 🤞

With over 500 of the country's best young players competing today, the Gigafinal is one of the most competitive junior chess events of the year and the final qualifying stage for the UK Chess Challenge Terafinal.

Cosmin starts as 16th seed in the Under 8 Open, while Emma is 15th seed in the Under 10 Girls.

Our goal today is simple: play our best chess, enjoy the challenge, and fight for a Top 10 finish! ♟️💪

Go E&C Chess Fighters! 💙♟️

♟️After a year of hard work, dedication and countless hours at the chessboard, we are now just THREE stops away from the biggest stage in British junior chess... 🇬🇧♟️

With less than one month to go until the 2026 British Chess Championships at the University of Warwick (1–9 August), excitement is building across the E&C Chess Fighters team. More than 1,000 players from across the UK are expected to compete, making it the biggest event on the British chess calendar.

But before we arrive in Coventry, we have two fantastic challenges ahead:

🏆 18 July – Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge Southern Gigafinal
📍 Sandown Racecourse, Esher
A huge milestone where our young players will battle for qualification to the Terafinal at Blenheim Palace. Only the very best players in each age group qualify, making it one of the strongest and most prestigious junior chess events in the UK.

🏆 26 July – 5th Sussex University Chess Tournament
📍 University of Sussex
Another excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience against strong opposition just one week before the national championships.

🇬🇧 1–9 August – British Chess Championships
📍 University of Warwick, Coventry

Three tournaments.
Three opportunities to learn.
Three opportunities to grow.

At E&C Chess Fighters, every tournament is another step in our journey. We are incredibly proud of how far our young players have come, and we can't wait to represent our club on some of the biggest stages in junior chess.

Let's make this summer one to remember!

https://suchess.co.uk/tournament.html

https://www.delanceyukschoolschesschallenge.com/

https://www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk/

💙♟️ English Chess Federation

♟️🏨 A Fantastic Stay at Holiday Inn Express St. Albans - M25, Jct.22! 🏨♟️

Travelling around the country for chess tournaments means we spend a lot of time in hotels, and it's always a pleasure when you find a place that makes you feel genuinely welcome.

During our latest tournament weekend, we had a wonderful stay at Holiday Inn Express St. Albans - M25, Jct.22.

One of the highlights was unexpectedly meeting one of England's strongest junior girls, Larissa Cuthbert. Emma and Cosmin were delighted to chat with her, and she couldn't have been kinder. Thank you, Larissa, for taking the time to speak with them—you've left them with a lovely memory from the weekend! ♟️😊

Another big highlight was the exceptional hospitality from Marika at the hotel. From the moment we arrived until we checked out, she went above and beyond to make sure our family felt welcome. Her kindness, professionalism and genuine care made a real difference to our stay.

Excellent customer service is something people remember long after they've left, and Marika is a wonderful example of that.

A huge thank you to everyone at Holiday Inn Express St. Albans - M25, Jct.22 for helping make our tournament weekend even more enjoyable.

We look forward to visiting again in the future!

⭐ Highly recommended!

&C Chess Fighters

♟️ CHESS PUZZLE OF THE DAY ♟️

💥 White to move... and mate in 2!

This isn't a computer-generated position or a famous grandmaster puzzle...

🔥 This position comes from a real blitz game played by Cosmin!

After a series of bold sacrifices and attacking ideas, White reached this beautiful position.

🤔 Can you find the winning continuation?

⏱️ Challenge: White to move and mate in 2.

We'll reveal the solution later.

♟️ Think deeper. Stay calm. Finish the game with confidence.

♟️🏆 Last weekend was another memorable one for Team E&C Chess Fighters at the AlphaChess FIDE Triathlon II in North London!

Emma and Cosmin both produced outstanding performances against strong opposition and once again showed that hard work and dedication pay off.

🌟 Emma had an exceptional Classical tournament, scoring a perfect 3 wins out of 3 games in Pool B. She finished tied for 1st place and achieved an incredible performance rating of over 2100.

⚡ Cosmin delivered another fantastic performance in the Blitz, battling his way through a very competitive field to become Pool B Blitz Champion. His tactical awareness and fighting spirit were on full display throughout the event.

Both children represented E&C Chess Fighters with pride, sportsmanship and determination, taking on older and higher-rated opponents across all three formats.

A huge thank you to for organising another excellent event and to everyone who continues to support Emma and Cosmin on their chess journey.

The hard work continues, one move at a time. ♟️💙

Casa Varvara La Moviliță CC Golf Academy

Brilliant Emma and Cosmin the Tactician are in action at the AlphaChess FIDE Triathlon II.

♟️🏆 E&C Chess Fighters are heading to the 2026 AlphaChess FIDE Triathlon II! 🏆♟️

This weekend we swap normal tournament chess for something a little different...

🔥 Two full days of chess
🔥 18 rated games
🔥 Three different time controls
🔥 One Chess Triathlon!

The AlphaChess FIDE Triathlon is one of the most innovative events on the UK chess calendar, challenging players across all three formats:

♟️ Standard Chess – 3 rounds (80+10)
⚡ Rapid Chess – 6 rounds (10+5)
🚀 Blitz Chess – 9 rounds (3+2)

That means our players will need to demonstrate not only good chess, but also adaptability, time management and stamina over an intense weekend of competition.

We are delighted that Cosmin Cojocaru and Emma Cojocaru will be representing E&C Chess Fighters alongside players from across England and beyond at the fantastic:

📍 Wyllyotts Theatre
Wyllyotts Place, Darkes Lane,
Potters Bar, EN6 2JD

The event has attracted a very strong field, with players ranging from beginners to titled competitors, creating an excellent learning opportunity for our young chess fighters.

A huge thank you to the team at for organising such an exciting and innovative event.

If you're looking for a weekend packed with chess, there is still time to enter and join the action!

https://alphachess.co.uk/events/triathlon

Good luck to all players taking part! 💪♟️